Panto!!

I have been AWOL briefly due to the demands of the village panto. This year it was Beauty and the Beast and I was (mis)cast as Belle. It wasn't my favourite role as straight, romantic lead is a tad boring. Not much comedy in my lines although I did my best to shoehorn what I could in there.

However, I did have great costumes and was not roasty baking for the first time ever!! Do you want to see some pics??

Of course you do. Everyone wants to see me in the yellowest frock in the world!!

It went really well all in. Full nearly every night and great audiences. A fantastic aftershow party in the White Hart in Saturday night. We went up there in our costumes and then sang our songs and danced the night away.

Mostly locals but one table full of hipsters types out for a mountain biking weekend. There were a couple of Californians among the grouo who were fascinated by our quaint country ways!!  Many photos taken and vids shot.

It made me proud of our group and the village as a whole. Such a jolly, close community. I'm so happy we live here.

Diet wise, panto week is tough. Chaotic eating, going to the pub for a few drinks and food every night too. I kept it tight all week long but the double header on Saturday, aftershow party and clear up and cast lunch on Sunday put a strain on the back end of the week!!

Still, despite being absolutely exhausted Monday and Tuesday, I was back on it and managed a small drop to 15.8.25 this morning. I'm progressing at a snail's pace but I am progressing!! I've been running several times too....go me!!

I'm off to Iceland (the country, not the shop) with my old school pals, Jenny, Kirsten and Stephanie first thing Friday morning. Being cold is going to be a shock to the system after this glorious (but worrying) early taste of spring. I wish I had left an extra week between panto and Iceland though....it has been a hell of a rush!!

Also, I'm slightly annoyed to be missing a football match...the Sheffield derby no less. When we agreed on the date for our weekend away a few months ago, Wednesday was rubbish and losing more often than not. I wasn't worried in the slightest about missing watching us being thrashed by our local rivals. Now we have a new manager and a whole new attitude and we might even win! Gah!!

Iceland had better be good!!

It's a beautiful day!

I'm back home now as my dad is much better and my sister and her husband are coming up to stay with him for the weekend.

It was a full on day yesterday. Work, then driving home, off to panto rehearsal and then straight to darts and dominoes at the White Hart. As a result my eating was a little chaotic. I grabbed a sandwich on the drive home so had crumpets for supper.  3 gins in the pub but still under maintenance of 2k calories. Then, just before I left the pub, I weakened and fell for an impulse eat of 3 little coronation chicken sandwiches!! So close....

Still, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a terrible day.

I weighed myself this morning after a few days away. A most pleasing 2lbs off. I feel as though I have turned a corner over these last few days. Back to running, counting calories and writing down. Perhaps thos time I can keep it going through the 15.8 limit which has haunted me since last July!

I went for a run during my lunch break. Well, it started as a run. I ran across the fields to Boothby Graffoe (@1.5km). Then, as it was so lovely I thought I would carry on a spell towards Navenby before turning back. The trouble is, Boothby is a long thin village and as I would be on the road, the dogs had to be on ttheir leads.

They HATE running on a lead. Well, Shelagh does. She drags backwards and gets slower and slower. I ended up walking that section. Then, when we hit the footpath again, it was too muddy and just too pretty. So I walked that section as well.

Past the village pond.

All that open space.

A gorgeous carpet of snowdrops and aconites.

A photobombing cocker spaniel.

It was marvellous to feel that breath of spring. Inhale that lovely fresh air and see the huge open vistas of Lincolnshire. I even started to run on the way back but then took a work call so probably only ran for 2-2.5km out of 5! Tee hee.

It was a stunning drive home. Just as I hit the White Peak the sun was setting so I disgusted the dogs who were impatient to get home to daddy and pulled over for some snaps.

That feelgood factor carried on today. Rich and I snuck off work a little early to play 9 holes of golf. It was so mild - t-shirts in February! Great golf too. Several pars and a birdie. Woo hoo!!

I need some serious diet management to get through tomorrow. We're off to a football awayday in Rotherham. It'll have to be choc shake for brekkie, a sensible lunch and no more than 4 gins!! If I don't overdo it, I should be able to fit in a run when we get home.

I need to keep this momentum going!!

Really returning this time!

I had a mission - 13 weeks to drop a stone. Now nearly 3 weeks have passed and my mission is 10 weeks to drop a stone. It can be done but only if I get my finger out - NOW!!

I'm stuck at 15.12-15.13. However, I spoke with a very supportive colleague on Monday and we are both turning it around. She is going back to SW and writing everything down and I'm going back to calorie counting using my Fitbit but also writing everything down. It worked last year for both of us and WILL work again.

I'm also back to blogging as that was a big part of what worked last year too. So hellooo!

In other news, I'm in the throes of panto season - first night is a single week away but also staying over at dad's for a few nights. He had a hernia op last Friday which has left him with an infection so I'm over here working from home but also caring for him. He's on antibiotics and is not too bad but very tired and not eating etc so I'm having to nag and cajole him along.

Hey ho.

Still, it does mean I'm being very good with food and exercise. 1500 cals yesterday and a 4km run and today looking similar except with an added dog walk in the sunshine this lunchtime!!

As I'm away from home I can't weigh in until Friday morning but am hoping for a drop. My future MIL bought me a diet aid bikini body and I've not got off the mark yet!! (You slide a £ coin into the slots for each lb gone.)

Anyway, I had better crack on. Here is a pic from my run with the girls over Coleby Heath yesterday evening. So very Lincolnshire!