Ah well, it was worth a try!

The scales must have got wind of my plan and disapproved; they remained stubbornly unmoved this morning leaving me with a STS of 14.5.6.  Hmmmm

I suppose the weekend eating and drinking fiesta of meal at Las Iguanas, bottle of wine, Jaeger Bomb, Sambucca shot, and 4 rum and diet cokes WILL have taken its toll.

It was a good night though.  No real dancing beyond the jigging on the spot variety and the bit of drunken samba'ing at the end (to a salsa beat so not entirely sucessful).  I felt pretty old in my out of date outfit surrounded by youngsters but our crew was mostly of any age (or older...).

Sunday lunch at my old school pals new house was a revelation though.  It was GORGEOUS!  Set on the side of the hill above Hathersage with the most beautiful views over the valley a spectacular Victorian country mansion.  I'd guess at 7 or 8 bedrooms but there were probably more.  And that's not counting the myriad games rooms and dressing rooms and attic rooms.  Downstairs, beautiful drawing room with massive windows and that VIEW (it was everywhere like a framed oil painting).  Country kitchen, mudrooms, pantry, dining room with a table round which 14 of us sat with room for more. Original and beautiful stained glass windows facing the non-view side, flowers everwhere.  The garden (more views) with terrace and wooded area.

  Sigh, it was just bliss, like one of the nicest B&Bs you've ever stayed at.  And Louise LIVES there!

There were 3 couples invited and none of us are as minted (or minted at all in fact) so our envy (and pleasure for our friends' good fortune of course!) levels were high.  I'd suspect that all of our 3 houses and gardens and garages would have fitted comfortably into that of our hosts!!

That said, it was a lovely afternoon - 8 adults and 6 kids (of the young teenager variety) all eating, drinking and chatting.  The kids kind of cancelled themselves out by disappearing off to play electronic stuff and then go outside to the fire pit to burn stuff (I saw homemade bows and arrows too but didn't enquire too closely).  It was great to re-connect with Louise who only lives a few miles away but who I don't (kids and different social lives) see often enough.  They have just got a dog - a wriggley, gorgeous working cocker - so we have set some walking dates so hopefully that will change.

Thinking about it, I suppose that the multiple pies (choice of chicken, beef and fish - I tried all 3) and the chocolate cake and homemade chocolate biscuit cake with coffee later WILL probably have had an effect on the scales. Do you think....?!

Must redouble efforts and I think the key is keeping on with the structure of my days but tightening up on the carbs.  I have strayed from the low-carbing I was doing and I suspect that is not helping.  So - today (Tuesday) is going to be a GOOD low-carb day to get me back in the swing of it.  I have training later and will take the dogs out into the snowy wilderness at lunchtime.

I'm meant to be going over to my parents after training this evening to WFH there tomorrow.  But now I'm not sure what the roads will be like.  I really didn't expect this much snow.  It was forecast but not to be this heavy somehow...  It could disappear as fast as it has arrived, the sun is peeping out as I write, but then again it was falling thick and fast only 10 minutes ago.  Who knows?