We've done not too badly at all this week. Had a a couple of wobbly moments, But that's normail in any diet.
Today's weigh in was:
Catherine 114.9 (-2)
Frazer 110.0 (-1.6)
Not bad for the first week. Long may the good work continue!
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Right, due to the gall bladder problem I have to have a fat free diet, so we have decided to make the most of it and go on a serious diet, as both of us have a few stone to lose. We have joined the gym at Peebles Hydro and plan to go at least twice a week and once at the weekend. We have also set a challenge that whoever loses the most weight in the first month is treated to a nice meal (but still diet friendly) by the other. Neither of us are any good at diets on our own, so the competition will help us.
So, the first weigh in was today on a brand new set of scales.
Me - 173cm tall and 116.9 kg
Frazer - 175cm tall and 111.6kg
My goal is to be a size 16 by the time my best mate gets married next year. Let the competition begin :-)
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I woke up on Wednesday morning with terrible stomach pains - they eventually went away with the help of painkillers and Gaviscon, but I didn't get any more sleep.
We got up at 6am, and left at 7am for Carcassonne to get our lane home. The kids had been given the choice of coming in the car or staying in bed...guess which option they chose!!
We both snoozed a bit in the car - great travelling companions for my mum! We got to Carcassonne with time to spare, we had checked in online but still had to join a massive queue to get our hand baggage weighed! Some woman tried to barge in front of us, and Frazer said no to her, but she barged in anyway! The Ryanair woman told her not to barge in, she told her she'd asked us, and Frazer agreed that she had, but he'd said no - she was then told to join the back of the queue like everyone else! The Ryanair woman was quite impressed with Frazer and told him that what he'd said was "almost french" - high praise indeed!
Anyway, we got through to the waiting room bit, sat there for about half an hour and no one seemed to know what was going on. Eventually someone said that the flight had been diverted - one of the passengers that is, not one of the Ryanair staff - so Frazer went to see if he could find out what was happening. Apparently the tannoy was only working at one end of the airport - it turned out that our plane had been diverted to Perpignan due to bad weather, and so had the next one. The weather was cloudy and a bit rainy, but not worth divting a plane for, and we'd just watched another plane take off for East Midlands, so it can't have been that bad. We were all herded outside, but still no one told us what was happening, so I went to find a Ryanair official who confirmed that our plane had been diverted so we were all being bussed down to Perpignan - a 2hr journey - to catch our plane. We were starving so I got some cash out of the machine as I'd given the rest of my euros to my mum, and we went and got a ham baguette which was deadly boring but marginally edible! We were eventually told over the tannoy that our bus would arrive at 11am, but at no point at all did any Ryanair official tell us anything directly apart from when I actually asked them. The bus eventually arrived at 11.30, it was almost 12 by the time we left after all the farting about getting on the buses. We were packed in like sardines, and managed to snooze listening to Pink Floyd on the iPad. Perpignan was hot and windy, the airport was a bit crap, there were no lights in the toilet, and again, no Ryanair officials to tell us what was happening. Eventually they told us on the tannoy when our plane was leaving, so we sat down at the cafe to have a drink. There were tons of flies, so we ended up outside having a cigarette. By the time we boarded the plane we were frazzled to say the least! Thank goodness they didn't play the lirrle fanfare at the end of the flight otherwise there might have been a mutiny aboard!
Although we eventually got home safe and sound, the service we received from Ryanair was nothing short of shocking. The flights weren't particularly cheap, but even if they had been I would still have expected some sort of customer service but there was none. To put it in a nutshell, Ryanair will certainly not have our custom again.
Once we landed at Prestwick we got a taxi back to Lyndsey's to pick up the car, then went to pick up the cat. Bloody mad cat woman had a moan because we were about ten minutes late, tried to charge me again until she realised I actually had paid when I dropeed him off, and eventually gave me the cat! He was very cross with us, and miaowed and yowled ALL the way home - all 2 hours of the journey! We got home, had a struggle lighting the aga, had a pizza for dinner from Francos in Peebles, and went to bed!
We had a fantastic holiday, despite the shitty journey home, but it is always nice to come home. We had a couple of days at work before the weekend, so we're having a good chillout today, groceries and a car boot tomorrow, and then back into the regular, normal routine on Monday. Next up is the gallbladder operation - just waiting to find out when. Watch this space!
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We just tried frogs legs for the first time! Frazer and my nephew were desperate to try them, so we bought some, cooked them, and I have no idea what all the fuss is about! The texture was a lot like chicken, but they were pretty tasteless! My mum and Isla really didn't like them, but Frazer, my dad and my nephew really did. I didn't mind them, but I certainly wouldn't bother again.
