Lakhi 🙂 …. it is very exciting!! 2 kg is wonderful!!

I’d love to please join this post too. I started 10 October too and am 165 cm (5f 5″) and currently 75kg. Looking to lose about 15kg to get to a healthy BMI. I started at 77kg on Monday 10/10 and have already lost 2kg. Very excited!

I’m sure at this stage a lot is water weight, but finding my sugar cravings down and stabilised.

Primadawn, I have my fingers crossed that you will win. It’s great that you are listening to the signals from your body and adjusting your diet as well. That is one of the tools that we can take away from this way of eating when we reach our ideal weights.

I know how you feel, having done the same recently. This time really is different, because we all have the tools going forward to make this style of eating our new way of life.

Primadawn ….. hope you are the winner and you take it all!!! …. but you are a winner already!!!

Hello all! I’ve missed a few days posting, sorry! It was the first week of a new term for us and it’s been insanely busy! I am happy to report that I am still losing and have lost a total of 8 pounds now in less than 2 weeks. My horrendous headaches have FINALLY abated and I’m not feeling nearly so sick. I had some digestive issues that I’ve had in the past and evaluated my meals and found that I was extremely low on carbs, which has given me issues in the past. So I upped carbs to around 55-60 grams and everything fell into place! So much better!
Today at the small college where I teach, faculty and students started a “Biggest Loser” competition for the term (10 weeks). We each put in $10 and it’s winner-take-all, based on percentage of weight lost. I’m really excited about it and feel that I have a good chance of winning! Just kind of wish my 6 pound loss from last week counted too! lol

Thank goodness … because you could take some kind of pain pill for the cramps. Hope you never are constipated … because it’s a real BUMMER@!

Thanks for that. I will look it up. I’m not constipated though… yet 🙂

My cramps were from terrible constipation … i took some codeine with aspirin to stop the pain from cramps … of course the codeine did not improve the constipation.

I’ve read in other threads that it might be carbohydrate withdrawal … we call it the carb flu … you could put that in the Search tab … top right … will get tons of hits.
HUGS

I don’t get the Food Channel anymore but that Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives ….. man o man it sure makes you want to dive in head first!!! YUMMY.

My favorite cooking show is any season of The Great British Baking Show … which is on my PBS channels via the USA … i’m just a 30 minute drive from the USA border … mind you i don’t drive!!! And i don’t bake either … even when i have a working oven!!

Hi Everybody. I am on day 4 of the diet and am struggling with terrible stomach cramps. I have been drinking lots of water and black tea and getting plenty of fiber. I feel like I have a bug but as it started the same time as the diet I’m not sure. Has anyone else had these symptoms?

I still feel hungry everyday but I can deal with that if I can get rid of the cramps. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Your food sounds delicious! I love watching diners drive ins and dives. Just been tormenting myself by watching an episode with pulled pork, apple dumplings and Ecuadorian food. I’ve never seen such huge kernels of corn (or hominy, as he called it) God, I’m starving! Had to make myself a mug of peppermint tea to compensate! Another episode coming up. We don’t get great food in our diners in the uk. Its always disappointing. Like our weather! Enjoy your catfish!

They are in my cupboard …. i just took a teaspoonful with a sip of coffee.

I’ll take some more with a late lunch … going out for corn fried catfish ….. it will be cucumber sliced for supper to make up for that.

­hugs, too, shalimar, and I quote…
The fiber-rich seeds keep you full­ — Plus, the fiber in chia seeds also he­lps you stay regular.
A good source of omega-3 fatty acids­ —Just one serving of chia seeds (28 g) ­contains about 5 grams of alpha-linoleni­c acid (ALA) that your body can convert ­into omega 3 fatty acids.
They promote strong bones­ — Chia seeds have calcium, manganese an­d phosphorus, which are all important fo­r bone health.
Chia seeds are also full of protein­ — Another benefit of consuming chia see­ds: One serving contains about 5 grams o­f plant-based protein.
Chia seeds have some unusual culinary p­roperties: Tiny as they might look, they­ expand rapidly when combined with liqui­ds, and, in fact, can absorb 9 to 12 tim­es their own volume in a matter of minut­es. You can sprinkle this versatile seed­ on top of yogurt or oatmeal, bake them ­into cookies or combine them with mashed­ fruit for instant for a nutritional boost

Oh …. thanks soosiewoosy! HUGS …. i can actually do that right NOW … i have some in the cupboard!!!

