I don't have the cake recipe here, but it's on my cooking blog - if you click on the ingredients down the side (probably carrot, pineapple or cake should find it) it will be there. I just take a slice out of the freezer in the morning when I leave the house and defrost it during the day for a mid-afternoon snack at work.

I'm in a good mood today, it's my first "maintenance anniversary" :carrot: :carrot: I can't believe I've managed to maintain for a whole year!

:wave:

Hello Kylie :hug: You can do it :hug: We're all here for you - and we all beleive in you! If you did it before, you can do it again :hug: I think signing up for a half marathon in Amsterdam might give you a :kickbutt: what d'you think Helen? :devil:

:high: :cp: :woohoo: :woo: :cheer: :cheer2: :dancer: :dance: :cb: :carrot: etc etc for you Helen - a year of maintenance! You must be super-chuffed!

I spent an hour last night rolling around on the floor with Lee :lol3: It was mighty fun, even though I have masseeeeeeeeve bruises on my shoulders, hips, arms, legs, feet etc to show for it! :lol: I managed to catch up on some sleep that I was missing too and I feel like the gym is my oyster now :D

Plan for today is gym at lunch and I am going to drag DH out on a Sweatshop run! I might be tired and I might be grumpy and I'd probably much rather stay at home under the duvet, but I know I'll feel a million times better when we get home! :D :hyper:

I've got myself a new little mantra since I seem to have found half a pound recently.... "Marathon running will be easier if I weigh less..." Which probably is a stupid myth, but if it stops me eating when I'm not hungry then I don't care! :p

Our Departmental French clothes horse guy has just asked me if I am in the "Mouse Division" (I am wearing 'comfort' clothing in beige!!!). I said not so much mouse division as B*tch in beige division!!!!!

ThanksLou but I cannot collect anything as I would no doubt drop it so best I order from Tesco I guess as I do not have a car.


MIche - I hope your mum is no longer knicker-less! You Dad is a real card!

Well it may have been cold last night - actually I know it was! However I was toasty warm in bed despite the howling wind under my bedroom door!


I had a bit of excitement walking from the hospital. A guy was climing down from the roof of the in-patient psychiatric building. I popped in there and asked them if they were missing an inmate or not! I did not stay around to find out but I noticed this morning one of the windows that was open last night is till open. Mind you it is a very small window -but apparently they can squeeze through! When he ran off he just called out "There you go!" as he made his bid for freedom! Mind you I expect the police and psychiatrist know all his favourite haunts so could pick him up in no time!! I used to work in psychiatry and got to know some real characters (and yes the psychiatrist are madder than the patients!!)

Morning, everyone. Blummin heck its been cold. The ground this morning was frozen hard but not much in the way of frost - strange.

Hi Kylie :hug: welcome back... you can do it! You and me can give each other kicks up the :censored: because I can't seem to stick with it, either.

Chris - I haven't been around because of a combination of this blummin cold, extra shifts at work and both computers suffering with PMT.

I had my first mammogram last year and I didn't think it was painful at all - just slightly uncomfortable. I'd been told all kinds of horror stories about how painful it would be but I'd MUCH prefer to have a mammogram rather than a cervical smear test any day.

Peacock - I think I'd smack that department French clothes horse guy upside the head. How rude. OMG! I can't believe they are just leaving the window open... I love the idea of the escapee saying 'There you go' as he disappears off up the road. :lol: (Hope they get him back though!!!)

Frus - rather you than me on that bike. Scary. I remember one very cold winter commuting from Maidstone to Canterbury (where I went to Uni) and getting SOOOO iced up and frozen that I couldn't straighten out my knees when I got off - I swear that is why I have so much trouble with my joints in cold weather nowadays.

Helen - :congrat: on the whole year of maintaining. Its a GREAT achievement and just reading it gives me hope for my future. :rolleyes: Now you've mentioned the 'c' word... I'll have to pop over to your blog and look at that recipe. :drool:

Hi Michele - your family all sound lovely! How is your Dad feeling nowadays?