We've had a lovely day today all in the swimming pool playing with a beach ball and swimming some lengths. It's the last day of sunshine before we go home so we thought we'd all make the most of it. I need to make sure the tan is top notch before going home too!
We got back from the mountains on Saturday evening and webhad a lovely time. When we got to St Lary Soulan there was a night market in the town and there was a lovely atmosphere. We had dinner at one of the pizzerias, had a wander around the market and then went back to the hotel. On the Thursday we decided to go across to Spain for the afternoon. It was a bit overcast, but the views were still stunning. We had lunch in Spain, bought my mum some cigarettes and my dad a monster bottle of Glenfiddich and then headed back into France. When we came through the tunnel though, the clouds had come down and we emerged into deep fog. Not fun when you're negotiating hairpin bends on the side of a mountain! We got back to St Lary and went out to look for a nice restaurant. We found a so-called Irish pub and had steak and chips and a litre of wine each and had a really lovely evening...at least until we got back to the hotel and my dinner decided to make a reappearance! Friday, by necessity, was a very gentle day! We had a lovely stroll around St Lary and just chilled out all day. We went to Carrefour and bought some bits and pieces and spent the evening watching rubbish on youtube - it was really nice actually.
Saturday was our last day away by ourselves, so after we checked out of the hotel, we went across to the Spa pool and spent an hour or so in there. It was really cool...they've made it all cave like in there and there were bits with jacuzzis, waterfalls and a sauna and steam room. We came out feeling brand new! We went back to the pizzeria we went to on the first night for lunch, and then we went up on the cable car. That was a white knuckle experience! It was cool, and I was determined that I wanted to do it, but it was still quite scary. Frazer took some video of us going up, and kept panning round to show my scared face - ratbag! It was all worth it when we got to the top - the view was stunning...it felt like being on top of the world! We had a nice walk around the deserted ski resort, had a drink at the only open bar, and then went back to the cable car for the descent, which was scarier than the ascent. I'm really glad I did it because the view from the top was so outstanding, but it was a tad scary!
After that we headed back home. Frazer got himself all comfy with a pillow and his feet up on the dashboard while I drove! He's a useless travelling companion as he's like a child...the car makes him fall asleep! Got back and had dinner and then an early night because I was shattered!
Sunday was a bit of a wasted day, as the excesses of our few days away caught up with me, and I spent most of the day in bed with a very sore stomach. I'm going to have to be good and self disciplined from now on unfortunately. I did revive myself enough, however, for Frazer and I to give my mum and dad another good thrashing at Trivial Pursuit in the evening :-)
Which brings us back to today...lazy day by the pool and in the pool, playing and topping up the tan, trying frogs legs, blogging by the pool, and then we're out for a barbecue at Matthew's this evening which will be nice.
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When's the last time you ran? - Can't remember!
Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them? - No, and when they do, they get thrown away or cut down to shorts.
What are you dreading right now? - An operation to remove my gallbladder.
Do you celebrate 420? - Dunno what 420 is so no.
Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? - Normally.
If anyone came to your house on your "lazy days" what would ya'll do? - Sit them down, have a chat, and watch rubbish together.
Who last grabbed your ass? - Frazer probably!
Have you ever been on your school's track team? - No, swimming team though.
Do you own a pair of Converse? - Nope.
Did you copy and paste this survey? - Nope.
Do you eat raw cookie dough? - Oooh yes!
Have you ever kicked a vending machine? - No.
Don't you hate it when the radio ruins good songs by playing them over and over? - Yes
Do you watch Trading Spaces? - No
How do you eat oreos? - Take them apart and lick the creamy bit off first!
Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone? - Yes, but don't have to any more as we live together now.
Are you cocky? - Can be
Could you live without a computer? - No!!!!
Do you wear your shoes in the house? - Yes
Who or what sleeps with you? - Frazer
At what age did you find out that Santa wasn't real? - About 6/7
How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? - 6
What do you do when you're sad? - Mope about
Who would you call first if you won the lottery? - My mum!
Last time you saw your best friend? - Last week
Are you in high school? - No
What jewelry are you wearing? - None
Is anyone on your bad side now? - No one out of the ordinary! How's that for diplomatic?!
What's the first thing you do when you get online? - Check facebook!
Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? - No
How do most people spell your name? - In an intesting variety of ways!
