Dirty mind indeed – I thought maybe he just had a long face….

Lol…topcac…that was the first joke I thought of…lol

Lol..that was my first thought for a joke…lol

A white horse walks into a pub and the Barman says “we have got a whisky named after you.” and the horse says “what Graham?”

Wow, Mary, it sounds like you had a miserable night. Do get plenty
of rest today and mainline water if you can. Keep an eye on the cough,
I don’t want it to turn into bronchitis! A duvet day seems in order.
Just anecdotal, but I find that I can always anticipate a whoosh day
coming when loo trips are far in excess of the number of glasses
of water I’ve consumed. It’s become a very reliable indicator.
Your sense of humor has indeed survived the disrupted night’s
sleep, however. Mostly, off color jokes usually sail right over
my head, but this one did not due to your story telling ability. Thanks
for the laugh, as always.

Kazz, really glad to hear that your doctor doesn’t seem too worried.
I hope this eases your mind. I was concerned about T2D, so
happy that isn’t the case. I don’t have any familiarity with the
liver test you list, but I do know that elevated liver enzymes does
indicate too much of the booze! 🙂

Best of days to you all.

Allie
xoxoxo

Hello all ,
Nonna Mary , do hope you are feeling a little better and those unwelcome symptoms quickly abate ! I have to tell you my bit of ‘ self flag.’ worked a treat , it must have as I’ve managed to stick to plan since my encounter with TCM ! I had to laugh as I imagined poor Jovis clinging onto the doona so he wouldn’t be blasted out of bed , then his snoring like a horse ! Enough said 😂😂

Kazz you wondered about Smokie , and yes they are well and truly still around
, they Toured Oz last year and we attended a Concert , and it was fantastic , took us right back to the 70’s . They played a heap of of their old songs , Don’t play your rock ‘n’roll to me , Oh Carol , If you think you know how to love me , Mexican Girl , laying back in the arms of someone , and when they got to their signature song Livin’next door to Alice , they got the audience to sing THE line ‘ Who the …. is Alice ‘ ! It was electric , and such a fun night being transported back in time .
That 2015 bottle of Malbec sounds very inviting , let’s know when you enjoy it 😊

Heather I must remember to adhere to the rules on here , and not use nasty words about myself , it’s hard not to be self critical sometimes though !
I do hope the Rat man manages to Rat proof your place , I’m with your OH and am petrified of them , but I’m petrified of tiny little mice as well . We planned and paid for a 3 week holiday in PENANG , and I was talking to a friend who was aware of my phobia , and she kindly told me that I’d better prepare myself as I would be seeing them everywhere in the open drains and gutters ! I was beside myself imagining this , we spent 3 wonderful weeks there , in the City of Georgetown , and went on all sorts of touristy places , along with many poorer areas and thankfully didn’t see one !
Are you aware that chickens bring rats ??? Oh dear don’t tell your OH but they that’s a fact ! Years ago we moved into a Suburb where a neighbour had chickens , I was enjoying a sun bake on the back lawn , and got up for a drink , and as I was on the way back to my towel a big rat ran across it ! I almost had a heart attack on the spot , and for months had trouble going into the back yard unless accompanied ! Neighbour admitted that it was due to his chickens , as chicken food attracts rats , as it’s easy food for them to find ! Good luck with that Heather .

Allie we came back to the Beach , as we didn’t get the lawns done , and the Hydrangeas needed pruning as well . We have a wonderful neighbour who at times does our lawns if we haven’t been for a while , which is wonderful , but we don’t want to impose on his good nature too often .
When we do get here , it’s a bit addictive as well , and we tend to make the time to come more often . It’s a lovely sunny day here today , and I intend to have another
Beach walk when I finish here , weather is very fickle , can change so quickly , but that’s Spring . Last night was quite cold , so we lit a big fire , played music , and ate dinner by the fire , and yes girls there was wine involved , it just had to be part of this picture perfect evening . And no it wasn’t one of the Birthdays that were reserved for Alcohol for the month , but we were still Sober so that was ok for ‘ Tober ‘ we decided 😂😂😂😂 I’m didn’t whip myself Nonna Mary , we didn’t whip each other , we just enjoyed the whole evening , but plan to leave wine off the menu tonight .
We do have quite a bit of Alcohol here I must admit , because we never know who is going to visit , and it does get quite social here , and it’s just always been part of being here , especially in summer with BBQ’s , this Summer will be a little different with this WOE . I actually made up a very nice big jug of water , with juice of 2 lemons , a whole cucumber , some mint

Hello all ,
Nonna Mary , do hope you are feeling a little better and those unwelcome symptoms quickly abate ! I have to tell you my bit of ‘ self flag.’ worked a treat , it must have as I’ve managed to stick to plan since my encounter with TCM ! I had to laugh as I imagined poor Jovis clinging onto the doona so he wouldn’t be blasted out of bed , then his snoring like a horse ! Enough said 😂😂

Kazz you wondered about Smokie , and yes they are well and truly still around
, they Toured Oz last year and we attended a Concert , and it was fantastic , took us right back to the 70’s . They played a heap of of their old songs , Don’t play your rock ‘n’roll to me , Oh Carol , If you think you know how to love me , Mexican Girl , laying back in the arms of someone , and when they got to their signature song Livin’next door to Alice , they got the audience to sing THE line ‘ Who the …. is Alice ‘ ! It was electric , and such a fun night being transported back in time .
That 2015 bottle of Malbec sounds very inviting , let’s know when you enjoy it 😊

Heather I must remember to adhere to the rules on here , and not use nasty words about myself , it’s hard not to be self critical sometimes though !
I do hope the Rat man manages to Rat proof your place , I’m with your OH and am petrified of them , but I’m petrified of tiny little mice as well . We planned and paid for a 3 week holiday in PENANG , and I was talking to a friend who was aware of my phobia , and she kindly told me that I’d better prepare myself as I would be seeing them everywhere in the open drains and gutters ! I was beside myself imagining this , we spent 3 wonderful weeks there , in the City of Georgetown , and went on all sorts of touristy places , along with many poorer areas and thankfully didn’t see one !
Are you aware that chickens bring rats ??? Oh dear don’t tell your OH but they that’s a fact ! Years ago we moved into a Suburb where a neighbour had chickens , I was enjoying a sun bake on the back lawn , and got up for a drink , and as I was on the way back to my towel a big rat ran across it ! I almost had a heart attack on the spot , and for months had trouble going into the back yard unless accompanied ! Neighbour admitted that it was due to his chickens , as chicken food attracts rats , as it’s easy food for them to find ! Good luck with that Heather .

