(oops I hit the wrong button!!! :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :crazy: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: )
.....to contine my thoughts.....:blah: :blah: to my world wide chickies. Don't know where I'd be without you guys to :write: :write: to sometimes.
1st August!!! Where has the time flown to this year? Only another 4 weeks and I hope to be off to London to have tea with H.M. :queen: I should be so lucky :lucky: !!
It has seemed this year that the nights are drawing in more quickly than usual. By 22:00hrs it was almost pitch black out in the garden...
Well chicks...the eyes are feeling all stingy and tired now :tired: :faint: so I think it may be time to head back to bed (again!) so I will depart now and try and salvage what's rest of the night.
Hope the day is going according to plan, Shad and that Linus and the rest of Scotland are happily snoring and soon it will be good night to Happy and Mel and Shad can have the sandpit all to herself. Build a nice big mansion of a sandcastle, Shad, so we can all come and have tea!!! :cool: :D
Thank you all again.... :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Sandcastle you want??? Okay how about this picture below.
And what do you mean about no cow smilies
:moo:
:moo:
:moo:
:moo:
:moo:

:lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3: :lol3:
:moo: :moo: :moo: Aaaaaah found him!!!
Have a good day. See you later. I'm SO TIRED!!!!! :tired: :tired: :tired: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:

glad your feeling better teel you really are such a lovely person and hope you find the strenghth to get to the bottom of your woes ill have to give you my messenger address incase you find yourself needing to talk to someone even if its just to talk about the weather sometimes just knowing someones there helps and no at 2.44 am dh and i were playing right up until 4.39 till he passed out bless
kirsty

Hey ......... YOu girls are so strong
 

Morning all :coffee: , I am inspired once again from these unique personalities that come here to share. Miss Teel, this is a powerful bunch of woman who really tell it like it is and with Love too! I might add my two cents too...... As woman of substance which of course we all are!!!!!! ;) There are issues within each of us that sometimes surface for no understandable reason. If you find yourself feeling the burden of an event that happened in your past and especially in your childhood. W e truly need to be receptive to the idea that your Spirit wants to move past the experience and is ready for some healing. There are often many situations that we take undue responsibility for that are ugly events. To put in behind us we must relize that we were the child and that if an adult is involved the burden lies with them. The ability to shift the blame and put the anger where it should be placed. The ability to forgive ourselves is an easy statement to make but it takes some processing to do it and to feel it. My heart was touched by your honesty. We survive so many things in our life and will slay dragons for our children and families but sometimes the most difficult battles are the ones we wage in silence. All of us are here for each other and stand united with words of wisdom, some loud yelling or a good bawling out whenever it is required!!!!!!!!! Please feel free to pm me if you ever need to shed a tear or sing of a victory! This may sound odd but alot of people after having traveled just recently sometimes go into depression or funk for no apparent reason.....I worked with a girl and when we had to go on trips for business and sometimes pleasure I had to help her through the being at home bit again.
Yesterday, I weeded whacked my knapweed that insidious weed plaquing the western lands for 4 hours. I stopped when the salt from my sweat was burning my eyes. This morning I am at it again for how ever long it takes. And then I have to stop procrasinating and go to the office to complete some work too!!!!! Give me strength.
I am up for the sand castle building lots of good sand in oz to idle away the hours shall we meet down under...... ?????? Take care ladies and enjoy the day what ever it brings your way.....
Peace,
Nae

Sorry I missed all the action!! MISS TEEL....WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????? NOT!!!!!!! i WON'T REPEAT ALL THE SAME AS THE OTHERS WROTE BUT MY EYES BUGGED OUT WHEN I READ YOUR POST!!!! MUST HAVE BEEN A BAD DAY!!!!! But seriously....it's just everything. The physical bits, the traveling, realizing limitations, the future and it's many uncertainties, etc. You're overwhelmed with so much that I am surprised you haven't screamed out before!!! You should hear me over here. I sound positively maniacal at times!!! :lol; I think it's good to get things out of your system and get's a person a clearer head! Like dusting. You are very nice to look at and I won't even go there!!!
You know what you said is untrue. You want ugly and a laugh.........look at MY picture! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Good to see
you posted since then with a better day! (((((((((((HUGS)))))))))) Good luck with the challenge this month!!

Linus~ You made me almost laugh and cry with the Dad/DH thing. PARENTS!!! lol Hope you didn't knick any toes when shaving. My toe felt squeamish when I read the razor part! :rofl:
a friend got me a 23" telly last year and now I can watch TV with no glasses on! Then I saw these huge jobbies!! WOW!! Like MOVIES in your own home!!! :lol: Hope you continue to improve in health!!! (((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

Shad~ Does the son have a place already near the job?? Did I miss something?? LOL Hope he has good luck over there. I am sure he will be watching out for a space for you too. i will be glad to pull you guys up the bridge and then push you down.....wheeeeeeeeeeee! :lol3: :lol3: :faint: :rofl: :rofl: :yikes: :lol: :lol: ((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))) for that crappy scale of yours. Thiss too shall pass! You are such a determined and motivated person!!

Nae~ I adored the story. I love them as you also know. Miss armchair traveler. glad you had such a grand time and nature stuff like that always attracts me. shad has some great travel pics from all over/ Happy and the DH too. Hope the killer weeds don't win the fight. You need many gallons of "round-up" I think it's called!!! We have yet to see the moon. I should have set the alarm cause it is raining when I go to bed! (sigh) Good thing you got back from the River of No Return!! Who else would have gotten the hummingbird out and free?!?!?

Happy~ I am polishing up the chair and getting a wagon ready. Off we go to the next bridge race. Summer at Nae's and Winter at Shad's will be fine with me. When do we leave??? I told Shad she should start up a B & B!!! :rofl: Nice food choices and good luck with the challenge. Good luck with interviews and the "interest" starting to happen. Scary and happy at the same time. I understand.((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))

Well I am a happy person. 1.5 lbs lighter than last month, feet looking much improved (toe is healing nicely too), no inches lost this time, eyes and face looking OK too. Guess I cannot complain. I had a VERY busy day with alarms. Just when I got started doing something for myself, another one went off!!! The last one was at 4:15 AM!!! I was exhausted. Remind me never to say I'm having a LAZY day for myself! :rofl: I had the PC on all day and never got to it again!! Went to bed about 12 but was so wound up I saw 2 AM come before the eyes and brain would shut down. Then up again at 4 so I slept in to 8:30 after coming back. So I am off to the kitchen to make some more salad and veggies. I have decided not to have potatoes this week and see what gives. Me or the scale! :rofl: Have a great day and be well.

WELL DONE!!to SHAD& MEL for their great stats this month...you are both doing brilliantly!! :D :strong: :bravo: :cb: :cp: :spin: :dancer: :dance: :hat: :high: :wizard: :cheer: :goodscale :rofl:
Night night from England.

Hey Teel
 

Hey girl, hope you find this day a good day to reach for your possibilities and leave some ghosts behind....thinking of you today...... blessings....
Nae ;)

hi all glad we all sopund so much better i didnt get the legs done last night so ive just done them i think i lost a stone of body hair mum gave me a loan of her shower chair didnt know why i didnt think of that before anyway dh is in bed sound asleep {think i wore him out}so im going to sit and play sims having my new case fitted tomorrow so might not get on but will try and do my measurements tomorrow before the clan rise have a wonderful day?night and ill speak to you all tomorrow
kirsty

Morning all,
It's 8.31am on a sunny Monday morning and the world is back to work - although you wouldn't notice it from my computer desk. It's quiet and sunny and still. My weeds are (sort of) under control but unless vigilance is asserted, then they won't be for long.

