Goooooaaaaallllll!!!!!

When I very first started blogging I posted a little list of things I wanted to achieve at some point.
Although I've never revisited, updated or added to it as planned, miraculously some of the things have managed to get done.

The one I'm about to report is a nearly there, take a reality check, really there.

I wanted to weigh 9 stone again - a number and an aim based partly on vanity and partly on a few health issues. Well, I'm not quite at 9 (because I actually now think that might be a bit too unmaintainable) but I am at 9 stone 1.5lb (a whole half pound lighter than my Weightwatchers goal of 9 stone 2lb).

Now most people embarking on a weight loss journey might choose to blog about it from the beginning, giving weekly progress reports, sharing healthy recipes and hints and tips. Me, I'm starting at the end and then pretty much leaving it there. Let's face it - who wants to become a diet bore?

The simple facts are:
I was right at the top end of what was a healthy weight for my height and all the extra weight seemed to be sitting round my middle - the most unhealthy place for it to be.
I'd sustained a few running injuries which I couldn't shake off. No running led to more weight gain, which in turn made running more difficult.
A few of my friends had been successful with Weightwatchers and then one opened just round the corner from where I worked so I popped in one lunchtime. That was 3 months ago - I've now lost 19.5lb, fit into all my forgotten clothes at the back of the wardrobe and am well and truly up and running again.

And it's not been that bad. I haven't had to live the life of a recluse or give up everything I enjoy. I've still been able to cook and experiment with new recipes. Now I just need to keep it off and not slip back into my old habits.

For me, food will always be much more than just fuel. I'm a classic emotional eater - food is my reward, my solace and my way of expressing love. It is very much a part of me, and one that I don't really want to change. So now I just need to be a bit more thoughtful about what I'm putting in my mouth and follow my new mantra: Eat, drink and go running!

Testing, testing...

...does this still work?
Oooh, yes it seems to - maybe I should get back to it, give it another go?
Why not? I mean, I enjoyed doing it at the time.
What's that? Lack of time, family and work commitments, having to fight with the children to get on the computer, the stress of the day job, fear of giving up again, nothing much to say, the negative voices that came up with all of the above?

None of them matter do they? I mean, I haven't posted here for two years and yet it all still works.
If I'm doing it for me it doesn't matter if nobody else reads it.
If I'm doing it for me it doesn't matter if I don't post very often.
If I'm doing it for me it doesn't matter about anything else at all.
Just that I'm doing it. For me.

Because there's still always cake...

Wired help

Lately, there has been little to bring a smile to my face at work.

But every now and again something comes along to lighten my mood - like the offer of another pair of hands to help me out with some of my more tedious tasks.

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my new assistant...

Unfortunately he's only temporary and is moving on to bigger and better things on Friday.

I shall miss him.

Two things...

... that have brightened my return to work this week.

Hoping that maybe, possibly, I might be in with a teeny weeny chance of winning this fantastic giveaway from Silver Pebble.



Her jewellery is so beautiful - do pop over and have a look. Be quick though - I think the giveaway ends tomorrow.

And then I discovered this story on another blog, and it has made me chuckle all day. If you need cheering up then go and read this - I can't get the vision of it out of my head.

Easter Sunday

Lots of chocolate eggs (I survived my no chocolate and coffee for Lent!) and cooking dinner for my mum and my in-laws.

Smoked mackerel pate (my very own made-up recipe):

Get out the food processor and whizz together 4 smoked mackerel fillets, 400g of cream cheese, a bunch of chives, lemon juice, horseradish sauce and black pepper to taste. Put into ramekins (this quantity made for 7 generous servings) and chill until ready to serve. We had it with crispy rolls and green salad.

Followed by Delia's roast lamb with onion and rosemary sauce and then Nigella's heavenly rhubarb meringue pie from How to Eat.

Wish I'd got a picture before it all got eaten.

Progress report

Readers of a nervous disposition please look away now - the following blog post contains pictures of a graphic nature which many may find disturbing.

Before:

Please excuse the mucky trainers - at this time of year I only tend to get my legs out when I'm going for a run.

After:

Let's just say Famous Dave's fake tan was not a resounding success. Please note the tide marks around my toes - believe me, it looks even worse in real life.

My legs look like they've been creosoted and my sheets are stained in a most disturbing manner.

David Dickinson eat your heart out.

It's arrived!

My parcel from the Beauty Bible:

Just look at all those goodies!

There's probably about £150 worth of stuff there, so that's my first concern put to rest - but I now have others to take its place.

Like I have to try a fake tan.

