Hi Esnecca …I will try the roast cauliflower rice method it sounds good!
hi Hadenough…. I was like you a couple of months ago and managed to motivate myself again. good luck for starting back on BSD tomorrow🙂
MIss ZIggy

HI!! Easter smiles to all
Seems like most of us are having lull in determination but personally I’m hoping that better weather and better health will perk us all up
Jennie – ‘5lbs is a mere bagatelle’– know that’s true but it’s very nice to see someone say that to me – yet another thank you. Still not driving – but some of that is from within myself – a fear that without a definite diagnosis I still could injure or kill someone. However, I’m a terrible gypsy and never happier than when I’m on the road to somewhere or other so it’s hard. Hey ho – it’ll all pass hopefully with further hospital consultations. VERY happy for you with your BMI success – totally get ‘don’t tell anyone!’ but hope you don’t have to put fingers on lips. Also hope the various pieces of family jigsaw come together well – we all need our families to be happy.
Hadenough – Hope your resolve for tomorrow and getting back to it pays off – determination can be everything when you need to take the first steps. I’m totally sympathetic wish you all the best – being in a similar situation. DO keep us posted – for good and for bad. There’s always help and encouragement to be found here. Good luck to you.
Miss Ziggie – am so very sorry about your property and tenants’ bad behaviour. It happened to me at the beginning of last year and the rage I felt was huge – tho nothing compared to how hard I worked to get it back into shape and how MUCH I resented every paintbrush stroke made and gardening task done. Very debilitating. Hope the end of that will see you right for your next efforts for yourself with BSD.
VERY opportune for me seeing the conversation you provoked about cauli-rice. I’d been meaning to try for ages and happened to get a cauliflower in my organic box on Thursday so THIS is the week and coincidentally here are loads of great hints and tips. Put a smile on my face. XXX
Margaret – glad to hear there has been positive news following your MRI. Know those things are an ordeal and that can fade a bit when news is good. Happy to hear you’re making progress and hope that progress with the loss of balance continues. Also hope the consultant can help with your tinnitus. I can’t actually imagine living with that – though guess my day could come. You do sound like you’re paying some attention to your eating habits – ‘can’t be botheredish’ made me smile (wryly) – I have too many days like that at the moment – NOT helped by my own odd glasses of wine. I am also too sedentary and am figuring ways round it. In this glorious weather I take my coffee downstairs to the beautiful green square outside and sit on a conveniently cut-down tree trunk and contemplate the sea. Once I’m out there I then take a walk. Equally I have signed up with a local allotment – not as a holder but to help others with their plots – also to aid with selling surplus produce on stalls and to follow their guided meditation and outdoor yoga sessions. Called the Magic Garden. Hippy Dippy Brighton – love it!
Bat on all – we should have a good few months of reasonable weather ahead to consolidate – and continue with – progress. SoniaX

Hi All
Miss Ziggy and Esnecca, – thanks so much for those cauli recipes and tips. I’m going to try them all. I do usually roast the cauli rice, but what I don’t do is add anything to it – herbs or other flavourings – it’s never really occurred to me to do that. I guess you get out what you put in! One of the pleasures for me with this way of eating is that I’m getting into cooking a lot more, but as you can see, it’s still relatively early days for me. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Miss Ziggy – yes, do let me know how the frozen ‘rice’ turns out. Meanwhile, I think I’m going to try freezing some raw ‘rice’ too. My lovely husband has recently been buying the biggest caulis going, and then insists they’re just for me (because it’s low-carb friendly) which basically means I end up having cauli every day for a week. Hopefully, freezing will work, or I’ll have to start doing all the shopping!

hadenough – how did yesterday go. I’ve just joined the new road trip to summer thread started by JGwen. There’s something ‘feel good’ about fresh starts, isn’t there. You could always join that thread as well for extra motivation if you think it might help. But, however you do it, I hope it goes well for you xx

Margaret – hope the Easter weekend went well for you, too, and that you and your husband enjoyed the sunshine – wasn’t it wonderful. It’s gone now, here.
Also, hope the Wordscape addiction didn’t get too out of control!

Sonia – I did smile at your description of the local allotment activities – they sound brilliant. Hippy Dippy Brighton, indeed – long may it continue!
Like you, one of the main things I’m focusing on is my activity/exercise levels. I do it, but it’s more sporadic and it’s not quite with the same commitment as when I first started BSD. I do want to get back to that (or an even better) routine because I felt so well on it. Not easy this lifestyle change lark, is it? Oh, well, marathons and sprints and things….
Take care everyone
Jennie xx

Hi All,

The frozen cauliflower worked well but because I processed it for too long it was more like cous cous!! Cous cous is fine with me. I will make it less fine next time….but I will continue freeze it raw from now on. I also saw a utube video where some one used the grater disc on the food processor instead of chopping it with the blade. I think I will try the grater disc for a more rice like texture.

MIss ZIggy 🙂

Hi there how is everyone ? It’s all gone quiet on the BSD front. Just thought I’d share this video on utube with you all. I love the way this man gets right to the point😀
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h6aMN6NLOTQ

MIss ZIggy

Hi Miss Ziggy and everyone – hope things are going OK. I’ve just got back at the weekend from what was an unexpectedly long stay away from home – I was away all of May basically with 1 brief 2 night visit home at some point. A mix of helping with a house move, family visits and a holiday but no internet around so I wasn’t able to post on the forum. Got back Saturday and spent most of yesterday washing and snoozing. Just managed to find my password for here so thought I’d say a quick Hi.

Hope everyone is in good health and doing OK – Miss Ziggy, thanks for posting the video – will definitely watch it.
Jennie xx

Hi Jennie ….
It’s good to hear from you. It’s been like a ghost house in here!
I am doing well and although no one has commented I have noticed a trimming down of my belly! I have two trips planned to America and these trips are keeping me motivated. My husband was away this weekend and I normally console myself with red wine. I didn’t drink while he was away but had two glasses of rose when he came home😀. I decided to allow myself two glasses of wine a week. I used to drink somewhere in the region of two a night. 😱 Total restriction was making me crave it more. This way I don’t crave and some weeks I don’t have any! I hope everyone is doing well and it would be good to hear from you all.
miss Ziggy