Allie we came back to the Beach , as we didn’t get the lawns done , and the Hydrangeas needed pruning as well . We have a wonderful neighbour who at times does our lawns if we haven’t been for a while , which is wonderful , but we don’t want to impose on his good nature too often .
When we do get here , it’s a bit addictive as well , and we tend to make the time to come more often . It’s a lovely sunny day here today , and I intend to have another
Beach walk when I finish here , weather is very fickle , can change so quickly , but that’s Spring . Last night was quite cold , so we lit a big fire , played music , and ate dinner by the fire , and yes girls there was wine involved , it just had to be part of this picture perfect evening . And no it wasn’t one of the Birthdays that were reserved for Alcohol for the month , but we were still Sober so that was ok for ‘ Tober ‘ we decided 😂😂😂😂 I’m didn’t whip myself Nonna Mary , we didn’t whip each other , we just enjoyed the whole evening , but plan to leave wine off the menu tonight .
We do have quite a bit of Alcohol here I must admit , because we never know who is going to visit , and it does get quite social here , and it’s just always been part of being here , especially in summer with BBQ’s , this Summer will be a little different with this WOE . I actually made up a very nice big jug of water , with juice of 2 lemons , a whole cucumber , some mint leaves , and a piece of fresh ginger , processed and chilled it , so refreshing , so will probably do this quite often as the Weather improves , and may be perfect instead of wine and plain water over Summer .

Inka 13 we all succumb at times as you’ve read here , the key is to do just what you do , just restart and restart as often as you have to , it doesn’t matter how many times you restart , just as long as you do !

Sorry everyone , 1 st attempt went unfinished , then I managed to send the second unsigned , & hadn’t checked for spelling errors etc . , I see a couple of errors with words etc ., sorry about that .
Will catch up again soon , home Sunday , wonder what the scales will tell me Monday morning ???
With that in mind , I’ll get my butt moving , and go & enjoy a walk , I just love that sand sifting through my toes .
Take care , and be well ,
Love H 66 xxx

………………………whispers….i have lost my voice….Jovis is very happy lol. Hello everyone…I did sleep better last night, but dreamed about wasps. The wasp exterminator man should be here soon. We have a nest in the roof of our carport. I am not very good with buzzy things, but usually I don’t kill anything. I prefer the catch and release method. However, these are becoming a nuisance and the man says most of them are dying off anyway. They keep finding their way into my house! Specifically the bathroom. Where one gave me a very nasty shock the other day. Let’s just say it’s a good job I was already sitting down!

Hello66…you must never put your address on here or I will be there like a shot. It sounds so lovely! All my favourite things in one place! Keep enjoying it. I know Liz had a place by the lake, I wonder if she has managed to get there! Jovis was indeed holding on to the Doova. He said he thought the hurricanes were on the other side of the world. Turns out they were in our bed! I told him be grateful there was no thunder and lightning too!

Please come back Liz. I want to know how you and Kev are. I know I am being selfish, but it might help you too!

Kazzuk, the 1970’s were a fun time to be a teenager. Jovis and I were saying this only the other day. All kinds of music played on the radio, not just the heavy beat type nowadays. There is a radio station called ‘Gold’ which plays music from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Every Sunday morning we listen to it and have a little reminisce. I must admit I was a bit of a rock chick, but I enjoyed disco, reggae and motown too! Add to that the classical and opera that I enjoy and I sound like an epimusicarian (made up word there isn’t one word to describe someone who likes all types). I used to love to dance too. None of the suggestive stuff that goes on today (except maybe for one done to reggae). Ah the good old days lol. I have waited years to say that! I wonder if you can remember a song called “Lying in the Arm of Mary?” We danced to it at our engagement party. Sometime later I realised he was singing about a prossie…lol…rubbish words too, “the lights shine down the valley, the wind blows up the alley” but I do love it.

Keep it going people we can do it.

Lots of love
Nonna Mary
xxx

I have just noticed the date. I am sorry for anyone who suffers paraskevidekatriaphobia. 13 is my lucky number. So hopefully, I will feel better and win the lottery tonight. Don’t want millions, just a bit to pay off the mortgage. Fingers crossed.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Happy Friday, my friends!

Thank you Allie, Nonna Mary, H66 regarding my test results and yes, most certainly I shall abstain. I’ve not made a new appt yet to see the nurse, partly because I would like it to coincide with my week’s holiday 13th Nov. Considering the doc wanted to speak to me “sometime over the next 3 weeks”, indicated no real rush …. and it gives me chance to abstain for even longer!

I can’t believe Smokey is still doing the rounds! I bet it was great fun at that concert, H66! Sort of, it’s ok to like ABBA now, but it wasn’t cool at the time!

Nonna Mary – I’ve only just got that white horse joke! LOL. I’m rubbish at remembering them though. I had to smile (although not funny for you) when I read about your wasps… did you (or anyone else) ever watch Tales of the Unexpected? There was a particular episode called Royal Jelly with Timothy West and Susan George …. he’s a bee keeper, the baby won’t drink the milk so he secretly puts some royal jelly in the milk, plus he’s been taking it for ages himself… by the end of the episode, whenever he says things like “yes” it comes out as “yezzzz”! Kind of silly but quite horrifying, particularly when you can see all this bushy forearm hair sprouting from below his shirt cuffs! *shudder* Don’t get me on to The Fly!! Got the box set including the remakes. Love those old cult films… Anyway, I digress… Mary – I hope you feel much better soon! Meanwhile I’ll have to youtube “lying in the arms of Mary”… I can hear the song in my head. I never knew it was about a prossie either!

Signing off now and wishing you all a wonderful weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with my weigh in results. Good luck to everyone else with any weigh ins.

KazzzzZZZZZZZZ !