Right now.

We've been away for a few days (more of that another time) and I've already missed one of the deadlines for submitting my opinions, so today has seen me undertaking a major deforestation program on my legs a few months earlier than I was hoping for. Then there was the exfoliating and the applying with a special mitten to get my head around. Now I just have to wait until the morning to see if I've been tangoed.

By the way, don't let any impressionable young children follow that last link - apparently it may turn them into happy slappers (not to be confused with the unhappy slapper that I will look like tomorrow morning if this all goes disastrously wrong.

The weekend round up

There has been bad and good.
I won't go into the bad.
It's not really my story to tell.
But it has once again made me appreciate how you should never take life for granted.

And so, onto the good.

I have been getting the washing dry on my new line.
After getting drying envy all over blogland I took matters into my own hands and, rather than waiting for my husband, I put it up myself. Not sure how long it will stay up (knots aren't my strong point) but so far it has survived.

My rhubarb is shooting...

...and please note the rest of the weed free, freshly dug vegetable plot in the background.

Smug? You bet I am! It was so pleasant being out in the garden, all on my own with the sun shining down on my back and only birdsong and church bells to punctuate the silence.

I've even set up the electric propagator and planted my cucumber, tomato and aubergine seeds. This is very much an experiment for me, so fingers crossed something will grow eventually.

On Sunday we shared a romantic champagne afternoon tea for two at Rookery Hall, a much appreciated Christmas gift from my husband's brother and his wife. If you're interested in celebrity stuff, this is where Posh and Becks announced their engagement. Can't say that sells it to me, but I remember the local papers being full of it at the time!

Oh, and at some point we made homemade hobnobs using this recipe. I've been too busy eating them to take any photographs, but they are delicious and have had the thumbs up from the whole family and a couple of my son's friends as well.

But today it was back to work and all that entails. I won't bore you (or me) with the details.

Lunchtime escapades (part 1)

One of the advantages of working in the city centre is the wealth of different places you can explore in your lunch hour.

I have certain favourites and, just recently, I revisited one that had fallen off my radar a little since we moved offices to the other side of town.

The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is a former Victorian fish market, tucked away in the Northern Quarter, which houses a range of independent studios making and selling jewellery, textiles, ceramics, paintings, photographs and all sorts of other treasures. And there's a rather nice little cafe as well.

The last time I was there I noticed this little thing going on:

Yarnbombing, apparently.

The idea is that lots of different people, from all around the world, submit a piece of knitting 7cmx40cm and they continue to build this exhibit until it covers the whole banister.

As a complete non-knitter how long do you think it would take me to learn and complete a piece that size? Or am I just being completely ridiculous for even contemplating it?!

If you do ever visit, check out Linzi Ramsden's ceramic studio. I have been coveting some of her wall plaques forever.

And, if you do happen to be in the Northern Quarter and you're feeling a little peckish, might I suggest a stop off at Bread and Butter.

It's next to Rags to Bitches, a vintage clothes shop that will probably warrant a post all to itself at some point, and it serves tea in vintage china cups and saucers, pretty little fairy cakes and a very wicked chocolate Guinness cake. Sadly, it's a bit too far from my new office for me to go to regularly, but every now and again it is definitely worth the hike.

How fickle am I?

A couple of weeks ago I was going to write a ranting post about the price of beauty or some such of a title.

You see I'd picked up a copy of In Style and was perusing their 100 best beauty buys for 2010.
Well, I'm not getting any younger and if you're going to buy lotions and potions you may as well buy the ones that come highly recommended. Or not.

It would seem that the current skincare du jour is from Sisley. A mere £218 for their anti-aging cream and the night cream's a snip at £435. One reviewer commented that her friends asked if she'd had botox after she started using it. Is that a good thing? And anyway, wouldn't botox be cheaper?

So, I settled for my usual cheaper and cheerful regime and resigned myself to wrinkles - at least that way I wouldn't have to put the kids on eBay.

But then today I got an email from the Beauty Bible. Ages ago I'd volunteered to be a tester for them and then promptly forgotten all about it. But now they need me. Yes, they are specifically looking for over 35s to test the latest and greatest new products on.

The deal goes something like this. I pay them £30 to cover admin, postage and packing and I get 10 products worth substantially more and a load of forms to fill in. Hopefully, I'll also emerge at the end of it all transformed into a vision of radiance.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. No pictures though - I doubt any cream will be able to work those kind of miracles!

Flowers, finds and behind the times

Now, I can't seem to manage to keep my posts in anything like real time so you'll just have to bear with me.

