SunnyB – how lovely to see your rescued camellia flowering and doing so well. We have a rescue rhododendrom we bought for 50p and I love seeing it looking so healthy.

Verano – workload still horrendous but I feel in a much more positive frame of mind about it.

Positive for today is that at last I feel able to get out my course work for a qualification it is essential for me to get. I shelved it in 2016 partly because I felt my 70 year old brain was not up to it and partly because tackling the diabetes took a huge amount of effort and brain power.

So second positive today is that keeping to this way of eating had become effortless and normal after 2 1/2 years.

Hope the study goes well Krysia and great that you now feel you have the space to take it on again.

Even though it’s quite early, here a some positives from me for today ……
1) Discovered three buds on my winter flowering clematis, can hardly wait to see them open. Also a few more spring flowers open in the garden, which is thrilling.
2) It’s taken a few days, but I really feel I’ve got to grips with the full on 800 again (although I’m predicting I might be a bit over on cals today, but then I was under yesterday, so swing and roundabouts). Scales showed a small shift in the right direction this morning, so I’m hoping to be able to build on that for a good result at weigh-in on Tuesday.
3) Eleven weeks today, to us going back to Turkey … yippee!

Hi everyone
January is nearly over. Always a tricky time but I sense Spring is on its way ….
End January marks 5 months of BSD for me and I was so happy this morning to see that I am in the 12 stone bracket .Ok I’m 12stone 13 but for me that’s massive as I started out at almost 16 stone. A lady I hadn’t seen for a while said she didn’t recognise me today.That was a bit weird.
Our garden here is still looking very wintery but we can see the daffodils are emerging .I adore the Spring.
Well done on motivating yourself for your coursework, Krysia and very well done on your BSD success and maintenance.
SunnyB, that’s great that you feel you are moving in the right direction.You wll soon achieve your desired wiggle room
We ‘re off to Naples at the end of February.Like you I love having a trip to look forward to !

Have a great weekend everyone

Yes wendleg, the dreaded January is pretty much done with thankfully and you’re that bit closer to your visit to Naples. And yes, having a trip to look forward to is very important to me at this time of year, it certainly helps to get me through the damp grey months. How wonderful for you to break into the 12 stone bracket and a very impressive discard so far – have every confidence you will continue to achieve great things.

Some positives for today …..
1) Unexpected visit from youngest daughter and oldest grandson this afternoon and meeting her tomorrow for lunch.
2) Lovely to be cosy inside, on this cold and very windy day!
3) The daffodils I bought a couple of days ago and now in full and joyful bloom. Love the perfume of daffodils and they are so cheering.

Time to drag the positives to the top of the agenda again and hopefully some of you wonderful people will post some positives to buoy us all up, as there has been quite a bit of gloom floating around the forum today.

My contribution for today …..
1) Lovely BSD friendly lunch with daughter – estimated cals and carbs and at the moment I’m still okay for the day. I do have an evening snack (instead of evening meal) to go on the record though, but will do my best to keep it sensible.
2) A bright crisp day here, with a few more spring flowers in bloom in the garden – really loving the dwarf iris in pale blue, purple and indigo.
3) Nice long phone chat with friend and arranged a get together in a few week – always good to catch up.

Come on folks, let’s see a few positive being poster please – doesn’t matter how small, they all count.

Hi SunnyB. Good for you in posting the positives! I’ll have a go …
1) I have been struggling all week, and will probably be back at day 0 tomorrow. BUT I would be in a worse position if I hadn’t kept trying, reading the posts, and living with all the ups and downs on this website! So I guess that is a positive!!
2) Joined a friend for a dog-walk this morning. The air was beautifully clear after a really windy night.
3) Family and friends are all happy and healthy. That is a major positive which I should appreciate more.
Good luck to all with the weigh-in tomorrow.

You are right SunnyB it really doesn’t matter how small a positive is, it’s still a positive. Although I have no idea what the outcome of my recent accident will be, and it has made me feel quite low at times, I’ve decided I just have to look forward and assume that my mobility will improve dramatically over the next few months. So with that in mind and hoping that I will be taking my trip in mid April…..
I ordered some summer dresses a few days ago and they arrived today.
I also ordered some new pashminas. One is red which I will wear with black trousers and top and red shoes!
I ventured onto scales this morning for the first time in almost 4 weeks ….. suffice it to say I’m happy!
Hope everyone else can find some positives too.