Hi miss Ziggy and Jennie –
Good to see you both –
miss Ziggy – I guess I’m one of the contributors to your ‘ghost house’ – or rather non-contributors! I feel bad at having disappeared but have been much discouraged by a mystery condition causing me to faint in the most inconvenient places causing worry and panic in anyone around me – family and strangers alike. I’m still going through various tests – principally because I finally found a specialist willing to pursue the causes to the end. So far there are no answers though I have one more test to go – followed by a final meeting with the specialist in mid-July. I fear there may be no definitive results and have actually not had any episodes since the end of February – good in itself but I seriously need to know what the problem is – very disconcerting. As various medical people have ‘blamed’ it on low-carb eating I’ve desisted from that in the name of complying with their views but I REALLY don’t think it’s that. We’ll see.
Glad to see you’re doing well – Non-Scale Victories count for a lot and a trimmer belly is definitely one . Thank you so much for Butter Bob’s video – so well put and so convincing – have saved it in my list on YouTube and will be re-watching for motivation. Will also watch his others – what a great find – thank you. I see that, like me, you struggle a bit with wine drinking and the sugar contained in wine worries me – but doesn’t stop me! – although I have cut down. My other ‘sin’ is honey in coffee –not impossible to stop that but I love it so.
Jennie – thanks for posting here – sounds like you’ve had a very busy time – amazing how much busier we all get in later age helping out friends and family – or indeed having well-earned fun. You’ve been such an encouragement to me in the time I’ve been here and I look forward to more of that when my life gets sorted – cross all fingers for me. Have now got several lbs to get rid of without the support of these forums – but I’ll get there.
Hope to see you all soon – and will make a point of ‘keeping up’ here. So thanks to both – SoniaX

Hi Reducia,

It’s good to hear from you! I really do hope you get an answer to your medical issue. Good luck with regard to your last test. Fainting without a known cause must be scary! I remember when I suffered from panic attacks! I just wanted to know what was the cause.
Take care and let us know how you get on🙂
Miss Ziggy

Hello Miss Ziggy, Jennie & Sonia & anyone else.
I too want to apologise for my absence & I can’t believe it’s now June. Miss Ziggy thank you so much for the YouTube video & the clarity & inspired message because I will now think of any sugary food being eaten by my “fat belly”! although I do prefer the word tummy thinking always of pigs when I hear the word belly🙀😼 but appropriate probably for me still having an obvious one.😂
I have been away up in Scotland in snow rain & hail & also worried & distracted by my youngest sons continuing unemployment trying to get a new contract, he is a self-employed IT front end developer & I think Brexit is affecting contractors. However he now has one & started work yesterday & I’m feeling much more relaxed now & able to think of other things like getting back to focusing on what I should eat rather than producing convenient to hand meals & drinking the extra glass of wine.
Sonia I’m so sorry to hear that the cause of you fainting has not been identified & hope that your mid-July consultation will be helpful.
I have been looking again at my BSD cookery book & today have eaten a Caesar chicken salad with one boiled egg & a pudding of banana, ice cream & a small meringue. Tonight it’s fresh salmon & steamed veg but I have to again try to overcome my indulgence of Kelly’s ice cream & the temptation of a glass of wine. I will try to keep in my head the image of my “fat belly” wanting my sugar!! I have also not been doing any exercise & my knees are unhappy!
I will be changing over from winter/spring clothes to summer ones & already know I again can’t fit into some favourite clothes so feel quite cross so perhaps vanity & sore knees might get me back on track.
I’ve much enjoyed reading your posts that are always motivating & I’m off to do some ironing & a little exercise jigging around to the music on radio2!
Margaret xxx

Hi Margaret……..
It’s good to hear from you again! ……..fat belly wanting your sugar!!😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Miss Ziggy

Hi all – so good to have some life – and jokes on here – sugar belly huh? I have that too – especially as I’ve upped my carbs because of the medical ‘fuss’ I’ve encountered and the resultant 5 regained lbs have gone straight to my belly. MUST get myself together and buck up.
Miss Ziggy – thanks very much for your good wishes for a diagnosis – did you get one for your panic attacks? A friend compared my fainting to exactly that – something very unpleasant totally outside our control that is hard to pin down.
Margaret –happy to see you back here. Hope you’re improving – how is the tinnitus? Something else unpleasant and hard to deal with – thinking of you. Sad to hear of your son’s difficulties – we never stop being concerned about our offspring do we? Pleased to hear it’s sorting itself out. Glad to hear you’re feeling more positive now – and hope, as you say, that ‘vanity and sore knees’ will be a catalyst for getting back on track. Keep us posted.
Jennie – hope you’re settling back into daily life and recovered from what sounds like a very busy time. Good to see you here – so many of your comments either make me laugh – in a good way – or teach me something.
I have been doing OK with food tho I’m eating 30-35mg of carbs daily which is my compromise for the nurses and docs who are so disapproving of ‘low carb’, but something – ?wine and honey – is stopping my losing anything at all 😢
SO – for the moment, all the best to everyone – push on folk, we have journeys to make, SoniaX

Hi Reducia….
Well interestingly…it seems my panick attacks were caused by extremely low iron levels. At the time of the attacks my doctor did blood tests and I was found to have dangerously low iron. I wasn’t aware that low iron could cause them but apparently it can! My periods were very very heavy at the time. I was also getting really bad leg cramps every night. Once the iron levels were sorted out the cramps and panic attacks disappeared.
miss Ziggy 😁

Miss Ziggy – thank you so much for such a prompt response and your suggestion. I have had very low iron – leading to a hysterectomy in my case – but no panic attacks. However, it’s a long time ago and I personally feel that as I get older I react more – and mostly badly – to changes in my system that might not have bothered me earlier in life. I’ve just had a whole panel of bloods done – mainly for cortisol and electrolytes but the basics will also be covered and I have asked for a copy to be emailed to me. Will check my iron levels ‘ just in case’. Your experience kind of heartens me – that relatively small things out of kilter can cause such huge and inconvenient reactions. I am hoping for the discovery of a ‘small thing’ that may be causing all this. Fingers crossed.
Hope all is well with you and thanks again – anything I can suggest to the over-busy medical staff at least means a possible answer. SoniaX

My turn to apologise for not getting back to everyone earlier. I forgot to mention I’ve lent my laptop to one of my children for a few months (I really should stop doing this!) so I am ‘sharing’ my husband’s. As he needs it a lot for some work he’s doing (short-term contract) I tend to get it at the dregs of the day, i.e. when I’m about to fall asleep. Anyway, he’s out and the computer is here …. hurray!! However, on top of that, last year my computer guy told me for security, I should create passwords containing lots and lots of “£>(*&! characters which I did for here, but, having been away for over a month not only have I forgotten the password, I keep forgetting where I’ve written it and hidden it for safekeeping. So, an hour later…… Do you ever get the feeling you’re overcomplicating things?