It's Saturday morning, so naturally I'm going to share my Thursday with you.

Oh, and a bit of something from a couple of weeks ago.

But first, Thursday - market day and gloriously sunny.

I'm still a bit shy about whipping my camera out at every opportunity but I did manage to capture my favourite flower stall (with my favourite butcher's shop in the background).

As a secret thank you for their unknown participation I made a purchase from each - yellow tulips for my special tulip vase (bought from an auction many years ago and I still love it) and beef sausages from the butcher.

As an aside, and more to remind myself, I concocted the sausages into a rather lovely tea by roasting them in a big tin with some little potatoes, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, olive oil and whatever herbs I had hanging around - very tasty. No picture though - it was wolfed down far too quickly!

Thursdays are also my days for a quick rummage round the charity shops. This week I found a little something which I'm keeping to share at a later date, but it reminded me that I haven't bragged to you all about my part in the sudden arrival of all this glorious spring weather.

You see about 2 weeks ago I found myself a new Winter coat in the charity shop. A big, thick, incredibly warm, fake fur coat - the kind that I have needed for my daily trek to the station throughout this long, cold winter. So I snapped it up and...lo and behold the sun came out. And it's pretty much been shining ever since.

I'm not complaining though - it's given me plenty of chance to air the beast in it's natural(ish) environment!

Getting away from it all

I'm going to wax lyrical about the Lake District - for the first time this year.

There will be more you see, we go there quite a lot.

Partly because my husband is one of the few fellrunners that lives in the flatlands of Cheshire, partly because we have friends in Cumbria and partly because it's just so damned lovely.

This first trip of the year was probably the most civilised - the annual weekend in Keswick with the in-laws. We stayed in a hotel and everything.

We had a deluxe four poster dog room.

We saw snow on the fell tops.

We saw lots of blue sky...

...and spring flowers...

...and lovely views.

And I felt the warmth of the sun on my face for the first time this year as we sat by the river and watched the children skimming stones.

I'm looking forward to our next trip up the M6 already.

Lessons in parenting: part 1

Tuesday is always a long day.
I leave home at 7.30am to walk to the train station.
I work all day and then get the train home again.
My mother and father-in-law, who kindly look after the children on Tuesdays, pick me up from the station and drive me and my daughter to her swimming club.
I deposit her in the pool and then run across the grounds to get changed for my Pilates class.
The instructor is very tough.
She makes us do the plank and roll down to push ups and shoulder bridges and the 100.
But we do get a few minutes relaxation at the end.
Then I go back to the pool.
My daughter has usually left her coat in the changing room.
I wait while she goes to get it.
And then we start the long walk home.
And we usually fall out.
She dawdles behind me. She drags her feet. She gets grumpy when I ask her a question. She strops. I snap. She sulks. I moan.
She's tired from an hour of intensive swimming.
I'm tired after a day at work.
We're both hungry.
We don't get home until at least 8.30pm.
But this week it was different.
We walked home together amicably. We chatted about school and swimming and our plans for the weekend.
As I put her bed later I remarked upon this change and thanked her for making the evening so much more pleasant. I must have wondered aloud about how it was different.
"Well mummy," she said. "YOU didn't do anything to ANNOY me this week."

Very Important erm... People

There are two members of our family that I'd like you to meet.
They've been around now for between 9 and 12 years and it doesn't look like they'll be leaving us anytime soon. Unless, of course, they disintegrate.

So without further ado, may I introduce Baby (full name Baby Poppet Sweetheart aka Poo) and Peng (full name, very originally, Penguin). I'll leave you to decide which one is which.

Baby was originally bought for my son, but my daughter took a shine to him and adopted him very early on in life. He is still very much loved and she cannot sleep without him.

Earlier this week she was very embarrassed when she came downstairs with him and bumped into a couple of my son's friends: "But Mummy, I'm in year 5. I shouldn't still be carrying my teddy around."

It's a shame - I shall miss seeing his grubby little face around the place if he gets confined to bed all day. When she was younger I used to put him in different places around the house and pretend he'd been helping me out with my chores. He was often to be found with a wooden spoon or a duster in his hand when she came in from school. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part!

Penguin belongs to my son. He is already confined to the bedroom and is most definitely not allowed to school trips, sleepovers or anything else where other people might see him. But he is still very much loved. He is also my sworn enemy and we regularly come to blows. Oh, and he has a pet name for me - Auntie Yin! Of course, I didn't tell you any of this.