It's good to hear that we are feeling and looking better than last week. Hey MEL congratulations on the 1.5 down. I'm completely stoked for you. 'Nae, nice post. You are a very wise lady. And it is great to hear Kirsty sounding a lot more chipper and dishing it out to the Dad and the DH

Found an article in the local Sunday rag yesterday. It's in the lift out called Body and Soul. The article is called 'there is nothing to fear'. I'm not going to reproduce the lot but it seems that we might all get something out of it, so I will only post the main points.

'there's nothing to fear'
Face up to what scares you and you may end up living your dream life. (by Chris Sheedy)
If you'd like to give fear the flick and bring peace of mind into your life, consider the "Four C's". Petrea King's recipe for happiness and peace of mind.

Control For a sense of control over life, try to consciously choose your responses to life's challenges, rather than reacting habitually. The focus here is to recognise that while we can't always change what happens to us, we can change our response to what happens to us.

commitment To feel committed to life we must be willing to become emotionally up-to-date. This means refocusing our priorities, forgiving ourselves and others, or resolving relationship difficulties. We must resolve and learn from past issues.

Challenge We must feel challenged and excited by our lives. What is it that gets our juices flowing? Is there meaning in our suffering? Are we living our dream? We must feel we're living the lives we came here to live.

Connection A sense of connection is crucial. We all need to know that we're loved and supported by those we share our life with, that we have a sense of belonging or place, or are connected to what we consider sacred or divine.

PS Petrea King is the CEO of the Quest for life Foundation. She is also part f the medical profession. She has suffered cancer, rape, drug addiction, divorce and a brother who committed suicide. Her thoughts on life include the following:
"When you face death most people become more alive than they have ever been. They are grateful for the experience"

As good a note as any to go out on. Catch up later.

August and a new commitment :)
 

Hello all :D

Shad mentioned this forum so... I came by :dizzy:

I am married, have two little girls, ages 4 and 6 and live in British Columbia, Canada. I have been trying to get my head into the slimming zone since January this year when I started hanging out in the journals on this site. I am a stay at home mom, I am a moderator at a website for amputees (I'm not an amputee, I just liked the energy there and stayed) I adore Antonio Banderas and listen to Matchbox Twenty for pleasure and relaxation. I am a strong believer in positive self talk and am a bit of a quote maven. I have quotes taped up all around the computer and have a belief that they feed me everyday to try harder and be better. Everyone in my family has weight issues. I grew up in an atmosphere of food is love and finish your plate mentality. You must share food to show love, refusing birthday cake is an insult, etc. My biggest hurdle to overcome is making time to sweat. The mornings don't work for me but if I wait till the afternoon the routine of the day gets in my way. I am tired of making excuses for not doing it so I have been just grabbing time... 15 minutes on the bike after breakfast, bellydancing tape after dinner or before where ever I can. This is just the first step to getting myself into it. I hope that my body is going to start craving that feeling of blood flow and warm sweat dripping, that rejuvenation of self that comes from taking care of my body's needs by moving. I do alright on food choices, just need to say no thankyou more often when stuff is offered and work on my mind to not feel that I have deprived myself of something that I will never be able to taste again :lol: Yes, my head plays tricks on me like that, "you must taste the cake... you will never have the chance for that flavour in your mouth again!" Sad really to think how much pleasure I get from food, must work on finding fun alternatives :D

I look forward to getting to know you all and be a useful supporter in your journeys to your slimmer selves.

Oh good, I'm glad you dropped by. The others will be in to chat as time permits and the worlds time zones roll around. :gossip: :blah:
British Columbia, you must be the most westerly of those on the American Continent. Good oh, we have Mel on the East Coast, Happy in the Mid West and Roseblush in Idaho. :cheers: Linus is in Scotland and Teel in England. Moving slowly, slowly westward. I'll have you all drifting over here soon!!!!! Then it will be party time. :hat:
Welcome Meadow. We are nuts most of the time, however these are the most supportive and helpful ladies I know. There is always someone to offer advice, help and plain old good friendship here. Drop by for :coffee: any time.

Question!!!!!! - what do you fill yourself up on if you don't eat bread????? If I have cereal in the morning, I'm fine until just before lunch. If I don't and have eggs or something - then the backbone is about to ravish the ribs by 10. Ditto for lunch. A salad with tuna or whatever leaves me reaching for the fruitbowl and biscuit barrell come 4.00pm. The fruits okay, but again, I'm about to eat the horse and chase the rider come half an hour later. I'm not a good snacker and prefer the 3 squares but not having the carbs is causing a problem. Any answers???

:coffee: :coffee: Anyone for a mug of coffee? I even have some semi skimmed milk in the fridge which is very unusual for me :lol:
Welcome to Meadow. What a pretty vision that conjurs up..all summer flowers and grasses blowing gently in the breeze! Is that why you chose it? :cool:
I am the English Teel aforementioned. I am now 40 years old (and 6 weeks!) :o and I live in East Anglia which is on the east bit of England, but lower down towards the south. I won't bore you and everyone else with personal details as you can find all these in my profile... ;)
As Shad said, we are all nutcases but the girls are very supportive when the need arises...and believe me, the need arises rather a lot for me, as you'll see by reading the posts!!
Shad, have you heard about the GI diet? GI is for glycaemic index...all foods have a GI rating and apparently foods with a low or moderate index are better for the body's digestion as they digest more slowly and release carbohydrates in to the body at a slower rate so the blood sugar levels don't rise fast and then fall just as fast, but rather they slope up and hold for a great deal longer before gently falling away again. There is even a difference between white long grain rice and Basmati...the latter being the better of the two. :T :hun:
Hope you get some good replies to you C.V.'s this week..hang on to everything you can!!
Mel, thanks for your post too. You took the words right out of my mouth! You are absolutely correct. It IS everything that is getting me down at the moment. :devil: the physical bits, the mental bits, the skipping around with still properly undiagnosed chest pain, having my :censored: meds changed again.. :( I have also lost my sleep pattern. Last night I went to bed at about 22:00, was awake at 23:35! Went back to sleep and woke at 02:00..let Holly out and she sprinted at the speed of light to the bottom of the garden wher she had a very one sided ferocious and noisy conversation with a large heggie that had come out from under the garden shed! Back to bed...was awake at 04:00...took the washing out of the machine...went back for what turned out to be the best sleep of the night and got up at 08:30. I would dearly love to go back to bed but I have an apppointment with my social worker at 11:00hrs and I need to shower and wash hair....
It is 16 degrees here this morning but it feels quite cold. Very grey out, the sun hasn't broken through yet. :sunny:
I had better go and start the day....I have even had brekkie ! Yoghurt with pineapple and melon chunks....here we are on day 3 :lol:

Teel~ I know that "EVERYTHING" feeling so well that we have almost become friends! :rofl: Glad you got some added sleep. Maybe when it all calms down a bit you will get back on schedule. Hang in there and good luck with day3!! I have come to love yogurt, cottage cheese and mellons!! YUM YUM!! Enjoy!