Good to see some positives being posted – thank you caronl and Verano.
caronl – you are right, we often forget to acknowledge the blessings like the good health of our loved ones. Sorry your week has been a struggle, but tomorrow is a fresh start and all ready for you to mark in your own way, so don’t worry about what happened this week and make next week count.
Verano – black and red, very striking! Really pleased the scales provided some good news for you. That can only be a good thing for your recovery and I’m sure you will be wowing on your cruise with your lovely new dresses.

Anyone else have anything positive to share? Hope so!

Hi SunnyB ! I feel I contributed somewhat to the gloom on the forum today but one massive positive was reading the supportive and uplifting messages which followed . I can always find a positive in any situation 🙂
I am sure your determination will get you where you want to be caronl. Embrace the new Week !
Some great positives Verano ! You are amazing not allowing your accident to set you back and a happy scale result is a bonus ! I so hope your mobility will ultimately be greatly improved so your April trip can happen.

I am looking forward to getting a lovely jubbly hair cut on Friday . It’s always a joyful experience to have my grey roots coloured in 🙂 I have very thick , coarse hair and I reckon shedding a good portion of it will show up on the scales 🙂

Just felt the general energy on the forum yesterday felt rather heavy and flat, wendleg, but yes there was certainly real positivity in the support for G/Heart/Amz. Too early for me to post positives today, but will try to check in with some later. Meanwhile, I hope others will pop in and post some to uplift us all.

Yes the atmosphere yesterday was rather heavy and flat but today is a new day and we all have to move forward. I hope GG took some solace from the posts.
So we have arrived at another Tuesday and another new week so that’s my first positive. There’s nothing like taking a new pristine sheet of paper to mark the start of a new week.
Wendy I envy your hairdressing appointment. I had to cancel my last one, and probably the next too, but on the positive side I have a great can of hair colour just like the one advertised on TV, and it really does work!
Finally, for today, with a great deal of help from my OH I have actually made a decent chilli! For some reason chilli has never been a dish that I have an affinity with. I used a Gordon Ramsey recipe and I have to say it’s really good. Hoping this is the start of some proper cooking for me!
Hope Tuesday has been a good day for you.

Yes Verano, good feeling to be starting a new week full of infinite possibilities. I always dread hairdressing appointment, as I have so often been bitterly disappointed by the results. Do have a hairdresser in Turkey who seems to get it right every time, but I’ll have to wait awhile before I get to visit him again.

Getting in the kitchen to cook again, must feel quite liberating, given your recent enforced limitations. It’s good to experiment with new dishes, or ones you rarely make – nice to discover something you can add to your repertoire.

I’m hoping to make this week count, but know I have a challenge on here, given we are going to be away from home for three days. However, I did okay last week, so can hopefully build on that by making sound BSD choices when I can’t properly calculate the cals and carbs.

Anyway, some positives for today ….
1) Brought voluntary admin work up to date this morning, so nothing outstanding.
2) OH finally got around to making his doctor’s appointment for gastric issues.
3) Fast has gone well today and I have just two hours left to go. Pretty confident that is doable and this will bring me to 25hrs – longest so far.

Hope everyone else is finding positives to acknowledge today. Have a good evening folks.

Well it’s been a day and a half but I’m so happy to report my big positive, my first grandchild, a gorgeous little girl, arrived this morning and mother and baby are both well and happy. I’m thrilled to bits and my son is like a dog with two tails.

Looking for other positives, I’m 26 hours into a fast, looking forward to dinner in a few hours.

I’ve made a start on re-staining my back deck and also nearly finished sanding back an old bookcase. These things would have made me very happy yesterday but now I’m finding it hard to think of anything but my nameless little granddaughter 😊💕🎉

Oh Mariet! Your joy and happiness is traveling half way around the world 🙂 🙂 🙂 Can life give us a
greater gift than the birth of your first grandchild? Thank you for sharing it with us! I’m glad that
Mum and little bundle of joy are doing well. When will you be able to first hold her in your arms? A
love affair of a lifetime is about to begin! JOY

Mariet – posted congrats on the weekly thread, but thought I’d reiterate here – wonderful news. This is such a special time for your family – enjoy! Treasure every moment.