Kazzzzz, I do indeed remember that particular Tales of the Unexpected. I hate buzzing and it was very creepy. I am a lightweight when it comes to horror films and try not to watch them. I watched the old “The Fly” in black and white and couldn’t stomach the special effects in the new one. Plus I love Jeff Goldblum and wouldn’t want my fantasy ruined lol. I do love old black and white films. Musicals, romances, swashbucklers, science fiction, even some Christopher Lee vampire films. Though I do get scared. I was allowed as a child, to watch anything and then my father would creep about and make noises to scare me. I still don’t like the dark!

The reason I don’t like buzzing. When I was 7 we were poor and was taken on ‘holiday’ to a farm in Shropshire (by a charity, my family stayed at home). I loved every minute of it…except…to get to the farm we had to walk (no car) down a lane that the cows were regularly taken down. The number of cow pats and consequently flies was incredible. Millions upon millions of them. The buzz was a roar! and you could hardly see as you disturbed them. Scarred me for life! If anything buzzes near me I can’t help but scream.

Going back to the toilet thing. We have found wasps on the loo seat and down the loo, so my phobia grows! I have to check everywhere before I pee!

The exterminator has been (he won’t be back) and wasp activity seems to be waning. As he said it would. Also there should be none left by tomorrow. Please celestial being or God, whoever you believe in. I am nothing if not PC lol.

Which side of the horse has the most hair? The outside!

Love to all
Nonna Mary
xxx

O.M.G. Kazz…just looked through the channels and The Fly (1958) is on the Horror Channel….Creepy on Friday 13th lol.

Scared Nonna
xxx

Horror movies…What a great subject for friday the 13th! I don’t care for
the genre myself, I think I’m just too suggestible. Or a wimp,
perhaps 🙂 The last one I saw was in 1973, a film called “The Exorcist”
starring Linda Blair as a child possessed. I saw it an outdoor theatre,
which somehow made it more terrifying. Even had a few nightmares
about it at the time. Nope, not for me! Enjoy your t.v. choices tonight.

When I was a child I had a great fear of bees. My Father’s remedy
for this was to tell me to sit still and that a bee wouldn’t sting me.
Dutifully, I did exactly that, and was rewarded with a sting for
following this advice. The treatment way back then was to put
wet mud on it! But what do you do if you don’t have a nice green
lawn at your disposal, which we fortunately did. I’ve never gotten
over the phobia, and have been known to jump out of a car into
traffic when a bee finds its way into the car. Ridiculous!

I hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful weekend. Have
a great one, all.

Love,

Allie

Oh Allie…I have also been known to run into the road away from something buzzing. I once let go of the pram to do it. Not proud of that 🙁 I never watched The Exorcist it is too scary for me. I am such a wimp. I never go on roller coasters or anything like that. I think life is scary enough without adding to it!

Update on the wasps…after initially going mad they calmed down and now I feel really bad. The driveway is covered with dead wasps. Still some flying in and out too! I hate that I have hurt something. It’s the Buddhist in me I guess. I am responsible even indirectly. I paid a hit man!

Well time to buzz off for a bit now. Laters everyone!

Nonna Mary
xxxx

Mary, your remarks about roller coasters reminded me of what an
adrenaline junkie I used to be! When we were children, we were
taken to an amusement park every summer. I made a beeline to
the biggest roller coaster I could find, and usually “begged” for
additional tickets to repeat the thrill. I felt the same way about
downhill skiing, which I didn’t even start to do until I was 30.
My best tale, however, involves motorcycles. When I was 16 I
had a 21yr old summer boyfriend who owned a motorcycle.
I was strictly forbidden to get on the back of it. Prone to
testing the rules, I did it anyway, keeping to back roads in town,
thinking I wouldn’t run into my parents. On this particular
Sunday, we were out for a bike ride and found ourselves stopped
at a traffic light. I was facing my Mother directly across from
us. She rolled down her window, and said quite forcefully,
“Get yourself home, young lady!” Punishment to follow!
One fantasy I still have left is to sky dive. I know, nuts!

Scary Nonna – can you believe that?! I swear I had no idea it was on the TV later tonight! Eugh, wasp carpet

I’m afraid I love a good creepy – not slasher movie or anything ridiculous, but a decent creepy – the original Woman in Black for instance, The Railway Man. The BBC used to put a creepy play or movie on every Xmas eve… they’ve not done that for years, sadly!

Right there with you, Allie. I move like a well trained athlete when there’s a wasp around!

See you all later!
Kazzzz xx

Hello peoples. I still have no voice, but that will not stop me because I can type!

Wasps are declining loads. Hope that is the last of them. It is a beautiful and uncommonly warm day here in the Midlands of Uk. A real “Good to be alive day.”

On the down side, my lovely grandson has the pox. Chicken variety. He is fine in humour but he says he itches. The problem with the pox is, it gets in places you really don’t want it! Lots of calamine lotion being applied! I will visit later, but I won’t be able to say much. I have to really strain to get any noise through my vocal cords and that is not good. I will be taking a pad and pencil and Jovis can read what I say to my lovely boy and his sister.

Not doing very well on the weight loss front, because I have no energy I am not moving much. Still sticking to the way of life, and counting…but if you don’t move it doesn’t help! Hopefully, I will feel better soon and be moving more.

Well off for now. See you later, hope you are all very well.

Lots of love,
Nonna Mary
xxx

Dearest Mary, I’m sorry to hear that you have no voice. I must
apologize in advance if this sounds like nagging, but have either
you or Jovis called your physician? For me, laryngitis often turns
into bronchitis, and I don’t want that for you!
Poor little Joe, and then there’s his little sister to worry about!
On this side of the pond most of these childhood diseases had
been eradicated, but they are on the rise again in areas where
there has been a large influx of children from third world countries
in the public schools. It really presents a problem for parents
who feel very strongly about not vaccinating their kids. Measles,
chicken pox, scabies, and TB, to mention a few. Little Joe will
feel better after a visit from Nonna, I’m sure.
Take care of yourself, dear Mary!

Hugs,
Allie

Morning all.