Meadow~ Welcome my Quoting Friend!! so nice to see you here already!! You already know me so I guess I can skip the intro! :rofl: You have been a very supportive friend this year and I thank you. Your quotes have also kept me going or given me something to think about so keep it coming. I too have things in journals, post-it notes and scribbled on scraps of paper. :lol: Hope you make the time for yourself and get healthier with the rest of us!! We all have our struggles but plod along none the less! Welcome again!

Shad~ I really liket Petrea and her ideas. I jotted notes to self and will re-read tonite. I like to read something positive before bed. Not just the latest murder mystery! :yikes: I have never forgotton something you said on the phone. If ypou could teach one Yank to slow down....... Well I am proof that your wish was my command! :lol: I have sowed down tremendously and now I respond much more than the usual reacting. I also am going to try and teach this to Jen who could belong to Ruth's Hyper-pyper family! :rofl: Thanks for the encouragement! Hope the day brings you happiness.

Linus~ What case?? I got lost in your post! :rofl: Maybe I'm not awake yet! LOLOL You sound better. Are you??? Just don't go nuts the minute you're feeling more yourself!! We all know you too well now! The second you feel better you'll be :cb: :cb: :cb:

Nae~I am surprised I didn't dream of rapids and cliffs!! It was very entertaing and you are another great storyteller. We seem to have some great ones here. You all keep me so well "travelled"!!!
Has the hummingbird come back?? maybe she thinks it's her home now too:rofl:

Well kids......I took sinus meds and will be a vegetable of sorts today. I learned a lesson and will put ALL the pills into the daily box so as not to forget. Spoke with the pharmacist and he said that was the purpose of this pill....DAILY!!! :rofl: OK so I will.
Have a great day Wordly Chicks and be good to yourselves!

I flip over my calendar and what do I find? This passage...
"Choosing to live reactively and passively, instead of taking the ititiative to discover and actively live true to your authentic self, cheats you, the world, and everyone in it. It particularly cheats those with whom you directly share your life."

I'm getting messages everywhere I turn and they all go together like a puzzle!:lol:

So how was/is everyone's Bank Holiday/Picnic day????? Just see that too! :D

hi all welcome meadow i must have seen your name somewhere as i recognise it will look forward to the quotes as most of mine have curses :censored: in the middle MEL too late went and picked up my new COMPUTER case and got some wallpaper samples for the livingroom as i wont take dh with me cause it really pi**es me off when he just stands there and goes "thats fine if its what you want" ultimatly ill be papering so i pick but its nice to make him think hes got an imput and before i forget yes the sorcerors stone is the philosiphers stone they changed the title for american readers dont know why ??? and hows the toe? beter now i hope so comps not overheating now s this ones got an even bigger fan on the case but for some strange reason its quieter so after i get the kids clothes for going back to school i just need a new cooler and a bigger hard drive as my 10 gig blew and at the moment im running off 7 gigs and its a pain in the backside as i can only have one game on at a time so im off to take my washing out of the dryer as i had it all hanging out the backgreen but weve had fog all day that has steadily gotten worse so lots of semi-dry washing and ill pop back on later for a chat
kirsty

Morning all - yet again. Another morning rolls around and we have had some much needed rain in the Great South East (as my bit of Queensland is known) Not enough tho and it is starting to clear now, but at least it was rain and not 10 drips then back to brilliant sunshine again.
Been to the gym, ran again and some more and now I have had my shower and breakfast is ready it is time to catch up with you all and plan out the day. I'm feeling a bit stiff and sore, yesterday I upped the weights for the upper body. Still don't feel able to up the leg press weights yets. Anyway the upper body, apart from the vertical press lift is up to 35kg. It seems to have moved a few muscles and things that I wasn't aware that I had. The run this morning has compounded the general ache in the thighs - only wish that something permanent might come of it. Well maybe it will.
Where is happy????? When was that interview supposed to be? I should go back and have a look. She maybe flying off somewhere that we don't know about but wish to know about.
Linus, sounds like you are having the same sort of fun that I had with my old computer a while back. I think I have got everything off it now, but it will stay as it is for a while until I am satisfied there is nothing else that I want.
Hope everyone is having a good day. Mine is about to begin and I have made a huge mess in my bedroom cleaning out some of the tools and things that have been stored in boxes. So the first part of my day is clearing the mess and chucking the junk. Mind you, ds2 will probably tell me in 6 months time that it was not junk at all and he now requires it. Tough cheese kid, you should have put it away properly then. I also have some magazines to go through and decide on keep or chuck - mostly chuck one suspects and of course there is always some work to be done on the house.

Catch up later.

Puff, puff, huff, huff... 'ello Chickies and welcome to the fold Meadow. Couldn't have found yourself with a nicer bunch of people if you tried. We'll corrupt you soon enough if you don't watch out. :rofl:

It's been several days in a row of those too many durn things to do. I have one interview secured for late Wednesday afternoon and am waiting for a confirmation of the second out of town one - probably in 2 weeks. For the local one tho, since I have no sense of direction - spin me around 3 times in my own back yard and I'm lost - tonight DH and I took a ride out to the interview location. That is after I had to run and get groceries and fix us something to eat. I had bought a new necklace yesterday - nothing fancy but decided it looked nice with my shirt and wore it to the store. As I was putting the groceries in my car, I noticed the main part of the necklace was missing - so I had to walk all throughout the store, up and town all the aisles hoping I'd find the bauble on the floor. I was almost ready to give up hope and thought perhaps some child picked it up when I found it laying in the pet food aisle. I then had to rush home, fix us some quick sandwiches and eat fast. It was dusk when we left and I wasn't sure there would be enough light to see where I was going. We started one way and then opted for another route - DH was trying to find the best route for me knowing how I detest driving. We found a route on the way home which is only a few miles extra beyond the most direct route. I had to come and draw my own map - turn at the gas station, turn at the exterminators, etcs. It's horrible having no sense of direction and night blindness too. I wish there were more jobs downtown so I could take the train again but most of the businesses seem to be pulling out of Chicago. So here it is almost 10pm and I am still on the run for the day - I put the perishable groceries away but now have to finish the fruits and veggies and cleaning the counter. And take the laundry out of the dryer.

I paused for what seemed like a short bit of time and here it is 2 full hours later. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Shad, in regards to your question on what to eat, I picked up a magazine just today that talked about that very thing. I haven't read it all yet but will summarize tomorrow. I find myself that eating protein (eggs or a fruit/yogurt/protein powder smoothie) for breakfast helps to stave off the hungries longer than cereal. But everyone is different. Hopefully there will be something in the article of value to you.

