Five OS Pleasures in your day today

mineallmine

Evening all,

Hugs all round but especially to Courgette. Brave of you to share your heartache. We share that on here but also search hard (sometimes really hard) for the good stuff.

I have had a great day. I felt more alive today than I have in a long while. I am taking loads of multi-vits and supplements (I'm like a pony with a bucket of polos) but something is working - even if its the placebo effect.

1. Rediscovering my love of reading. I've read more in the last month than in the last year.

2. Just finished - How I lived for a year on a pound a day - inspired me to search out free events, and simply look on my door-step. Caterina - I've just borrowed - Eat love pray - from the library, am really looking forward to it.

3. My loved one felt poorly today and I made an extra effort to present their meal (a roast) in an appetising way. It's amazing what a little gravy boat and a little dish of roasted onions on the side can do.

4. Doing a (paperwork) job I kept putting off.

5. Speaking to a friend on the phone. (Go on phone a friend, you know you want to!)

Kittikins

Courgette - so sorry to hear of your loss, sending big hugs.

Saving for oz - could you please let me know how to make soya yoghurt?

Well, DD and I have had a lovely weekend; we wrote a list of things to do (fun) and things that needed to be done - it was nearly 2 sides of A4 and we've done nearly everything! Ok, the hoover has stayed in the understairs cupboard, but the good things have happened

1. We have had a lovely weekend and I'm so happy. Today we had a picnic in the grounds of a local farm shop where you can feed the donkeys/goats, and we ate our lunch with chickens pecking around us and admiring the piglets
2. We made up our hammock on a stand with help - and have had some lovely cuddles on it in the sunshine. Luckily I was able to find a cover big enough at W*lko's yesterday and put it on just as it started spitting yesterday - phew!
3. Going to a local village show after seeing a sign for it when on the way to the farm shop - it was fabulous, with a really friendly atmosphere. We made beautiful cupcake mosaics which are now proudly up on the wall in our kitchen.
4. Early evening, we went for a nice walk around the village, were given and also picked some flowers by the roadside and they are now in a vase in the kitchen. We also picked some blackberries - yum!
5. Making my first ever mayonnaise which looked fabulous....unfortunately DD hated it so it had to go in the bin, as I can't eat it at the moment *sigh* However, it's given me more confidence to make it again, keep costs down and also my weight, as I will only make what I need to a meal, rather than just dipping into the jar....

Hugs to everyone

Nitha

Courgette I'm so sorry for your loss. Please take it easy and concentrate on looking forward to your upcoming wedding.

shopndrop

PatchworkQuilt – you have been busy harvesting your veg from allotment – how satisfying. I just love home grown veg
Olliebeak – I really feel for your DD, she is having a horrible time at the moment. Hope you enjoyed Agatha Christie. Congratulations on the forthcoming wedding.
Sparrer – well done on the weight loss. We also try and drive at a steady pace, not braking when approaching traffic lights etc, just slowing down in the hope that we don’t have to stop and we feel it saves a bit of money each month.
Courgette – so sorry about your miscarriage, look after yourself . You will get lots of support on this thread.
Ginnyknit – I thought it was too early for blackberries but DS said he saw some yesterday when out walking. Blackberries always remind me of autumn.
Caterina – your lunch with DS & friends sounds lovely. I always enjoy the company of DS & his friends too.
Savingforoz – good luck with the Spanish. A new Spanish lady has just started work with DH and he is enjoying speaking Spanish to her and her correcting him, likewise he is helping her with her English.
Nitha – good luck with the reduction in outgoings. £50 per week sounds less than £200 per month.
Mineallmine – hope your loved one is feeling a bit better now
Kittikins – another one picking blackberries, will have to go for a walk next weekend where I know I will find some.

• Picking the last of the peas from the garden today and also finding a marrow (it should have been a courgette but I left it in the garden for too long (oops).
• Making soup with the marrow and some other bits of veg in the bottom of the fridge. Having this for lunch with some HM bread.
• Enjoying spending a couple of hours in the garden with OH so it is looking much better now.
• Spent the afternoon making carrot cake (to take to work tomorrow as we always have cakes when there are only a few staff in), a chocolate cake for us to eat at home, freezing loads of peppers that I stocked up on in Aldi whilst they were still cheap.
• Making more of the the apple and mint chutney from the recipe that Bellaquidsin posted on here. Thanks Bella – we love this.
• DH making tea again tonight using some onions, courgettes, and peas from the garden and he remembered to take some chicken out of the freezer too.

bellaquidsin

Just dropped in with hugs for Courgette. I'm just lurking otherwise and pressing the thanks button to mark my 'place' so that I don't get behind with all your news.

I'm having a lovely holiday, some of it is OS but some isn't and all this talk of weight loss is making me blush:o

Bella.

purpledreams

Hi

This is my 1st post! woohooo ;-)
I absolutly love this thread... its a little bit inspiration ..wish i could bottle up all ur happiness!!

1.Joing this website!! lol
2.Some meal planning
3.Taking some control back on my life

Only 3 for now !!.....

Courgette--- Big hugs to you , i have been where u are right now ,stay strong and i hope time will become ur healer as it was with me .

shopndrop

bellaquidsin wrote: »

I'm having a lovely holiday, some of it is OS but some isn't and all this talk of weight loss is making me blush:o

Bella.

Evening Bella - just remember it is your holiday and so long as some of it is OS then that's good. If you were anything like I used to be none of the holiday would have been OS, so I always feel that so long as some things are then that is fine. Holidays are not the time to be thinking of weight loss. Mind you, I don't think any time is with me. I just love my food too much especially all this OS cooking.