Time for some positives, so let’s see what I can identify for today …..
1) Lovely meal out with son and DiL last night.
2) Overnight snow all melted away by strong winter sun today. Hoping the snow will hold off in the south of the UK, as we are meant to be driving to our daughter’s tomorrow for a long w/e. At the moment the Met Office seems to be suggesting it will be okay – fingers crossed.
3) Kept carbs really low today, so hoping to have clawed back some ground lost yesterday with the meal out.
Looking forward to reading some positives from other soon.

SunnyB thanks for posting you always prompt me to think of my positives for the day. Been a bit miserable here weather wise today although at midday it was lovely ……
A light covering of snow on the ground and beautiful bright sunshine.
My granddaughter saw her first snow and snowman but didn’t seem too impressed with either!
Last day of the month tomorrow so my thoughts are turning towards a new plan for February. I love February because by the time it ends spring is almost upon us signalling the end of winter!
Hope to have more positives to share tomorrow.

My sick leave is nearly over (except that I haven’t been sick or in the pain I expected so more like a two week holiday) so some positives to buck me up ready to go back to work.

Last October I took cuttings from my gardenia shrubs, mainly as an experiment to see if I could get them to grow. Now I have five out of six healthy little gardenia plants ready for repotting into bigger pots, it’s like sending the babies off to preschool! I feel a glow of achievement.
Have almost finished restaining the back deck and it looks brand new again.
Can almost see the end of sanding back the old bookcase, a mammoth job. If I’d known how difficult it would be I probably would have put it on airtasker!
My baby granddaughter is a little love and she and her dear mother will be coming home today.
That’s me done and just listing them has made me happy. Have a good day everyone 🌟

Life is so beautiful for you at the moment, Mariet. I’m sending a virtual cartwheel your way!

Mariet! SO MANY wonderful achievements in different arenas . . . so much to look forward to . . . and I feel buoyed by your sharing. Thank you so much 🙂 Have just had flashback fond memories of when each of my four grandchildren arrived and were seen and held for the very first time. 12-10-9- and 9 years on . . . still havent found words for those feelings on those occasions. Quack Quack xxx

Oh Mariet, I adore gardenias – their perfume is heavenly! And your little grand daughter will be home and fully part of the family soon, how wonderful …. I know you will be having a very special w/e full of positives.
Mine for today are ….
1) We have had a wet rather than snowy day, which is a plus for me, being someone who detests snow.
2) Weather forecast tomorrow is similar, which means our planned visit across to Calais for the day tomorrow can go ahead.
3) Enjoying visit with oldest daughter, good to spend some proper time with her.
Have a great w/e packed full of positives everyone.

Hi everyone ! Lovely posts Sunny, Verano , Mariet and WoodDuckie !
I am happy it is Friday and we had blue skies and sun for a while !

Feeling pampered as I got my roots coloured in today so I am back to being a vibrant coppery red again. I had my hair trimmed…or as I say ‘tamed’ as I have very thick coarse hair which looks pretty shocking when I first wake in the morning !!
It’s the weekend. I have to go into school tomorrow morning for Open Day but I will go in with a smile !

Have a great weekend everyone and take care whatever weather challenges you are facing xx

SunnyB …so glad the weather is not putting a halt to your Calais trip . Have a great day. What French goodies are you planning on stocking up on ? Enjoy that special family time xx

Good morning! So lovely to hear all your positives they always make me smile which is definitely the best way to start the day.
New babies, flowers, trips away and new hair do’s are all lovely positives. I’m afraid I’m finding it difficult to find positives at the moment as I’m housebound and am very boring in that my recovery is the main thing on my mind at the moment. Nonetheless the sun is shining, we have missed the worst of the weather, and I am getting stronger each day.
Sorry I seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel but hope you all have a good weekend.

V your road to recovery is one major positive and not boring at all. It’s early days still but as you say you are getting stronger and you will be able to get out more when the Spring arrives.
Open Day is done for another year. No sunshine driving in this morning but the scales confirmed I am definitely in the 12 stone bracket with a small discard this week. When I first started in September 2018 at almost 16 stone, 12 stone anything seemed a long way away.
I was deprived of my lie in today but I will make up for it tomorrow 😉 Our Naples trip is 3 weeks away .

Hope the weekend is going well xx

Good morning and it really is ! All the snow has gone and the sun is shining so that’s my first positive.
Wendy I just hate to constantly keep talking about my state of health but I have definitely taken a step forward, literally, in my recovery and am actually thinking that our April trip could now be a reality!
Finally, starting to get bored now and that can only be a good sign!
Hope February is starting on a high and positive note for everyone.