I had better get to bed now, sweet dreams chickies and a good afternoon to you Miss Shad.

morning all just a quickie while im trying to get my legs to behave {i will not be ill again} happy meet your partner im terrible for directions totally hopeless when i used to have to go to job interviews and such i always took a taxi or i would never have gotten to them and a couple of times i had to take a taxi home because even though i was positive id memorised enough of the landmarks to get to the nearest bus stop alas no so im off to see if i can get my body to behave and ill catch up with you all later
kirsty

:coffee: Good morning to everyone!
I couldn't get back to you all last night as my computer kept saying "cannot find server" :devil: so after three times I gave up and went and did my favourite....not.....task...THE IRONING!!! And at this present time it is a point worth making that there is nothing in the house at all that needs ironing!!! Yee Hah! :cheer:
The dog and I are tired this morning.:tired: Don't know why the dog is...she didn't get out to play with any hedgehogs last night!
Well here we are on day 3. How are you doing, fellow challengers? Here come yesterdays menus...
Breakfast: yoghurt and pineapple with melon chunks.
Lunch: ready made rocket and bacon salad (just a few shavings of bacon) with coriander and chilli prawns.
Dinner: White basmati rice with vegetable skewers baked in the oven with olive oil, and a peppercorn beef steak.
Snacks: White grapes and before bed, four slices of Chinese flavour boneless skinless chicken fillets. This was rather unecessary as I was not hungry and don't really know why I ate them.:rollpin: :devil: :nono:
And so here I am on day 4. Not a terrible wonderful start. I was up late and couldn't be bothered with breakfast so I have a mug of black coffee with sweetener and 1 1/2 fox's cream biscuits.:drill: :coach: :rollpin: The dog had the other half...:T
You would think that having a heart condition where the ultimate treatment is a heart transplant I would be going all out to get back to a weight where I will be allowed on the transplant list, but ****, no, I seem to be on this path of self destruction.
Linus how are you? Did you have to go to the hospital yesterday?
Happy I am glad you found the bauble from your necklace. We'll have to call you Miss Beedy Eyes from now on! :lol: I always hate it when one of a pair of favourite earings breaks and can't be fixed. That happened recently when I had to throw away a pair that a friend had specially designed whilst he was in Tuscany. A beautiful drop light blue earring...I think he ought to go back and get me another pair made!! :rofl: :lucky: good luck with the ensuing job interviews my friend. Will be thinking of you.
Shad I hope the bedroom is back to being a bed-room again! And I do hope that DS doesn't suddenly think in a few months time that he REALLY needs that tool that he hadn't used for at least three years before you sent it on its merry way :lol:
Mel, what are you up to today? Mind any rogue disposable razors lying around! How is your body this morning? Behaving I hope as I think you are probably still in slumber land!! I still get confused as to what time everyone is in comparison to me, time wise. It has taken me an age to remember that Shad is 9 hrs ahead. Wakey wakey!! :wave:

Morning All
 

Hi Everyone and welcome to Meadow...... this is a lively bunch of gals who are so talented and funny and sweet and will support you and give advice with the warmest hearts around the world. Hope you like it here and feel free to express yourself. I worked so hard this weekend and the weeds are still winning the battle..... hand mowing and pulling 5 acres is not my cup of tea but it has to get done. I also made some head way on my office project and am feeling like maybe it can be completed..... My best talent is procrastination......wish there was a way to earn money!!!!!!! Solve lots of my problems.
My ex brother in law lost his battle this weekend and I am saddened he isn't here any more. He was a good guy and we continued to have a friendship after my marriage ended.... he always said to me Nae you can divorce my brother but you can't divorce the family. I thought that was sweet. My ex is causing so much turmoil in their family it is so sad.....he isn't welcomed in their homes any more and I dread the events of the weekend for them with him present at the funeral. Oh well, not my problem any more but I do feel the effect for my two sons. enough of that!
My son Jesse was forced into using his emergency medical skills this weekend. On a late night walk home with his girlfriend a car crashed into a parked truck and car right behind them when they were on the sidewalk. So he took care of the drunk lady driver...thank god those cars were in the way or else they would have been hit by her. He said they never even heard the car approach just the crunching of metal.......
Looks to be a nice day here today and I am hardly able to believe that summer is almost over....boo hoo........ok enough of Nae's whining or what do the english say...wincing.... of something like that.....
Hope all of you are enjoying the day!
Later,
Nae

So sorry to hear your news, Roseblush. It sounds like you have a bit of a challenging time ahead of you, especially with the funeral. I do hope that the atomosphere is better than think it is going to be! Funerals are funny things. They can either make or break a family..:grouphug:
And, Missy, what do you mean "summer is almost over?!" It is ONLY the third day in August!!! :lol:
Lucky that DS was able to help in the accident over the weekend...good for him :cheer: Thank the Lord he wasn't hurt as well :stars:
Roseblush I have sent you a rather lengthy p.m., you had better get yourself armed with a stash of coffee whilst you read it!! :coffee: :coffee: :coffee:

evning ladies how is we all good hopefully me im in the falling apart at the seams bit again i didnt have to go to the hospital yesterday as i had been feeling better but today im awful i think the weathers to blame its clammy muggy damp and foggy and to boot its starting to thunder so the pressure must be high so hence the cant move as its very painful kids are good so is dh and the dogs cleo has been really clingy as she seems to know when im sore she follows me around even to the loo i think thats because if im sitting on the loo she has a captive audience to get scratched and rubbed she really is a big sook anyway i have to go online and do some shopping and ill pop back later
kirsty
ps sorry for your loss rose and your probably right you are better off out of it say thanks to your ds for me every life saved is a life made better

Sorry to hear of the BIL Rose, and I'm well aware of how the poor family will be placed now with the funeral and your ex. My ex's family was a family constantly at war. I really don't understand all that as I come from a family which is not physically close, emotionally we are all tied together and happy about it. May not see each other often but heck it is fun when we do. Anyway, my ex's Mum died last Christmas and the ex and his brother who are never even much civil to each other fell out big time. I doubt very much whether they will ever speak again now that the only thing that was holding them together is gone. In a way it is sad as my ex now has only himself and one very close friend. He has managed to alienate the rest. Of course he has his sons, but they are very good at calling a spade a spade and not a digging implement and they tell him where to get off. Then he gets pouty and says no one loves him. Shucks........... get a grip. You are not always right and just because you have age on board, doesn't mean you automatically qualify for respect.
Anyway, I didn't mean to ramble about my ex. I was trying to express sympathy for you as you obviously got on well with your BIL.
Linus, I hope you get some relief soon. It's getting serious that this is not clearing up and letting you get back to being Linus again. Sometimes life deals out some cruel blows.
Rose, congratulate your son. It's not everyone who would know what to do in the case of an accident. Wise man acquiring life skills such as emergency medicine and first aid. Wish I had been there to make some very rude noises about the drunk driver. I have absolutely no patience with drink driving stupidity at all. I even frown at people who smoke while driving.

