Jigsaw???? Did someone mention JIGSAW!!! I love JiGSAWS! Ive been collecting from charity shops over maybe the past 6 months . . . and have some doozies to complete. ( NONE more than 1000 pieces though! Man thats a challenge!!!)
When completed, some are used for making my cards . . . A couple of weeks ago my son informed me youngest grandson has discovered the challenges involved and also LOVES them! I bought some from a local charity store which I thought would appeal to his age and he relished the new time-consuming (and quiet!!!) – pastime. One we took away (on our recent four day annual get-together.) Nan likes a challenge also . . . and one of these puzzles (I believe is 500 only pieces!!!) – was in a sandwich bag for $1. NO PICTURE!!! Now “THATS my idea of holiday relaxation” I said to myself!!! Well after three days I have maybe 1/3 completed – enough to get the gist of what the completed picture will – (a PAINTING/poster – always harder to match brushstrokes!!! – dedicated to Australian wild animals) . . . but as yet the “extreme mental cruelty” border – all white pieces with a thin green line through them all which changes shade every so often!!! . . . 🙁 . . . is still to be joined! The partly fitted puzzle and the “sorted into colours/sections” pieces have been left on the coffee table of the holiday cottage for the next visit. And quite frankly? I CANT WAIT to get back to it!!! We have decided, as an echidna features very prominently in the puzzle, and there is a resident echidna in the near vicinity of the house . . . this will eventually be framed and hung prominently somewhere – for MANY sentimental reasons! 🙂 Maybe V could find some joy in a jigsaw while she recuperates?

Good morning and Happy New Year from Downunder Allie! Ive been away then home away again them home for a few hours and now away again . . , this time with internet so taking time to read missed posts 🙂 Saddened to hear of your “bug” and V’s fall. I too am looking forward to writing some exciting, healthy, and news-worthy history this year! In spite of three trips away from the confines and stringency of my tiny home kitchen . . . WoE has been and still is on track – a quick flit around my local supermarket enroute to house-sitting has all the necessaries on hand. The need to discard meds during extreme heat we have been enduring downunder – (causing me to have dizzy spells and lightheadeness due to BP being too low – ) . . . now sees my BP without meds – (checked at the pharmacy) – at acceptable readings . . . will check in with GP in two weeks when I have a scheduled appointment, but kinda pleased these have GONE!!! Weight is stagnant/maintained . . . same as past 2-3 months . . . but as SMALLER clothes feel and LOOK better, I feel AND LOOK better from all the compliments!!! . . . and my original goal was to reduce BSL’s . . .:) then I guess my goal has been reached – and with side benefits 🙂 All in all not a bad result for 2018. Happy New Year everyone . . . and MAY THE SUPPORT FOR THE BETTER continue building through us all 🙂

Hey Woodduckie, congrats on the compliments – you must be doing something right! It’s so heartening when others notice the results of our efforts. Sounds like you have things sorted and successfully maintaining – well done.

Verano – hope you are doing okay under the given circumstances. Hope you will update us on progress when possible.
Allie – hope you are fully fit again. I’m fighting off a cold at the moment, as I don’t want to be poorly this w/e. Dosing up on vit c, zinc and echinacea – and I confess, a night time hot toddy! How is your OH doing in his new post? Hope it’s going well for him. Expect it’ a time of readjustment for you, now that he is back in work, so hope you’re settling to the new routine too.

Have had a couple of average days, which means finding the positives is perhaps a little more challenging, but lets see what I can dredge up ….
1) Early birthday pressie arrived today from a friend. In the parcel were two gifts, so I opened the larger and heavier one, which contained a nice shiny new trowel and hand fork set. The other gift is small enough for me to take with me on our trip away, so I can open it on the day, along with the card.
2) Finally almost have the 2018 hire income reconciliation for our village hall up to date. Hopeful that tomorrow morning will see it all finished … phew!
3) Disappointing result on the scales this morning, but going to use that as a springboard to getting serious about gaining back my wriggle room. I have the tools and the knowledge and it’s my responsibility to use those to make a positive difference.