Thank you for your concern Allie, but this has been a usual thing for me since childhood. I did indeed used to get bronchitis a lot. Two chain smoking parents didn’t help. As I got older and went through periods of non smoking. The colds merely became, upper respiratory, so just affecting my throat. Using my voice so much during teaching etc, and consequently catching colds from the children (schools are a hot bed of illnesses), I developed nodes on my larynx. Not important enough to be removed, but easily infected by infection. I have a little voice now, but prefer to rest it as it will recover quicker. I no longer have a cold, just a touch of sinusitis, which will go after I have inhaled a little steam. Thank you again for caring.

My lovely grandchildren were very happy to see me yesterday and Lexi said Nonna for the first time! How happy am I? She has a really heavy cold and is coughing and chesty. I know from experience that it can sound worse than it is, but it is affecting her sleep. Poor little munchkin.

I was a little naughty yesterday. I had Duck Al orange…with out the orange (or the skin which I cut off) lol. Then my customary few glasses of wine whilst watching strictly. After half an hour in bed I was up again with acid reflux. Yeuk. I absolutely hate it and Gaviscon or other products do nothing for it! Going to stick to BSD like a limpet for the next week!

Take care everyone.

Nonna Mary
xxxx

Good morning lovelies

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend?

I lost 1 lb. So that’s 14 lbs now and a stone gone. Yey!

Just a flying visit, best get ready for work.

Have a great day/evening everyone.

Kazzzzz xx

Meant to say, Nonna Mary – I usually dissolve a tsp of bicarbonate in soda in quarter of a pint of water and that gives instant relief to my acid reflux. Old remedy. I haven’t had it though since I gave up the red wine I’ve just realised. Hope you feel better soon.

Kxx

that should say “bicarbonate of soda”.

Morning, fellow tribeswomen! Our ranks seem to be depleted at
the moment. I’ll just have to trust that all you lovelies will be back
at some point. If not, us hangers-on can begin a new thread, I
suppose. I have a tentative name in mind, but will keep it under
my hat in the hopes that many of you will return when you are
ready.

Mary, duck sounds delicious. I can’t remember the last time
I had it, and know that I’ve never prepared it. I hope the precious
grandies are feeling better. You as well!

I had a sort of amusing trip to my doc’s office today. He requires
me to see him every 4 months because he manages my prescription
pain medication. This morning there was a new nurse, who did
the prerequisite b.p. check, weigh-in, temp. etc. She kept looking
at me, then back to her laptop screen, with a quizzical look on her
face. Eventually she excused herself, to ostensibly check to see
if she had the wrong medical chart. More questions about my date
of birth, etc. Finally she said “I can’t find the records on your
bariatric surgery, when was it?” I started to laugh, and said, “I
didn’t have any surgical procedures done”. Her eyes got quite
large, her jaw hung open, and she said “I’ve never heard of ANYONE
accomplishing this magnitude of weight loss without bariatric
surgery”. I think this was the first real moment of understanding
of what’s been achieved. Up til now I’ve simply believed that
I’m nothing at all special, and if I can succeed at this, literally
anyone can. Kind of a watershed moment, for me……..
I so believe in everyone here achieving their goals!!!
Wishing everyone a great week,

Allie
xoxo

Hiya y’all,

Kazz, I don’t get the chance to take any bicarbonate, as soon as it starts I am sick…then I only have to deal with the soreness in the throat, which soon passes. I will bear it in mind though in case I have time. Wow…a stone in weight. You must be pleased. I would be. I have been fighting the same 3 pounds for a number of weeks now. I only seem to lose it when I have had the squits!

Allie, what a great response from a medic. You must be stoked. How great is that. Please know you are an inspiration and we are very pleased to know you.

On another note….note much voice but not feeling ill. Sinusitis which is getting me down! Grandies not too bad. I had chips tonight. I don’t particularly like them. Just fed up of not being able to eat like other people. Plus I have a baboons arse again from the squits. I thought, well if I am no better without them…Only had a few though as, like I say, not a favourite of mine. Back on the wagon tomorrow. Later peeps.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Back home and back to reality , visited the scales ……. down 100 gms from weigh in prior to Shack visit !
I’m not surprised at such a small loss , as despite all the sensible eating , there were ‘ Alcohol moments ‘ , which I’m sure messes big time with any weigh loss I may have had !
Message to self : Alcohol reduces weigh loss on scales , but doesn’t reduce weight loss !
But Alcohol doesn’t help reduction of body weight , or reduction of size of BUTT .
Simple really ……..
I did make some healthy meals , quiche made with bacon , eggs , cream , cheese and broccoli .
Asparagus omelette , served with red cabbage sauerkraut .
I even made cauliflower sushi for lunch when inviting neighbours to share lunch with us .
Must say they were yummy , and no one picked up they weren’t made with sushi rice , so I didn’t mention it .
Made with the Nori sheets , caul rice , mixed with Philly cream cheese and a little white vinegar , then I added slivers of carrot , sliced avocado , pickled ginger , cucumber and smoked salmon , served with Sushi soy and wassabi , very tasty .

Nonna Mary do hope little Joe ‘ s itching has settled with his. Chicken Pox , probably too late to mention bathing with about 30 mls of Pinetarsol added , it was a blessing when our youngest had chicken pox , it’s also helped with one of our Grandies who has eczema poor boy .
He is never really free from it , especially his poor little butt !
Do hope Jovis 1 st week in his new job is going well , what does this job entail Mary ?
How exciting little Lexie saying Nonna , music to your ears , precious babe 💗
Glad to hear your voice is returning , sinusitis and reflux , you’ve had a bit of a go of it haven’t you ? Be well and soon 😘

Kazz you are on fire , a whole Stone , that is brilliant 👏👏 You’re on your way to success , and indeed an inspiration to all .