Would you wear a boy/girlfriends clothes? - Yes
Where do you work? - In a banking office
What are you doing tomorrow? - Going to the Pyrenees
Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? - Dunno
Favorite name for a girl? - Arya
Favorite name for a boy? - James
Will you keep your last name when you get married? - No, probably not - if we do get married
When was the last time you left your house? - Last Tuesday
Do you return your cart? - Nope, I have a 12 yr old to do that!
Do you have a dishwasher? - Yes
What noise do you hear? - Frazer snoring next to me :-)
Would you survive in prison? - Probably
Who is the youngest in your family? - Only child :-)
If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would most likey overpack? - Me probably!
Do you know anyone with the same name as you? - My ex step sister in law had exactly the same name as me but it was spelt a little differently
What's the last thing you purchased? - Cigarettes yesterday - last big purchase though was an iPad
Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? - N/A
What brand are your pants right now? - Ummm, Carrefour!!
Ever been to Georgia (the state)? - No
What irritates you most on the internet? - Adverts
What brand is your digital camera? - Olympus
Do you watch movies with your parents? - Yes
What song best describes your life right now? - The Lazy Song is how I would LIKE my life to be right now!
Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? - Yes, but not too expensive
Are you taking college classes right now? - No
Do you like sushi? - No, I hate fish
Do you get your hair cut every month? - No
Do you go online everyday? - Yes
Will you pass this survey on to 5 people? - Probably not
Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com
http://www.quizopolis.com/survey/4725/60-Questions-People-Dont-Ask-Survey/
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We're on our holidays! They let me out of hospital on Monday and we set off on Tuesday! We were flying from Prestwick, so it was a crappy drive across there, we dropped the cat at the cattery, and then spent the night with a friend in Irvine. We collected my nephew from his mum, and we all had a great evening playing a game like Guitar Hero on the PS3 - it wasn't Guitar Hero, it was a Lego game which included guitar, drums and singing - Lyndsey and I did the singing - we were amazing!!
We got a taxi to the airport at the crack of dawn on Wednesday and we flew Ryanair - never again! We only brought hand baggage because they charge you £40 to put a suitcase in the hold! And, what's more, they've started to weigh your hand baggage! Mine was over weight, so after an argument with the officious wee eejit, and a little reshuffling we we fine! We sat the kids together in front of us because I had put a couple of movies on Isla's iPod Touch for them to watch, and we sat right behind. No leg space at all! I had never flown Ryanair before, and I won't again! We managed to get comfyish, and sat and watched The Mighty Boosh on the iPad during the flight. It was cool!
We got in at about lunchtime, so went straight to Macdonalds as we were all starving. I had a couple of wraps as I thought they we probably the most fat free, but I suffered terribly in the car from indigestion type pains afterwards. It's just proved to me that no matter how much I fancy something I'm going to have to be really careful from now on and stick to the fat free diet as the doctors said. It won't hurt, and it's pushing us both into dieting, which isn't really a bad thing, it just sucks a little to know that I can't even have a wee treat now and again because I will suffer hugely for it.
Anyway, as soon as we got home (France home I mean) the kids were into the pool! We had a lazy afternoon, with a bit of a snooze and then got up again for dinner. We lasted admirably I thought, considering we had been up at 4.30 that morning! The next couple of days were beautiful so we spent lots of time by the pool, and the kids have hardly been out of it! My mum and dad took the out for the day on Saturday, so we had a really lovely and relaxing day by ourselves in and out of the pool.
We've had a bit of a difficult weekend! Frazer was really ill on Friday, and starting to get better on Saturday when we went out for a friend's lunch. When we got home I had a headache, and by about half past ten was in serious pain with stomach and chest pains - I felt like there was someone standing on my chest. We went to bed, but I only stayed ere for about half an hour because I just couldn't get comfy anywhere. The pain got worse and worse, I threw up, and Frazer came downstairs, took one look at me and phoned NHS 24 who insisted on sending an ambulance due to the chest pains. The paramedics arrived and decided that I should be taken to hospital in Melrose of all places! Never been there before! They gave me some morphine which didn't actually stop the pain as much as stop me caring about it!
We were in A&E for a while and at about 6.30am they took me up to the ward and sent Frazer and Isla away. I kind of dozed in between bouts of pain, nurses doing obs, and various nurses and doctors coming in with questionnaires and forms to fill in etc! They wouldn't allow me even a drink of water for quite a long time, but eventually I was allowed "comfort sips"! They took me down to have an ultrasound which showed up that I have gallstones which had obviously flared up due to me catching Frazer's bug.