Hello Folks …. surely someone has something positive to report, even if it is only midweek!
For me the positives are ……
1) Finally got the Hall hire income reconciliation sorted and all the other Hall admin in a holding pattern.
2) Today successfully got to 24hrs on overnight fast. .. whoop, whoop!
3) With the Hall stuff now in a holding pattern, packing for Marrakesh starts tomorrow … yippee!
Anyone else have some positives to let us know about? Really hope so …..

Hope the fact no-one seems to be posting positives, just means that they are so busy enjoying their positives, there just isn’t time for writing posts about them.

I’m checking in with some positives now, as this will be the last time until middle of next week. So here they are ….
1) Packing for the long w/e away pretty much complete, Just need to throw in last minute stuff in the morning.
2) 24hr fast yesterday brought me back to target weight on the scales this morning. Another fast today, but 21hrs this time. Both of them much easier than I was expecting and I’ll be doing at least one again next week, post w/e away.

That’s me for this time …. hope to see others posting some positives again soon.

Some positives for me for today-

After consistently high, sticky temperatures for a few weeks, the last couple of days have been much more pleasant with night time rain as a bonus for my poor garden. The plants respond to rain in a way that all the watering by hose can never match.

My daughter has asked me to come over for her birthday dinner- this is a delightful role reversal because although she’s 28, until now the kids have always taken for granted that they would come here and I would cook. Always happy to do that but cooking isn’t my chosen sport and it’s lovely to think that this time I just attend!

A really solid BSD principle week behind me and rewarded with a really solid loss!

And lastly, it’s Friday with a completely free weekend ahead 😊

Love to read all the positives on this thread.

Been nit-picking my carbs – just to be certain Im not missing something and making life harder for myself!!! – and came across this table of fruit choices and carb content which I thought Id share. These are all net carbs. 1/2 cup strawberries 3.3 . . . 1/2 cup raspberries 4.2 . . . 1/2 medium peach 4.3 . . . 5 sweet cherries 5.1 – (thats an easy one 1 carb per cherry!!!) – 1/2 a kiwi 4.3 . . .1 medium apricot 3.2 . . . 1/2 a Haas avocado 3.7.
Then I scrutinised my scrambled eggs and coffee Ive just had for brunch after 2 x 20hr fasts the past two days . . . 3.5 in a cup but . . . the reference doesnt say whats in their recipe so Im using this just as a rough guide.

So today already . . . thats . . .
1. 6 cherries, 6 raspberries = 8 . . . 1 and 1/2 cups of scrambled egg with leek and cooked chicken added = 5 . . . milk – (3 per 100ml) coffee with cream – (3 per 100ml) = (maybe . .?) 3-4 = 16-17. Add to that my kale salad feta cubes and oil dressing with leg ham – (that will be my meal if I eat again today) – and another coffee . . . thats pretty close to target.

2. Weather cooler today thank goodness . . .
3. Heading home for the weekend after house-sitting this week.
4. Bought some nice new underwear just to brighten my spirits. Not sure it worked . . . but at least the unseen is prettier than I had! (hahahahaha!) –
Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Morning! Haven’t been here for a while. Looks like you’ve been holding the positives fort SunnyB and WoodDuckie! And market, how lovely to be cooked for by your children. I’m looking forward to those days. Mine are 18, 16 and 13 and cooking anything voluntarily is not yet on their radar!
Positives for me are;
1. Am between being in and out of the house to clients and am sitting here cuddled up to my dog. I love her so much. She’s got me through some very bleak times.
2. Watching the little birds come to our feeders. I can just about hear them singing too. Can also hear my daughter singing upstairs. My husband says she’s got the singing voice for silent movies so having a little chuckle to myself. She has the day off college and will be on dog walking duty later. She’s a good girl.
3. It’s nearly the weekend and although I am working I only have 2 calls and they’re fairly nice ones.
4. Got a pork loin in the slow cooker and it is going to taste so good later 😁

Have good days all, see you later.

Happy Day, everyone! I hope you all have a lovely weekend 🙂 Safe trips, Sunny and Caron!