Allie what a funny , and fun situation you had at your Dr’s office , can but imagine the Nurse thinking she had the wrong Medicsl Chart , I bet you smiled all the way home afterwards 😀😀
What long term pain do you suffer , and what Medication do you take ?
Bariatric Surgery indeed , who needs Bariatric Surgery said the Alley Cat ? Meeeeeow to you , GO KITTY 🐯
You are a legend though , you really are Allie , I applaud you👏👏👏👏👏👏, keeping on for so long is what I find amazing , you sure do have staying power . 💪
Your thinking if you can do it , literally anyone can , is a very noble thought indeed .
I just had a thought ! I’m going to put a big sign up in my kitchen ……
IF ALLIE CAN DO IT , ANYONE CAN !!!!
I’m sure this will give me incentive to try a little harder .
You are indeed an INSPIRATION , and yes I’m shouting it out !
Must go and make my sign for AL-centive , and Al- spiration ( 2 new words I’ve just made up ,, dedicated to you 👌)
Meanwhile here , I’m missing the sound of breaking waves , replaced by cars whizzing past our house , oh well reality bites !
I must say I’m ready for a bite , but I’m holding off for as long as I can before I break my fast today , will then just have a boiled egg , baby spinach and a little egg mayo , which I’m really looking forward to .
I ate at 6 last night , it has now gone 11 today , so the hours are mounting up , will hang out for a bit longer if I can , I just don’t find fasting easy .
I feel a question coming on : Easy , what’s easy ?
Answer : Something that requires little effort , that’s easy !
Questions to self : Did Allie always find it easy ? Did it take extra effort ?
I feel a rush of Al – spiration , and Al- centive coming on
Im caught in the rush , & can’t wait to see where it takes me !

Love H 66 xxx

Morning chicksters

Allie = now that is what I call validation! Bloody well done! Superb!

Nonna Mary – what a strange day yesterday with the big blood sun and yellow atmosphere! Tale end of hurricane Ophelia dragging sand from the Sahara into the atmosphere. Quite spooky though!

I had an unplanned fast day yesterday = woke up and found a small tender swelling where I’d had an abscess 18 months ago “down there”. Sent me into a spin and was so anxious. The last one, after being surgically removed, took 3 months of packing until it healed. I just don’t want to go there again, so got an emergency appt with doc. Seemed to have gone right down and not soreness at all by the time I was examined. I thought I’d imagined it! Anyway, was prescribed antibiotics just in case to keep at home should there be any sign of it flaring up. Fine today. But I have “insurance” so I can zap it quick! I told her about the IBS symptoms and how things are so much better since I ditched the wheat products. She was thoughtful and so I’m having a blood test this Friday for my liver function and celiac. So, I guess I should eat bread between now and Friday otherwise nothing will show up in the results? Needless to say, the fact my psoriasis is clearing, as it always does when I ditch wheat, tells me it’s all linked some how. Leaky gut?

Okay, lovelies, have a great day and night.

See you soon.

Kazzz xxxx

kazzi -A stone off is magnificent!!!! I have unfailing optimism
that it is just the first of many. 🙂 I’m happy to hear that the prospect
of another abscess is not on the horizon. Sounds decidedly unpleasant!
I’m reasonably certain that Hello66 has had wheat issues with
respect to IBS. She’ll probably have some ideas on the subject. I’m
coming to believe in the gut biome research also, so I include 1/4c
of kimchi in my daily diet. I only have IBS when the Season’s change,
winter to Spring, and Summer to Fall. Hoping to avert this with the
raw cabbage this October. I don’t suffer with it the way Mary does,
I just get profoundly constipated, with severe cramping that can go
on for up to 48 hrs. If I learn anything from my kimchi experiments, I’ll
pass it along. It’s great to hear that a wheat free diet can help
with psoriasis, though. Itching drives me nuts!
I’m surprised that hurricanes affect your neck of the woods. Is
this an unusual occurrence? I read that Ophelia was headed toward
Ireland. Sincerely hope there weren’t any casualties. It’s been quite
an active hurricane season here in the States. Add to it the devastating
fires raging in northern California, and all in all a very bad year for natural
disasters.
Be sure to take time to celebrate your accomplishment of losing
an entire stone. You deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of love,

Allie

Mary, it’s reassuring to read that laryngitis is somewhat routine
for you, and not a harbinger of coming attractions with respect to
your chest! As always, I’m sorry that baboon butt is a constant
source of irritation, though. (pun intended) All these references
to the ape kingdom reminds me of another reference my beloved
“old goat” of a husband uses with regularity around here. He’s
returned to calling me “chimp hands”. I don’t have large hands,
per se, but very long thin fingers (ring size 5 1/2). It amuses him
no end to point out the fact that my hands resemble a chimpanzee.
By the way, he’d be delighted if I couldn’t use my voice temporarily.
I think it would represent a mini holiday not to have to listen to
my incessant chatter, but someone needs to talk, right???? I
think by the end of the day he is all talked out, having spent it
pontificating from the lecture halls, which is his natural habitat.
What IS annoying on occasion, is when he fails to make the
transition from work environment to home, and speaks to me
like I’m another one of his students 🙂 Does Jovis know anything
about this?Just kidding of course, dear Mary 🙂

Be back later. Much love to all!

Allie

Kazz, well done on your fast. Easy isn’t it? I am so pleased your Psoriasis and IBS is improved. I wish I could say the same, but mine are worse if anything. All the vegetables which help everyone else stay regular seem to irritate my gut. I have fasted today and been rewarded with the squits tonight. Hopefully, it will quieten down eventually.

I had an abscess…down there…30 years ago. The Doctor put me on anti-biotics, but 4 days later (on my birthday) i was admitted to hospital to have it removed. They lanced it and packed it. Then later on the nurse said she needed to remove the 4 or 5 inches of packing. So there I am butt naked in a bath, legs akimbo while she tugs on the packing. It turned out to be bandaging. She pulled and pulled and pulled. It was reminiscent of a conjurer pulling flags of all nations from up his sleeve! When she had finished she exclaimed that she had never known so much packing. It turned out the abscess was the size of a large grapefruit. I only knew I had it on the Monday because I used to ride a bicycle. By the Thursday I couldn’t sit down! Fingers crossed this one doesn’t materialise.

Allie, I so understand how you wouldn’t like to be lectured at home! I very rarely use my teacher voice and never at Jovis, but I have used it in shops if I feel I am being ignored or badly treated. I also used it once in hospital when I didn’t think Jovis was getting the correct treatment. The next thing we knew, a very toffee nosed consultant came to see Jovis. He then proceeded to agree with me and asked if I had medical training. I get that a lot!

