Oh, it's you again....!

In honour of the grey, rainy day we're experiencing in Derbyshire today, here is a study in grey from our last afternoon walk in Pembrokeshire.  A grey, but mild walk along a grey, pebbley beach.  I love the colours, so muted and blurry and gentle.

Shelagh randomly attacks a pile of seaweed - think there might have been a crab in there somewhere.

She still doesn't like the frothy foam though...

At the start of our walk there was no room to walk other than on the pebbles but eventually there was a sliver of wet sand to walk along.

I'm experiencing a familiar feeling. VERY familiar. Yes, it's our old friends hope and enthusiasm back to play. Every time I get back in the diet groove, or at least back somewhere where the groove is at least visible to me, I start feeling like I can crack this. It happened to me last time I was at 4.5lbs off about 6 weeks ago (I could check back but will leave some mystery...). I keep running over in my head - not far off half a stone, not far off 'til I've jettisoned a recognisable chunk of blubber and can at last feel as though "I've made a start".

As an aside, how do other nationalities work it? If you don't have stones, do you think in chunks of 5lbs, 10? If you're in kilos, do you have to have dropped 5 kg before you're off and running? Half a stone is a nice, manageable chunk (obviously not easily achievable for me this time although it has been in the past). 10lbs would be more of a milestone but also further away - I'm not even halfway there!!

The enthusiasm is helpful though - it is assisting me in resisting the booze or biscuits at least.

Another potential help could be that Richard has finally acknowledged that he too must join the flab-busters. He has always had a bit of what he refers to, somewhat coyly, as a "bay window" but in the last year, it has definitely expanded. Trousers are tight and in some cases not fitting!! I shouldn't laugh but it is funny. He says he wants to lose some weight and has asked for assistance in cutting back on treats in the house (that'll be good - no excuse for me to buy in biscuits or sweets "for Rich") and also to think about a bread-free lunch for him at work. It's tricky. He only gets 30 minutes so fussy, microwave meals would be out. I often cook extra so he can take that to work but on the non-leftover days he takes sarnies. I think the only option is salads for him which will also help me to to have them. That way I can make sure we have plenty of nice cold cuts, hard boiled eggs, homemade coleslaw to distract from the no bread situation. This could be good for me too.

I have, however, made the point that the easiest thing for him to do to drop the blubber would be to cut back on beer!! He'd lose a stone in a couple of months if he gave it up altogether but I suspect it would not be happy couple of months for him!! He doesn't drink a huge amount, certainly not every day - 3, sometimes 4 times per week but even at 3/4 pints a time, that would be a saving of around 4000 calories a week! If he had low fat milk, less bread, fruit instead of crisps and fewer sweet treats, he could easily drop a stone in a month.

Lucky devil - I have already cut out most of that stuff and do more exercise than him....dieting is not so easy when you're working at the margins! (I sympathise Peridot as I know you've gone much further than me in cutting out/back and are still struggling to reduce). It's not fair but it is what it is.

So - I need to capitalise on the hope and enthusiasm and make a plan to make Rich's new regime work for me as well. Hopefully that elusive half stone mark will be reached very soon and spur me on for the next. I've had a change of heart on the reward front too - the half stone reward will NOT now be a meal out. It will be a day's hike with picnic and Rich. He doesn't know this yet. Although we like walking, we get far too busy during the summer with golf and other events (and the grim weather hasn't helped this year). So my treat will be setting aside a Saturday or Sunday and MAKING us go for a good long tramp with a picnic, my camera and the dogs.

 Update - Now after all that hope and enthusiasm from yesterday, I had a bad night - felt hungry and bored and ate too much - toast and general stuff.  And then the scales this morning showed a 2lb jump.  Harrumph.  Gotta make sure I don't let it derail me for today and the rest of the weekend. 

Update 2 - well I've just been out shopping and got a load of fruit and veg for our new style bread-free  lunches.  It's a start....

WI update

Second to last lot of Wales photos - these are from our boat trip around Ramsey Island.  We'd had a curry the night before so I'm surprised Rich looks so happy here as we arrive as he wasn't that gone on the idea of a jet boat trip without having a dicky tummy.

So here's the boat...I was very excited with the whole life jacket and strapping yourself in.   I can't believe that the people in the shop had told us we could take the dogs - the idea of our 2 jumping all over this boat while it zipped over the waves is NOT a good one.  We certainly would not have seen much in the way of seals or seabirds!

The scenery was great and the jet boat allowed us to whiz in and out of arches and caves and see things you don't normally see from the shore.

At the mouth of the straits between the island and the mainland is a chain of vicious looking rocks called The Bitches.  Presumably as a resutl of all the ships they have claimed.  We were able to hover around them and it was, even in those calm and non-threatening sea conditions, it was extremely choppy. 

The Severn estuary is the second highest tide in the world after the Bay of Fundy which I've also visited as it's in Nova Scotia near wherer my brother and cousins live.  Because of the high tides, the water rushes over the rocks in a most exhilerating manner.  We were assured that the boat would be "fine" crossing which really reassured us.....

Gulp...

The colours of the coast were spectacular.

Razorbills.

Gulls and things...

Can you see the elephant?  If so, which way is it facing??

Crashing waves.  Love 'em....

One of the many seals we saw.  BUT, they were all bobbing in the water so this was the best shot I got.

Caves are cool.

And so was the final high speed whipping across the bay at the end of our tour.  Woooo Hoooo!!