Nelliecat, the story of her daughter’s unfortunate singing voice really made me smile! I’m utterly tone
deaf, and it’s generally a good idea if I don’t sing, either 🙂 It brought a distant memory to mind, though…
When I was in grade school, we were practicing for a Christmas concert, singing carols, and the music
teacher was walking behind each row of pupils, listening to our dulcet tones. She stopped behind me,
tapped me on the shoulder, and said “Allie just mouth the words, don’t sing” !!!

I’ve spent some lazy time today, watching the birds swoop from the woods to an apartment below us.
Clearly there must be a bird feeder there, because the traffic was non stop! Watching them all reminded
me of meditation, and cleared my mind completely. I also spotted a gray squirrel, that must have a
recessive gene, for it was completely black! What a sight 🙂

Hi all. Some positives for today – starting early!
1) Just back from a bracing walk in the woods and dunes – a bit drizzly, but a good way to clear the head. Saw a beautiful buzzard up close – following on from a sparrow hawk visit to the garden yesterday. Beautiful birds.
2) Enjoying all the good news on the website – weight loss, button moving (!) and most of all that Verano will soon be out of hospital. And well said Woodducky on all that Allie contributes to this website.
3) First snowdrop in the garden. Spring is around the corner.

Have a lovely day everyone.

Glad to see some positives being posted over the w/e.
May be you should put up a bird feeder Allie and get a closer look at those bird- and a black squirrel must be quite a sight.
I adore snowdrops caronl – planning to buy some ‘in the green’ to plant up. Have some other bulbs coming through, but nothing in bloom yet, other than a few little primulas and one cyclamen that is still hanging in there.

I was lucky enough to have a few days in Marrakech, so have some special positives to post, so here they are:
1) Great trip to Marrakech, little chillier than our last visit in January, but I was still able to sunbath on the afternoon of my birthday, so not too shabby! It’s a lively, interesting city, almost constantly buzzing and busy – quite energising.
2) OH bought me a beautiful sued jacket and took me for a lovely birthday meal. Really appreciated his generosity and company – was a special time together.
3) We got out of the city for a day and saw a little corner of the ‘real’ Morocco. Humbling to visit a village where the existence is obviously hand to mouth and be made to feel welcome.
4) Finally have our trip to India booked, so it’s definitely happening in September … Yippee!!!

Hope everyone else is enjoying lots of positives and will find a few minutes to post them soon.

Hello, friends! A beautiful sunny day here, too! I do see a heavy snow forecast for sunday, so I’m intent on taking
full advantage of the sun while it shines 🙂

Sunny, your Marrakesh mini break sounds marvelous! What a lovely mate you have, who takes the time to make
your birthdays special…I find that I appreciate these special moments/experiences now, too! I just love that you
and Caron are as in tune with nature as I am. It’s very much like a natural sedative that is available to us all if
we take the time to recognize it 🙂 Simple pleasures, oh yes! I’m full of curiosity regarding your itinerary to
India, and I’m hoping that you will share it either here or by skype.

I’m bursting with positive news today, and I just can’t keep it to myself any longer 🙂 🙂 🙂 Kazz has planned a
trip to spend a week with me here in the States in October!!! I’m over the moon, and then some, as I’m sure
you all can imagine…So many possibilities of where I might take her. I’m walking on sunshine at the prospect, and
I may not allow her to leave. Seeing the leaves change in New England is high on the list of priorities, following
the segment that was broadcast in the UK last year. Life is wonderful!

Hi SunnyB ! Glad you had a lovely time in Marrakesh ! Happy Birthday wishes albeit very late 😉

We have the prospect of a Week in Naples end February with trips across to Procida and Sorrento. It’s a first and I am looking forward to it ! Hopefully lots of delicious fish and sea food ! You have India to plan for now…wonderful !

I should be doing bracing walks like you caronl but I really can’t get myself motivated once I get home .

I have started back to aquagym after an enforced 7 month break …that’ s positive !

