What on earth is going on here in the 48 hrs or so I have not posted? I may go into the journals and see what has been upseting everyone....
Happy don't YOU DARE go off and leave us. I hate to think that something as UNIMPORTANT as a journal entry to an individual's life could cause anyone to quit posting. You have become a very good friend, as has everyone else who posts on this thread and I for one would sincerely miss you. You have been so encouraging ever since I have found this site and I need all the encouragement I can get, not just with trying to lose weight. Please HAPPY2BME... stay with us.
Right I am off to these fated journals

hi all more time to talk now the clan have been fed their full english i myself {stopping to polish halo}had two bits of toast made with weight watchers bread and low fat spread,. I am totally amazed that i have had no coke sweets cakes biscuits or crisps all week have been eating very healthy all week and drinking lots of yucky water and yet im not hungry anyway enough of me TEEL sorry to hear youve been ill i had flu virus 2 weeks ago and had hasty rejections from both ends now all im left with is sore throat and runny nose.hey MEL glad i could help you would not beleive some of the music im into it ranges from bon jovi [i keep telling my kids i dont want to kepp jon bon jovi i only want to play with him for a wee while} to vangelis and a heck of a lot in between SHAD hubby said if you find the proper name of virus and go onto net it will give you the fix to stop comp constantly trying to send emails or if he says all else fails if you delete your address book it will have no where to go and will allow you to delete it well girls im off to do dishes check goulash and take the next load of washing out and take dogs out again speaking of dogs TEEL i have a staffordshire bull terrier that weghs in at 4 stone and she will continually jump up and attempt to sit on my knee {thats if she can find space with belly and boobs already taking up alll the space }my god i havent i went on a bit better go speak to you all later
kirsty

Yo and I am now on the rice cakes so things are definately looking up!!
Ah Linus...I think I ma slowing up as I hit the back straight to the finish line of the big 4-o...is your avatar a picture of your Staffie??
I wonder how Shaker has survived the wedding?
Has anyone heard from Gosia or have we frightened her off with our madness??
Hi Shad, have a good time with Chris whilst she is over in your neck of the woods...I take it her leg is fully better now...please say hello from me and Holly
Happy, what are you doing with your Sunday afternoon? It is 11 degrees here so hopefully it is a bit warmer over your way.
Bye for now..where has that Peacock got to, I wonder also?

Ah ladies thank you for the kind words. It is the love here that makes my heart ache at the idea of leaving. I had been stewing about this for a few weeks now, the row over the post just brought things to a head I suppose. I do feel better today, a renewed spirit of sorts. Although I do think I will cut back my time here and devote it more to the threads. I am always complaining that I don't have enough time and applying Shad's who, what, why philosophy, I must admit that I spend far too much time on the computer. Not just here but surfing the Internet, emails and games. My elbow is starting to bother me - they call it tennis elbow but it's actually an inflamation of the nerve that runs under the elbow joint - a "on the job hazard" of spending most of your life crooked and typing at a PC applying undue pressure on the elbow. Today I was fixing the bed and I caught a sideways glance in the mirror. I had on pajamas that were fitted and there is this huge bump on my posterior - my big fat butt and a smaller but also too large bulge in the front - my belly It was one of those big nudges that it is high time to get in some serious exercising. And I also need to Flylady 2700 fling boogie my basement so we can get things cleaned up and enjoy our newly remodeled area. Perhaps I should have Mel over to help me - we need a "tossing" smilie. The point being I need to use my time more judiciously - chores first and then whatever time is left over can be used for pleasurable things.

So, thank you again for the support and kind words and helping me to get on the high side of life again. Shad, your rose picture was absolutely breathtaking in your journal. Was very similar to what DH gave me tho on your picture the petals were opened more like a full flower, but the coloring was the same.

Teel, is it 11C or 11F by you? 11C and I would be dancing for joy! It is slightly below freezing here and VERY windy and gray today. A good day for staying warm by hustling around the house cleaning and washing which is exactly what I plan to do. Tonight DH and I will sit at our respective computers and mumble our way through our homework And I went a bit gung ho at the grocery store yesterday - NEVER go there hungry! I have a few roasts to cook up today so that meals are well planned for the week and ready to serve with just a quick warm up.

Shad, apparently DH and I both got a bit of an outside mailing from your virus. We both had quarantined mail with .au and .nz extensions on them (Australia and New Zealand). We did not get the virus per se, just got our email addresses on one of the mass mailing routing lists. I cannot determine the specific worm that caused the problem, we just deleted the emails and that was the end of that. I suspect though that the hackers are getting more clever and some of these viruses are being popped on the computer simply by visiting a web page. I hope you were able to get everything cleaned up.

I am off to make a busy day of it. Will probably be back later tonight. Have a great day everyone!

hi teel no thats a bulldog im still hunting for a avatar ofa staffie i might just have to get out the digital camara and take a nice pic of my lovely clean dogs and use that instead speak soon kirsty

Hmm Happy, glad you are feeling better about things. Actually I did not send DH a mail - I wonder if that happened when I was cleaning the Addresses book? So sorry that you got extra from my mails. I think I may take Linus' advice - actually I may reformat the lot. DS comp first and then mine. I can use the network for the photos, which I know are clean.
That is the peace rose. I got it off the net. The colours of a Peace are cream, yellow and pink - so that photo is not particularly true. You can find better on the net. I just liked the titles and things. The one I am thinking of is not yet out. The photos I have of it are all full bloom. I'm waiting for the buds to open. Could be a few days yet.
Back later with more erudite comments but I am glad you are sticking with us.