Miss Ziggy – I like the way the guy in the video just says things clearly and directly (also, what a great accent!). There’s something about hearing how people have turned their health/ life around which is always uplifting. Thanks for posting it. Great news about the trimmer belly. Even though I’ve managed to lose most of my regained weight, the lbs I do need to lose are still on/around mine – always the last to go – sigh. Good on you for managing the wine – 2 glasses a week is a great drop, and going to America – what a great motivator!. Whereabout are you going and when? I keep talking about going to New York, but we’ve not quite got there yet. We went to Florida when the kids were young – Orlando and then Naples – and loved it. Anyway, I’m very envious, and won’t it be great to be there, and feeling BSD good. xx

Sonia – I’m also sorry to hear that nobody’s been able to identify the cause of the fainting yet – as Miss Ziggy and Wendy says, that’s horribly frustrating. I really hope the final test and July meeting with the consultant will be helpful in some way, and I will keep all my fingers crossed. As for the extra pounds, well, we all know you’ll definitely get rid of those pounds when it’s the right time. Keep us updated.

Margaret – Where was it I read recently ‘you’re only ever as happy as your unhappiest child’ – could have been on here. Do you know, nobody ever told me that I’d still worry about my kids when they were adults. Naïve, I know, but it just never occurred to me, and as an older Mum, it’s only very recently I’ve learnt that lesson. In fact it was really brought home because of a similar situation with one of my children as you’ve had with your youngest son. It’s so unsettling and distracting, as you say, so I’m really happy for you and for your son – I wish him all the best. xx

Well, food-wise, I’m doing OK, but my exercise continues to be hit and miss. I went out yesterday for a walk (over 10,000 steps), today – zilch. And, I need to get back into the gym/leisure centre for a period, I really want to get back to an exercise routine to try to build up my muscles and strength – whatever that might look like.

Go well everyone.
Jennie xx

Hi Jennie,

It’s good to hear from you. I am going to Las Vegas in November and New York in 2020. The New York trip is with my best friend who is a size 10😱!!!! And it’s a shopping trip really so yes a great motivator!!! Las Vegas is with my husband so am actually aiming to get trim for Las Vegas.
Six weeks ago I found a Pilates teacher and I am loving it. She is really good and the classes are small so you cannot hide. After Christmas I tried a yoga class and had to pay for 8 weeks in advance! So I did the 8weeks.Yoga wasn’t for me! I couldn’t find my mojo like all the other people in the class. It was very yin yangy and I couldn’t relax! I also hated the insense sticks the yoga teacher burned in the room! Pilates is more me and more fun! Similar moves but less emphasis on relaxation and more on toning repetition! I have to say though it makes me very mellow!!
Jennie I hope you make it back to the gym. You will feel so much better!
MIss ZIggy
Regarding the UTube link…… that man does other videos! also interesting!

Hi Miss Ziggy
Your description of the Yoga class did make me smile. No, it wouldn’t be for me either. But thanks for the reminder about Pilates.

At one point I was going to a Pilates class at the local gym once a week and I also enjoyed it. But after I’d been going for a few months they changed instructor. The new person played background music throughout, and didn’t use a mic (first instructor did). I know others really enjoyed the music but because I have tinnitus and damaged hearing I just couldn’t hear her instructions or anything she was saying, even when I placed myself so that I was practically lying on top of her. So, I just stopped going. But, given it was a form of exercise I did enjoy, I think it’s worth me looking at what other local Pilates classes are running.

I will get back to the gym, honest. I think I’ve just gotten out of the routine because I’ve been away from home a lot this year (away again Saturday for a week) but when I was going it was definitely helping to improve my strength, balance, etc.

Both those trips sound brilliant. There was a guy at work once who used to go for holidays to Las Vegas with his wife a lot and loved it, so that was when that went onto my list of places to see in America. But New York really is one of my top places to go. So, will enjoy hearing how that goes. And 2020 is a nice, long enough time-scale to get yourself ready to go with a best friend who is size 10!

Yes, I’m going to check out his other videos.

Jennie xx

Hi all – hope you’re all well and happy.
Jennie – you sound like an extremely caring person – looking after family members – helping with a move – loaning your laptop all in recent months. Hope you get your reward somewhere sometime. As for passwords – nightmare! Glad you found it.
The other nightmare (for me too) is exercise – I keep putting things in place to force me out to walk and I too often find a reason to avoid it. I do Yoga at home most mornings and have a friend who has a drop-in Pilates class – I DO go – honest Mum – just not as often as I should. Hope you find a way to talk yourself into it regularly.
Margaret – hope all is good with you – look forward to seeing you here when you can. Hope your son’s job is going well.
Miss Ziggy – hope you’re still making progress with wine reduction – and the belly. Give me lessons! Also wish you well with slimming down for America – think how happy you’ll be there – slim and agile for sightseeing and fun.
All of you – you’re right – the fainting – especially with no explanation is indeed frustrating and I feel trepidation whenever I leave the house. No episodes for a long time but that’s not good in a way because the medics may stop worrying about it. At the moment – may have said – I’m hooked onto a portable BP machine for 7 days. One of my sons is insisting on coming with me to the summing up of results in July with the intention of putting his foot down on my behalf if nothing comes of it. His were the grandchildren scared witless when I passed out in the street with them in tow, so he has an interest for all of us. He’s always to the point but very calm – can’t do any harm.
Doing better with careful food and dropped my carbs a bit. Miraculously – thank you BSD & MM and to all encouragement here – 2.5 of the regained lbs gone – we all know the smile that puts on our faces 🙂
Be well everyone – ‘see’ you all soon. Soniax

Hi Sonia
Your son sounds lovely and good on him for insisting! I think it’s a great idea for him to be there, two minds focused on what’s being said both in the meeting, and afterwards has got to be a good thing. Nice weight loss, too. xx

So, I’ve decided for the next month/six weeks I’m going to focus on my exercise/activity routine. I’m away this week. I’m good when I’m on holiday but not so good when I’m with family, as I am this week. So, I’m going to start by working out a way of getting some walking in every day when I’m visiting family.

Btw, I happened to hear something on Radio 4 this week (often have it on in the background when I’m cooking, or in the car etc) about motivation and procrastination. There was a guy talking about exercise and he gave 2 tips. First, be organised, have your ‘kit’ (or whatever you wear) clean, ready and easily reachable, (probably an obvious one, but a real challenge for me as I’m such a disorganised person). Second, don’t think of yourself in terms of ‘doing’ exercise, think in terms of you being an exerciser, that is think of yourself and describe yourself as ‘a walker’ ‘an exerciser’ etc. I remember being told something similar many years ago when I was giving up smoking – you don’t say “I’m giving up smoking” you say “I don’t smoke”, so I’d done something similar when I first started exercising but it’s got lost along the way . So, I’m going to re-apply that psychology as I think it will help. Fingers crossed.