Good morning! Belated happy birthday SunnyB, your trip sounds lovely.
As usual all you posts bring a smile to my face so what a good way to start the day. Somewhere in the fog of the last few days I’m sure I saw a post from Theo so hi Theo good to ‘see’ you back from your travels and hope your daughter has a full and speedy recovery.
Well to my positives …..
Home again . Whooopppeee!
Own bed and real food …. life is good!
Saw my first daffodils of the year yesterday. I know it’s very early but hey we can still dream of spring even though we haven’t had winter yet!
Lovely to be back and posting and feeling positive once more

Ahhh, I see Allie has beaten me to it! 🙂 I’ve also been dying to share this news on this positives thread! I’m going on an adventure, travelling to the US on my own! 🙂 Looking forward to the beautiful Fall of New England, but mostly, looking forward to giving my friend, and the bearded one, a huge squeeze! 🙂
I shall also be meeting up with Wendy and her hubby in April when they come over to the UK for a visit and I’m excited about that also!
Lost of positives.. and one more…
– negotiated a rebate of half the excess fee from British Gas as after waiting in all day for an engineer to fix my boiler yesterday, they cancelled at 5pm! Rearranged for tomorrow morning. Boiler broke Tues night.
Verano – good to see you back home and back here! 🙂
Happy belated bday, Sunny! Did you need a guide when visiting Marrakech? I saw a programme that recommended it…
Ok, work calls….
Kazzeexx

Oh Kazz I missed Allie’s post but how exciting for you both to be meeting up. Is it a surprise of shock when you put faces to names?

Oh V.! Home at last! It must feel marvelous to be back in your own bed. Hospitals are no place to get any rest, being
poked and prodded every hour on the hour. We’re all so pleased that you were discharged ahead of schedule! What
sort of rehab (physio) will be required before you can bear weight? Kazzie’s trip here feels rather like looking forward
to Santa combined with your first date! We’ve been skyping for about a year now, so there won’t be any surprises…
more like meeting a long lost sister 🙂 The “icing on the cake” so as to speak, is that she arrives on my Birthday! How
is that for pure joy?

Very clever, Kazz, renegotiating the service charges! In 24 hrs you can finally have a proper shower 🙂 🙂 🙂

How exciting that Kazz and Allie are to visit in person and that Wendy will be seeing Kazz in April too. No Kazz, we didn’t have a guide in Marrakech, really, as long as you keep your wits about you there is no need. One has to stay aware of who is around you and keep your property close. When looking for a place or something in particular to purchase, it’s wise not be drawn into letting on what you are looking for, as you will likely end up with an unofficial guide who demands money at the end. Think the secret is to move with determination and confidence, so that you look like you have purpose and know where you are going.

Verano, so pleased you are at home and I have no doubt being there will improve your rate of recovery. There’s nothing quite like being in your own bed. Hope you manage to lose a few pounds whilst you are waiting to be properly active again, but most important is that you make a good recovery. Daffodils are one of my favourite flowers – so bright, cheerful and full of hope. I bought a little bunch of snowdrops for the house this morning, as well as some ‘in the green’ to plant out. I’m hoping they will cultivate and increase year on year.

Positives for today ….
1) Dusted off my Moroccan recipe book and made a very nice chicken and prune dish last night, with an aubergine/egg plant side dish – was scrummy even if I do say so myself.
2) Miserable day weather-wise, but I have a lovely fire going in the log burner and am snug as a bug.
3) Noticed in the garden this morning, that a couple more primula are in flower, so I have a four in bloom now – cream, yellow, pink and purple – jolly little splashes of colour.

Not sure what the w/e holds, but hope everyone will have a good one and will be reporting lots of positives as a result.

Welcome back home Verano! I’m so glad you are happily back home — continued best wishes for fast recovery!
SunnyB — your trip to Marrakech sounds wonderful! And the food from there is delicious!
Kazz and Wendy and Allie —. I love to hear of the friendships that have developed! That is a great positive, probably the best so far!
Tomorrow I am off to New Zealand and then the Cook Islands — my first trip below the equator! I am looking forward to seeing the Southern Cross! (Sailors get excited about this kind of thing)
Take care all!