Oops, forgot to say have a lovely visit with your buddy Chris this week Shad. Are the traveling fairies looking kindly upon you and the schedule actually works such that you can be together in town at the same place, same time?

Actually yes. I am in town for the next two weeks, moving from store to store in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and even down to Byron Bay (famous for its beach and climate) also famous as the home base of Russell Crowe and Paul Hogan (remember Croc Dundee?)
Chris arrives on the GC on Wednesday morning and I shall be on the coast as well. Then she goes to Toowoomba and the powers that be have sent me to Gold Coast again. While she is in NZ I go to Byron and Murwullimbah and when she comes back I am in Brisbane again. So although we wont have a lot of time together at nights we shall both be in the same place. Now won't that be nice. Actually she better get here quick. I have bought some nectarines for her - lovely big juicy organic ones. You can't get nectarines in Japan and she loves them, but if she doesn't hurry up I shall have eaten them all. I'm partial to them too and they are in my fridge!!
I have today off. I am going to finish getting ready for Chris and go buy a hedge trimmer - DS has put in the order for a certain variety - now if only I could remember the name (just joking son), anyway I'll get that today and if I go early enough, I may just get to play with it before he gets home from work.
There are other things I must get on with as well - such as reconciling the corporate Amex card - such a pain in the neck. But it has to be done. Also because so many places won't accept Amex these days I also have to prepare a reimbursement statement - double yuk. It's not all fun travelling you know.
So time to go get started. I see Happy's egg is lit - are you sneaking around today instead of working? Oh no just realised it's Sunday over there.
Okay, my breakfast is now finished (yes I am late this morning - still working on Perth time I think) time to go see what MEL is up to - no doubt provoking someone somewhere. ================== I've lined them up for her to run over!!!

Shad thanks for the rose site. Poems, music and all! It will keep me occupied for a long time. Also found www.freeimages.co.uk/ and www.istockphoto.com. Not that I am at all done with webshots What a lovely change!!
Jen was telling me about a virus that gets into your address book and sends mail out using your name so others get it, think it's you and they get the virus.Then it repeats itself over and over again. She said it was on tv awhile ago. I don't know the name though. Maybe it just couldn't work on your pc and that is why it kept trying to send stuff?! Don't know if this is helpful at all.

Teel~ Hope you are feeling better with the rice cakes. I like toast and ginger ale. I could just picture Holly asking for treats. I miss having an animal. Can't hug the birds! When do you go back to the jacuzzi! I want to go too!!!

Linus~ I thought your hubby was right but the song is from Merle Haggard's TV show(country western) from who knows what year. Someone suggested it and I went to look. But nice try and appreciate the help. It was driving me crazy not to know! LOL Hope you feel better too nose and all.

Happy~ If I could, I would send you and Shad and all the others roses galore.
I don't want to get sappy again but I reallly was lost for awhile there and you guys gave me a home to lay my head to rest. ps~ I try very hard NOT to look in the mirror at a sideways shot!! LOL My ABSOLUTE worst view!

Shaker must be recoup'ing from the wedding. I better start thinking of supper and a shower. Hope you all have a good night and a great morning for those soon to get UP!

While Shad has given us beautiful roses to view, my kitchen is smelling quite fragrant right now. I have a beef roast in the oven and a pot roast cooking on the stove. I went through my spice cabinet and started reading labels and if it said "pot roast" I shook some on. It smells so heavenly - can't wait to dig in. Just have a favor to ask don't tell DH that I slipped some mushrooms in the pot roast Will be our little secret. He hates them as much as cauliflower but if he can't see them, it doesn't bother him.

I am doing the Fly Lady thing - 15 minutes on a chore and 15 minutes resting, goofing off, lurking, having fun. It's working as I am tearing through my list of things to do and not feeling like the whole day has been spent working.

Mel, I am very glad that you joined our little group. Had I known when I talked to you originally, I would have grabbed you by the scruff of the neck and pulled you in sooner. I looked for more posts from you after we first talked and I must have lost you. But glad you are here again.

I am afraid we have lost Gosia. I'm sure as the baby grows she will find her time is not her own for say, the next 18 to 25 years But if you are lurking Gosia, we wish you well.

So Linus, tell us about Edinburgh. Do you live in the country or in the city? Shad visited Scotland last year on her world tour and shared some pictures with us. How lovely the lands are out that way. In the states we are so used to city cement and roads that we don't know what it's like to see green rolling hills and clear blue waters unless we travel on holiday.

Ummm juicy nectarines Shad. How yummy. They are starting to come in here - imported from somewhere but you have to watch them like a baby chick. Patiently wait until they ripen, they are good for a day and then get all wrinkly and dry within one day. Can't wait until they are in season here and they last longer. Hope Chris makes it in before they are just a distant memory in the refrigerator. You said the other day DS borrowed your car to pick up your birthday present. Did you get it or was it a false alarm?