Take care everyone
Jennie xx

Hello everyone & lovely to hear your news. Well here I am up in Northumberland staying in a lovely house, although described as a cottage, with my husband for two weeks. We will be largely self catering but have booked a Sunday lunch tomorrow & hope to do a lot of getting out & about & walking. I have no idea where my focus on losing weight has gone but at the moment it has vanished. I look in the mirror, here it is a sunlit full length very exposing one, & don’t like what I see but it’s not having much impact just a feeling of some irritation. I need to rediscover my motivation!!
Sonia I’m sorry to hear about your ongoing fainting & you say you have had a full blood screening done so I suppose that included vitamin levels? There seems to be a lot of focus on vitamin D & I just heard a specialist talking about how MS patients are now advised to take this & reduce animal fat intake. I’m not suggesting you have that but vit D seems to help whole body function regulation & because of UK weather we don’t always absorb enough from sunlight & I’m thinking of taking more.
Jennie I like your idea of psychological positivity such as I am a walker! Would you believe I used to teach positive thinking when I worked with my clients as well as visualisation techniques to evaporate negative thinking! Oh dear I need to mend my own thoughts now.
Miss Ziggy you have a lovely time to focus on going on holiday to the USA & I’m envious of you mastering Pilates because I couldn’t ever find my inner core but used to enjoy yoga before my knees protested.
On a positive note for me my youngest son is enjoying his new job & has started a new social ap for local single people & has already had two meet-ups. My eldest son & his wife are progressing well on their house purchase & getting close to exchanging contracts.
My husband & I are just off to potter around exploring the village & I will buy some cornflour from the shop to use a little to make a cheese sauce to put on the cauliflower I brought with me with some ham to shred into it for supper. Lunch is a chicken Caesar salad! I am trying to get back to freshly prepared meals that are low carb.
I hope you all have a brilliant weekend now the rain seems finally to be lessening in the UK.
Margaret xx

Hi all – happy to see you.
Margaret – VERY happy to hear your boys are now doing well – my sons have both given me cause for worry in their time, but both seem to have settled down and it amazes me what a difference that makes to my mood and life. Your time in Northumberland sounds lovely – I’ve never been there but am seriously tempted by the beautifully filmed scenery in the TV series, Vera – don’t know if you watch it but hope you’re getting the benefit of real-life amazing views. ‘Pottering around’ your local village sounds great and any movement is always good especially when it’s somewhere lovely. It actually sounds like your motivation is returning – with effort and planning careful meals. I’m not doing well on the motivation front either at the moment so you certainly have my sympathy. There was nothing on my blood panel indicating Vit. D deficiency – but I also had been thinking of a supplement, although at the moment I am trying to stick to the ‘me’ that was having the fainting episodes so as not cloud any issues. The only thing that came up was a low-ish thyroid count – not serious but to be looked at further.
Jennie – hope your holiday is going/went well. A change of environment is so often good for a change of habit and Interesting to hear that the terms with which you refer to yourself (or me to myself) as a walker/exerciser make a big difference. NLP is an interesting concept and there is loads on the internet about NLP and weightloss – and movememnt – that is worth a glance.
(Margaret – some of it comes in Kindle form if you get the chance.)
Miss Ziggie – hope you are continuing to enjoy the Pilates and that low-carbing is going well in preparation for America.Let us know.
I’m off to Malaga to do some work and have some fun tomorrow. I won’t be on my own so if I have a ‘turn’ someone will pick me up. A colleague who knows Malaga ‘old town’ well – as opposed to the concrete blocks we all see when we leave the airport to drive on to other places – has a plan to show me around the more interesting parts. Looking forward to some sunshine and tapas. See you all in a week or so. In the meantime, be well, all. SoniaX

Hi everyone….😁yes still sticking with Pilates. I think the secret with this Pilates group is it being a beginners class it’s fairly easygoing! However I am still exhausted at the end of it!!! The time of this class is better for me than the yoga class! Yoga was at 8 i the evening whereas Pilates is 10:40 am😁. I still would like to practise Pilates at home but never seem to make the time for it.
Diet …..I’ve had a couple of hiccups!! We had a friend staying with us and found roast potatoes too hard to resist…and the date and walnut loaf. Oh well I am not a saint! My wine drinking I am still in control of!
The good news is I have gone down a size in my NHS tunic! 😁😁 This new one feels close fitting but last year I wouldn’t have been able to wear it!
Margaret- I am sure there is a home of an engineer in Northumberland that is open to the pubic. I would like take my husband to see it. He is an engineer and when I told him about it he said he would love to see it..but now I cannot remember the name of it. It was something a saw on tv a couple of years ago.
Reducia- I am glad to hear you have some results back from the tests run on you! At least the doctors now have something to investigate.
Oh dear I have to cut this post short just noticed the time and I should be out of the door
Bye for now all of you

Hello everyone
Sonia I hope you have a wonderful time in Malaga & think warmth & sunshine cheers everyone & hope you have no wobbly times😀
Miss Ziggy the name of the National Trust property is Cragside & we visited it last week. As it’s name indicates it’s on the side of steep craggy hills & streams & was the first house to have electric lighting driven by an hydroelectric turbine & also has water moved by an Archimedes screw & because my husband is an Electronics Engineer we saw the power house & screw😬 I was hauled up hill & down dale by my husband so my legs got a good workout. We also visited Alnwick Castle yesterday & saw “children” of all ages being instructed on how to ride their brooms because that was where some of the scenes from the first Harry Potter was filmed. It was hilarious to watch with adults being filmed by their children trying to leap into the air to get a photo with them airborne 😂😂 Wonderful news Miss Ziggy that are now wearing a smaller size NHS tunic & very well done 👏👏👏👏👏
The weather here is mostly dry thank goodness but rather cool & we are expecting thunderstorms on Monday but will visit Holy Island next week because the tide times look more favourable then.
Jennie I’m trying to think of myself as a walker when my knees want to give up & have kept on going 😀
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Margaret xx

Ty Margaret- for the information on Cragside. I must try to arrange a visit to the area!
It sounds like you are having a great time there.

MIss ZIggy

Hi everyone
I returned from my travels on Wednesday and thought I’d check in.

Margaret – I hope you enjoyed Northumberland. I spent 15 years living in the North East and so know Northumberland well. It’s a lovely area. I’m fascinated that you taught positive thinking and visualisation; did you find it worked? I’m pleased that I can attach a term ‘psychological positivity’ to my ‘I am a walker’ mindset. Hope the walking is still happening – and the dancing round the kitchen!