Hi V, so pleased to read things are going really well with your recovery – you certainly sound very upbeat, which is great and I’m sure you can make the April trip reality.
Wendleg – well done on really establishing yourself in the 12st bracket – you should be really proud. Stocked up on a few little foodie things in Calais like escargot, andouilette and rillette, as well as a few bottles of red and rose and a few other bits and pieces like Liptons Earl Grey which I can’t find in the UK and a pretty sparkly jumper for eldest granddaughter’s birthday pressie.

Start of February positives from me …..
1) Managed to get to eldest daughter’s without problems, by leaving home early and staying ahead of the incoming snow. In fact where she lives on the very far SE tip of UK, there was no snow at all, all w/e.
2) Lovely stay with daughter and a day trip to Calais, with a wonderful meal in the evening before heading home.
3) Nice easy journey home last evening and the snow this end (SW UK) had cleared from the roads, so no issues.

Enjoyed our w/e away, even though my eating plan suffered a little, especially on the alcohol front. Hoping that the scales won’t have suffered too heavily at the end of week weigh-in. Hope everyone else has been having a w/e full of positives and a week of the same to follow.

Everyone sounds so chipper today!!

V, I think that you’ve turned the corner, and your April trip seems all but assured. Just delighted for you!

Sunny, I’m glad that you had a weekend to spend with your daughter, and weren’t stranded somewhere in the snow!

First positive of my day is that we’ve reached 56F (13C?), and the windows are wide open, allowing in fresh air,
after a week of bitter cold. I feel sufficiently Spring like that I’ve just brought home a giant bright pink cyclamen
plant to brighten up my surroundings 🙂 My orchids are looking a little stressed, and I don’t think that they are
thriving by the cold window, the dry air, and diminished light conditions at the moment, but I will continue to fight
for their survival, none the less..One new 2″ stem on the lavender pink one. And she’s on her third bloom!
#3: All the snow is off the ground at last, and no more in the forecast for the week.
#4 I enjoyed some lovely extended skype sessions this weekend, so feel that I’ve been quite “social” without
having to go anywhere 🙂

Heading off to the fish market this afternoon. Enjoy you evening, everyone!

Hi Allie – Phalaenopsis orchids are surprisingly resilient and I’m sure with the warmer weather and a little TLC they will revive. Now that it’s warmer, try spritzing them with a little water and keep them watered, but don’t over do it. They’ll come back and give you flower spikes again I’m sure.

Hi BSD friends! I missed your posts!
Oh Allie, you are warming up and the west coast is going into a cold snap with massive rainfall and snowfall! They are saying 10 FEET of snow by this weekend and our rain gauge said 5.2 inches fell since we left for our New Zealand trip!
I guess you can call these positives ha ha because I love to ski and we always need rain in California, but it’s sort of too much of a good thing!
Our trip to New Zealand was just incredible — so beautiful and interesting down there in the southern ocean — it was really a totally different perspective from there and I felt like a learned a lot and see the world differently. And everyone was so very very nice — it’s truly a lovely place.
Cook Islands also amazing but so very very very HOT and HUMID — I was totally overcome by the heat and spent most of my time either in the ocean or in the shade. Exercise was impossible beyond slow walking so it was a very non-exercising week. Luckily we had walked miles and miles and miles in New Zealand!
Lots of BSD friendly fish and salads in both places so I was able to stay mostly BSDing during the two weeks. Stuck to eggs for breakfast, fish and salad for dinner and lunches and said no to the (endless) fries! The fish was truly incredible.
It’s nice to be home and spring my dogs from the kennel-prison — but a special trip — I recommend New Zealand for a great adventure.
I’m trying to catch up with everyone’s posts — I will write more soon.

Sounds like an absolutely amazing trip CG! Think after a while in the cold, you might be wishing for the warmth recently left behind – bet your dogs are thrilled to have you home though. We’ll look forward to more posts from you once you’ve settled back in properly.

Good to see you back with us Julia and yes, your trip sounds amazing. I would like to think that New Zealand could be on the list of my future holiday destinations in retirement..maybe if and when we can return to Australia ? Adapting to jet lag and extreme weather conditions is not easy though. I had to de -ice my windscreen this morning but fortunately no ice on the road.

Sunny ,my hubby is fond of andouillette ( chitterling sausage !) but it’s not for me. We have lots of duck produce in the SW so we have duck pâtés , confit and fritons . So glad you made the most of your family weekend.
V that is fantastic that you can dare to plan for your April trip . You are progressing so well

February means I am already half way through the school year !!