I thought long fingers meant a sensitive soul…at least that is what my mother always said. My darling elder daughter has lovely slim hands and beautifully shaped nails too. My nails have been ravaged by the psoriasis, but look ok when I can be bothered to paint them.

Well that’s it for today. Just to say Ireland got the brunt of the back end of a hurricane. We just got a storm…but before that, sand from the Sahara made the sun appear red and everywhere had a sepia tint. Then it passed and was a lovely day.

Take care and stay well.

Lots of love
Nonna Mary
xxxx

Evening all. I fell off the wagon again and am slowly trying to climb back on. Fall not caused by anything more traumatic than usual except our restructure was announced. I knew it was coming and feel fairly neutral about it. There are a few jobs I can apply for, but if I’m not successful the redundancy payout will be handy.

Haven’t weighed in for a couple of weeks but went to the gym today so will brave the scales tomorrow. I am fairly good at eating well in the week but lose the plot completely at the weekend. I will try to log food again and try to keep to 1200 calls initially then when the carbs are under control try skipping a meal.

By the way, love the idea of cauliflower sushi. There is a kit at Aldi I might get and have a go.

Will check in again tomorrow

Hello66, I always save my posts to you til the end of the day since
we have a 14hr differential in respective time zones. I hope you
wake up to them them! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed
your beach hiatus, but (selfishly) I’m glad to have you back with
us. You have a special gift for word play, which never fails to
delight me. I don’t know what to say about your kind impression
of me. It’s very humbling, indeed. I do like the idea of a
motivational sign in your kitchen, however. Add a few cartoonish
illustrations to it. Portray me watching over you with
my chimp hands prominently displayed, holding an offending
bottle of vino to which I’ve added a skull and cross bones.
Draw me with my nutter snake leggings, and an oval face
with one arched eyebrow, sending a quizzical look to you
from a pair of weirdo (not found in nature!) aquamarine eyes.
(Who knows where they came from? I’m hopelessly nearsighted,
thanks mom and dad 🙂 )
I think it’s a special triumph that you’ve spent time away without
adding any weight. You’ve simply maintained, which is good
practice for when you achieve the weight loss goals you’ve set
for yourself. Consuming wine seems to put me in a holding pattern
also. I don’t gain, but weight loss does seem to come to a screeching
halt. I think you did amazingly well, all considered. I’d like to
know more about your cauliflower sushi. Did you use roasted
nori sheets, and how did you treat them before using them
in your recipe?
On the subject of pain management, I’m on controlled dosages of
oxycodone for chronic pain related to arachnoiditis (blunting of
the nerve sleeves emanating from the lumbosacral spine). I’ve
had this condition since about the age of 30. Sitting for any
length of time in excess of 45 minutes is a problem, so I spend
the majority of my day either upright and doing things, or flopped
down in bed. I skip the entire sitting exercise altogether, if
possible. I’ve simply had it for so long that it’s become a part
of me, and I never give it much thought at all. Our lives have
simply adapted to it. Thank you for asking 🙂
Have a happy day, and get to work on that sign!

Lots of love,

Allie

Good morning!

Shanik – don’t worry, put it behind you and climb back on the wagon – it’s all we can do. As long as we keep trying. I find weekends more challenging but after awhile, I get annoyed with myself. I reckon it took a good month for this new lifestyle to kick in. Sorry to hear about the job situation but glad you’re not overly worried. Same thing happened to me about 4 years ago and I had to re apply for my job which I’d been doing for 16 years! It always works out one way or another 🙂

Nonna Mary – well that was a humdinger of an experience “down there” ! Not sure how big mine was but the wound was 3 inch deep and 2 inch across and took 3 months of every day packing (initially) to heal from the inside out. I was off work as couldn’t sit! Hence my panic on Monday as I really don’t want that experience again.

Allie – I used to knock off a stone in 3 weeks in my youth! 8 weeks this time but I don’t mind. My dilemma on the coeliac test… according to the website, you have to eat about 10 grams of gluten a day for 6 weeks prior to the test. Mine is next Friday 27th other wise you get a false negative if you’ve stopped eating gluten which of course, following this diet, I have! So I could end up with a false negative result. Plus I don’t want to go back to eating bread (4 slices) every day for so many reasons – feeling unwell, fatigued, violent diarrhea, bloat and grumbling intestines. It’s all so much better now. And I’ll probably gain weight! But guess it’s more important to follow the guidelines and see what the results turn out to be and take it from there.

Okay, must dash, have a good day, my friends.

Love Kazzii xxx

Hi Kazzi – I wish I could help with the gluten thing, but I just don’t know
anything about it. I wouldn’t be happy with the prospect of eating
bread for 6 weeks! I know it was one of the challenging dietary
addictions you had to give up, so hearing you must eat it to arrive
at a conclusionary diagnosis is very unfortunate indeed. Let us
know what you decide…….

Mary, I hope you are seeing some improvement today. Grandies
too! I think I may have given you the wrong impression yesterday?
I didn’t mean to suggest Jim speaks to me in an authoritative tone.
What he occasionally does, however, is explain the same point
in 3 different ways, when I have to remind him that I’m not
one of his students, and get the point the first time round. We
watch a lot of politics at night, kind of 2 junkies in this regard,
and that’s when it usually comes up. We both have a bad habit
of arguing with any commentary that we disagree with. It’s
so hard not to do it and remain silent when visiting family or
friends, especially the liberal/progressive ones! 🙂
I just noticed on the date stamp that today is my birthday. I
had forgotten it was coming up. 69 years old – uggh. All I
have planned is to order the weekly groceries. Surely I can
come up with something better than this????? Quite the exciting
life I’m living at the moment. It’s a beautiful Indian summer day,
so I’m heading out for a brisk walk, and hope that fires up some
brain cells.

Everyone else, have a great day!

Love to all,

Allie

Hello all,

Just returned from my GP to have it confirmed that this is indeed sinusitis. The pain seems to be getting worse and painkillers are not touching it. Last night the pain came in waves and was so debilitating. Doctor gave me a good going over and said anti-biotics may help. I don’t like taking them unless necessary. So, I have the prescription and if no improvement by Saturday I will fill it and take them.