Miss Ziggy – that is great news about your NHS tunic – you must be made up – and it’s a great motivator for maintaining the weight loss. (You know the NHS can’t afford to be replacing it!!) Haven’t got to Pilates yet as I’ve been away but am booked into a class for next Sunday morning – didn’t go today because I’ve picked up an ear problem that’s affecting my balance – but should be cleared by then. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Sonia – hope you managed to fit some fun and sunshine in between the work in Malaga. I don’t know Malaga at all but there’s nothing better than having someone who knows a place showing you around. Hope it’s not been too hot for you and you’ve kept well.

I’ve managed to lose 2lb over the last couple of weeks so happy with that but as I’ve said before my focus right now is on the exercise/activity. I’m off now to set out my ‘walking’ (i.e. old) clothes for my early morning walk tomorrow. (What I really mean is I’ve got to find some socks).

Go well everyone, it’s a new month tomorrow and all to play for – (hmm, can you tell it’s a permanent background of football and cricket on in our home at the moment – but the good news – Wimbledon starts next week! Hurray.

Jennie
xx

Hi Jennie and I hope you had a good time on your travels🙂 oh and well done on your weight loss👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 I am off to Pilates tomorrow and then to Hampton Court! I will have to put BSD to one side for tomorrow as I doubt I will be able to find a BSD food supplier at Hampton Court! 😕. I have decided to temporarily stop eating salted nuts. I have been snacking on them far too much of late. I know I know I should be eating raw nuts but salted mixed nuts are heavenly!!
Which got me thinking….all of you…..what is the food you miss the most on BSD? I think for me it’s roast potatoes and French Bread!

MIss ZIggy

Hi Miss Ziggy – ooh, I am so envious of you, I’ve always wanted to go to Hampton Court and I’ve never been. Was it for the Flower Show? I thought I saw a programme on it mentioned on TV this week. I bet that got your steps up!

I’ve heard the phrase ‘dirty food’ a couple of times recently, no idea what it really means, but my dirty food misses would still be chocolate and crisps. What can I say? Luckily, I don’t crave them anymore. For me, it’s a bit like being near someone who smokes, getting a whiff, and having a pleasant memory, if that makes sense. Hey -ho.

My ‘clean food’ miss is pulses, but that’s to do with my diabetes – starting BSD is intertwined with my Type II diagnosis – they spike my blood sugar. But, I really do love them so I’m determined to re-introduce them back into my diet at some point, even if it’s in tiny quantities.

Sounds like you’re doing really well Miss Ziggy. Just stay away from them nuts!

Have a good weekend everyone

Jennie xx
Oh, and I’m at Pilates on Sunday, so I’ll let you know how that goes.

Hi Jennie,🙂
How did you get on at Pilates?
Miss Ziggy

Hello everyone how are you?
I’m sorry for the paucity of my communication I don’t really know why time seems to fly past now. I am trying to be much better at keeping to the 800 routine & haven’t managed as low as that each day but have lost 7lbs in weight since being back from my Northumbria holiday. I have bought the 800 recipe book & changed to organic whole milk in glass bottles from our milkman & bought a charcoal water filter to cut out buying Buxton mineral water to also cut down on plastic bottles.
I have been watching the tennis on tv that has contributed to not much exercise but it’s the finals this weekend. We had friends for lunch on Thursday so wine & puddings but I didn’t like the recommended white wine to go with my Thai fish curry so drank little & only ate a little of the Thai rice & Singapore noodles!
I hope Pilates is going well Jennie & Miss Ziggy. Sonia have you had a further consultation yet to discover what is causing your fainting?
I am going to swap my wardrobe over to summer clothes today & generally sort out more to go to charity shops. It is irritating me that I can’t get into some of my linen trousers from last summer but hey ho I will try& keep going. I had a full blood test done & forgot to get the result yesterday but my husband had tested me & I’m not in the pre-diabetic range although had the proper blood test to confirm this. I was concerned I was spending lots of pennies but that was probably losing carb fluids. Oh well onwards & hopefully downwards everyone 👍😎
I hope you are all having a good summer & enjoying this lovely weather! My lettuces are busy multiplying in the garden & the nectarine tree is laden with ripening fruit.
Margaret xx

Hi Miss Ziggy – Well, I’m afraid the Pilates isn’t going well for me. The instructor still has the music playing and I just can’t hear what she is saying. The music isn’t that loud but I have both tinnitus and hearing loss so I’ve no idea what is going on. Even when she came over and started manipulating me into position I couldn’t hear what she was saying properly – mind I was lying on my good ear! I’ve tried placing my mat right in front of her before, but the women who are usually there were clearly not happy! I tried the Saturday class but it’s the same woman. The only thing left is to try the mid-week evening session which I might this week, after that …??? But, apart from that everything is good. I’m at my exercise class later this morning, and I’m going to walk there as it’s a beautiful day.
Hope you are doing better with Pilates than I am. How did Hampton Court go? and how are you doing with BSD generally?.

Hi Margaret – 7lbs is a great loss! and not being in the pre-diabetic range is even better- that’s brilliant news xx
I’m interested in your charcoal water filter, how are you finding it?. My husband drinks lots of bottled water and I’ve always liked the idea of a water filter but never got around to researching them. Is a charcoal water filter a good one to get? Your garden sounds delightful, and your description quite poetic! Wasn’t the Wimbledon’s Men’s Finals great – I burnt the roast chicken trying to watch it!

Sonia – hope you’re going well.
Jennie xx

Hello Jennie
The charcoal water filter is brilliant & the glass jug fits into the fridge door & produces crystal clear lovely tasting water! I have been buying Buxton water for seventeen years after my breast cancer diagnosis & recommendation from the Bristol Cancer Centre to not drink tap water that may have growth hormones leaked into the rivers by farm animals that’s not well removed by water companies. I am trying to reduce my plastic use & of course it will save money no longer buying water much to my husbands delight😀
I bought the water filter kit from The Charcoal People & I think the charcoal is made from renewable bamboo from Japan & I’m going to buy another jug because I drink lots of water particularly when fasting.
Sorry to hear about your Pilates experiences 🙁 I’m wondering whether to try going back to yoga because there is a beginners class in the village that may be able to accommodate my dodgy knees because I find it difficult kneeling.
I wish I had a magic wand to make the clock stand still & not become any older & more decrepit 😂
I’m off to my beading group this afternoon mainly for a good chinwag because not a lot of making things goes on😬
I hope you have a good week & enjoy your other exercise class👍
Miss Ziggy & Sonia I hope you are both doing well?
Margaret xx