[Deleted User]

Hi everyone, and special hugs to Courgette from across the world.
bellaquidsin I consider a holiday to be a break from the routines of everyday life, and that includes diets. It is an opportunity to indulge and enjoy the moment. Hope that you are having a great time.
My five from yesterday.

1. OH and I cut down a huge, non productive fig tree that was shading and depleting my main outdoor veg garden. Now it is gone, I am planning several more raised beds in its place.

2. Friend arrived with a homemade venison pie he had just made (he's been in the back country shooting - deer are a huge pest here).

3. Made up a presentation box of soft cheeses, butter and a homemade blackberry liqueur for my friendly dairy farmer.

4. Sunny here today even if a bit windy, so plan to get "stuck in" to the flower gardens which are absolutely choking with weeds - have been putting all my efforts into the vegetables and neglecting them.

5. Went down the beach with OH, we have had westerly gales for several days and the sand was very soft - nearly got the 4wd stuck a few times, but had lots of laughs.

6. Found some of the local tearaways have built a shelter right by my favourite white baiting spot, but they have kindly offered it to me to shelter in whenever I want, and were horrified that they may have upset me. I am learning to look beneath the somewhat intimidating exteriors to the genuine niceness underneath!

Blessing be

Jennie

Olliebeak

Evening all :wave:

sparrer - love the poem - sounds like all schemes have the same 'characters' in them . I've always said that if James Herriott could retire well on the strength of his experiences, then there just HAS to be a book in me from my lot! Names will be changed to protect the guilty :rotfl:.
Courgette - so sorry to hear about your recent sad experience (((((SPECIAL HUGS))))) for you and your OH. This is such a lovely thread and you'll find good support on here. An OS wedding ?
ginnyknit - well done on the laundry and exercise . Mmmmmm blackberries :drool:.
Caterina - sounds like a good book - and what a busy Sunday - quite put me to shame .
savingforoz - well done on your 'future planning' - it's not good to be stuck in a job that you no longer enjoy. Hope you can find a way out of it while maintaing (or improving) your income. Good Luck with the Spanish conversation classes.
Nitha - Great decision to be a SAHM till your kids start school :T - good luck with it.
mineallmine - hope your loved one is feeling better - I'm sure the lunch will have helped . Thank you for the reminder to phone a friend - I owe my cousin in the USA a call.
Kittikins - Great day with your DD -village show and the farm shop sound wonderful - and ANOTHER one picking blackberries. I'm so envious - ourse around here are still green .
shopndrop - hope your colleagues enjoy your carrot cake :drool:.
bella - :wave:
purpledreams - hello and welcome :hello: - well done on taking control - it can make such a difference in our lives. Unfortunately it often slips out of my fingers - so I need a tighter grip sometimes .
kiwiblue - how sweet of your local 'tearaways' - wish ours around here were such lovely lads . Sounds as though your garden is still productive for the 'winter months' - happy gardening .

1. So much for DD finishing her sorting out while I looked after dgd2 for the day! She took dgd1 and dgs1 skating with friends in Blackburn - all the way from Huyton - Blackburn for ice skating - silly girl! Still the kids will remember the experience better than if they had spent the day decluttering!
2. Laundry all done and on the line before I went out today.
3. Katie (21mths) and I spent a lovely afternoon bimbling through the 'cheapie' shops (HomeBargains, B&M Bargains, Wilkos) and then went to Asda for lunch and some proper shopping.
4. Some great whoopsies and Rollbacks with my name on them in Asda - including three long-sleeved tops for Katie for £4 (£4 for all three not for 1!)
5. Roast chicken with stuffing, mashed pots, fresh carrots and peas (out of pods ) and 'sagey' gravy for evening meal. Carcasse now stripped and in freezer for stock-making and remaining meat clingfilmed till I decide what to use it for. Also got some left-over stuffing, mash, carrots, peas and gravy which will probably become kind of fry-up for lunch tomorrow.
6. DS1 arrived while I was out and asked OH to 'dump' three-quarters of a box of new potatoes that he and g/f bought last weekend at a farmers market :eek::eek: - he must be kidding - chuck out new pots ! I can see some kind of 'chicken and potato bake' type thingy coming on. What I can't use immediately will be cooked, mashed and frozen in portions.
7. Biggest blessing of all - DS1 mustn't have had his 'radar' switched on cos he missed the final slice of Lemon Drizzle Cake which I've just used up for my supper :rotfl::rotfl:.
8. DD rang and asked what I'd done to Katie - she'd flaked out and had to be put to bed before 9.00pm.

That's me done for today - back to work tomorrow morning again. Nitey nite all and pleasant dreams - love Ollie xxx


ooooooooh another one - 9. Found my purse (with bank card in it) that's been 'missing' for around 10-14 days - what pleasure to find that I HADN'T used my overdraft facility this month - I was so sure that I had .

morag1202

Hi all :hello: hope you don't mind if I join you but I've had a good weekend and wanted to share :j

1. Seeing my DD cry - she has at last found "the dress" for her wedding. The OS bit is that it is within her budget and she negotiated free alterations. She looks a million in it and I'm so proud.

2. Discovering sains give nectar points on phone top ups

3. A cup of coffee in the sun by the pond, watching dozens of very small frogs.

4. A long catch up phone call with a friend and remembering to ring off and ring back at 58 mins in.

5. Finding what I hope will be the ideal gift for her birthday with enough time to get it from amazon and post it.

take care all