New Start 23 - sunshine at last!

And typically, I couldn't get out in it much. I would have loved to have headed home on time and gone out for a long walk with D and doggie but I had my french class so duty called. I had to miss it last Tuesday due to an accident on the motorway so I wasn't going to miss another one on the bounce.

I really enjoy it - I can feel my understanding increasing as the weeks go by and I'm getting much more fluent (although I'm far from being actually fluent!) and confident. I also like the teacher - she's really down to earth and involves me in her family quite naturally - seems like a good mum and has a nice lad. Today I ended up holding his Guinea Pig on my way out so he could finish cleaning out its cage - a first for me but I like hairy creatures (even D!) so not too worrying!!

Anyway, when I got home I was starving so wolfed down a bar and then, as D headed off to the pub, I grabbed Shelagh and drove up a hillside for a quick walk in the late evening sunshine. It was gorgeous. I didn't have long before the sun slid behind the hill but just half an hour of fresh air and beautiful views, on top of a lovely drive through the Peak District on the way back from my class, was enough to make me feel as though summer has finally arrived.

Now, I'm well aware that it's been miserable for many people today so I'm counting my blessings. I'm also aware that it's going to rain again tomorrow ....sigh...

What else?

Clothes. They seem to be on everyones' minds at the moment. I went out at lunchtime to try and find some size 12's as my current 2 items of workwear are getting on the baggy side. Trouble is, although I can get into the 12's, they ar still too tight to be respectable. Very va va voom at the mo but not very professional! I'm a bit of a slapper when it comes to my dress so I have to make sure I fall down on the right side of fitted!!

Actually, I feel a bit at sea clothes-wise - like I'm nearly there with the diet but not quite. I want to buy nice clothes but don't feel quite ready to pay decent moneyfor anything. I think I know what suits me but I'm not quite sure whether that's the look I want to take forward with my new figure. Everything's "almost there". So, inertia set in and I left without purchasing even though there were a few nice enough things I tried on.

I think, rather than putting pressure on myself and making expensive mistakes, I'll put clothes buying on hold for another fortnight and just enjoy tightening my belt. That should take the pressure off and, hopefully, my ideas about clothes/wardrobe will have sorted themselves out in my head in the meantime so, when I go back to it with another half stone or 10lbs off, it'll all make more sense to me! That's the plan anyway...

When I hit goal and once the autumn fashions come into the shops, I'm going to go on 2 shopping expeditions with 2 different friends in Manchester and London to buy big items like good jeans, a winter coat and boots. These are items I never really prioritised before. I didn't want to spend big money on them when I was fat so just made do. Now, I want killer jeans and boots in particular. I want to look more grown up in terms of my dress, less disposable High Street fashion, more as though I have a "look". Which, of course, means, that I have first to get a "look"!

Wish me luck...!