Hi there
Margaret 7lbs that’s fantastic!! Well done you!!
Ooh Jennie your Pilates class sounds like the yoga class I tried this year😐 I wish you could come to my Pilates class. We are a very down to earth group and we have a laugh and a giggle along the way. I hated my yoga class. I just couldn’t get into the *zone*. It sounds the same as your class. One week I put my mat down and for that session I couldn’t feel the love!! I then realised I had taken someone’s spot on the floor. I hated the smell of the incense stick the teacher burned… hated the deep mystical poem she used recite at the end of each session…no one spoke to me for the first five weeks! All I wanted from the start was for it to be over! I had to pay for ten weeks in advance so there was no dropping out! I hope it either gets better or you find a class that suits you .
I have been finding BSD a little difficult of late due to family and social days out! However I am sticking with it when I can. I do feel uncomfortably bloated when I eat non BSD!! Will get back on track this week.
Miss Ziggy 😃

Margaret – thanks for the information about the water filter kit. It sounds good, I’m going to give it a go. I’m also a bit like your husband – happy when saving money! I know, the joys of ageing, eh! Trying to figure out a class where there’s not too much bending or talking isn’t easy is it?
Btw, it’s interesting you mention the Bristol Cancer Centre. At one point, in the early-mid-90s, I used to liaise with them quite a lot as part of my work. I brought the ‘Bristol diet’ book home from work with me when I retired. It was in my bookcase until last year when I gave it to a friend.(I did tell her it was probably well out of date by now!)

Miss Ziggy – your description of the yoga class did make me laugh – oh no, it sounds far, far worse than my Pilates! Yes, I wish I was at your class, too. I’m going to the Tuesday evening class tonight and if it’s the same woman/same set up I’m going to have to think again. I might try to find out where the previous instructor went to when she left …… or find another class. Keep going, Miss Ziggy!

Today…..in town
PASTA SALAD with chicken
RICE SALAD with prawns
NOODLE SALAD with chicken
POTATO SALAD with salmon
SUSHI WITH RICE
SALAD WITH CROUTONS and chicken
SALAD WITH TORTILLA CHIPS and chicken
SALAD WITH BULGAR WHEAT
This is what I found in town trying to buy a quick lunch 🙄 😡
I did see a teeny weeny pot with one boiled egg and what looked like five edamame beans🙄

Miss Ziggy

It’s frustrating Miss Ziggy & I found a similar situation on holiday with sandwiches added to the mix. I often make chicken Caesar salad & have now changed to MMs recipe idea of making a dressing from natural yoghurt & olive oil but found it too thick for me although my husband likes it. I am running down the croutons I had bought & will try MMs suggestion of some seeds or pine nuts instead of croutons. I do like balsamic dressing & I think I will substitute that & my future Caesar summer salads will be lettuce from the garden chicken & perhaps an added boiled egg for extra protein & we often have soup in cooler time for lunch.
Could you put some salad in a container & add some protein to carry with you for lunch? I know it’s a real faff sorting portable food & when planning lighter lunches at home I often run out of ideas although we often have houmous & crudités.
I have just weighed & not lost weight this week staying the same so I obviously need to do much better with the amount I am eating because it is mostly low carb & high protein.
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend
Margaret xx

We have just had 4 days in Spain and everything was patatas this, patatas that – yes, potatoes. It took me three nights for the hotel to get it nearly right. I ordered a meal that came with mashed potato and saw another course just came with veg so I asked them to swap from potatoes to veg. When it arrived it was thinly sliced potato so I asked and was told ‘that is a vegetable’. Another night I asked from my main to be served with salad. Now considering I had already told them I dont eat fish or carbs they brought me a plate full of meat – really yummy – served with a tuna and pasta salad. I must admit on the first night I refused to pay for my meal and they were okay with that. Travelling back stopped for a meal (still in Spain) and ordered chicken and salad and it came with such a mound of chips I had to ask for another plate to move them to but it did come with a real salad. I found travelling in the UK a good option were the motorway stops with an M&S store as they do healthy adame bean salads and then I just bought a pack of roast chicken.

Hi again!
I guess its the way to go …to be ever ready but some times it’s just not possible. I am not too bad if I have to take lunch to work. In fact I must make my non noodle salad again. I started making this a couple of years ago with noodles and then adapted it with spiralised cucumber and carrots etc chicken prawns and a sate chilli dressing! Not totally BSD but a tasty version!
Oh well it’s 8pm and unfortunately I am off to get my uniform ready for work tomorrow! I wake at 5:45 and have to be at work at 7 ! I have to have everything ready the night before or I will forget something!
Hope everyone is doing well😃👍🏽
Miss Ziggy

sunshine girl it’s most frustrating but I suppose potatoes are a cheap food & now used to pad out everything. I do substitute sweet potatoes to make a mash & sometimes add carrots that makes a nice mixture but eating out can be a pain. My temptations are still wine & Kelly’s ice-cream but I try to keep them both as a weekend treat & try to keep to 800 calories during the week & fast days on Monday & Friday. I suppose I’m trying to keep it manageable by a combination of 5:2, 800 calories & as low carb as I can manage on a day to day basis.
Miss Ziggy I hope your shift went well?
How are you Sonia & Jennie?
I have sinned today for lunch with an M&S fish pie, a pudding & Chardonnay but back to fasting tomorrow & soup for supper🙀 but enjoyed it all.
Margaret xx

Hi MissZiggy and Wendy1947, that Pilates discussion hit a nerve with me too. I a competitive streak and can’t be trusted to go at my pace in yoga. It’s tough dropping to a child pose when the class has been following a long series of moves, and I feel the (physical) pain of dropping to my knees too.
I have been to a Pilates class local to me that is very good for anyone with recent injuries or just old bones. She has four levels of difficulty, and we all are encouraged to take the child pose if we feel the need. She noticed my neighbour had a soft blanket and put it under her neck. I use mine under my knees when I’m kneeling. It’s very hard work out for me but so far I feel safe which has not been the case when I’m going for it in other exercise classes.

Hi everyone
Sorry I haven’t got back to anyone recently. I returned on Friday evening from one of those trips where I’d planned an overnight and ended staying a week. So far this year both our families and our closest friends seem to have been beset with either quite serious health problems or life events (divorce, bereavement, job loss, etc). What do they say about everything coming at once! Many years ago I did some training which included work on ‘reframing’ to see the positive in things, so the positives are that we’re definitely drawing closer as families (both OH’s and mine) and that it’s also reminded me to appreciate the good health I have right now.

