LOVE

LOVE is always in the air! 

Although on Thursday it was Valentine's Day - the day of LOVE!

We only exchange cards but I did treat Jeff to a pot of Valentine Marmite.....just because!

Super excited though today, to have booked tickets to see LOVE ACTUALLY the film, with an accompanying LIVE Orchestra. This will be the most perfect start to the festive season. The ticket's Sophie's if she can make it, if not Jeff has said he will keep me company, that's love after all these years. Not sure he's ever watched the film the whole way through, even when I watch it every single year! Another thing on the list to look forward to x

A night with....

....Dr Michael Mosley

I mentioned in my last blog post, that my sister and I were having a rare night out together, listening to the fabulous Dr Michael Mosley speak at his 'Trust Fast Health' Tour. It was a varied evening, where he spoke about his career and the various medics who have inspired him and what led him to develop and write his various books - The 5:2 Diet, The Fast Diet, The Blood Sugar Diet, The Clever Guts Diet and his most recent edition Fast800. I didn't come away learning anything new, as I have done a lot of research into fasting and Time Restricted Eating (TRE), to find ways to help manage my PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). It's the Time Restricted Eating that interests me the most, rather than restricting my calories. It's about eating in a small window of time, so for example 12/12 eating in a 12hr window 16/8 eating in an 8hr window 18/6 eating in a 6hr window..... The longer the body is in a fasted state, the bigger the benefits to your health. Blood sugars levels regulate and restore, once sugar stores are used, stored fat starts to be used and a whole other lot of health benefits follow. 

I get hungry once I eat. If I don't eat, I don't get hungry, so if I don't eat until 12 midday and as we eat tea early at 5:30/6pm, I would effectively be eating in a 6 hour window, so my fasted state would be 18hrs. I do find this quite easy and will try to be more focused in this approach, for say a month, as I've really only been doing the odd focused burst every now and again. Will get half term over and done with and will try this approach throughout the month of March, just before the Easter holidays begin. The idea is you should then only eat 800 calories a day, following a Mediterranean style diet, but that is for people who have a lot to lose. He does say you can do the 800 calories a day for just two days if you want to lose a little. Haven't got that far into the book yet but as I've less than a stone to lose and I like eating!!! I will find what works for me. 

I still go to Slimming World every Saturday morning, more for the accountability of the scales, rather than the plan specific now, as I tailor my diet to manage my PCOS long term. Hard core PCOS diet is gluten, dairy and soya free, with low/no carbs and low/no sugar. I have to find a way to manage my weight long term, without feeling deprived or restricted, so finding a happy balance is still very much a work in progress. But I have kept the weight off now for nearly 4 years now, give or take an annoying stone......

..... whilst eating the most delicious food!

Will keep you posted as to how I get on.

Sunshine and showers....

A weekend off work with no plans - lovely!

The weather is a little hit and miss, sunshine, showers, windy but there is a definite feel that Spring is inching it's way here - lighter, brighter, better days ahead (I hope!)

Tonight my sister and I are off to see the fabulous Dr Michael Mosley talk. Now I lost my weight with Slimming World and do still go to group each week but more for the accountability of the scales, rather than the plan specific. I have PCOS, a hormone imbalance, so having done a  lot of reading around the subject, I am very interested to learn more about the role fasting/ time restricted eating, can play in helping restore and help balance out my hormones, blood sugar levels etc. Plus I get to spend an evening with my sister, always a treat.

We've had a mixed bag on the weather front, no heating at work for 3 days at the start of the week, which was a killer. It was colder in store than outside, at only 9 degrees!!! We were given extra layers to wear, allowed hot drinks and passed a hot water bottle around but boy was it cold!

The garden is showing signs that Spring is just around the corner.

First daffs in flower, helabors, hyacinths, crocuses and.....

....snowdrops. 

I don't like to wish time away but I am looking forward to some warmer, brighter days, gives me a jolt of energy, much needed whilst I linger in hibernation mode.

Pinch and a punch....

Pinch and a punch.....

.....hello February.

And we woke to snow!

It was expected, the forecast was right, a blanket of the white stuff, which is already melting fast. I'm not a fan but the boy was happy, he has no lectures on a Friday anyway but school is closed, which means a day out with friends. I kindly drove him and a friend over to Wells, where they have more snow - no idea of how he is going to come home though!!!

So January came and went in a flash, thankfully. It's my least favourite month, a 'head down, get it done' kinda month. No real highlights, other than it's been and gone.

I managed to lose 5lbs, just 11.5lbs to get me back to target!

We've had some beautiful skies either end of the day....

.....and I've filled it with flowers!

More of the same for February, although always seems an easier month to get through somehow, maybe because it's only 28 days long and we have half term week, which always goes by in a flash!
Here's to a good month x

Last Sunday in January

A lazy Sunday here, the last Sunday in January!

 Sam's working, just Jeff and I at home all day, such a rarity!

It's freezing out, super windy but perfect weather to dry Sam's white t-shirt collection1

I've not done much other than work this week. I did spend my day off sorting through a box of old photo's that's probably patiently waited to be sorted for about 3 years!

We haven't aged a bit!! (I wish) 

Parga, Greece 1995

My love of Doc Martens goes way back x

London 1995

Still trying to brighten up the grey January days with a burst of yellow!

I really do think it makes a difference to my mood, just having a burst of yellow brightens up everything no end. That and playing my fave tunes really loudly, whilst drinking copious mugs of black coffee - could do a lot worse!!

A working week in January!

Not much to report here this week, just a regular working week in January. It's been my Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday week and I swapped in 2x 7am starts on Wednesday and Thursday, so enjoyed a much needed lie in on my day off on Friday, after 2x 6am alarm calls. I've nothing in the diary really for the next few weeks, just a case of head down and get through January, my least favourite month.

My hyacinths are now over, will keep the green in for as long as it looks half decent. So happy to see my £1 bunch of daffs are back in the shops now to replace them. 

The cheeriest £1 you will ever spend x

Have a good week

5 weeks and counting!

So yesterday was the day, the day Sophie returned to Reading!

We drove back, car full again! Stopped off a huge Sainsbury's, the far side of Reading to do a food shop, unloaded the car, defrosted her freezer the best I could! Reorganised her freezer shelf, fridge shelf, food cupboard etc then had lunch, before heading home.

It was so much easier to say goodbye x

I now know she's happy, got good friends, feels settled, so it was so much easier to leave this time and it is only 5 weeks until our half term/her reading week, when we'll either visit for the day or she'll come home for a couple of days. I will miss her terribly, it's been lovely having her around again but as long as I know she's okay, I can deal with her being away and we do chat often, which helps.

As always, I've been filling January with bulbs, they've smelt heavenly. The first daffs were sold last week, so once these pass their best, my £1 a bunch favourites, will be taking their place.

Even outside, they're making a head for the light. 

I really do hope we have a reasonable spell of weather now, get through the next 5 weeks as best we can, bit of a tick off affair. I do find Winter tends to linger longer than I'd like but as Sam and I were saying the other day, it's got a little lighter in the evening's, he is now walking back from the bus in daylight!