Sunshine and showers

Wow, it's been windy! It's been a funny old day, lovely and sunny with blue skies one minute, then grey skies and rain the next. I'm not really a sun lover, but it's nice to have it as a little break in between the rain. It is July after all.

Two pound loss this week, and I will take that gladly especially as it has only been half a week's worth of effort, I was a bit of a sod earlier on in the week, I think I did the last three days on plan. Mr G lost a pound, but it may have been more. It's difficult to gauge when he is working because he is weighing at the end of his day rather than the beginning. But this will even out over the coming weeks, as long as he weighs at the same point in the day. The battery is now out of the scales and I have a number in mind that I want to be when I get back to group, whenever it may open. It is technically do-able, as long as I put the effort in.

Tea was Chubby Cubs Bacon Jam Bacon Burger, I prepped it all earlier this morning while Mr G was in bed. I also made a homemade potato salad to go alongside it as an alternative to chips. I made far too much, but I'd sooner have too much than too little. It was absolutely spot on. The bacon jam is so simple; fried bacon medallions diced into tiny cubes, red onion diced the same, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce and a little water, and it's simmered for about half an hour. It's so tasty, I bet it would be nice at Christmas on a leftover turkey sandwich.

The new book that I started in bed last night was The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson. I really meant to start a fiction book, I have so, so many books to go through, but I am drawn to the self help/New Age type books. Thankfully I couldn't do too much housework today, so I got my washing done, prepped my tea, did my walk on the treadmill and then I was able to sit down and finish the book this afternoon. It was interesting... there were definitely a few things that I took from the book, but whether or not I would follow the twelve month plan to a tee is another matter. I don't feel quite that put upon or busy, to be honest. But if someone is really busy, frazzled and can't say no, then it might be the book for them, for sure.

So, I have now started a fiction book, there were two that I really wanted to make a start on, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and 12 Essays in Love by Andy Matheson. I chose 12 Essays in Love and so far, so good, definitely my cup of tea. My problem is that I am a speed reader, although I'm not too sure if that's a problem, or a blessing, the amount of books that I have to get through on this Kindle.

Oh, I found public toilets open in Wrexham ;-) I'm like Miss Marple, me. Nothing is going to come between me and my fish and chips this week.

Meal planner for the week ahead...

Sunday: Bacon Jam Bacon Burger with potato salad, and salad
Monday: Tandoori Salmon, salad and new potatoes
Tuesday: Pepsi Max Chicken and noodles
Wednesday: Cod, chips and gravy - woooohooooo!!
Thursday: Jambalaya
Friday: Garlic and lime Balti and rice
Saturday: Ham and pineapple pasta bake and cheesy garlic 'bread'

I don't know if I'll make it to 10.30 tonight, nor manage to have a read in bed, I'm absolutely shattered today. I've completed day 4 of 10,000 plus steps. My foot and knee are plastered in ibuprofen gel but I'm not giving up, I'm pushing through it this time. Wake Mr G up in an hour and hopefully we can listen to an episode or two of My Dad Wrote A Porno before he has to go back to work. And then I might have an early night. Slimming World Zoom meeting in the morning, last week's was cancelled as our consultant was poorly. I'm feeling so out of the loop not being on Facebook anymore, but I'm also feeling much lighter not being exposed to all the negativity on there, so it's the lesser of the two evils. Mr G is still on the group so I do get to know everything that's going on there.

Really looking forward to our drive out next week, hopefully see a couple of our friends, one is self employed and back at work, but hopefully we can pop and see his wife, like Mr G she works in a hotel but her hotel chain doesn't open until the next week, so this may be the only chance to catch up with her for a long time. Take her some flowers as I missed her birthday (my bad). Nice to have something ahead of me for the first time in a long time. Never again will I take take anything for granted, even the mundane things like a food shop. Lesson learned. Life is for living, clothes are for wearing, perfume is for spraying - yes - even the expensive stuff, yes - even just to sit in the house, candles are for burning. I am worried about what's ahead for us all, especially those who I love, but I'm feeling more positive about things than I have done in a long, long time. What will be will be, at the end of the day.