Patricia, You seem to have found a really good Pilates class like Miss Ziggy. Older bones is definitely what I’ve got. They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, well, my Pilates class is definitely broke (well, at least it is for me) so I’m going to have to fix it! which is a bit of a pain as I pay for membership of the Leisure Centre which includes the current classes and going outside will be an extra cost. I’ve decided to keep paying monthly until the end of the year as my other exercise classes and the gym are there (and I know if I stop now I could still very easily stop exercising) but meanwhile I’ll try to work out a future plan that is more tailored to me which may also work out cheaper!

Miss Ziggy – It’s amazing isn’t it how tricky it can be just to get something OK to eat when you’re out. If I’m going out to a pub or restaurant I’m OK but I’ve given up on trying to find something quick for lunch from a café/shop or supermarket ‘lunch’ section. I’ve never got into spiralising but I’m interested. Do you use a spiralizer?

sunshine-girl – yes, I do the same with M&S. If I can’t just have a coffee and have to have something to eat I’ve often gone into M&S and bought some prawns or crab, or chicken. It does the trick.

Margaret – I really like Chicken Caesar salad so I’m going to try your (MM’s) version.That sounds like a good routine you’ve got going there.

Sonia – How’s hippy-dippy Brighton? Hope you’re doing well.

It’s glorious weather here today so I’m off to get some steps in. Have a good next week everyone.

Jennie xx

Oh, and Margaret – another positive was that I was up in Newcastle and managed to get up to Northumberland for the day. We went to Alnwick Castle, well just the gardens this time, but it was lovely. Even managed to see a circle of trainee wizards (young Harry Potter fans and their parents), legs akimbo, brooms at the ready, practising their flying techniques as we crossed the castle courtyard – but, tbh, they were pretty rubbish……. not one wizard flying!

Hi everyone,
Just got back from a weekend in London. Didn’t follow BSD but will get back on it his week. I did have a great time though! We visited Eltham Palace which was decorated in Art Deco style by the Courthauld family in the 1930’s. In the gardens there was live jazz too! On day 2 we went up THE SHARD. It was a sunny and clear day and the view was fantastic!! For this trip I managed to plan a reunion for my husband with a friend he hasn’t seen for 29 years! I had been trying to organise this for about a year while keeping it a secret from my husband. The friend and his wife met us in a pub on Sunday night and my husbands face was a picture!!!! He asked his friend four times what he was doing there!!!! He didn’t get that it was a set up for about 20 minutes 🤪🤪🤪🤪.
Day three we went to Kew Gardens where there was a bonus glass sculpture exhibition!
I am feeling a bit bloated today☹️🥺 after a weekend of carbs and alcohol….but hey ho!
I hope everyone is doing well!!
Miss Ziggy

Hi Miss Ziggy
Well, what a great weekend that sounds. Your pleasure just bounces off the page! I love London but haven’t been there for quite a few years. Having a good time really boosts the spirits, doesn’t it.

What a truly lovely thing to do for your husband. It’s funny what you say about your husband’s reaction. My friend was telling me recently of a surprise party given for her a few years ago and how she couldn’t take it in and kept asking people what they were doing there, too. Anyway, it sounds brilliant – and makes me feel completely inadequate in the ‘doing something fantastic for my husband’ stakes. Hope you’re managing to get back into the full BSD swing of things this week.

I’m just about to join the Awesomely Attentive August thread and I’m going to be attentive to keeping my steps up this month – I like the idea of using each 1st of the month to push forward on just one thing.

Hope everyone else is going well and has a good August. Enjoy any holidays you have planned.

Jennie xx

It’s just about to pour down here! It must be the school holidays!

Hi all – barely dare show my face after such a long absence. Was away in Malaga for part of last month and had a great time mooching round the old town where we stayed and eating fresh seafood but came back with a ghastly chest virus which laid me low for a lot longer than I wished so had to reschedule various appointments for several follow-ups regarding my fainting spells. VERY thorough and am grateful for the care and attention. Nothing seriously wrong it seems – heart of a 50 y.o. they tell me (am 75 actually) – all bloods good etc etc. So at the moment they have it all down to Vagal episodes which require careful management – keeping electrolyte levels up – eating regular meals (so I.F. off the schedule) – regular exercise – not my best! A session with the specialist looking at dates and all my habits has meant it’s been mooted – without any criticism at all – that I should raise my carb intake. This is ONLY because the period when all the fainting occurred in earnest coincides exactly with the time I was BSD-ing very strictly. NOTHING against very low-carbing, just that there is a possibility that it doesn’t actually agree with me personally ‘as we are all different ‘ in our reactions to various eating modes. For the moment have taken it on board and upped my carb intake to 50g daily – not at all what I want to do but it seems to be working and I have to say that preventing the faints takes precedence over everything. However I can’t quite feel that I belong here right now. It also means I have put on 7lb which I can’t get rid of – a severe irritation.
Margaret – glad you had such a good time in Northumberland AND a 7lb loss sounds great though sad that it slowed down. Interested in your charcoal water filtering – really have to try it. Always pleased to read about your various food ideas – helps me along the path.
Jennie – sad to see that your family is having so many troubles – they must all be so grateful for your support. Hope things are going well for you in other ways. Hippy Dippy Brighton marches on btw – open air Yoga and other pursuits in the ‘Magic Garden’ suit me really well whilst the weather lasts. We’ve just had Gay Pride here so that’s contributed considerably to the madness – but madness is what I came here for and I haven’t been disappointed.
Miss Ziggy – your London trip sounds great. I come from London originally and am reminded how much I miss it – time for a long wished-for visit. What a great thing you organised for your husband – it must have given you so much pleasure to see his reaction. Hope you’re recovering your BSD equilibrium now.
Happy August to all – hope you make the progress you wish for have good things planned. SoniaX

Hi Sonia
Sorry, I missed your post. I haven’t been on much recently. I’ve been getting the house ready for relatives coming to stay later today (goodness, what a mess and how come I didn’t notice all those things that need fixing before now!)
That chest virus sounds as if it was a nasty one – they can really lay you low, can’t they. But it must be nice to know you’ve got the heart of a 50 year old and that your bloods are all good. That’s great news.
I’m sorry to hear about the vagal nerve episodes but I hope it’s a relief to have a definite (or most likely) answer at last. As you say, our health has always got to come first and stopping the fainting fits and keeping them stopped has got to be your number one priority. I don’t feel like you’re a fraud being on here – but you’ve always got to do what feels right for you. xx (Tbh, I’ve been thinking about having a break from posting on the forum myself).
Good to know that Brighton is still being Brighton – yes, somebody posted elsewhere that Gay Pride was on – hope it went well. It reminds me of a funny story about how many years ago my 82 year old Mum and a group of her friends on a coach trip to London accidentally found themselves in the middle of the Gay Pride March. It was a story of slight shock, turning to surprise, then to delight – they had an absolutely great time, best bit of the whole trip apparently.