So, I went to my weigh in last night.  I didn't feel well but I went.  I didn't stay though as I didn't think people would appreciate me coughing all over them. 

And I dropped 2lbs!  Which, considering I had had a big fat curry over the weekend and had not been able to do a lot of exercise due to the lurgy, is not bad at all.

My overall stats are woeful, mind.  Since February when we came back from Rome and I started again (again, again, again.....) I have dropped only 4.5lbs!  Which works out at about a lb a month.  Hmmmm

I have STILL not hit my half stone and I'm nowhere near fitting into the piles of nice clothes I have sitting in a case in the spare bedroom.  But, this is not the end of the world.  I have dropped a few lbs and not gained any.  I'm living a reasonably decent lifestyle, am happy with my gorgeous boy and having lots of fun.  I'm back teetering on the edge of a good groove and WILL make this work.

Not long to my half stone now......

Can you OD on sleep??

Some sunny beach pics to cheer me up from my sick bed.  I typed up the post below yesterday  when I was starting to feel poorly but I'm proper rubbish today so off work mooching around with the dogs.

Below are pics from an evening walk on Caerfai beach near to St Davids.  We'd been out golfing all afternoon so took the pooches up to the beach for a run around.  It was beautiful as you can see.

Minty likes a good bark in Shelagh's ear.  It must be really annoying...

But Shelagh gets her own back by being a much better jumper-for-sticks than Minty.

Minty just can't seem to time her jumps properly!

And, despite the evidence of this picture, Shelagh is braver about the water and will go in the sea, even though she's not keen on the white froth of the waves....

Just look at those gorgeous colours!

I'm used to Rotherham Red sandstone but this pink was something else - almost shocking!

Shelagh finally found her courage and managed to go into the surf to retrieve sticks - doesn't she look jaunty and pleased with herself?

 Even Rich was running....

Consolation stick for Minty.

She might be a barky, cowardy custard but she is fast!

Then back up to the car and a quick pic of a scenically situated seagull (how alliterative!)

Rich was away Friday and Saturday on his club's Captain's golfing trip. Never one to miss a girly opportunity, I arranged for my pal Kerry to come over to watch the footie with me. She is in the midst of a tough time as her mother has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. How bloody terrible is that?! Her mum is a lovely woman in her 60's and now the family has all that to cope with. I know several of you will know exactly how horrible it all is. I feel so sorry for Kerry who is an only child, has only recently come through breast cancer herself and now has to face this.

Anyway, she came over and the thing she wanted to do was "have something bad" ie. a curry/chinese/fish and chips! I had been thinking I would cook a nice, healthy supper as Kerry is normally a very healthy eater and now she wants something bad! Rats. Ach well, a friend in need and all that - we shared a curry. Luckily I'd been good all day anyway and we didn't end up going to the pub so I drank much less than I might have done in the pub. I tried to limit the damage but really, a curry is a curry and is never going to be low cal.

That said, it was delicious and I made sure to get right back onto the straight and narrow on Saturday morning. We had a good night - a good chat and football too. Proper girls!

Saturday was a good long walk with Kerry and the dogs - she meekly accepted the hills I forced her to walk up as penance for the curry! At one point on a deserted farm lane, Minty spied a running rabbit. I tried to call her back but to no avail - the hunt was on. Yup - rabbit number 2 succumbed to my little hunter. It put quite a dampener on our walk, I can tell you, having to prise the possibly still alive body of a baby rabbit from Minty's jaws only to find that it was dead after all. Poor little thing. Minty has been annoyingly sprightly and pleased with herself ever since, as though she knows she's a proper huntress now or something. Gah!

And then, as Saturday descended into cold drizzle, we did a great thing! We went to a matinee at the Lyceum in Sheffield. It was full of  chirruping older ladies but what fun. We saw 42nd Street which is a cracking musical. Who doesn't feel cheery watching a big cast of gorgeous young things tap dancing and singing jazzy show tunes? The costumes and big set spectaculars were truly fabbie. And I didn't know so many songs came from that show - "We're in the money"; "Keep young and beautiful"; "I only have eyes for you"; "42nd Street" (of course) and several more beside which sounded half familiar. Loved it (and felt extremely youthful in the company we were keeping!).

So I was in a brilliant mood as I drove home from Sheffield expecting Rich to be home when I got back. But then (unbeknownst to me) I started feeling poorly. And with the poorliness came grumpiness. So, instead of being happy to see him, I was grumpy at his hangover and the fact that we weren't going out to the 40th birthday party I only vaguely wanted to go to in the first place. And soooo sleepy too. The grumpiness continued through Sunday morning when, although I enjoyed my game of golf, I couldn't snap out of my funk and played terribly. Of course this was all Rich's fault as well. Anyway, eventually, the cough and achiness came out properly and I realised what was going on (and Rich managed to cheer me up despite my gloom).

We both needed to catch up with sleep but we also both wanted to watch the final round of the US Open. What to do?? We hit on a plan which no sane person would choose - we went to bed just before 9pm intending to get up again at midnight and watch the last 3 hours. Thankfully, sanity intervened and, when we woke at midnight, we checked the leaderboard, realised that Lee Westwood had no chance and went back to sleep!! So that was an unprecedented 9.5 hours kip! And, although I'm still poorly (tickly, turning into hacking, cough, achy etc) I feel much better for the marathon rest.

Tonight - we're off to dancing (poorly or not poorly). But I'm looking forward to the sofa afterwards and do not envy Rich going back out to darts. Mmmmmm sooofaaaa......