Hope you are not snowed in CG!
Had to look duck fritons up, as I haven’t heard of them before – they look yummy. Had confit duck on Saturday when we dined out before catching our train home.
Determined to find some positives today, as nothing much has happened …. but there must be something good that can be identified –
1) Lovely WhatsApp video chat with youngest granddaughter this evening. Had to be a bit rushed as her mum has to go out this evening, but we have an arrangement to do it again tomorrow evening.
2) Have been thinking about what plants I can add into my garden in the next few months. Might give container grown aubergine a go, although the problem of our being away for three months spring into summer may put that one out of the running, unless I can think of a solution to the watering problem.
3) Managed a 21 hr fast today, almost without effort.

Well, those are my little positives for today, hope to be reading what yours are today soon too.

Welcome home, Julia! This must feel like an exercise in extremes over a 2 week period. Your trip sounds magical!
Please provision yourself well for what’s coming your way….I’m assuming that you must have a generator, though,
and a well stocked wood bin! I’m sure that it will be breathtakingly beautiful when it stops snowing. Enjoy making
tracks on all of that pristine snow. It’s very mild here today, but I’m not letting my guard down just yet 🙂
We’ve missed you!

Wow CG! Reading your take on beautiful NZ has given me a little inkling of excitement as my (return) cruise sailing date draws closer. Feel it may have been overshadowed by my looming endo return appt next week . . . havent realised how much anxiety has been clinging around this event . . . and I dont quite know why 🙂 V:? SO pleased your holiday is looking like coming to fruition!! Thats SUPER news!!!
My positives . . .:
1. In 5 days endo appointment will be over, Ill KNOW how my body is responding to its new ways 7 months in . . . and the way will then (mentally) be clear to start researching side trips for the NZ cruise 7-21 April.
2. My daughter-in-law sourced my $40 microwave from her local branch of the supermarket! YEAH!!!
3. My handmade “All Occasion cards’ have gathered momentum at the local pharmacy seeing double the usual sales in past 2 months!!! That means MORE people have found their presentation box . . . 12 creations have been made in this past week . . . so the new craft station I created in the “office” is in production . . . FINALLY!!
4. With new working parameters for the family, my “nanna helps today” schedule has been pushed back a day – now coinciding with cheap seats at the movies Tuesday 🙂 Saw Ben is Back yesterday . . . looking forward to The Mule next week 🙂
5. Have finally sourced a new groundsman to tame my semi rural plot! He not only mows and does edges . . . – (which is what the past person has been doing to keep it at least tidy until I found someone) – BUT gardens by the hour as well! I feel like Ive won the lottery!!
Have a wonderful week everyone!!!

Seeking out some positives for today and they would seem to be a little thin on the ground, so have really got to think carefully about it ….
1) It didn’t rain today and there was even some sunshine in evidence for a while.
2) Quiet day pottering at home, so a nice gentle day with no stress – just has to be a positive I think.
3) Started getting some recipe sheets together, to take out to Turkey in a few weeks time, which made me go through some recipes I’d all but forgotten about. Will be dredging a few of them to the top of the pile, to cook in the next few weeks to ring the changes.

Anyone else have any positives to report …. ?

There is always something positive to report Sunny ! Températures are rising here and reached 12 degrees this afternoon.

Hubby made a very tasty risotto with cauli rice, mushrooms and garlic with some white wine and stock and parmesan. I didn’t miss the white rice at all. That is definitely a keeper ( I’m keeping O/H too 😉

WoodDuckie , you have some wonderful expériences ahead ! Well done on the microwave ! Gardening is sorted, cards are getting the recognition they deserve .It’s all good !

Don’t let the impending endo check up overshadow those wonderful positives.You have nothing to fear and your doctor will be impressed I am sure ! You are feeling so well and your healthy way of eating is soundly established.

Banish any white coat appréhension !!

Good morning! Glad you had a great trip Julia. NZ is still on my bucket list but who knows…..?
Lovely to read all your positives as usual they make me smile. I must admit my life is so boring at the moment that it’s really difficult to find even three positives but here goes anyway…..
A friend visited yesterday and it was really nice to catch up with the ‘outside world’.
Having a manicure today for the first time this year! I’m really looking forward to it means at because least one part of me is getting back to ‘normal’.
I ordered some sundresses online a week of so ago and so today is ‘try on ‘ day . Just hope they fit!
Have a good day.