No gym for me today. It is rest day and I sorely need it I think. On Monday which was weights day, I upped the upper body weights by 5kg. It was getting all too easy. Anyway the shoulders, upper arms and upper back muscles have been protesting ever since although not so bad today. Yesterday I ran and boy were the legs had it after that. I did what Brendan suggested in that I didn't push myself so hard as to speed. He reckons that too much raising of the heart rate doesn't always do what you think it might. So he suggested that I leave the speed down where it doubles the heart rate but not any more than that. As soon as I can do it fairly easily up the time and later up the speed. Don't rush it he said - don't be the normal bull at the gate mother I know and love and wish to have around for a bit longer. Keep moving and just do it, oh and stop moaning about it when you get back too. If you hadn't let yourself get this way, then you wouldn't have had to do it!!! Yes Sir :drill: :drill: :p :p :p
Yesterday, I found the engineering solution I had in the bathroom is not going to work. Enter solution 2. Actually it is ds2 solution, so since he made the initial cockup, it is best that he brings about the solution as well. I will disappear down into the wood pile at the timber shop this morning and get the aforementioned solution and since he is home today, we may bring about the miracle. Poor kid had a badly infected ingrown toenail. He is prone to them as is DS1, runs in my family. Anyway after a week of antibiotics the dr has taken away half the nail. Kid was not happy last night, and I have just gone to wake him to go back to the dr to have the dressing changed this morning. I suppose I should be a good mum and take him down there instead of letting him drive himself. Speaking of which - hang on a tick - he's gone back to sleep again, time for a more rousing type of rowsing if you now what I mean. This kid does not do mornings gracefully. :rofl:
So another day of searching the job boards, carefully sending of applications for jobs and just as carefully not getting a lot of answers. There is some soul searching going on down here and I am wondering whether some further training and therefore trying to get the Austudy allowance for the training may not go astray. Could be China yet again.
Okay, time to go. Breakfast is calling. It's fine but windy out there today and I have a yard full of newspapers again. The weeds will be sprouting after the rain and so there is work to do out there. This wind will undo most of the good the rain did. Blah, blah, blah.

Morning, afternoon and evening - wherever you are in this glorious world.

I copied and pasted from my journal. I just couldn't write it twice as I am so saddened.

"A man I would like to think of as a “friend” died Sunday all alone. They found him yesterday. He was worth over $100,000 and never got to enjoy his $$. He had no friends and all because he came home from the Korean war spiritually wounded. Poor old Joe was never the same. This once hopeful NY University student went to war and came back to end up as a street sweeper. His family always tried to have him committed but never won. A few years ago when Joe couldn’t handle the battle himself any longer I got involved. We got him a lawyer and I made sure he had lunch every day. I delivered it myself for a year. That’s how long it took me to get him to trust people and come back to the lunch room. That Christmas he called me by name in the hallway for the first time and wished me a Merry Christmas. I cried so much I could hardly answer him. He told me we were the same. Both disabled. Joe was a lot smarter than some of my closest friends , probably knew me better too and I will miss him terribly. I used to get so excited if he would let me hold a door for him. You see he was afraid of doors and elevators etc and wouldn’t go in or through them with anyone. Such a recluse too, but he used to have a great smile and I always wondered what he was thinking. sometimes the smile was devious and I knew he was laughing at people inside. Poor Old Joe is in a better place I hope where people cannot hurt him anymore. This probably isn’t the place to be putting all this but somehow I had no where else to go. Weight didn’t seem to be on my mind today. Funny how something like this can put things back into perspective. Sorry about all this doom and gloom but I loved him as much as he would let me. I hope he knew that. "

Nae~ I am so sorry to hear of your loss too. Hope the funeraal is not as bad as we think it could be! do you go too? thank god the son wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time!!! Nice of him to help. why!!! do people still drive drunk?!?! I will never figure this out!! all my sympathies for the BIL. Hugs.

Shad~ Poor son's toe!!! Seems to be a lot of TOE going around this month!!! Jen dropped something on one of hers! OUCH! Does the govt. have retraining programs or is this just the China thing??? Is it very expensive to call china??? In quiring minds want to know!!! How goes the bathroom and the new idea????
When you toss all DS's stuff out what come in??? New things for Shad??? Maybe I can rent his room!!!:rofl:

Linus~ I should have known I was already too late!!! You're another Johnny Jump Up!! :rofl: Hope the legs are behaving better and there is no need for a hospital visit!!! How is the new case?? Everything working better? Since I saw your post, ZI have pulled my pc out and dusted it and left it where AIR can get to it!!! :rofl: I don't want it to :faint: right under my nose! Or fanny as the case may be! :rofl:

Happy~ Good luck with the interviews and hope you FIND THEM!!! :rofl: Should I send you my map????? Keep us posted!! What ever happened to the tree and what did you put around it??? Was it a bench?? I never saw the answer if there was one! :lol:

Teel~ Hope day 4 and 5 are goo ones!!! Cream biscuits??? And which diet are these allowed on?? I want a copy of that one. I think Shad might want one too!!! I want one where firemen come and serve breakfast in bed!!! Maybe with no shirt on and their suspenders!!! :rofl: Bet I would lose a PLOT of weight then!!!

A funny thing happened today with Joe's apt. A supervisor came to me later and handed me a bag. Said it was from Joe's. I opened it and found lots of brand new RAZORS!!! All in their origingal wrappers. There must have been a sale and he bought out the store. Of course it was a joke and the men were all laughing cause of my toe!! So I spent the... AFTERNOON HANDING OUT 10/PKS OF GILETTES!!:lol: :rofl: :lol3:

Well this is long enough and I best get a shower. sorry for all the saddness above but I don't know anyone else that would understand Joe as much as 3FC would. Sweet dreams and good morning Sunshine:flow2:

Was checking the job ads when I saw you had posted MEL, so sorry to hear of the loss of a friend. I think I said it all in the journal. There will be more Joe's around at the end of Iraqi involvement as well. Let's hope they all stumble on someone as loving as you.

The job ads - oh yes! I found one, I think it was the same one as applied for a month or so ago, where they were still studying my cv. Anyway a different agency. I applied again and I pointed out that the closing date on their ad was June 22nd but I was applying anyway. That is probably not the way to win friends and influence people. Sod it!!!!

:grouphug: to Mel and Nae on losing friends in this life. May you meet up again someday and enjoy each other's company again.

I can't stay on long - we are getting frightful storms out this way tonight. Great scary flashes of lightning and thunder so loud it rattles the windows. I thought we were over the worst of it but apparently another storm is making it's way through as the lights are dimming and the latest clap of thunder - clap is an understatement - almost made me cry out loud it startled me so. I'm not too comfortable leaving the computers on when it's this bad out.

Shad, I hope something comes of the latest agency. Sounds like your job situation is much the same as here. If only things were clear cut and the path ahead well lit. I will use your motivational saying as encouragement myself. Time for a change, it will be good. If only we could figure out the logistics of that soup and salad restaurant!

Teel and Linus, hope you are feeling a bit better. Mel, I think your legacy will be a razor now as it keeps coming back to bite you. Ha ha, I made a funny :rofl: :rofl:

Meadow did we scare you off or are you more comfortable just hanging around quietly at times?

Lights are dimming, I'd better log off. Take care ladies, have a great day ahead.

A sackful of hugs needed...
 