ALLIE HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING. MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY!!

Allie, I was joking about the lecturing. I am sure you both have good points to make when you debate! I avoid any discussions on politics as it can be very emotive. Joe and I discuss of course, but I make it a point to keep my friends politics free. Lol.

Kazz, you are right. You are supposed to eat gluten before a test otherwise you will show as negative. That’s a big bummer! Hope it works out for you!

Love Nonna Mary
xxxx

Haha, Mary! I’m only making this worse… 🙂 🙂 🙂 Jim and I don’t
argue with each other, we argue with imbecilic, biased coverage on
the television!!!! good thing the t.v. is a good 15′ from our chairs,
or it would be in jeopardy from the flying tomato treatment from
one or the other of us most nights. All in all, I agree with your
strategy to keep politics out of the friend zone…

Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes. I appreciate it (insert
a “heart” here)

Take those antibiotics, love, if you need them!

Allie
xoxoxo

Happy birthday Allie

I stayed the same on the scales so the healthy weekdays are counterrecring the bad weekends. Just need to get into a groove to tide me over a few weekends till it becomes a habit. Now the weather has turned colder I might start making low calorie veggie soups. Got me a lovely looking squash yesterday. That is allowed isn’t it?

Hi Shanik, well done on knowing where you are sabotaging yourself. As long as you are not counting carbs then you can have squash. My magic book says butternut baked is 21 cals…5 carbs…1 protein for 65 grams. Seems ok to me, but someone wiser may help you here. What I do, is add the recipe to “My Recipes” on fitness pal and then see how many cals, carbs etc it gives. I love soups. I make the minestrone and although it is a little high in carbs it is so filling and nutritious. Keep going. You can do it.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Shanik, a lovely evening to you! It’s so nice to have you here with
us. Thank you for the birthday wishes. I’m not clear if you are counting
net carbs or not, but I kept my carbs quite low (<20) and still made
use of squash, but only a small portion, (1/2 cup) and only occasionally.
According to my chart (I’m American) 1/2 c baked butternut comes in
at 7 net carbs and 22 calories. I can’t see how it wouldn’t work if
you’re trying to stay under the usual 50 grams, though. So much
of this process is manageable if you just commit to planning,
planning, planning! Although I’m in the maintenance phase, I
still do plan a week’s menu at a time, and still glug down 3 liters
of water every day. It’s getting chilly here, too, and I’m thinking
about throwing together a few soups. Do you have any favorites?
So many that I have made in the past are tomato based, so I’ll
have to keep an eye on that one.
Very best wishes for your future success. You’ll be back in the
groove in no time!

Allie

Ignore this, my lovelies. I just wrote a nice reply to Shanik and hit
submit. It didn’t appear, so this is just a test to see if I’ve become
“unregistered” or some other damn fool thing! 🙂

Ah yes I remember the recipe builder, thanks. I’m not counting carbs this week but will try next week when I’ve upped my veg intake/reduced starch intake. Some of the old atkins tricks are also coming back to me – veg bouillon, miso, avocado, frittata. Just need to avoid too much cheese and sausage to keep cholesterol in check. Perhaps I’ll put a few things on the shopping list while I remember.

Happy Birthday to you 🎬
Happy Birthday to you 🎤
Happy Birthday dear Allie 🎸
Happy Birthday to you 🎹
Do hope you are having a wonderful day Allie , a 69 er of a day 😜
It’s about 1800 hours on the 18 th in New England according to Mr . Google , so maybe you are preparing for a Birthday Dinner , so do enjoy , and a lovely evening with your Jim .
My love and very best wishes , H.66 😘😀❤️💐🎉

Allie = HAPPY BIRTHDAY for yesterday! xxx I hope you have a wonderful belated celebration!

Nonna Mary – I hope the sinusitis starts to improve soon, as you say, that constant pain must be quite wearying.

Well, I’ve eaten bread in the evening the last 2 nights and rewarded with the usual squits. I’ll see how it goes but as the result will be negative I’m sure, I’ll tell the doc that any further testing will have to be shelved until next year once I’ve got my weight down. I found myself eating toast last night and feeling angry that I was eating something that I didn’t want! My head is in the right place (first time in years) for this WOE with BSD and I love it. So I will continue with gluten until after the blood test a week tomorrow and then it can all go hang until sometime next year when I feel like dipping my toe into the gluten pot again! I’m not sabotaging my immediate wellbeing and weight loss. Plus I don’t want to wake the carb monster. I can’t see what harm it can do as long as I stay off the gluten stuff. And who knows, my gut will continue to improve also.

Must dash, catch you all later.

Kazzblahhh xxxx

Hi all

Just wanted to let you know I am still around and keeping up with your posts. You are an amazing lot.

I’m struggling a bit myself. It’s the coming of winter and the urge for stogy food is overwhelming. I’m still at 138 lbs but seem to be saying hello and goodbye to the same 3lbs each week!

Work has gone mental. I’ve got performance issues with two staff members that is not being handled well. Got a meeting with my lead consultant this afternoon to fill him in and see how he wants me to handle it. My units reputation is at stake and I want to stop the rot but all very sensitive and exhausting, hence my radio silence….

On a positive note, I was out for dinner last night at Bill’s. Despite cravings, I had a naked burger with salad (no dressing) with a side order of sautéed chestnut mushrooms. I’m quite proud of myself for that one 😊

Love you all lots

Lee 😘

Hi Lee – that does sound very stressy to say the least. It’s not a bad thing to “tread water” whilst concentrating on something particularly worrying or unpleasant. I like the sound of your dinner choice – that is something to be proud of. Excellent! 🙂

There is pulled pork and stuffing in yorkshire wraps with roast potatoes and veg on the lunch menu today! (drool). Or butternut squash and greens bubble and squeak with a poached egg. Plus jacket spuds, deli bar, soup and homemade bread and the usual array of salads which is what I go for, however, I also usually feel like warm stodgy stuff when the weather turns autumnal . I think I could be tempted by the bubble and squeak depending on how much BNS is involved….

I’m off to investigate!