Teel, once you find Peacock, come back and tell us your splashy story you hinted the other day. Have you been back to the pools yet?

Shaker, we also await the gossipy story of your adventures as a bridesmaid.

My 15 minutes of me time are up. Off to clean the loo now. Eeeewwwww.

Birthday present - oh yes I forgot. Simon knew that I missed the spoiler on the rear of the car - it just looks so much more sporty with it - and yes I have the yen to have a sports car - one day. So he investigated the possibilities of getting one fitted. The Holden parts model was over $1000 which is way out of the rules of the game not to mention out of his budget, so he got an after market part to fit and he has loving sanded and painted and sanded again and got the Panel shop to do the final coat and then he fitted it. He also got me a new map book - so I don't get lost and a set of floor mats for the interior. Nice present and certainly not what I expected - so now I have a real sporty job for the car. After I have washed it, I'll take a piccy.

Oooh I can almost smell the roast dinner - it's ages since I had one of those. Please Happy can I come to dinner.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city - I love it. It is so old and full of winding little lanes and wee statues including GreyFriars Bobby. The castle dominates - it's just wonderful. I feel at home there.

Ooh yes, I agree - the spoiler does do so much for the car. That was really sweet of DS - a real gift of love. Do you forgive him infecting your computer now?

Shad, you are quite welcome to stop by for dinner any time. There's always enough to share. And a great dinner it was if I say so myself. Roast beef, fresh green beans with bacon bits, fresh mozzerella and tomato salad. Enough left over for another meal and I will be able to take a few pieces to my Mom's on Friday - she loves it but she said cooking for one generally doesn't warrant making a roast. I suggested she use the freezer - I do, but nooooooooo. Anyway she will enjoy a nice meal on Friday while I am down the street partying with my friends.

I am always a bit insulted that DH slathers my beautiful roasts with a layer of mustard - today's was so thick it looked like icing on a cake - but he says mustard enhances it. I told him next time I won't bother to season it, I'll just dump it in a pot of water if that's what he'll do to it and then we'll see how mustard enhances it. I prefer mine with just a dab of horseradish - enough for a "bite" but not enough to make the tongue start on fire. And it was a completely South Beach friendly menu. I have been looking for something that tastes better than what they plan in the book and decided to improvise this week now that I know what to avoid. I think it's going to be a good eating week which will be easier to stick to plan - I haven't been awful lately but I haven't been 100% good either.

Here's to a new week...

What is it with men that it has to be doused with mustard or tomato sauce or chili sauce or whatever all over the meal. DS is great at it and so was the other DS and the exDH - like you make a chicken kiev or Caribean with all the flavour of the good things in life and they drown it in a SAUCE! Might as well boil everything and let them go for it.
The jury is still out on forgiving the computer antivirus scan scandal!!!

Shad you can't feel Edinburgh is your home...you should be in Norwich, safely insconsed in The Mustard Shop!! (have you got that mail I sent you, b.t.w., or have you had to delete it along with everything else?)
Oooooh Happy, roast dinners! trust the male species to slap mustard over it....MEN!!! Although you, miss, are naughty, putting secret mushrooms in it...
Linus....I too love Scotland. I have only been up a couple of times...once to Nairn where an Indian friend and I had a wonderful time, stayed a few nights with an authoress who won a literary competition that year, then on to Newtonmoore and finally down to the big E!! On the second visit a different friend and I went on a package to Lock Awe and (ooops how d'you spell that?) and visited Fort William and had an evening at The Tattoo . It was absolutely great and F.W. was in the middle of a heat wave whilst we were there which rather bowled them over as they said the week previous to our visit it had rained almost non-stop!!!
Shaker....have you hit the road to recovery yet, m'dear???

Happy, the roasts sound great and I miss red meat. The plan I am on deleted red meat olut of my life! Maybe a good size pot roast this week. Hmmm going to Shoprite for food tomorrow so good idea! MUSTARD!!! Men are a strange breed aren't they?
Wish you had dragged me by the scruff of anything!!! and glad Shad did and you both nudged me. Seems funny now that I was so afraid. Rejection is not a nice thing.
Well that was then and this is now. Feels good to have some "family".

The car sounds nice Shad and I have been wondering if the DS had ever gotten back from the store?! Nice surprise and I hope you forgive him anyway! Hope you and your friend spend SOME time together. sounds a bit like hide and seek this time around!

Teel, how did the water activity feel later on. I was curious if it lasted a few days or what? If I could get into water, I think I would find greater relief. Hoping it works for you.

Well as some of you know one of the bus's lifts broke. The one that goes to the Malls. Thank God it wasnt the food store bus and thank God it wasn't while I was on it!!
I'm having a hard time pretending that this year is not having a tough beginning even though some very good things have happened too. Seems like my patience and sense of humor are being tested to the max! But I am still smiling so there must be some more left inside me or I've gone over the deep end and don't know it yet!
I have some wash to sort that never got done yesterday. Hope you all have a great day/night too.