First things first. :grouphug: to Mel and Roseblush.MEL I think I heard of Joe in your posts in the past. What a sad ending to life for a man who did so much for his country and showed such ambition in his early life.. Gee, we never really get to hear what happens to armed forces members when they come home from fighting for king and country. When is the funeral likely to be? Don't forget to take time to yourself and don't feel you have to be there for everyone else. You, too need some peace and tranquility... :bubbles:
SHAD I hope DS's infected toe gets better soon. Anything to do with toes causes SO much pain! Has he thought about having it removed? The nail, I mean! :lol: Not the entire leg!! Have fun playing in the timber pile! Don't forget to come home again! Good luck wishes continue for you in your job hunt. I really hope you get what you are looking for very soon. Have you heard from Japan Chris since she had her holiday?
I have at last finished fiddling with my holiday photos...only to find I have duplicated some. :devil: Goodness knows how. I am sure I had only edited 2 out of the 3 c.d.s.Sorting that out will have to wait for another time...
LINUS I really feel for you in all your pain at the moment. I wish I was there with you! I know I can't run around doing the housework but at least I could keep the kettle boiling and cook... ;) Please try and take it easy, you know, one minute at a time, not 30 minutes all crammed in to one!! :dizzy:
HAPPY for you too good luck wishes are winding their way for a new job that you will enjoy and doesn't perhaps mean you upsticks and move away.Afriend of mine is about to leave his job too. He was relocated to an office 45 minutes drive away and has not been happy there at all in the 3 months he has been there. He has decided to resign 'cos he was so miserable and the job satisfaction did not equal the unhappiness. I don't think I have ever known 3 people to be out of work at the same time....:grouphug: to you all.
MEADOW where are you hiding? Like Happy says, have we scared you off our thread? I will post a picture of a meadow about 5 minutes by car from my house in the hopes it will spur you on to come back to us! :wizard: :wizard: :mag: :genie: :genie:
As for me...I have revealed how the challenge is going in the journals so I won't bore you all and repeat it here. I suppose as it is just past 11:00hrs and I am being picked up at 12:00, that I should go and put some clothes on (it's ok! I am wearing a LARGE towel!!!:lol3: :lol3:
Bye for now. Try and have a bit of quality individual time, everyone!!

Morning All
 

It is a sunny warm morning here and I didn't feel like getting up so I hope my :coffee: does it's magic for me this morning. Mel, I am sending warm thoughts your way. It was a blessing for your friend to have known you Mel and how much you must have meant to him. I am sorry for you loss. It is always a difficult reality to know we will never see a person again but we must take some comfort in that they are no longer in pain. I won't be attending the funeral for my BIL because my ex would pitch such a fit it would be to no one's benefit. I have talked to my boys and theya re so much in the middle of their season Idon't think they will take the time off to travel so far. My BIL would rather they enjoyed a good day of fishing somewhere and just had great memories of him.
Thanks to all of you for your support and kindness here. Teel I was so glad you wrote to me and informed me a little bit about yourself. Thank you and girl you are amazing in that you are still rising to the challenges that have come your way...... your energy and ability to rise above is so admirable.
SHad thanks for sharing with me about your ex..... it is like theyare stuck in an emotional warp of about 14 or something and they fight tooth and nail to ever have to go a the place of realizing that maybe they made some mistakes and humble themselves enough to apologize or just recognize the wake of pain they leave behind them. So sad, mine has just recently done some other terrible things to his sister so I know at the end of that funeral there is going to be some ugly stuff happening and I don't want my boys exposed to the foolish mouth of my husband in front of people they love.
I do hope the job hunt goes well for Happy and Shad..... it is scary I am sure but keep the faith that something great lies ahead for both of you. Linus I am so sorry you aren't feeling well. Ido hope you get some rest and recovery. Your stories about the necklace were so enlightening and fun. Think of when he is in his twenties and he looks back at his life and we will probably of lots of fun stories to share with his future wife and kids..... I am looking forward to showing some videos of my kids to their children someday it will be a hoot. So please get to feeling Linus.
Take Good Care everyone today and thanks for your tender thoughts and expressions.
Peace,
Nae

hi everyone how are we all good i hope MEL so sorry to hear about your loss isnt it strange that some people you take to so quickly when other people wouldnt give them the time of day for whatever reason and to think what they missed and to leave you such a reminder :eek: :lol: im just so glad you made his final years just that wee bit better it must have been nice for him to know you where there you are such a true and loyal freind just remember now his mind is at peace and dont mourn too much :angel: ROSE knowing my craig and the swollen head he has {honestly the kid loves himself} **** probably commision an autobiography to be written about himself by the time hes 20 :goodvibes :censored: :rofl: conner has decieded that he doent need to get dressed anymore so he just keeps his jammies on and puts clean ones on at night before he goes to bed hes in for a big shock hes got less than 2 weeks to go before he goes back to school and he can go in his jammies if he wants but he will be going SHAD maybe oyu should change your cv to say that your thick have an alcohol problem and your an ethnic minority and youll get a job no problem oh and dont forget your divorced i read in our local paper job section they where looking for an oppertunities worker{????} and it stated that the post would be most suitable for someone with a home background of ethnic minoricy or aided living{divorced drug or alcohol addict and jail inmates} and you should have seen the wages 20k+ and that was part time god i nearly choked in my coffee id love to write for a job discription but knowing my luck id probably be unqualified seeing that i dont drink{much} am not divorced{yet}and only take prescription drugs and the only time ive been to jail was on a voulenteer program HAPPY you shoul fit an anti_surge protector to your comp plug and you wouldnt have to worry about the storms and being able to go online might take your mind off the storm i used to be terrified of them well i still am but i hide it better now as dh and the brats take the mickey something terrible so i hid it well even though i dont go near the windows wont touch light sockets and of course our baths and toilets are earthed so i just go to the loo nobodys noticed yet but i have heard them at the doors to try and hear me squeel TEEL how are you doing in the challenge a good or bad will suffice but i dont go into the journls anymore i had to fight the urge to say"for gods sake get a bloody grip"so rather than offend anyone i dont go hope its on the good side did you see the gardeners world program that showed you all of the queens gardens including the ones the public dont get to tour it was great and all the nature studies that go on there really good right ladies i have a question for you all what do you do when not one not two but TWELVE girls turn up at the door for your just turned 15 year old son ????? and to top it all he said"sorry girls i cant come out im reading harry potter" without batting an eyelid :crazy: :rofl: :yikes: :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored: right ive lost the feeling in my legs so id better get up and ill speak to you all later still feeling crap but i wont bore you with all that again
kirsty

Dear oh Dear Linus, 12 girls at the door. I'll get ds2 to email him and tell him how to go about it. DS2 was known as the boy with 20 girlfriends in his earlier days. I couldn't remember all the names and fortunately more than one was Nicky, Nicola, or Nicole, add a Rachel, a couple of Rebecca's and Beccies, a Helen or two, Lisa, Katrina et al. I gave up and just called them all chook or duckie. Funnily enough, they all seem to still be friends. In fact one of them when getting married insisted that DS2 be the best man!!! So far he has been part of 3 wedding parties, but is not even close to his own. I point him in the direction of 4 wedding and a funeral occasionally but he just laughs at me. :rofl: :lol3: :rofl: :lol3: :rofl: :lol3:

I don't think Meadow posts every day. She hasn't been back to the journals either since she posted here. So lighten up on her. Me thinks she doesn't frighten easily either.

I didn't mean to imply my ex was a nut case. Far from it, he is actually quite intelligent, if he could ever bring himself to get rid of the baggage he carries from 50 years + back. The failures in his life haunt him and he can't move forward. Such a waste. I had an email the other day. We are actually better friends now we are not together - and still he wants to go back to the way we were. I wish he would find himself another woman.

I think Happy and DH have surge protectors throughout the house linus as I have, however some of the particularly vicious storms we have here managed to get past the surge protector on the main power board (which cost me a fortune to install), past a surge protector at the power outlet on the wall and cooked a power box which led to DS2's computer. Fortunately ran out of steam at that point. The electrician was amazed. Never seen it before he said. I have surge protectors on the washing machine, fridge, computers, phones and bedroom plugs. My electronic washing machine would cost about $300 for the top electronics board and anthor $200 for the bottom one. Just not worth playing around with.