The reason I'm writing this is because, just recently, I'm constantly being reminded of how quickly my children are growing up and leaving so many of theirs childish toys and ways behind them. I hope these two get to stay around for quite a while yet but, just in case they don't, I wanted to have a record of them. For the children, you understand.

Season's Eatings

Although I'm not a fan of February in all its greyness there are certain things which, when they appear, always brighten my mood.

So, when I diverted through town on my way home from a run yesterday morning and saw forced rhubarb on one of the market stalls I just knew I had to come straight back and buy some. We were having friends round for tea and it was crying out to be made into the perfect pudding.

Slowly stewed in the oven and mixed with whipped cream it made a delicious rhubarb fool which I served up with homemade shortbread biscuits.

Anyway, whilst I was anxiously queuing to purchase my rhubarb before anybody else snapped it up, I saw this other delightful seasonal treat:

Purple sprouting broccoli - one of my all time favourite vegetables. It looked so pretty that I was tempted just to put it in a vase on the table, but greed prevailed so I steamed it and served it up as the star accompaniment to a slow-cooked beef casserole and mashed potatoes.

'Twas all well received by my visitors, even their 4-year old son (and we all know 4-year olds can be the fiercest critics) and, as an added bonus to an enjoyable evening with good friends, they had bought me a belated birthday gift: some garden incense (for when we can finally sit outside again), a mug depicting a small obsession of mine and...

...my first ever thing from Cath Kidston. A lovely, bright tea towel to take the drudgery out of doing the dishes. I am a very luck girl indeed.

A very happy birthday

41 - say it quickly and it doesn't sound too bad.
Actually, it feels better than 40 did.
Things were a little tough this time last year so, although I had a lovely birthday it felt a bit odd to be celebrating too much.
This year we kept it very simple, and it was perfect.
First there was breakfast in bed.


And no, somebody hasn't stolen my egg - it's just a handy receptacle for the various vitamins I've decided might keep me on the right side of healthy.

Then it was time for a walk. Not the original planned route as the snow had hit again (the first time I can ever remember it snowing on my birthday) but a slightly more local, lower level trek.

And look, we even saw some blue sky.

It was a long haul back to the car (particularly for the dog that doesn't like walking, although she did have fun running around, very fast, off the lead).

And then there was a pub lunch (a bit disappointing but not enough to spoil the day - at least I didn't have to cook it) and presents and a long soak in the bath. Such a pity it had to come to an end.

And today it was back to work. Enough said.

We're very proud

Today Lily has graduated from puppy school.

Now let's not get too excited here - this doesn't necessarily mean she is any better behaved.
However, it does mean that I don't have to spend any more Saturday mornings doing my best Barbara Woodhouse impressions in a freezing cold barn.

So, to celebrate we had a nice long walk home (no mean feat when you own the only dog in the world who doesn't really like walking) and admired the snowdrops on the way.

And then baked a batch of rock cakes - something I've not made since I was at primary school.

I've given up chocolate for Lent you see (and coffee) and was in need of a sweet treat to take my mind off the deprivation. I read about rock cakes on somebody else's blog recently (so sorry, but I can't remember where) and it sent me off down memory lane so I scoured my shelves for a recipe and here's the result - rather nice they are too, a bit like cakey scones.

And, having used up the last egg to make the cakes, I then had an empty egg box, which is just what I needed for my next project - chitting my seed potatoes.

Quite a productive day really and tomorrow it's my birthday, so I can be completely unproductive without feeling guilty about it.

The joy of pets

How romantic.

A shared bath, a jug of Pimms...

... a kitchen timer, a bottle of antispetic shampoo and a scabby South American rodent.

Guinea pigs.

They are lovely pets for children. Cute, easy to handle and, though quite prolific in the bowel offerings department, at least they're of the compact variety that are relatively easy to clean up.

However, they can also be rather prone to skin infections.

And, if they get one, you have to bath them.

That's right, bath a guinea pig.

Did I say they were easy to handle?

That's in their unsoapy, unterrified state.

They're still cute though.

Especially when you get to cuddle them dry.

Love is...

...about stepping out of your comfort zone.

After nearly 15 years of marriage, sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and try new things.

Not sure about this though...

Doesn't look quite like it does in here...

Maybe we just need to heat things up a bit...

I'm still not convinced. There's only one thing that can save this now...

... the icing on the cake!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone - hope it's as sweet as these look.

Chaos theory

Forget all this stuff about butterflies and hurricanes.

What I really want to know is this.

If I spend a morning sorting out cupboards and clearing surfaces so that one corner of my kitchen looks like this...

Why, when I turn around, does the rest of the house look like this?