Welcome back Julia!

Positives today for Catherine
1. a1c, triglycerides and cholesteral all came back even lower than last November!
2. BP meds are also lowering my increasing bp
3. I see the doc today for followup
4. weighed in fully clothed this morning 6 pounds down from a million day 1’s ago!

Those were definitely positives Verano and I bet those dresses fit just fine! Good to see your positives for today as well Violinist and 6lb is something to be proud of, regardless of how many day one’s were involved.

Positives for me today ….
1) Filled up the bird feeders and almost before I was back in the house, there were a pair of collared doves tucking in.
2) Whole container of dwarf iris in bloom – they look so pretty.
3) Been to the saloon for some waxing, so feeling quite pampered.
4) OH home early, so get to spend the whole evening together.

Keep posting those positives everyone.

Hope you enjoyed the manicure, Verano ! am glad you are finding simple pleasures for yourself and I am sure your sundresses will be fab.

Catherine, that’s great news ! Fantastic results and congrats on the 6lb discard. Dare I ask how you are coping with wrecking hour ?

My positives ? It’s nearly the end of another Week ! This Week has flown by so only 2 more before the school holidays !

Tomorrow lunch time I am meeting up with some happily retired friends for lunch . That will mark the end of another extended fast so I will enjoy my lunch and chat !

Oh Violinist! Im Smiling broadly at your results!!!! That is FANTASTIC!!! I bet there was egg on some faces when those figures were reviewed!!! Oh Im so excited for you Im finding it hard to find words . . . and given the length of some of my posts that’s saying something :)Im HOPING my results are equally as satisfying when I get mine early next week 🙂 Congratulations!!!!!
PS: If I get such a result . . . Im buying lottery tickets 🙂 HAppy dayz!!!!!Quack Quack xxx

I have just checked out the menu for tomorrow’s lunch and here are my choices

Starter : fish soup (skipping the alioli bread) The other starter is a courgette cake filled with duck confit and a foie gras sauce which sounds incredibly rich !

Main : Cod a la plancha with a herb jus ( and a portion of risotto which I will ignore)

Dessert is Chocolate fondant or Crèpes with fruit purée

I shall mindfully enjoy the choc fondant xx

Ooooo, wendleg, chocolate fondant …. how envious am I?! Easily my fav dessert – lucky thing.

You guys are so so supportive. Thank you.
wrecking hour is getting better.
SunnyB, I am afraid to ask about the airport.

Catherine

Glad that wrecking hour is improving Violinist. Little baffled about ‘the airport’ comment though – although I freely admit this might be down to me being a bit ‘senior’ and forgetting something I posted previously.

I’m “aging too” Sunny, for I can’t remember this either! Congratulations from me too, Catherine! You must be so
delighted to see these numbers on the scale. You have persevered with your battle with the wrecking hour, and we’re
so proud of you! I know it’s difficult 🙂

Allie, thank you. I was just weighed at the doc’s office and am definitely 169 now, fully clothed, in the middle of the afternoon. I finally trust someone in the medical profession and she supports the BSD and also is low carb. She lost 40 pounds last year. We talked about the wrecking hour and she reviewed all my numbers with me. Everything is good accept the blood pressure, so we are slowly fixing that. In the mean time I am to get this weight down to see if that helps the BP.

My positive for today is all of you!!! Thank you!!

SunnyB, that is wierd because I could have sworn that I read you were worried about your friends at the Istanbul Airport?

Woodduckie, I just love the way you write! Thank you!

A bird got blown down one of the chimneys in the storm, I could hear it struggling at the back of log burner flue, and worked out how to get the flu plate out of the fire to try to reach it, that wasn’t successful. I left the door of the wood burner open and it found its own way out into the room. – Managed to catch it and admire the amazing colours in its feathers before letting it out of the door. I will have to look in a bird book to identify it, one of those little birds that look dark from a distance, but their feathers are edged in copper colour when you look at the close up.
I can now fit my calves into standard, el cheapo, green wellies without feeling like the circulation is cut off.
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to realise, but when wearing wellies no one can see your socks, so as long as they are both the same thickness and length it doesn’t matter if they match. I have a whole box of single socks thanks to the sock eating monster that seems to be fitted as standard to all washing machines and finally have a use for them. (Do you think washing machine manufacturers have shares in sock making companies?)