I swear i have the longest intestines in the Northern hemisphere!!

THANKS!!!!

I have occasionally eaten raw bran and a ton of chipped flaxseeds!! with limited success. Even Ex-lax and such take days!!!!

Poppetini and daughter!! What a wonderful story!! Tears in my eyes!!

Enjoying my cuppa coffee with cream
Blood sugar high but in range … will take some Metformin (I thank Metformin and the doctor for this … it is a crutch, but we all need our crutches sometime)
Will probably go out for a late lunch for my very favorite Corn friend catfish! Within the 800 … but it may be cucumber slices/grape tomatoes for supper. But that’s more than okay.

No sun today … but new furnace is working great. It’s cold here now …. dipping below zero now.
I am enjoying the ease of reading large print books for now … i think i may get some more!!! Although my Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries by Kerry Greenwood … the Poisen Pen editions are very nice clear print … and emminantly re-readable.
I know its odd to re-read murder mysteries when i know who dun it … but i enjoy the characters and the writing and Kerry Greenwood is so funny. Recently read and old book by Agatha Christel about her adventures in archaeology with her second husband …. i didn’t know Agatha was so funny!!

Hi shalimar , try chia seeds…

Hi, just thought I would introduce myself as we sound similar. I am 70 with arthritic knees and lower back and a few other joints. I am starting the diet on Monday, Yes I know it is always Monday but we have guests for the weekend so that is my excuse. I am an English lady living in Ireland and am desperate to lose weight and avoid diabetes. Perhaps we could help one another. I must do it now before it is too late. I have read the book from cover to cover, got myself prepared and am doing some shopping to make sure I have some nice nutritional food in. I think it is going to be hard but not impossible. I love carbs but don’t like what they are doing to me.

Thanks everyone.
Because i have a huge constipation problem i was just wondering if i should/could increase my consumption of carbs vis a vis beans! Beans are so high in carbs – complex ones but still high. My body is used to beans because i like them but heck i could eat a whole can!!!
I did reserve the Taubes book at the library … the one you mentionned Californiagirl.
Thanks … good comments everyone! 🙂

Hi to all the lovely people on this delightful, lighthearted thread. I’m a bit of a forum ‘lurker’, often dipping in to various threads for a bit of inspiration or encouragement but rarely working up the courage to contribute. But having been binge reading this fun thread for several days now I feel I at least have to say thanks. It’s been like a mini soap opera (which I never watch tbh), getting to know all the ‘characters’ who post and silently cheering along all their successes weight and health and temptation resistance wise. Worrying for the people going through troubled times and taking on board all the snippets of wisdom and fascinating asides. I’d never heard of NaNoWriMo for instance and am very tempted to give that a go now that Lucky has brought it to my attention. And swimming between islands for a holiday which Timmy mentioned way back, what a fantastic idea, I know at least two other people who would love to do that 😊. Still tottering along on the weight loss journey myself, three pounds away from having lost 20% of my starting body weight which feels like quite a landmark. And just recently went into the ‘merely’ overweight category of BMI. So although I’m no longer being super strict on calories, the good, low carb diet is still doing it. Just a little slower which is fine for me and stops my husband joking (worrying) that I am ‘fading away’. Not sure there is any danger of someone who is still nearly 11 and a half stone actually disappearing any time soon. 😄😄 but nice to be cared about

Frog – yes, we don’t have as much fat to keep us warm and our hips are not as wide as they used to be. It does get some getting used to though.

Your new restaurant sounds a lovely place to eat. It is so nice to find somewhere like that – especially as it is so close to your home.

Have had a lovely day today and am beginning to get over the virus. Decided to carry on with sorting through my wardrobe and the boxes of thin clothes under the bed. Everything that is too big went into black plastic sacks (3 of them). There was other stuff that is a little too big but I can still wear (which I kept) and other stuff that I had bought in sales – hoping that I would sometime in the future be thin enough to wear it. What joy – I fitted into all my thinner stuff. And there was some lovely stuff that I had totally forgotten that I had bought.

With somewhere between 7lbs and a stone to lose I will need to buy more clothes at some point – but for now I don’t have to as there are enough clothes to see me through the winter.