Kazziii xxx

Good evening to all my precious pals!

hello66, your voice a’singing rolled out late last evening. Thank you
for the serenade, and all the wonderful icons! I imagine you to have
a pitch perfect clear voice. I, on the other hand, am completely
tone deaf. When I was about 10yrs old our school put on a christmas
pageant for the adults. The stern music teacher walk4ed behind
us while we were practicing, and she actually ordered me to “just
silently mouth the words” because I was throwing everyone else
off! Oh, those childhood traumas! 🙂 Why do you think I play
my music so loudly in the house? 🙂 🙂 🙂

Kazz, I’m secretly glad that you’ve come to the conclusion that
you want to postpone all the bread loading for now. You are
doing extremely well, you’re very committed, and I’m routing for
you to slip right into that collection of winter coats that you have
at your disposal. You WILL be in the largest one soon, and by next
Winter you WILL have all the choices you could ever want, I promise!
I have a lynx 3/4 length jacket that I had made in 1980. I’m going
to wear it this winter, political correctness be damned! It’s warm.

LeeLee (Leonora?) What a time you are having! These sorts
of professional problems are the ones that follow you home at
night and churn about in the brain. Prior to getting my Interior
Design degree, I always found myself in Management roles, and
just one or two individuals could always have a negative ripple
effect on the effectiveness of my department. I hope you get
the support you need in your meeting this afternoon. Fingers
crossed for you. You are doing well with the diet, though. Stay
strong! sending hugs to you 🙂

Come on, you other lovelies…..We want to hear from you!

Allie
xoxoxo

Evening all,

Another day of pain! Jovis was sent home from work because he has now succumbed to the lurgy. He is coughing much more than I did. Poor thing. He is unlike other men as he doesn’t get “Man Flu”. He has even cooked tonight’s dinner.

Leelee, stay strong. You are wonderful. Ignore the negativity and do what you have to!

Allie I hope you had a lovely day.

Hello66, do you use your phone to do the emojis? I can’t do it on my computer and they look so cool.

I need help! It is Diwali here, and my lovely neighbours have just brought around home made vegetable Samosas and sweets. Poor Jovis answered the door and hid behind it shouting….”stand back Rupee we don’t want your baby to get this cold!” Bless! Rupee dropped the food and ran.

Now my problem is….what to do with the Samosas? I can leave the sweets, but HOME MADE VEGETABLE SAMOSAS!!! I know, I will try to be strong! But, sometimes it sucks to be on this way of life!

I was about to hit the submit button when I heard someone upstairs. Jovis ran up to investigate and it was our dog (who is not allowed upstairs). She was obviously trying to get away from the noise of the fireworks outside. Jeez, 3rd heart attack of the day! First was when Jovis came home from work (I was asleep). Second was while I was cooking an omelette and Jovis crept into the kitchen (he says he didn’t) and startled me. Now the dog has done something totally out of the ordinary. I think I am going to go to bed very soon. It’s the only safe place!

Take care everybody

Love Nonna Mary
xxxx

Mary, my love, don’t hide out under the duvet! Diwali sounds like a
lot of fun…festival of lights….What great neighbors you must have!
Samosas? You must have one! This only happens once a year,
right? Poor little dog, however. All animals hate fireworks.! We’ve
always had from one to a herd of Siamese cats, one to 4 at a time.
They are very verbal creatures, and always let us know what’s on
their minds, and can be very throaty about it, too! Try to enjoy the
festival of lights…

Hugs,

Allie

Oh Kazzi, that menu sounds way too tempting! I love Yorkshire pud! Did you go bubble and squeak?

Thanks Allie, meeting went well. It was a big love in really. We are like a mutual admiration society! Still it’s nice to be really valued as he’s a seriously clever man. I’m in awe of him, so god knows what he sees in me (professionally of course! 🤣🤣) Anyhow, he supports my plan, so I shall push on….

Mary, I’m so sorry you and Jovis are suffering. There is a terrible lurgy doing the rounds, so exhausting for you. Great news about Jovis getting a job though. So good for the self esteem and much deserved.

H66, thanks for asking about Dad (I think it was you, I’m still catching up!) he’s stable right now. Some worrying leg ulcers but will be reviewed again in 6 weeks. Bad thing is that I missed my consultant diabetes appt. Totally my fault but now have a text to make a non urgent gp appt to discuss my results. Hope for the best but if course will worry….especially as today I know my potassium got dangerously low. I was dizzy enough to be holding on to walls, couldn’t get out of the bath for a few mins. I did not feel good! So came off plan, had two bananas for the potassium and some low fat crisps for salt. Not ideal I know but I do think it’s important to listen to your body at times. Day off tomorrow, hairdresser and chill time which is much needed!

On a more positive note, I have a new winter coat. Size 12 from sea salt. How chuffed am I?!!

Anyone heard from Liz? I am worried about her 😢
L x

LeeLee, congratulations on the size 12 coat. These NSV are great!
If I know the beautiful H66, I’m sure she asked about your Dad, too,
but I also did because my husband has stage 3 heart failure, also.
Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium levels do make a difference
for these patients, and a portion of avocado daily, i.e. 1/3 -1/2 ,
really helps with the potassium requirement daily. I put
1 tbs of raw, unsweetened cacao nibs on his morning yogurt for
the hit of magnesium. I also serve wild salmon 2-3 times a week
for the heart healthy omega 3’s. I realize I’m a bit of a control
freak, however! I’m glad your meeting went well. Have a nice
relaxing spa day tomorrow!

Hugs,

allie

Thanks Allie.
It’s actually me who has the potassium and sodium issues. Ended up in hospital in June for an infusion. It went as low as 2.0! Funny enough, dads potassium is fine 🤣

I did avocado for tea actually. I’m not a huge fan if I’m honest but have been trying to educate the palate as part of this new way of eating… I keep persevering though.

Sounds like you are a great nurse for hubby. Dad is stage 4 but I’m going to try some of your tips. Dad is not the mist adventurous and eater (traditional Irish man) but he would probably do the salmon. I’m like you and buy really clean, natural food and then he will sneak out and buy a pack of luxury scones for “dinner” not exactly recommended fayre for a diabetic!

L xx