Well.... I've put my name down for an allotment this morning. One has just become available (the first in five years!) and a there's a list of people wanting it - but I stand a fairly good chance cos the other applicants want it to keep horses on and I want it for its proper purpose. They only cost £10 a year and the old boys hang on to them just to get out of the house during the day - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get this one. :crossed: The exercise (and veg) will do us good. The only problem is that I didn't discuss it with DH first .... well, I just sent him a text...! Hope he doesn't mind!

About microwaves.... have a look see in Netto - they had some INCREDIBLY cheap ones in there recently... under £20.

Oh WOW Sarah - an allotment! :D That's GREAT! :hyper: I'd love one, "If only I had the time..." :lol:

You'l have to send me an "organic veggie box" :yes: you could do that to supplement your PO income! I'd pay handsomely for a box from Fred, George and Ellie's mummy! :D

I'm not looking forward to a mammogram, since just lying on my front gets my girls all upset! :lol: They're not fond of being squeezed much either! :tantrum: :lol3:

I took a personal day today...so nice to wake up with nothing much on the agenda, of course I still woke up at 7 though!! I'm going to run a bunch of errands and then go for a run later.

Helen congrats, thats great good for you.

Sarah hope you feel better.

Peacock-I second Sarah, I would smack him too!!!

Chris 60's tomorrow and Friday, YAY for us.

Now I'm going to go watch some bad day time TV :)

Frus, I didn't lie on my front. I stood up for my mammogram - and it didn't hurt - promise. I'm the biggest wimp on the planet and if it hurt (even the slightest) I would definitely tell you.

How did you guess that I was planning to grow organically? It wouldn't 'officially' be organic (I think you have to grow organically for 5 years before it can officially be called organic) but I'd prefer to share my allotment with a few insects rather than use chemicals. The allotments here aren't enormous - not like the last one we had where we lived before - but there will be enough space for all year round veg for DH and me.

:lol: Just got a text back from DH.... am I planning on raising chickens?? Nope!

RSG - Enjoy your personal day and the daytime TV. (What is a personal day??????)

RSg - I wish I could take a MENTAL HEALTH DAY :tantrum: I was p'd off before, but NOW I'M REALLY :censored:

Boss is being a stupid :censored:

Sarah - no I know they squish you between plates etc while you're standing, but I find it uncomfortable with any type of pressure on them :dizzy:

CHICKENS! They're great! They are 100% worth it for the gorgeous eggs they lay! Unfortunately Mum's chickens have all popped their clogs and the rats were starting to get wise to the eggs :(

Sarah a personal day is like a vacation day for teachers. Because we have a lot of school vacations we don't get vacation time, but we do get 4 personal days a year. People take them for long weekends or whatever. I scheduled this one Monday because my weekend was a blur and I was so tired. It's a nice break from the kids.

Of course I am now heading out to Target, and I signed up for the 12:15 spin class at the gym across the street, so I've managed to fill my day with stuff, but at least it's stuff that I want to do :)

Frus-Sometimes bosses are stupid...can you tell him or her off ????? :) Your post about rats made me squirm. I have such a rat phobia, I go in to full on panic when I see them. Of course I live in a city that is full of them. I saw 3 the other night on my run, I had to switch my route!!!

Sarah & Red SOx - no the French guy is funny . I did not take it to heart. I thought it was hilarious. He has that hypical gay humour! Plus he has to put up with my comments on the French!

Sarah - An allotment! Wow! I hope you get one soon! Some places has a years long waiting list and it is rare to get a new one. They were talking about it on Radio 4 about how some allotments are being lost (I guess they are building more new homes on the land - executive homes of course , no t ones that people can actually afford, God forbid!). You must keep us up to date with things (An allotment diary/thoughts from the potting shed!). If you check out - cannot rmeember the name but something like companion planting - you can find out what to plant with what so it discourages insects (bad ones).