We dropped off the clothes to the animal sanctuary shop. This is the first time I have ever got rid of my bigger clothes when I have lost weight. I have always kept them. This time feels different though and I know I will never need them again. I feel sort of lighter with all the big clothes gone.

Well the good news is that with only 800 calories to “use” every day, you probably can’t stuff down that much butter anyway!😜 the best part of this diet is its re-training effect — you’ve got to eat wisely to meet the daily calorie allotment and quality protein and veg goes a long way to help that. I would say though that there is good/medically sound research on low-carb diets — as long as you are eating high quality protein and vegetables and good fats and yes, even butter and cream in small amounts. I know that I’ve said it before but I recommend the book “Why We Get Fat and What to do About It” by Gary Taubes as it is an excellent and clear discussion about the role that refined carbs have on the increasing obesity epidemic worldwide. At the end of the book is an example of low-carb diet used by the Duke University Lifestyles Clinic (I think I have that right) for weight loss and it limits carb intake to 20 grams per day. Obviously there is nothing wrong with whole grain bread with soup and other more complex carbs in very small portions but the evidence does support a faster weight loss when you eat less carbs, refined or otherwise. I think it is really critical to work out for yourself what your sweet spot is — for me it is very low carb (I stick with 20-30 grams most days, even now on maintenance after seven months). Everyone is different and some may tolerate more carb than others so try different combinations for a few weeks and see how it affects your appetite and weight loss — controlling carbs can often help alleviate hunger — and that can be the final help we need (the reason this is true is that carbs drive your insulin output and insulin is your “storage hormone” so it shunts blood sugar into your fat cells and leaves you feeling “starving” because now you have low blood sugar. We aren’t actually starving but our bodies “read” it that way so we are driven to eat to bring up the blood sugar level. It is a viscious circle).

Good morning fellow “October 1st losers”. Not losing much this week so I can’t wait to measure. I do have more energy and my joints feel great so there’s that. Plus I believe I read that weigh loss may stall the 2nd week.

You are all doing so well and are an inspiration. I just eat the same things all the time so I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat–that’s always dangerous. I should get the book for more inspiration. I’m so proud of myself for passing on all the goodies in the break room and leaving the store without buying all those empty calories.

Thanks everyone!

Maybe we should have … hug an appliance day sometime.
Long time since I hugged the scales
😄😄😄😄
Love Lucia
Xxx

Spooked everyone out today.
Actually smiled at the scales.
A little bit lighter again today….

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Well, after my focused day yesterday, weight this morning was same as day before i.e. 63.3kg……??. At least this is .3kg from my next mini goal, if I can just keep this in mind lol

One adaption I have to make is to have soup a lot. I know it is recommended anyway. But I can’t have lots of raw veg and a lot of cooked ones even, without digestion upset, so have to find ways round it.

Lovely…I’m smiling as I’m reading through this thread. Thanks to all.
Marsie is a somewhat lazy choice. It’s a derivation of our surname and a nickname I’ve heard my OH called by many of his old mates for the 50yrs I’ve known him.
aka Marilyn, living in Sorrento, a northerly beachside suburb of Perth, capital city of Western Australia xx

Just to be clear – not suggesting chugging cream or gorging on butter and cheese as some low carb diets advocate. Or that below 50g carbs is to be recommended in any way. And completely agree that it’s the right rainbow veg/protein/fat mix within your 800 a day that’ll keep you feeling satisfied while you disappear.

Just saying that for myself, I’ll take the lower carb route when there’s a viable alternative . I happen not to enjoy the taste and texture of pulses and will avoid bread at all costs because I find it bloating, even whole grain. But I’ll have porridge (made with water and zuzzed up with two teaspoons of cream at the end) But that’s me. We all have to live with this according to what suits us, our lifestyles and preferences. As long as we stick to the right path and what we do is on track we’ll all get there, albeit with slight diversions.

Make good choices today, everyone! MK X

Hi
Yes, I bought a thicker quilt in the summer – one of the points when it turned chilly; a friend came to stay, and the weather reverted to scorching hot, so I didn’t offer her the new 13.5 tog duvet. I do have the other half of my current quilt as well (it’s one of those four season ones with a thin summer, medium autumn/winter and you can but them both together). I don’t like sleeping with the heating on, but I think the night time temperatures have dropped suddenly (and I don’t have as much fat to keep me warm of course 🙂 ).

