The day of reckoning beckons.

Weigh in is on Thursday morning and I'm guessing at a solid gain 4, maybe 5 lbs. I'm doing what I can before then to minimise the damage but suspect that I will be almost back to where I started back in Feb/March.

Hey ho. If I hadn't dropped those 9.5 lbs who know where I'd be now?!

I feel energised by our lovely holiday. Determined to get stuff done at work, at home, in my dieting quest and in the garden. Not to mention seeing more of my friends this summer.

Lovely as Malaysia was, going there has made me appreciate even more this country. The changing seasons; the weather which generally allows you to be outdoors and active without melting; manageable traffic and drivers who generally observe the rules of the road; our television and, after 2 weeks in a predominantly muslim country, our pork products!!

I came back to the very sad news that my friend Kerry's mother had died suddenly. She had been ill with cancer and was having chemo but was taken suddenly by a blood clot. Kerry (an only child) and her father are devastated. That too has made me reflect as well. They were such a close couple from small families who had few friends as they really only needed each other.

I can see Rich and I being a bit like that. We spend a lot of time together and think we need to reach out more. It's easy to become an island and not necessarily healthy.

That said, it has been heavenly spending the last fortnight together. We work so well on holiday. No rows, no niggles over what we want to do, just a happy time. And he got on really well with my brother, nephew, sister in law and her wider family too. Such a change from previous holidays with D which became minefields to be negotiated rather than fun-filled breaks.

So, I'm now back to the grindstone of diet and exercise and I'm actually looking forward to it. Wish me luck!!