Just had to say
Have a fantastic time in NZ Julia !!! It sounds amazing ! Send news when you can as you don’t say how long you will be away.
Wendy xx

Thank you all for your welcome home.
Julia happy hols enjoy NZ I’m sure it will be magical. Post news when you can.
Allie I am actually weight bearing now. There is no physio either. I had already had a hip replacement and I fractured the end of the prosthesis and the femur around it. Plan A, the preferred plan, would have involved plates and pins etc. And then 3 months of toe weight bearing only. Plan B involved a much more complicated surgery, 5 hours, but because of all the ironwork inside I’m weight bearing now! So now it’s a case of just letting everything settle down and knit together so enforced rest at the moment punctuated with a little ‘pottering’ around the house!
So to a few positives…
We had a few flakes of snow today which was lovely especially as it didn’t stick.
Prepared a stir fry tonight even though OH had to do the actual cooking. It was so good to have fresh, tasty food.
Even though I’ve spent part of the day cancelling our trip to Asia next month, which was sad, we still have a Carribean cruise to look forward to in mid April. So that is now my new goal to work towards and I’m really looking forward to that as we’ve never been to that part of the world before.

Safe travels CG! Its a LONG way to come down here but I can assure you the jewels in the chest are well worth the journey! Ive been to NZ twice . . . and am heading there again in April. Such a small place on the overall map but SO MUCH to see and the extremes are SO DRAMATIC. Hope you enjoy it as much as this “over the ditch” Aussie neighbour has on past visits . . . and will again soon 🙂

Wishing you a fabulous trip, Julia! Just imagine all the wildlife you will see! Parrots 🙂 This will be quite a departure
from the climate on your mountain top. Safe travels! We’ll be awaiting your return….and the tales you will have to
tell!

V., that”s wonderful to have a cruise to look forward to! Which islands are on your itinerary?

Sounds like a fabulous trip CG – have a wonderful time and we’ll be waiting to hear about all the highlights when you return. The Cook Islands look fabulous!
Sorry you have had to cancel your visit to Asia V, but the cruise will give you something lovely to focus on during recovery and may be you can rearrange the Asia trip for later in the year, or as a welcome to 2020.

Allie we are travelling in the southern Carribean …. Colombia, Orangestad, Willemstad,
Kralendijk and a few other ports. We have cruised around the Greek islands and the Canary Islands so I image lovely scenery from these islands/ports too, even if I’m not able to do much sightseeing!
Yes a goal and something to work towards just hoping we don’t have to cancel this trip too!
SunnyB I think we may give Asia a miss in the future. This is the second time I’ve had to cancel a trip to Asia and I’ve also had to cancel an Australia/NZ trip so I’m not pushing my luck again!

Sorry to hear you’re not planning to make that trip to Asia, but I guess having to cancel twice, could be construed as the universe telling you something. The cruise should be idyllic though, hopping island to island and the weather pretty much guaranteed too. We are just finalising the details of our autumn trip to Rajasthan in India – already the anticipation is building!

WOW! I’m sure that will be a wonderful trip SunnyB. I guess your parents’ trip will be of some guidance to you as well. I would love to see some more of India but I think I have to stop dreaming and start being realistic!
I’m sure you are right about the universe! We are very fortunate to have travelled extensively in Asia in the past so I’ll just have to be content with memories, and we have many wonderful ones.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today ….. we none of us know what tomorrow will bring!

Okay, it seems no positives have been posted for a couple of days, so I’m dragging this thread to the top of the list again and hoping to see some new posts happening here soon.

You are so right V, there’s much to be said for making the most of now and not putting off the things we most want to do. Do hope your recovery is continuing well. Please to say our minor ills are abating – my immune system finally fell foul of quite punchy cold and OH had to do battle with one of those vicious 24hr gastric attacks. After a w/e of feeling pretty sorry for ourselves, each pretty much confined to bed, we are both rallying, although OH has returned to bed this afternoon, as he’s still achy and feeling bruised.

Anyway, the fact we are back on the up is a definite positive ….. and here are a couple more ….
1) Had a lovely long chat with youngest daughter yesterday afternoon. It was in lieu of her visiting – luckily she called before come over, so I was able to put her off visiting and risking catching something.
2) Received an email from a friend to say she has booked her flights to come out to Turkey to visit us in June.
3) It was sunny today – always good to lift the mood!