I did get up and go to the gym this morning – in the class, I realised what an unhelpful phrase “stand with your feet hip width apart” is; presumably they intend that you position your feet inline with your hip bones, which haven’t changed – but it dawned on me this morning that my usual “hip width apart” stance is way too wide – but is in line of my perception of where my hips used to extend to. After the class, I collected together and picked up 18kg (the amount I’ve lost) in hand weights. IT’S A LOT!!!!

I discovered a fantastic new restaurant that opened this week just around the corner from home. I’d read a review of it yesterday, and it was on my “must try” list, but I hadn’t quite computed where it was – then I walked past it on the way back from the gym. I had salad with courgette, apple, pomegranate, hazlenuts and something called labneh, that google said was Greek yogurt, but was more like tiny scoops of soft cheese. It all tasted amazing – I will definitely be going back, although sadly it’s only open for breakfast and lunch, not in the evening.

Congratulations on your jacket Krysia, that’s great.
Inspired by your lamb at the weekend, I bought a lamb breast joint in Waitrose this morning that has to be slow cooked. Having had lunch out, I think it will be remainders of yesterdays Ethiopian food this evening, and I’ll look for recipes on how to cook the lamb tomorrow.

Sounds good! I think sweetcorn is one to steer clear of too. Or maybe just in small quantities not too often!

No, you won’t go far wrong! Very good habits. However he did also advise that quick weight loss is the encouraging way to go as opposed to myths, and people have found this works better when they keep to 50g carb or below, but we’re all to find the best way for us

Hi and welcome to the newbies👍. Finding the myfatsecret app very useful and not too time consuming 🙂 surprised to find that ryvita (dark) contains so many carbs 🙁 so decided to only have 2 instead of 3 for lunch! The beetroot hummus recipe is yummy and filling.

Good Morning everyone,

Well done Happygirl on your great loss, have a good trip away. Much respect to the teachers and leaders who take care of the kids. The hardest (but most rewarding) job of all.
Thank you everybody for the tips & the science bits, I am learning so much here. I’m half way through week 2 and going steady. I’m not as hyper as I was last week with all the extra energy but calmer and focused on the job in hand. I’ve decided to wait ’till Sunday to weigh myself but I feel the changes. Wish I had found this diet 6 years ago when I lost control of my weight. I’ve been trying ever since to get back on track but failing miserably. A combination of menopause, bit of laziness & deciding that elastic waist trousers were an acceptable fashion item led me here to a 3stone overload that I need to be GONE! (Only toddlers & the over nineties should be allowed wear those trousers and leggings, a pair of jeans will never lie to you like they do. I’m looking forward to throwing them on a bonfire when this is done) On a more serious note, my two kids grew up at the same time and moved out & left me lonely and pining so I comforted myself with food to fill the void. This diet has made me examine these things and I think this is what he means about getting your head right. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life avoiding people & occasions because I’m embarrassed about my weight, I want to go to the beach, I want the joy of buying clothes that look good instead of just covering the evidence, I want to be in family photos, I want to live a long and useful happy life, I want to show my doctor that I’ve done it because he’s the one that nudged me into action. My family & friends are all way too polite to say a word to me and I love them for it. I don’t think anyone needs to be told, we already know.
Thanks to this forum for letting me indulge like this and unload what’s been on my mind for last few days, I’m in this for the long haul and I’m here with you all, who better understands than each other what this means to us?
Just so not to be all me, me, me on this post I have some good tips to share,
Put some kitchen paper in the salad and spinach leaf bags to stop them going soggy
Boiling some Coca Cola in the scrambled egg pot is great for cleaning it
Pour wash up liquid on the non bsd people’s leftovers straightaway to stop you being tempted
Brush your teeth if you feel like chocolate, turn you right off.

Best wishes and a huge thank you to you all, let’s be warriors together,

NeNe xxxxxx

Third week of the diet having started on 26 Sept and 13 pounds down do far! I’ve had a weekend away with slightly more relaxed eating and also a lunch and dinner out. The weight loss is slowing but it does seem great in shifting it fast.
Love the beetroot falafel they really fill you up and cottage cheese is a definite friend! Going to keep going as my aim is to lose 2 stone.

(On a side note:I had a look at the Scandinavian Diet which says no fruit!)
I know there’s an issue with carbs and sometimes cals in some fruits but I’m looking at the GI/GL count (Dr Winnie Chan) for Mangoes which is apparently L/L. Same goes for many fruits such as apples & oranges which I had previously steered clear of. It’s not a big loss to me – I love berries myself – but there seems to be conflicting advice here.