I’m afraid my August resolution to do 10,000 steps a day has gone out the window – not doing well at all. Rubbish, really.
On the plus side, was at a 50th wedding anniversary celebration on Saturday night and had a great night – got up and danced with ‘the girls’ a lot while my husband chatted with the men and drank a lot of whisky – what’s new! My relatives are staying overnight and then we’re off to the Lake District for a few days so that should be fun – oh, and rain forecast, of course. So not all tricky news on the family front, thank goodness.

Hope everyone else is doing well and has a good week.
Jennie xx

Hi Jennie – thanks for your response – no apology needed – am in the exact same position – visitors staying on and off at the beginning of this month and I am horrified at the things I’ve let slip – lack of energy and now time. Just have to hope I’ll be forgiven – which I will be of course – just need to forgive myself. My younger son and family are taking me glamping in Cornwall at the end of this week as soon as the last visitors are gone. Like you the weather doesn’t look good but the joy of waking up to my grandchildren every day is paramount.
Love the tale of your Mother at Pride – it’s always a great and friendly vibe and I’m glad your Mum got a taste of that. Hilarious to me that my elder son and boyfriend – who unfailingly marched and ‘flew the flag’ in London (as did I) for years, ‘booked themselves into mine that weekend. I assumed it was for Pride as well as a visit but when they discovered it was Pride weekend they booked out again because they couldn’t stand the traffic on the drive from London. How are the mighty fallen! They came down this last weekend in the storm and we walked the dogs by the sea in 50+mph winds – must have burned double the calories! Much needed! I need to do some dancing – with the girls is fine – a fun way to get in some exercise.
Enjoy the Lake District – love it up there – even in the rain, it’s beautiful.
Am sticking with keto principles and have dropped a few lbs but I’m definitely backing out here for a while as I have upped my cals and carbs outside the BSD guidelines for the reasons I gave. Will see how everything goes and in the meantime wish you and everyone else all the best with your BSD-ing. Hope to re-connect when heath things seem settled for me. Wil be thinking of you all. SoniaX

I would love to join this group. I have been doing it for 2 days so still a real newbie. Good luck everyone

Hi Sheilaslims
Sorry, I’ve been away most of this week so missed your post. You’re more than welcome to join this group but as you can see it’s very quiet at the moment. You might want to join in on other threads as well.
Take care
Jennie xx

Hello everyone & I apologise for my lack of posts.
Welcome Sheliaslims & I hope you find this way of eating helpful and manageable because it certainly has helped me feel more in control of when & what I eat as well as benefiting from fasting days. My husband who is a Type 2 diabetic has continued to maintain his weight loss & is well. My weight still wanders up & down depending on my social eating commitments & my ongoing temptation of having a glass of wine & some Kelly’s icecream but we continue to eat many more vegetables, less meat & more fish & generally much lower carbs. However I am not pre-diabetic so have more flexibility & my blood tests are all good.
Sonia I am so pleased that you finally seem to have some clarification on the cause of your fainting & don’t feel bad that very low carb eating is not possible for you now & glad you are over your chest virus. We are all different & need to find a carb balance that works for us & how our bodies react. I now have a reaction to eating larger quantities of food & particularly when eating more sugary carbs such as when we visited a local National Trust property & after a longish walk had lunch. I foolishly ate a fruit crumble & custard for pudding & we then got up to go around the house & I felt lightheaded & wobbly so sat outside on a bench to recover whilst my husband went in! With hindsight it was stupid eating that & I can only think my body was so shocked having to suddenly cope with a large lunch & carbs it was unable to do so. Sonia do keep in touch & let us know how you are doing because I am also not keeping to the straight & narrow but still largely following MMs guidelines on nutrition & healthy eating & still need to lose more weight.
Jennie I hope all is well with you & your family & your anniversary celebration sounds wonderful. My husband & I went out to dinner for our 43rd anniversary a couple of weeks ago & met our son, daughter-in-law & granddaughters in a local country park & had a wonderful time in the sunshine with the girls enjoying riding their bikes & going all over the large adventure playground.
I am hating this dull wet weather & my arthritic knees are also not happy with me hobbling around trying not to take any Ibuprofen. I am going to be so miserable when the summer is over & the evenings darken. We are off to Norfolk for a week at the end of August & I am tracing my ancestors so we will visit a small village that many of my great great great family came from & were working in the village church as clerks & recorders to try & find more information. I am also busy making tote bags from spare material to give to our two local shops to hand out in December replacing plastic bags that is our WI project to reduce plastic usage in the village.
I hope you are all enjoying summer.
Margaret xx

Hi everyone and welcome to Sheilaslims…..love that name😂

Just touching base as I have just come to the end of a very busy few weeks. What with the London trip and a trip to the Chilli Festival…..yesterday returned home from Portsmouth. I am guilty but the fish and chips were hard to resist!! On the last day I ate I delicious huge bowl of mussels with some sourdough bread to mop up the sauce🤪🤪🤪😱. The good news is that we did a lot of walking 😃
TMI ALERT!!!! Whenever I come off BSD I become very flatulent 😐☹️Which is one good reason to get back to it!!!
So now with no obstacles in my way once again I will jump back on BSD! Tonight’s dinner will be steak with a huge big salad!! And some French beans from our allotment!! My husband will be away in September for a week playing golf and I always find BSD so easy when he is away!
I will be visiting Brighton soon to an open air theatre. I don’t know too much about it but hopefully the weather will be okay for it!!
I hope everyone is doing well.
MIss ZIggy

Hello Miss Ziggy & your trips out sound lovely. It is difficult to resist fish & chips & my husband & I went to a fabulous sea shanty evening where we dressed up in nautical outfits & also enjoyed eating the fish & chip supper. I grew up in Southsea & enjoy being back there & seeing the sea. Did you go around the historic dockyard?
Your supper sounds very virtuous & back on track. Today for lunch I am roasting an M& S chicken with baked sweet potato wedges, an experiment with this & loads of steamed veg followed by strawberries for pud & I may have a little ice-cream on mine🙀but yesterday was a fast day with beef stir fry & loads of veg for supper.
Sorry for not mentioning you in my earlier post I think my little grey cells have gone awol today.
I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Margaret xx