Right, well that’s me – so come on folks, let’s hear what little positives have popped into your life over the last few days.

Glad you and OH are on the mend Sunny. Feeling off colour is no fun!

My positives-
1. I had to have surgery for ingrown toenails and am such a coward I put it off for 5 years. Finally bit the bullet last Friday and amazingly, no pain! That’s a huge positive for me, the worlds greatest wuss.
2. As I have to wear closed shoes for work (midwife) and can’t at the moment I have two weeks off and I’m enjoying every pain-free minute.
3. This is an anticipatory positive, my first grandchild is due any day and with luck will arrive while I’m off work. Can’t wait!
4. I’m sanding down an old book case to restain and it’s looking fantastic 😊

I’m really reaching today, as it’s -17C, without even considering the wind chill factor. I’ve been out to chip the
ice off the car, and still some left to be done tomorrow. I’m doing my best to channel WoodDuckie and our other
Aussie friends that are basking in the heat. My best positive is that we haven’t lost light and power, despite the
storm, which is a genuine positive since the majority of the town has been plunged into darkness. I’m feeling
not only spared, but blessed. Hoping to see temps above freezing tomorrow 🙂

Oh Allie! I really feel for you, having to cope with such bitterly cold weather. Here it has been cold enough for me to light the log burner again today, but it’s no where near as cold as you are experiencing – really don’t think I could endure it. I am essentially cold blooded taking on the prevailing temp, which means warmth is really essential for me, preferably in the form of sunshine (hence SunnyB). While we were in Marrakech, OH told me that he can see I need the sun, as I’m a different person in warmer climes. Oh to feel the sun on my face … and I’m sure you that’s your sentiment right now too, Allie! So glad you still have power, as that is keeping you here with us, fingers crossed it stays that way and for higher temps tomorrow too.

Mariet – well done on braving the surgery and I’m pleased you’re not in pain as a result. Hope that your grandchild puts in an appearance soon, so you get some time to get to know each other, before you have to go back to work.

For our trip to India, we are travelling around Rajasthan, Verano – is that an area you are familiar with? When my folks went last year, their visit was around the Jaipur and Agra area, but we are also going to Jodhpur and Udaipur. We have an elephant sanctury, tiger safaris and leopard safaris on the itinerary, which I’m very excited about. It sounds like you have a wealth of travel memories to draw on, but I hope you will be able to make many more in the future, V.

Positives from me today are ….
1) Apart from a bit of a cough, I’m feeling almost back to normal and OH is recovered enough to go out and work again this morning.
2) Have spent the morning compiling our village newsletter for February and just have a little tweaking to do, before printing it up.
3) Grey, damp and miserable day today, but a cosy log fire and online friends to ‘chat’ with … that’s good enough for me!

Keep posting your positives people!

Oooh Mariet ! I am so envious .. my dream of having grandchildren, sigh !!! What a fabulous moment to anticipate and your being a midwife too ….! I would have loved to have made a career out of having children ! Love it ! I so admire your work.

Good planning to have your op at this moment so you can snuggle your little grandchild !

Glad you are feeling better SunnyB. I think I am immune ..so many kids splutter and cough all over me at school !

My positives? The weeks are flying by now the routine is established again. About a month to go before we go to Naples with trips to Procida and Sorrento planned.
My 2 sons are both well and happy and that is a massive positive for me.
It’s cold but I know that Spring is coming xx

Hi all, been lurking for the last week or so. Feeling the cold and am grumpy so really need to post positives. Sorry to not be so active, you’re all so lovely and your posts so helpful, I feel guilty not interacting more….

Here goes…
1. Lost a few lbs (feeling hungry though)
2. Crocheting a lovely blanket and it’s now big enough to cover me which means while I’m working on it I can also keep warm!
3. Batch cooked some dinners at the weekend and it is so great not to have to do everything from scratch every day. Only took a couple of hours and I managed to produce 4 dinners for 5 people and a load of soups 😊
4. Step count has been good recently, although not today as have an exam this evening and have been poring over my books in preparation.