Rose, I don't blame you for not going to the funeral. Perhaps you could plant a tree, shrub or bush or something for him. The boys are better off not going as well. Pity the ex wouldn't stay away.

Last night I went out to dinner with one of the trainers I worked with at Tradelink (and his wife) We went to the Thai Orchid at Mt Gravat about halfway between his place and mine. Nice meal, good to catch up on the gossip and of course now he is out of work as well. So we agreed to be each others referees as necessary. For dinner I had Thai Fish Cakes - very nice but not very crisp as they usually are, and Duck with Basil. It was tasty, lots of very crisp veges with it but salty, so I will need to drink the water today to move the sodium along. I had a glass of wine and a v&t and drove home to find ds2 with his sore toe sticking up in the air, sprawled out on the couch and in charge of the phone and all the remote controls.
It was good to catch up and commiserate about agencies that don't follow up or even don't bother to answer.

I've been to the gym this morning. Done the weights. Nowhere near as sore or sweaty as last time. Maybe that will come tomorrow. So I had best go have my shower, sort out the priorities and start my day.

Thank you
 

Thank you for your kind welcomes. I should have mentioned that I was going on a little holiday into the mountains for a few days when I posted. Didn't think I would be missed :^: Thank you for noticing :)

Teel-great Meadow pic, thank you. I did choose that name because of the image it conjures up in my mind, my real name is Lorraine. "Landscapes have a language of their own, expressing the soul of the things, lofty or humble, which constitute them, from the mighty peaks to the smallest of the tiny flowers hidden in the meadow's grass"*unknown

Mel-I'm so sorry someone you connected so strongly with has passed away. It hurts to lose people. It was a bright spot that there were so many razors in his legacy to give everyone who received a package a little thought of him, which is how we all live on.

Shad-Have you ever tried using canned fish for energy snacks? I like Kippers and they are only about 250 calories but they really fill you up and give you alot of mouth flavour :) Good vibes for your job search, you might like trying to upgrade your skills, you never know who you will meet and it could be a good step in networking for you.

Linus-hope you are feeling better, I'll have to read back further and get the details but I wish you well.

Happy2bme-I saw a double rainbow while I was away... I've always kind of liked storms because they always have that little chance of turning up something wonderful like that.

Roseblush-sorry to hear about your former brother in law, it is hard when a family breaks up and you have to choose sides and sometimes can't continue being involved with some because of the bad energy from others. I hope you are able to remember him in your own way and keep a piece of his spirit in your heart.

I don't post all the time because I really don't have much to say, my mind is rather frazzled most days from "mommy look" and "mommy I want" which is my daily routine. I let the slimming down a bit on the road with those crackers and cheese combos that the kids like and well, I was hungry too. Had an orange mixed in there too but when you are driving 5 hours you tend to not always make the healthiest choices. I'm home now, we are having fresh corn on the cob and hot dogs for dinner, the corn is so sweet it doesn't need butter, so I'll be okay. Tomorrow is another day! Sleep well and good morning to those on the far side :smug:

This day was so bad I won't even talk about it. I will pretend it did not exist and begin anew tomorrow. One thing that was good is the Wed. trip to the library. I found some great reading and a book by Iyanla Vanzant. Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind. The irony of all this was right after I left there the day turned into a horror story of all old memories and old buttons being pushed. The good news was I had the book in my hot little hands, made it through the day, stuck up for myself once again and didn't care who was or wasn't talking to me by 4PM! :rofl:
I was also filmed getting on the bus and it was shown on our cable TV news! I was a movie star for about 2 minutes.....well mostly my PINK feet! :rofl: the camera man filmed the wheels of the chair and how the chair gets on the bus and there right before my eyes were my pink feet in their newest bright white sandals!!! :rofl: I laughed so hard I almost cried! It was a perfect ending to a crapped up day. But I feel very strong tonite inside. Know what I mean??? the reason I got the book was the first line......"If by chance no one has told you that they love you today, I would be honored to be the first to say, I LOVE YOU TODAY!..." So now I would like to say to you worldly chicks that IF no one has said it to you all today...I LOVE YOU ALL TOO!!! I carried that line in my head all day and it kept me sane. I believe things happen for reasons and today I found that book just before I needed it. Life can be very mysterious don't you think?? OK enough of the philosophical/melancholy Mel.

Thank you all for thoughts on Joe and all your warm wishes for me too. I missed him on the bus yesterday. And Shad is right...no one can hurt him anymore and he is safe. It made me feel so much better today. Sorry not to comment on everything else. Feeling a wee bit drained tonite.

Hope you all have a great day tomorrow and I will try to get back to my "old" self! :rofl:

Admittedly it's been a long time since I chased boys. DH snagged me at the tender age of 18 so I didn't have too many years of honest boy chasing under my belt. Never dated anyone my own age either, they were always at least 2 years older so my first boyfriend - I was just about 15 and he was 17 - we we both in high school so that was considered ok. But 12 year olds chasing 15 year olds? In my time, we would have gotten ridiculed going after an older boy like that at least from the boys point of view, unless of course it was the trashy girls who "put out" and then the boys would come seeking them out and rotating them amongst each other. I think it's hysterical that your son was busy reading - guess you won't have to worry quite yet about him getting in trouble with the ladies ;) - plenty enough time for that. Which son is the chased upon -- the one who has his autobiography written or Mr. I like me jammies just fine thanks?

Loved the job ad Linus, I suppose I could take up drinking again tho it would probably kill me if I drank the way I did in the 80's. Ethnic minority - well, I have some cousins who are lesbians, several in the family have inter-racial marriages - I myself am short, left handed and fiesty - somewhat an odd combination. Drug addict - well I am a recovering nicotine addict (have found that inhaling with an an empty straw takes care of the last of my nagging cravings by the way - yippee) so technically I am a drug addict. I was talking to DH today about the uncertainty of what lies ahead. I feel pressured to find another job quickly, am nervous about falling into a situation as horrid as the one I had prior to this job. Not sure what I want to do but keeping an open mind. Wish me luck and a few prayers and good thoughts tomorrow - not so much for the interview (although appreciated) but moreso that I don't get myself lost or in an accident driving to and from the interview. Seems we drove for a long, long time and I shoulld have made notes about landmarks and turns and distances and mileages. It's terrible to have no sense of direction I tell you. I have never been fond of driving. I even made my DH take a week's holiday when Shad came to visit, just so I wouldn't have to drive :o But as I suspected, he thoroughly enjoyed your visit Shad and he has lots of extra vacation to use up anyway.

... slight pause in the typing to go for a bike ride and then have supper.

When I started this post, it was right after Linus had posted. Now it's a few hours later and a few more of you have checked in. How quickly things stir up.

We do have surge protectors but not the really good expensive ones that you should have for the computers. So when the storms are particularly bad, I just turn the PCs off. Never had a problem but don't want to take the risk either.

Shad, have things slowed down a bit in the training arena recently or is it just the usual hurry up and wait types of things. Sending you a bit of good karma on your search - you've given out alot to the universe, time you got a bit of magic dust back yourself. Perhaps you should join Jason and become a trainer. There was a lady on the boards here from England who was setting up a training business with personal training and classes for those who were overweight. She was asking for suggestions and we told her to move to the States as she could make a very handsome living doing just that in about any city here. Makes you wonder - one of those things you say - nah, I can't do that :no: but maybe you could and you're talking yourself out of something here :yes: my niece started teaching some aerobics classes at the local gym - did not need an advanced degree, just some weekend specialty training.