I dunno how that guy squeezed out the window- there was a very small gap!! I can just imagine me in the same position - I would get my ankle stuck let alone anything else!

Frus/Sarah - When mum had a mammogram it did hurt but then she wasn't as busty as she is now. It may depend on how much busty substance there is :). Mine are painful at the best of times but I am not due to have one yet in any case. Cannot be worse than the smear though. I guess I should go back for one - if I ever stop menstruating that is - I am on week 4 as of today!!!!!

Me again! ( I really must do some work!)

Sarah - this might be helpful (see below). It is actually about allotments in Barnet or somewhere but has some helpful advice on what to grow etc.



http://www.kitchengardens.dial.pipex.com/homepage.htm

Peacock - thanks for that link. I'll spend a happy hour browsing it.

I am definitely not guaranteed to get this allotment. From what my friend John says (he's one of the ol' boys), there are about 30 people on the waiting list and some of them have been on the list for 5 years - but he says he'll sponsor me - which is kind of him. In fact it was him that came and found me to suggest I consider applying because he REALLY doesn't want the vacant allotment, which is next to one of his, to go to someone who'll use it for keeping a horse. He's thinks I should attach a rough plan to my application detailing how I intend to cultivate it - but he says I mustn't use any of my 'clever' words and I'm not to mention 'organic' because the Committee thinks its a bit 'London' :rolleyes: Bless him, he says he'll stress that I'm part of 'village life' - even though I wasn't born and bred here - because I work in the Post Office.

Knowing the speed that things get done in this village, it'll probably be high summer before I find out if I've been lucky. :)

Maybe my mammogram didn't hurt much because I haven't got big girlies... but I think it was because I was expecting it to hurt LOTS and I'm a wuss so when turned out to be nothing like as bad as I thought I was quite shocked!

RSG - enjoy your day! I'm not sure what Target is.... but have a good time there!

Right.... gotta get on with this plan....

Morning all :wave:

Helen.... super wahoo to you for maintaining for a whole year. You are so brilliant and definitely an ispiration. I feel honoured to know you (if only through cyber space) :cheer:

Well I'm working this afternoon and this morning I am doing some SPRING cleaning.... as it is officially spring now although it's rather nippy out but like RSG will warm up tomorrow and Friday :)

I have got so many cobwebs in this house it's not funny. Every time I turn around with my feather duster in my hand I can see another...yet I don't see any spiders, they must hide quick.

I've got washing on the go which I plan on hanging out as well. I do love a line of washing. Got your line up yet CG :rofl: He'll be able to get right on that when he retires.

An allotment Sarah? How wonderful. We have a large back garden here and one corner is all overgrown with tree droppings and where they've reseeded, but Dave and I plan on clearing it all out and hope to plant some veggies there. It will be some hard work though to clear it all out, the landlord here obviously never bothered with it at all. I hope you are the winner for yours. I can see you and hubs up there with F,G and E picking your crops. :) And then you making all your scrummy recipes with it.

RSG, enjoy your personal day... I used to love taking mine when I worked in the schools.... especially when it had been a rough couple of months with the kids or the co-workers... I used to take one when I knew they needed me most... just to let them know how much they really did appreciate me :devil: I even took one to go to court with a certain member on this forum... that was a fun day.... :lol:

Peacock, that's so funny that you saw an escapee....at least you were savvy enough to let the hospital know about it. Most people wouldn't. Now me, I'll tell anyone anyhing.

Lou, I'm sure you're student stuff at hillingdon hosp was WAAAAAAAAAAAY after my birth, you're just a young'un. Like I said before I was born a while ago, after all, I've just had my first mammogram :) Which yes, I agree everyone, is much more preferable to a smear test. All this poking and squeezing we go through as women, I just don't know. Of course, it's because men couldn't go through it like we do anyway, cos we're WOMEN :) and brave and hardy.

OK, washing is ready to go out on the line.

Have a super duper slim day all.