Hope you’re all ok, you’re in my mind even if I don’t post often.

aaaw don’t be grumpy for long, Nelliecat. We are always here for moral support. Being cold is not nice but it makes us appreciate the warmth of the sun so much more ! Who wants to live in a place where it is warm all year round ?? 😉 😉 Don’t answer that 😉

You have been very productive ! Well done you !
You have done well to prepare your cooking and keep on track/lose despite dealing with exam stress. Massive positives !

Believe in yourself, Nelliecat.You did well in your mock exam !

Aww Wendy, thank you!
Guess what?! I got another distinction, 96%!!
That’s cheered me up 😊
Hope you’re ok x

OH WOW! Thats an amazing result! Congratulations!!!! Be VERY proud of that achievement . . youve obviously earned it via all the study and diligence. Well done!!!

What an achievement, Nellicat! Congratulations from all of us 🙂 🙂 🙂 Stress is a part of life, and will always be there
in one form or another. You handled it magnificently, and didn’t resort to any old patterns of eating, still planning
your meals, etc. That IS an accomplishment! Wear it with pride 🙂

Good morning!
SunnyB your trip does sound really exciting no wonder you are looking forward to it. We have only dipped our toes into India on a cruise, apart from a trip to Goa many years ago and I’m not sure that that really ‘qualifies’. I must admit I wasn’t that taken with India at the time but would like to go back if possible in the future.
Well done Nelliecat!! Be proud!
I guess as I’m here I should try and find some positives, so…..
Watched lovely thick snow flakes falling yesterday. Snow is always so magical when you are sat inside in the warmth looking out! Hope your extreme cold spell is over soon Allie.
Coming to terms with my present position and finding innovative ways around some problems.
I’m eating really well with lots of fish and BSD friendly vegetables. So although I’m finding it difficult to weigh foods at the moment I do feel as though I’m eating really well. Hopefully my guesstimates are keeping me on track.
Have a good day.

Morning all. Aw thank you WoodDuckie, Allie and Verano 😁
You sound as if you’re doing ok V? Hope so. The best place to be when it’s snowing is indoors! We had a flurry yesterday but the actual flakes were huge. It looked so pretty. The kids are desperate for it to properly snow, me, not so much.
How cold is it where you are Allie?
Could do some positives as I’m here.
1. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. Always perks me up.
2. Am starting an Excel course online this morning to refresh my knowledge. Should be good.
3. It’s nearly my birthday 😁

Bye all, hope you have a good day x

Nellie – huge well done on that result, you must be really proud to get another distinction. Good to see you are upbeat and seeking out the positives Verano. I’m with you on snowflakes – okay watching them from a warm and cosy place, but I’m not one for getting out there with them!

Positives for today from my little corner of the world ….
1) Got up with a migraine threatening, but managed to head it off with some early meds.
2) Lots of little household chores tackled and completed.
3) Recharged the bird feeders and was rewarded by lots of little birds visiting the garden.

Please let us know what you positives have been today.

Nelliecat ! I knew you could do it ! Well done ! We are proud of you and so pleased that it has cheered you up !

That’s great to hear you are feeling positive V . That is bound to assist your healing. You have done so well to refocus on eating well.it would have been so easy to retreat and wander off plan after your surgery.

Another Week is galloping by ! Each day brings us closer to Spring.I am a bit obsessed. I just love the renewal and gentle warmth of Spring !

Thanks SunnyB and Wendy 😁 feeling pretty chuffed with myself.
It is so lovely isn’t it SunnyB seeing the birds in the garden. We had a wren and a woodpecker a couple of weeks ago which was great. A bit different to the usual sparrows and pigeons.
I saw the first crocuses out on my dog walk this morning, poking their little heads up through the frost. I love seeing the spring flowers come up. They seem so brave!

My positives are minor, Sunny. This is the first day that I don’t have to wear a hat and gloves in the house! Finally
temps above zeroF, and I sneaked in a short walk before the afternoon was over. Could this be the start of a Jan.
thaw? I saw small baskets of miniature daffodils in the market today, and popped one into my shopping cart!
It’s a good time to begin perusing plant catalogs, and begin planning my container garden for the Spring. Using
shade plants is altogether a different look than bright annuals, but the conditions that prevail on the balcony
cannot be denied.