All the time I was there I kept telling them that I had to be better because I was going away on Tuesday! I think they's have liked to keep me in a bit longer to be honest because I was on IV antibiotics, but they've given me some tablets and let me go yay! I'll have to go back in a few weeks to have the gallbladder hoiked out, but apparently they can do that with keyhole surgery so I'm not too worried about it. The only bugger is that I have to have a fat free diet until then - sucks to be me!!
Also, I'm excited because this is the first post written on my spangly new iPad using Blogpress so hopefully it'll work!
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We celebrated out housewarming and Frazer's birthday on Saturday. We had had about three weeks of glorious weather, but as soon as the barbecue was lit the heavens opened! Such is life! I met a whole load of Frazer's friends who I hadn't met yet, a couple of my friends came up from Dumfries, and we had a housefull! Tons of people, kids, dogs and one very perturbed cat who's not too keen on dogs. He's going to have his nose put well out of joint when we get one!
I'm still working, and in fact I'm starting another job on Monday - can't tell you too much about it, again for data protection reasons, but it's for a bank. Monday to Friday, 9-5, and I couldn't be happier about it. I've been working six days a week for the last months and it's really taken it out of me getting up every morning at 5.45am. Even on Sundays I can't seem to sleep in, and am still waking up at the same time. At least this way I get my weekends back, and it's a slightly shorter journey each day. Also, on days where Frazer doesn't need to be out and about we can even car share, saving fuel money. Liking that idea!
I managed to get him the best present - I'd been wanting to get a kindle, but at £111 they're a little pricey. Isla and I have had one since Christmas (well...it's really Isla's, but I think she's only read one book on it, I've had it since January!) and it's brilliant, and Frazer has been making the odd mutterings about it for a while now. So, that was my plan, until I went on the Asda website and found this. It's a Binatone Homesurf 7 Tablet computer and it's cool. It was £79, and I reasoned that not only could he use the Kindle app on it to read all the books we have, but he could also use the browser, music player, video player etc. So, it was a better deal than the Kindle because it can do more. The only slight drawback to it, is that it doesn't have the AppMarket widget thing on it, and in order to install apps you have to search for the .apk file online, download it to your computer, transfer it onto the tablet and then install it. Slightly irritating, but no biggie - there are a few sites that tell you where to find the files.
So, he's a happy bunny. He certainly wasn't expecting it, and he loved it so much that I found him downstairs at 4am (because it had finished it's first full charge) lying on the spare bed trying to figure it all out. And he has all of Terry Pratchett's books on there too. Happiness knows no bounds :-)
Well, we moved at the end of March and we’ve been a little busy since then! I ended up having to give up my job in order to move – I couldn’t get any more time off for interviews, so I had to be here to find a job. So I finished on the Tuesday, came up for a couple of interviews on the Wednesday and Thursday, back down to Dumfries for lunch with the girls on the Friday, and then moved up lock, stock and barrel the following Tuesday! Massively stressful!
As I wasn’t working to start with, it didn’t take too long to get the house into shape. Isla had a couple of days off school, and then started her new school, which she seems to be enjoying. Frazer’s getting used to a slight commute, but loving living somewhere that’s nicer than the centre of Edinburgh, and I’m enjoying having a nice big garden to sit out in on a nice day! We’ve had a few little teething problems, but nothing insurmountable – we’re both used to our own space, and Frazer’s never lived with a child before but we’re all finding our feet. It is lovely all of us being together all of the time, and not having to think about doing THAT journey every weekend!
And I have a job! Ok, it’s only a temping job, but it’ll do for now. It was originally just a 3 week contract but they’re keeping me on longer which is good. I’ve had a lot of interviews for permanent jobs too, so a lot of it is just wait and see. I was only actually unemployed though for 3 weeks, which isn’t too bad. I was panicking about being able to find something. The job is more boring than my last one, but an awful lot easier, the only bugger about it is that’s it’s an hour’s drive each way, but it’s a job! A better one will come along soon.
The house is lovely, and we’re all finding our own space in it. We’ve pretty much got it the way we want it, apart from Frazer’s study which he can sort out himself! There are piles of boxes and some of it is paperwork and such – not my department! I know where all my paperwork is – I’m great at filing!
The weather has been amazing since we moved, so I have been out and about with my camera the last couple of days just making the most of it. Peebles is a beautiful little town, with a couple of great ice cream shops! It has a real holiday feel when the weather is good. I will close now and give you some pictures of Peebles to have a look at, and will be back with you soon – a lot sooner than last time I promise!