Hi guys, just been reading Michael Moseley’s 8week BSD recipe book and he states “as a rule of thumb, be wary of carbs with a GI over 50, or a GL over 20, such as pasta, bread and processed cereals.”

I can’t see anywhere in the book where he says not to eat more than 50g of carbs.

He says “minimise or avoid the white stuff” the odd slice of rustic wholegrain bread with my soup is not going to ruin my diet.

I can’t see anywhere where he says to consume cream, or to eat a pat of butter with peanut butter on top.

Ultimately, as long as we stay within 800 cals, eat a rainbow of veg, include some fruit, 40-59g of high quality protein and healthy fats and oils, we can’t go too wrong. And, it’s only for 8 weeks.

Good luck to all of us on our healthy journey!

Hi Natalie
I’m not sure. I think it was a bug as I had dreadful sore bones and shivering and sleepiness. It definitely was not pleasant. I work in a ward so there are often nasty bugs. Anyway I feel much better today.
Breakfast..nothing. just 2 big glasses water
Lunch..soup only and maybe an apple.
Tea..chicken and veg.
15 stone 2 this am. So between 800 and v+d 8 lbs in total. Feeling well.
I look at it like this. Some…Bs and Cs are bad.
Beige..brown..biscuits..beer..butter (too much)..booze..Cs..cake..crisps..chocolate..
carbs (watch) chips. Simplifies it a little if I open the fridge. If it’s any of these things..it’s a nono. I know the butter is fine on this way..but 9 times out of 10 I would eat it on potatoes or bread. It is just the icing on the cake so to speak. But I will fry in it or use for sauces sautéing on veg etc. But just not the bread it’s too frightening!!!

I’m following the book very strictly but trying to make low carb choices when they are there because I know that limiting carbs is best for diabetes control and has always worked well for me, weight loss wise, better than anything else. I don’t really like counting so I find it easier to follow a set plan and give myself a carb advantage if I can, within the plan.

So here’s a thing. I really hate food. All food. It’s been my enemy for so many years. I wish I could change that mindset and see it as a nourishing, good thing, but as a lifelong bigger person (not huge, but almost always 15% -20% more than I should be despite having a much more careful diet than my skinny sister and brother) I associate it only with guilt and shame. My mother could never understand why the same food input led to a chubby output and fed me separately to my siblings so I could have salad and fruit and they would have chips and puddings! So food has never been a friend, a comfort or a treat to me….

How do others view their relationship, and why?

Good luck with the surgery, Natalie, hope all goes well.

It’s a dreicht morning here in Edinburgh – cold, wet, misty-moisty – time for a rhubarb tea!
MK x

Wow just been catching up since my 1st post on Monday (and 1st day on BSD). I’m more a reader than poster but am with you all in spirit – keep going. I tell myself its only 56 days 🙂 I’ve actually found the 1st 3 days ok – I’m following the plan in the book as I hate making out menus. I even had the beetroot falafels, which were delicious and I can’t stand beetroot! I drew the line the sardine dip though. No snacks between and no headaches/hunger so far. Got on the scales and lost 5.5lbs in 3 days – big smile. I expect I will fail some days but I think my mindset is that it’s ok as long as you carry on the next day.

Have a great day and best of luck to everyone 🙂

Purple, you sound like me! Although iif I knew I had chocolate iin the house, I’d have to eat it. I like your idea of having a herbal tea “treat” at the end of the day. It’s something I endure, but thinking of it as a treat will definitely work for me, especially if I imagine I’m at a health spa! I have a vivid imagination…

Breakfast today was scrambled egg with smoked salmon and coffee.

Lunch will be soup of some description.

Supper will be salady.

Have a fab day, everyone.

Have been looking on the 800 forum and noted porridge is high on carbs. Have been taking this most mornings for last two weeks. Will go back to eggs and mushrooms and see if that will help on the scales.