Find the positives today, everyone! They are ALWAYS there 🙂

Allie that does sound really positive. I can’t imagine having to walk around the house in hat and gloves because of the cold! The UK may not get the best of summers but then nor do we have really bad winters, normally.
So I have just one positive today …. I’ve had the 70 or so staples removed from my leg with only three being a bit painful. All is looking good and healthy so it’s onwards and upwards from here on for me. Hoping for small improvements everyday.
Hope everyone is well and having a positive day.

Being warmer would count as a big positive for me Allie! I adore mini daffs – have some planted in containers, which I hope will bloom in the coming weeks, but today I bought myself two bunches of normal daffodils in tight bud and put them in a vase in the living room – can hardly wait for them to open. What plants are you planning for your balcony containers?

Yes Nellie, I love to see the birds visiting the garden. This morning there was a great tit, starling and blue tit on or around the feeder. We sometimes get a wren, robins and collared doves, but it’s interesting to see what pops into the garden each day, as it varies a lot. We are lucky enough to have house martin nests on our house and the martins return year on year to raise their families, before heading back south. I love to sit in the garden and watch them popping in and out of the nests, especially near dusk. We also have a nursery bat roost in one of our lofts and so see them at dusk in the summer months too.

Anyway, let’s see what positives can I identify for today ….
1) Received a belated Christmas and birthday gift from a friend – lovely surprise!
2) Bought some duck eggs from the local market this morning and looking forward to eating them over the weekend. They are produced by a local farmer’s children and sold at market by a friend of ours who has a market stall, the moneys raised being the children’s pocket money.
3) Mum had a minor op on her finger yesterday and she’s come through it just fine. Have spoken to her a couple of times since she had it done and she’s sounding upbeat. I know that she is hoping to be fully operational again in time for the bowls season, so she will be following recovery instructions to the letter.

Looking forward to reading lots of positives from other posters later this evening.

You were posting while I was busy typing, V, but so glad you’re doing well and that the staples are out and everything is looking good – brilliant news. Take care and be gentle with yourself – don’t try to rush your recovery. It’s all sounding really positive and hope you’ll be fit enough for you cruise. Onwards and Upwards indeed.

Verano – so pleased to hear that you are doing well and that you are feeling so positive.

Allie – it made me feel cold just reading your post.

SunnyB – good to hear that your mum is doing well.

Nellie – congratulations on your distinction. You must have been working really hard to do so well.

My positive for today is that after a major shredding fest and a re-labeling of all my lever arch files in my office I am getting through my work much faster. It feels so lovely to be up to date. Just clearing out the muddle seems to have made me more energetic and able to work better.

Hey Krysia, haven’t seen your name around for awhile, so good to see you posting again. Sounds like your culling exercise has reaped benefits on all fronts – long may it last.

Bit early for me to be posting positives, so I’ll pop back later with a few and hopefully there will be some from others to read at the same time.

Okay, well this is earlier than I expected to be back on this thread to report positives, but I’m so excited I had to report in now.
1) Noticed something red in the garden, so went out to investigate and found a bloom on my camellia – small and not fully open, but it’s still there. What makes this so exciting, is that I rescued this shrub from being thrown out in a make over taking place where I worked at the time. I have had the camellia for approx 4yrs and this is the very first time it has flowered for me!!! Not only that, but there are one or two other buds too – can hardly believe it!
2) Also found one little dwarf iris in bloom in one of the containers – rather early, but I’m happy to see it nonetheless – it’s so cute!
3) Fast going well today and pretty confident about getting through to dinner time without breaking it.

Have a wonderful w/e everyone and hope to be reading about your positives when you have time to post them.

Krysia good t ‘see’ you again and I hope your work load had become a little more manageable. I love shredding!!!
Ahh Sunny how wonderful. I love camellias and although we don’t have any my neighbour has a very mature one which peeps over a party wall into my driveway. It really is magnificent when it’s in full bloom
Not too much in the way of positives for me today so far but I’ll try and come back later.
Have a good weekend.