Countdown to Freedom

Thistlewhistle

Morning Tilly,

Glad the meal planning is going well - I need you to come and talk to my SW group! I'm trying to get them to protect their weight losses by doing a bit more planning, especially for difficult days!

I rejoined a new SW group yesterday and was pleased to see I'm 10lb lighter that when I joined in January. Going for Saturday mornings as I'm usually free. It's a 9am group which won't take up all the day.

Made a lovely chicken pasta dish last night with passata, mushrooms and courgettes (on offer at S@ainsburys). Quite delish!!

Have a good day! I'm working this morning, ringing the bells at the cathedral at midday til 4, then a fundraising centenary celebration evening of food and Bingo at my friends church. Usually a hoot!

Tx

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning Thistle, well timed catchup just before I go into the garden and start work

I'm thinking of you and HDK a lot at the moment and have consciously bought stuff for my lunches. This has helped and next thing I'm thinking of is making a frittata so I can grab a slice for a snack. It's the moments when you want to grab a snack but no clue what to have.

I'm also eating more fruit and much more veg again - focus definitely wanes depending upon level of work carp :eek:

You have a great hobby and I must admit to wishing I could hear church bells from here. In my lifetime I've only lived in two houses where you couldn't/can't hear the peal, and I'm still living in one of them

Hope all is well with you - enjoy this afternoon

Tilly x x

Alchemilla

My iron does that. Grrr.

brizzledfw

Know what you mean re church bells..I miss them too. School friends of mine rang a quarter peal for my parents Golden Wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and it was amazing to hear..

Have a good day in the garden. My allotment is improving but still 2 patches which need to be turned over and something, anything planted :eek:

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Picnic packed ready for hound walk. DS has been scouting on his bike and about an hour's walk away is a perfect wee snicket.

Games at the ready :)

Heard from some good friends who are unexpectedly in our neighbourhood and we are abandoning dinner plans to meet up with them instead

Loads of gardening tasks complete.

Even had time for BBQing sausages for the picnic

House may need a good clean, but this weather cannot be missed.

Thistle, I'll be thinking of you whilst we're walking - enjoy the bell ringing

Tilly x x

Thistlewhistle

Hi Tilly,

The ringing at the cathedral was just what I needed. We rang a peal of Stedman Caters which took 3 hours and 14 minutes. It's such fantastic thinking time for me and I sorted out some tricky stuff whilst the bells were pealing away. Relaxed!

Thinking of your frittata, my group call these "life saving grab foods"!
They use:

Cooked meats
Pickle onions & gherkins
Chicken drumsticks (marinaded first in all kinds of stuff)
SW quiche
SW chicken liver pate with crunchy veg sticks
SW tuna pate (takes 3 minutes to make)
SW cheese dip (Quark plus Health Extra A of strong cheese stirred in)

Hope these help!

T:D

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

Morning, late start to the day as although not too late home, we were all bushed and in bed for 10pm but struggling to get going this morning.

Morning chores done - 2 beds stripped and remade, first load of washing in the machine, cinnamon swirls from L!dl in the oven ( I'm having scrambled eggs instead). Bathroom cleaned.

Heading downstairs to have tea in the garden and enjoy the sun

Thistle, thanks for those tips. I definitely think snacking is where I'm going wrong and poor choices. I'll looking up the recipes for the pât!s and see what's needed. I made a lovely dip on Saturday with 0% fat quark, basil, chives, a little garlic and S&P - tasted yummy and no one complained. I served it in a pretty bowl, surrounded by cucumber and carrot sticks and even DS had some



I have given myself a big kick up the b£m this morning and chatted to Mr T about exercise. My consistency and discipline waxes and wanes and I have no clue why apart from feeling tired. However, feeling tired is an excuse not to do as much and so the cycle continues. Due to this I'm having a go at something different. I've asked the kids to walk the hounds with me on the evenings they are at home - not together but it takes two to walk the dogs. Once this is back to normal, I'll start my weight training again as I know this helps my brain.


£40 for DS phone has been chased.

Annual BT line rental has been paid up front.

That's all for now.


Tilly x

Thistlewhistle

Hi Tilly,

Great slant on the old Quark recipes - I'll be making that one, and sharing with my group too!!

Exercise:
First of all, think of it as activity not exercise. Puts a whole new focus on it. You were doing tons of walking a while back - one of the best activities going as long as it's at a brisk pace to get your heart beating a little faster.
Free, available at all times (the hounds will help) and you can do 10 minute chunks if time is tight. A lot of my members have joined up for Couch to 5K in our area and are really enjoying it, meeting new people and getting fit. The group are all supporting each other and great friendships are being made. It's just brilliant.

Good luck!
T:D

HelenDaveKids

Morning Tilly. Beautiful day here, hopefully the improving weather will add to the push to walk? Fancy a walk too, but girls have friends round and Dave gardening, cats turned me down too. Shame we don't live near as a walk and chat always spurs me on.

Tilly_MFW_in_6_YRS

What a morning - smoked gammon off cuts made in to a sauce with tons of veg, ready for pasta bake tomorrow night.

Frittata made ready for snacks but kids have asked if we can have it for lunch instead :eek:

Roast pork ready for the oven, with mange tout, broccoli, carrots, roast potatoes (never made these before with spray 1 cal olive oil but will give it a go). Asparagus prepped for a starter - will serve it with a lightly boiled egg mmmmm.

Mr T and I are off to do some returns to a DIY shop then off to hunt down an iron.

He has put a list on his phone of all the things he wanted to get finished over the long weekend. It sounds like good progress has been made

I'd quite like to sit on a sun lounger in the garden and read a book now but we are nearly done

It is taking some time for me to get used to Mr T being away and I realise how much I miss him when he is. I don't mean I sit moping about but it does make you realise how important each of us is, to the other. He apparently feels the same way :). The time whizzes by and the next moment he's home and we have lived our lives like this for over a decade until the last couple of years or so, so I am used to it.

Work is too big a part of life and I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time on my veg, on bread making, I would like to do some studying. Although I have to remember to do less and slow down - I've promised Mr T I won't jump in to loads of things. One volunteering activity, veggies, bread and then some gentle socialising

A lovely MsE chum gave me some good advice recently and it's been a real help. The practical support this site provides is pretty overwhelming at times :T

HDK, if I lived near you, I'd be dragging you out all the time as I love walking and chatting. When there's someone else walking too, I don't like to let them down. I think I've just let work get in the way again, which is a cycle I go through often.

Thistle, thanks for being there - you're being a big help right now and I need it

Ok, off to the shops and then I'm definitely grabbing a book

Tilly x x