It's been a lovely day.  Very hot though.  But as I didn't need to rush around that was okay.

It was good sitting in the garden listening to music, reading a book and the water running while I waited for my friend to call round for coffee.  We had a super chat and she made me feel better about a lot of things to do with health and weight.  One thing she told me that I was unaware of was that the horrid cramps I get in my legs can be caused by not drinking enough.  Fancy that.  You can bet you life savings that I will make it my business to drink more if it will stop that.  Those cramps are unbelievably, breathtakingly painful.


Sitting in a garden centre garden with a cappucino this afternoon was also a pleasure.  So it has been a wonderful day.  While we were driving I found myself getting excited about being slimmer and fitter.  I know I'd been discussing that with Chris this morning, but all of a sudden I felt that this is going to happen and I feel good about it.  I sincerely hope that it is a good sig

And I haven't the foggiest why I said that.  I guess as I've been studying so much this week that I need a weekend!  And I don't really do weekends since I don't go out to work.

I'm sorry about any typo's recently.  I freely admit that I have not been proofreading lately. 

I finished the training this evening and am set to go.  I have a mentor on hand to oversee what I'm doing and who I can refer to if I'm unsure.  I feel very proud of myself for achieving this.  No, it isn't rocket science or gaining a degree but it is still something I've done.

I'm really tired tonight again.  I've spent the last two afternoons learning the stuff I need to be able to moderate a group.  Learning is tiring, not becasue it is all new but rather because I'm having to focus for extended periods.  It is pleasant though and the lady teaching me is lovely. I can't praise her enough. Let's just hope the whole exercise works out well as I'd like to be doing something as a volunteer that I know I can do from home.

I had the most wonderful surprise a while ago....a FaceBook message from my nephew.  He's sending me some family photos.  How great is that? This is family that I'd lost touch with for many years.  This is a big thing for me.

I tried stitching a bit but because I'm tired I couldn't see well enough to do either the printed cross stitch or the guinea pigs. So I gave up and stared a new book.  I finished a book a few days ago but have found it hard to get stuck into this new one.  I've also picked up a Carl Hiaasen that I've already read and started that.  His books are so very funny, I laugh out loud while I'm reading them.  I tend to 'see' what I'm reading as if it's happening in front of me.  I also laugh out loud when I'm reading the Stephanie Plum series.

What a disaster Sunday was.  Chel and I watched all the back episodes of Casualty and Holby Saturday night/Sunday morning.  We went to bed at 6am.  Yep, six am.  So Sunday was a washout.  We both hung out laundry and started watching the men's final of Wimbledon.  I fell asleep just as they were starting the third set.  Woke up at about 5.30 feeling awful - I'd been scrunched-up on half the sofa.  Took ages to stretch out all the kinks!  But it was pleasant.  I'm just glad it wasn't nice enough to sit outside! 

My weight.  It's even higher than it's ever been and I really do not understand why.  I'm eating less and making better choices.  I am NOT letting it get me down but it is disappointing nonetheless.  I will try harder and look more closely at everything I do eat.  I know I need to move more.  Even when I cannot walk much I have been moving the rest of my body in the chair.  I'm seeing exercise differently now, as something I really want to do.  The more I do the better I like it.  I never thought I could feel this way and I love it.

I've also been taking better care of my skin and nails.  It is becoming something that I like to do.  I certainly like the results.  There is a lot of room for improvement but I'm contented with my progress so far. It feels good.

I had fun putting glue on a piece of fabric - in my stiching gallery.  Well, the coaster is okay but still a bit tacky to the touch. The hot cup stuck to it.  I have some varnish outdoors that I might use over the glue.  One of these days.  Not right now though.  And I do happen to have some felt that might be good on the back of it. (I may put this paragraph on my stitching blog).

Later, in the evening......

We had to go out for a while earlier so I didn't finish this post.  While we were out I thought about my weight problem.  First, I put new batteries in my scale on Saturday so I'm quite confident that the problem is not there (although when it added 6lbs to my normal weight I did panic. That's when I got new batteries..)  Then I thought about the past week or two.  Well, I have developed a habit of having a Magnum in the evening. And sometimes a frozen mini Mars bar as well.  Just the one, though.  Freezing mini Mars bars was a trick I picked up from a slimming club years ago. Sorry but I can't remember which one.  It takes a while to gnaw through a frozen bar and statisfies my sweet tooth.

Also, we had two fresh pineapples thanks to Chel's love of the fresh ones.  Guess who had to come up iwth ideas to use them before they went 'off'.  Yep.  So I made a pineapple upside down cake.  It was wonderful. No prizes for guessing that I ate my share - half of it.  Andy doesn't like pineapple.  There was still more fruit so we had gammon with pineapple then I used the last of it to make another cake.  That means brown sugar and butter/marg.  So a wonderful fruit becomes very very fattening and not too good for a diabetic.  But it did taste great.  I also ate quite a few packets of crisps during the two weeks.  And was unable to walk a lot of the time. 

I did say that I will try to be honest here. So I guess overall that I deserve to have gained weight.  I am proud to say that I've stopped having toast for the most part, just once in two weeks.  I love love love toast dripping with butter and cinnamon sugar. 

I rarely bake because my cakes taste wonderful but generally look like thick pancakes.  When I bake I cannot leave the finished cakes etc alone because they taste so good.  I am no good, yet, at leaving some for another day.  I guess my only way would be to freeze part of it as soon as it cools.

I signed up to Skype this morning.  A nice friend from Hungary suggested it.  I do know someone else who uses it so I went for it. It was easy to do and it worked.  I enjoyed hearing my friend's voice for the first time.  I'm using the microphone I got many years ago to use with instant messaging.  It wasn't too successful and I only used it to speak to my sister.  It will be nice if more of the family use it too.

Okay, so Federer let me down but Nadal is still in there.....I have something still to look forward to. And Andy drew Holland in a draw at work and they are still in the running soooooo......

I've been reading and watching TV for a couple of days.  I overdid it and can't put weight on my ankle/foot very well.  Thank God I have some walking sticks around the house for when I need them (and one lives in the car at all times).  I used the carpet washer the other day - downstairs only. But I also hung out a lot of laundry and did two lots of ironing the next day.  It may have been due to the shoes I was wearing but something set my feet off.  Then my knees have been waking me up at night with the most horrid pain.  But it goes away and I go back to sleep.  No wonder I'm constantly tired.  I have been keeping the housework done as much as I can....I hate it to be untidy.  And here I was making such progress outside with washing windows and doors, weeding, etc etc.  Life does have a way of making me slow down, doesn't it?

I'm also preparing to be a moderator on a local group. (I won't be the only one.)  I've had a lot of reading to do and will be staring to learn other stuff soon.  It is one way I can be of service to the community without committing to going out or doing set hours.  I sincerely hope it will work out well.  At present I don't feel that I can commit to turning up at set times and performing to my own standards, so have not gone out looking for things to do.

I do know from experience that when the student is ready the teacher appears.  That applies to everything in life. When the time is right, things can happen.