So what are kippers? Are they like sardines? I cut up some "rock melon" tonight Shad and thought of you. I think I like rock melon better than cantelope. Mangos are piled up here, buy one get one free - about 60 to 70 cents each it comes out to. Lots of nice fruit to pick from so I've not been too enticed to figure out how to cut a mango. Looks like strawberry season is over tho - the ones now are back to sort of hard and not very tasty. I did enjoy my strawberry protein shakes in the morning - will have to find some other flavor - pina colada - hold the rum or not :devil:

Mel, call me a nutter but I think the person showing up at your doorstep with a bag of Joe's razors was Joe's final way of reaching out across to you and greeting a friend. It was just so co-incidental, don't you think? And now we have a celebrity in our midst - Miss Mel and her pretty in pink feet. Good thing you had the nice sandals on eh? Such a great quote about let me be the first to say... I usually run into the people who say, allow me to be the first to turn your day into the dumpster... :lol:

Well I have ridden my bike every day. Today was especially hard. It was quite windy and we were going uphill against a stiff wind. I was huffing and puffing and saying "I think I can, I think I can, I know I can - I'm gonna fall on my "can" and DH is gonna roll right over me if I don't get these feet a movin' soon". :faint: It's amazing how weak you get when you are carrying so much extra weight AND you stop exercising. So Shad, next time you are disappointed in the scale numbers remember that you are very strong and you probably have very durable bones too.

I've babbled long enough. Hellos to Teel and Meadow, G'night from my part of town...

hello
 

Mel are you giving out autographs at all this evening????? Sorry for you day but mine was not so good either..... these girls won't want to hear from us ...no they willl....... they love us!
MOre bad news my favorite auntie is in a coma with no life support or hope tonight. I made it through my day by doing the best job I could and then coming home to fall apart for a bit. I did get to talk to my oldest so that has helped some... I will keep you informed if I have to leave town....
Thanks you guys for being here.
Love ya,
Nae

Oh lord, the day is going from bad to worse. I'm so sorry Rose about your aunt. Specially as it comes so soon after your Brother in Law. I wish I could just come on over and hug you till you feel better. In the meantime, while I tried to figure a way to get there, consider yourself hugged. :grouphug: :grouphug.

Thank you for the love today, my pink footed, white sandalled NJ friend. Are we still speaking since you have now become a hot foot star on the TV!!!

Happy, I have thought about joining Jason. I'm sure that there is a buck to be made in dealing with those of us who are known as the Baby Boomers. I'm sure that I could be of use to those on their own and wanting to travel (where to go, what to do when you get there all that sort of thing), those who are wondering about exercise, those who need to know things about where to go and how to do it. I just wonder how I should go about sorting it out what it will cost to someone who doesn't have a lot left over anymore etc etc etc. Aaaah well I guess I can do some more planning. I'm tired of not having people respond to mails etc. There is little here in Brisbane at the moment and it seems that the market is now full of trainers - with or without qualifications.

Okay, enough self doubt - back to my favourite poem for inspiration.


If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win but you think you can't
It's almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will -
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before,
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man
But soon or late the person who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS THEY CAN!

Nae, so sorry to hear about your aunt. :cry: Is she far away or can you be near her? None the less, send good thoughts and I'm sure she will receive them - there are some kinds of communications that transcend regular face to face speech. Cry if you must but do not remember them with tears, instead I'm sure they would prefer if you "keep me in your heart for a while... " as the song goes. And as always seems the case when we lose someone dear, it reminds (me at least) to give an extra hug to those who are with us now. So to all of you :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: - big squeezer take the breath out of you hug :eek:

Shad, the person I was thinking of who did the fitness for overweight people - her name is Stef and she posts on the UK Fat Chicks thread. I'm sure Linus and Teel both know her. I had asked her some questions long ago about exercising and she was quick to answer and very warm and inviting. If you were curious about this and wanted more info, I'm sure she'd be glad to share.

I tell you one thing, my trainer was great but I would have felt less intimidated with someone more like me. In fact, my ex-trainer is so popular he works about 12 hours a day - if I wanted to go back to the club, I wouldn't get him. As for the other trainers :no: :no: :no: What I like about you is that you are empathetic and kind hearted when you need to be but no nonsense when it comes to producing the goods :drill: :coach: and those are the best qualities in a personal trainer. Be firm, push but know alternative ways to avoid injury and make workouts fun. I also forgot that you'd have great advice for being fit on the road for those who travel about. My trainer's goal was not to get me to a size 2, but to get me fit and healthy in the size I was in - and perhaps a size or 2 down but mostly to have a healthy heart and muscles and joints. You become the trainer and I'll open the juice bar :strong: :cheers:

Ummmm a gym with no guilt cafe and juice bar??? Interesting thought. Wouldn't probably work here - too many gyms already. Sounds good - too good maybe

:( Hello chicks. Roseblush all I can do is send you a load of hugs :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: as I can't do anything else to comfort you with all your trouble. What a worry for you and the rest of the family. Let us have news as soon as you are able, meanwhile thoughts and prayers are with you...I think I had better send you my gaurdian angel for a while! :angel: :angel:
I am afraid I lurked in at about 02:00hrs, but didn't feel focussed enough to :comp: :comp: so here I am now. It is SO hot today, about 27 and 1/2 degrees. Very muggy. :sunny: :sunny: Since I have started back on the Oxycontin pills my sleep pattern seems to have gone from bad to worse. Last night I seemed to wake up almost hourly until 03:00 hrs when I slept till 06:20, go up, took the morning handful of pills and insulin, had an OP breakfast and went back to sleep until the phone rang at 09:15. I had to go into town this morning for a blood test and had lunch with a friend and her now 22 year old daughter who has just handed in her dissitation for her Masters degree. :spin: She is a bit of a brain box I think!!
Happy I'm sorry your strawberry season is almost over...I think we here can still buy imported strawbs from The U.S.A., perhaps you ought to keep some of your own produce! Shall I send you a punnet or two? :T I think I have heard of Stef from the UK site. I don't get time to lurk in their thread anymore...I am too busy blethering over here!!! :doh: :blah: :blah: :gossip: :gossip:
Shad...hello to you my friend. My other gaurdian angel :angel: :angel: is coming over to sit on your shoulder as you continue to search for the job that's just waiting for you to find it. I know it is far easier to say it than done. I found a photo of you in Mr. Colman's shop in Norwich...I'll scan it and send it to you. It isn't as clear as I would have liked it to be.
Mel....Miss MEL...please it is ok for me to still be in the sand box with you?? :^: I promise you can play with all the sand you want...I won't get in your way! Pleeeeese can I have your autograph...or better still, your footprints?! Hee hee, Mel's feet are famous...or is it her pink sandals that are famous?? :lol3: :lol3: I DO hope your day has been better today....[[[[[HUGS]]]]] for you too...When I get one of my angels back I shall send him straight over to you.
I'll go over to journals to post my menu...nearly first weigh day....ho hum...could have done better this week but I think I have made quite a good start...
See you all soon...