Wow ButterflyMoves what a marvellous weight loss!!
I’m re-reading the BSD book & noticed the section on why fructose that is included in fruit, corn syrup & table sugar is so bad for us! Unlike glucose which can be taken up by any cell, fructose has to be processed by the liver! In larger quantities it leads to liver overload & excess is turned to fat leading to fatty liver!!! I feel as though another piece of the digestive puzzle has been highlighted for me. Unfortunately so many foods now have corn syrup added to them because the manufacturers buy it because it is cheaper than sugar!
I was also amused to watch the Great British Bake Off highlighting Tudor food when sugar & marchpane or marzipan became popular & of course that affected Tudor teeth & tooth rot causing many more fans to be used so ladies could smile with their eyes 👀 & hide their teeth😀

Thank you Flash 21. That is good to know and easy to remember. Luckily I have mainly been eating greens, cauliflower and broccoli.

I am guessing that sweetcorn is off the menu?

Lost 3kg and 1.5 inches from waist. Feel fitter and able to walk 4/5 miles a day plus again. Checking everything for sugars etc but find it easier using recipes in the book for now with the odd spoonful of peanut butter.

I suffer from terrible migraines and have done for as long as I can remember. I have a variety of go-tos for helping me out when a headache or migraine starts which might be of help other than immediately resorting to meds:

Ice pack on either forehead or back of neck
If possible, run a sink of cold water and plunge your face into it – sounds weird but sometimes this works an absolute treat for me!
Eat something naturally green – the chlorophyll it contains acts like a natural painkiller
Get a 4head stick (if you’re in the UK you can get them in the supermarket) – it’s like a menthol block which you can rub onto forehead and temples. Tiger balm also works well for this.

If all else fails, soluble cocodamol is a good start (if you can tolerate codeine, that is). I’ll also recommend another solution suggested to me by the National Migraine Centre but it’s not very BSD-friendly! Three soluble aspirin in a glass of Coke (not diet). It works wonders (usually) but all that sugar……

Great news MaryMoo – keep it up!

Hello again Jacanne,

The caution with veg is making sure you don’t eat too much of anything that grows in the ground as they tend to have a much higher carb content than other veg. So think leafy green, cauliflower, broccoli etc rather than carrots, swede, parsnips and so on.

Hi all
I’ve been sooooooo good! 4 days almost down and I haven’t had my usual glass of wine while cooking dinner, or run into the bakery for a quick fix when hungry during the day, or wasted my calories on a flat white coffee or eaten all my birthday chocolates I’ve hidden at the back of the cupboard!!! I am weighing myself every morning and it’s looking good.
I find that snacky stuff & wine my biggest downfall. I’ve had 2 pots of tea instead of my usual flat white coffees in cafes this week. I’m probably also making more cups of tea at home than usual but that’s all Ok. I also enjoy a “herbal ” tea at night. I love the Licorice one but have a bit of a collection to choose from as my evening “treat”.
I count my calories but don’t stress about counting carbs too. I just follow the BSD guidelines rather than making it any more complicated. Im enjoying the low carb food and love looking at new recipe ideas to try……so many 200 calorie low carb meal ideas out there in cyberspace!

Have fun with it everyone!

We appear to be a pretty busy bunch – with such disparate things to keep us happy. It’s lovely to see – from opening a new bank account (one of those things that can niggle away at the bottom of a to-do list for far too long), to rediscovering the joy of (in my case LOUD) music and a wiggle, to simply enjoying the weather.

Apparently, we Brits, have the biggest mood lift in the world on a sunny day …

Positives for yesterday:

1. Did the run thing again … first 15 mins still more of a forward stumble, but then a more natural jogging feeling kicks in. That’s 8 runs now. Hoorah.

2. A cake I’d baked – with a lot of love and care – was very well received at the elderly residential home (daughter’s school volunteering). Lovely to hear that the extra effort was appreciated to make an old classic Victoria Sponge extra light and springy.

3. Hearing my 13 year old daughter’s tales of visiting in the residential care home – it’s for people with varying degrees of dementia. She loved their stories, and was tickled by some of their eccentricities, and memory lapses – but in a very lovely, genuine fashion. I love how her kindness and caring nature are reflected in being able to take people at face value, even when they are suffering from something so many of us are afraid of. Her friend has a ‘lovely pair of legs’, ‘no point talking to her, she’s deaf; I just sit here to keep her company’, ‘I was born in the house opposite yours 86 years ago’, It’s heartwarming and uplifting to think that these ‘cool’ teenagers would happily pop in every week to share stories, home-baking and a sing-song.

Pouring with rain here today – so very reluctant to take the very fluffy dog for a walk. But it’s gotta be done, I s’pose.