I did manage to shift into gear a little last week though and decided to go in to work on Wednesday to use the gym and then meet up with my friend for a drink and to give him his birthday presents. I showered and washed my hair before leaving home and tried using what was tantamount to quick-setting cement as a hair spray to try to keep my hair somewhat decent looking but after a work-out in the gym followed by a cold shower I still ended up looking like this!
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| Cartoon by Shutterstock |
I give up! Seriously! My hair isn't even that curly but it always ends up looking like I just stuck my finger in the electric socket! In fact, the day before the wedding I had just gotten out of the shower and plugged in the hairdryer when the bloody electricity went off (again) - my brother-in-law just burst out laughing as you should have seen my hair. I ended up having to put on a headband and go for the au naturel look, but I was praying it wouldn't happen again before the wedding. At least give me a chance to look semi-decent during the ceremony! Oh, and we're still waiting for the photographer to get back with the wedding photos so I will write more about that when I get them, although those that I have seen are beautiful. He actually took fabulous aerial photos with a drone too - neat huh!
Anyway, I met up with my friend and gave him a book for his birthday as he is as avid a reader as I am (probably more so in fact). But, I also gave him a rubik's cube, which is probably driving him to distraction even as I write!! Or he may have thrown it out the window by now - we'll see I guess.
And talking of reading, after I retired I found, sadly, that I wasn't reading as much - unlike when I worked and had 90 minutes each day on the bus to read. This saddened me because I have always loved to read but I'm glad to say that I now seem to have mastered the art of sitting on my back terrace in the shade and ploughing my way through a good book again. I have so many books sitting looking at me waiting to be read, so I'm glad I have started up again. On another note, having discovered some 20 year old cookery magazines stuffed away in the basement while decluttering, I have also decided that I am going to try at least one new recipe a week from now on. The down side of being alone means that I have no-one to cook for other than myself, but the upside is that I get to cook (and eat leftovers) just 3-4 times a week so I really enjoy it. The other day I made a Moroccan cucumber salad that had icing sugar (powdered sugar) in it but meh. Not so great! I then made a lovely (again Moroccan - it was a feature in that particular 20-year-old magazine) aubergine (eggplant) dish that had tons of garlic in it, as well as cumin and chilies. Lovely! So I guess it's a good thing I live on my own as the amount of garlic in that recipe definitely kept the vampires away!
Oh and guess what? Ya can't guess? Well I suppose I'll have to tell you then! When I weighed myself this morning I had actually lost 14 lbs (one stone) from my highest weight, although probably about 10 lbs since I retired and all that without trying! Now I'm quite aware that I can go up and down 3-4 lbs overnight anyway, but this is the first time I have got anywhere near that figure. I weigh myself in stones/lbs (14lbs in a stone) because it means more to me and, as I told my friend, the numbers go down quicker in lbs than kg! To which she replied that they also go up quicker in lbs!! Damn, I wish I hadn't told her now! I have tried various online weight loss programmes over the years but I honestly can't be bothered to stick with them (read "I don't like being told what to do"). I also loathe all these 0% items - particularly 0% yoghurt as I feel I can just taste the chemicals in them. So I recently decided "sod it" and went back to buying full fat Greek yoghurt (with honey - yumm) and just going with whatever I fancied and the bloody weight is coming off (albeit slowly). I know, losing a pound a month isn't exactly gonna get me on "The Biggest Loser" is it, but I'm happy with that. Oddly enough, I have never been a big eater but put on 16 kg (35 lbs) with the menopause. I know this because I weighed 66 kg when my dad died and within a few years had raced up to over 80! I think it was the speed at which it went on that shocked me more than anything - but, sadly ladies, I'm not alone am I! So why does it seem to be coming off now when I'm nowhere near as active as I was when I was working? The only thing I can think is that when I was at work I ate breakfast because "I had to eat breakfast", and then lunch "because it was 1 p.m." and then dinner because I "had to eat when I got home". Now, not so much! I don't eat by the clock any more because I have more time - well that's the only thing I can put it down to - but long may it last!
And going off on a totally different tangent, yesterday I decided to stop and take pictures of remodeling work being done by one of my new neighbours and thought my old neighbour who used to live in that house (15? 20?) years ago might like to see what they have done to it. (Hi Marilyn!). I must have looked like some weird pervert in a flasher mac jumping out from behind the bushes taking pictures of this house but … Anyway, the divorced dad that lives there now has taken out the garage and a lot of the garden to make an independent studio for his disabled son. The son is very seriously physically disabled (he has a huge mobility scooter) but not, apparently, mentally disabled. I believe he also has a job. But dad has been working on this studio for quite some time now so I decided to send pictures to Marilyn!
Which then got me chatting away to Marilyn on What'sApp for about 40 minutes. It's always lovely to have a good old chinwag! Marilyn is American (and also now French) and after losing her lovely husband three years ago she left the US to be with her son who is working in Cork, Ireland. Turns out Mathieu just got engaged so they are busy looking for a wedding venue in the Czech Republic - exciting times huh! I have no idea how we got on the subject (do women ever know how they jump from one subject to another?!) but she said something about Ireland being a dump! Say what? Well that wasn't what she meant. What she meant was that Ireland actually seems to be the dumping ground for all the crap make-up the Kardashians can't sell in the US (you know, like the dollar bin at Walmart), and so many young Irish girls are buying this cheap, marked-down make-up and slapping it all over their faces and it looks horrible! Their beautiful, pale, freckle-faced Irish skin was not made to be smothered with Kardashian-colouring make-up. So it would seem that the Kardashian brand is maybe not quite as successful as they would have you believe! Who wudda thunk!
And going off on yet another tangent, I bumped into an old (divorced from my friend) neighbour yesterday who I hadn't seen for about a year - and I got the shock of my life! He has cirrhosis and he didn't recognize me after living next door to me for 30 years! When I explained that I used to live next door to him and that we would take each others kids on holiday he still didn't recognize me! So I said, "you know my ex, P, the American" and it either clicked or he pretended it had! My goodness, he was in a state. Now while I have compassion for him for his current health problems (and there is a very sad back story too) I never actually liked him - his ex-wife yes, but not him! He was born and bred around here (in Haute Savoie) and used to say things like "I'm a real Savoyard and the rest of you are just a bunch of pigs"! Nice eh! I think in reality he was very jealous of people working in Switzerland and earning good money - but if that was the case why didn't he look for work in Switzerland. My ex's skank that he ran off with also made comments about how "lucky" we (my ex, me and my son) were to be working in Switzerland so ex told her to start looking - which she did, and she got a job. But, you know, sometimes it's easier to just sit around and complain about how everyone "has it better" rather than try getting off your backside occasionally. Heck, that's how I got my job in Switzerland - I started applying - as I knew I didn't want to stay in the UK. Anyway, when he realized that I was now divorced he asked me to stop in and see him for a coffee "sometime" - I may or may not do so because, as I say, I never did like him and don't need to be cosying up to a man who has never been anything but a loud-mouthed trouble-maker but … who knows! It sure was a shock though when he didn't even recognize me after 30 years as his neighbour! Sad really!
And I see that WTO chief, Roberto Azevêdo, has put Boris straight on a few of his claims on "trade matters"! Apparently Boris has been spouting that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK could use an old clause called GATT 24 to continue to enjoy tariff-free trade with the EU. Err, or not, as it would seem. As Mr. Azevêdo pointed out, GATT 24 is not applicable in this case. Seems Boris just spouts out whatever springs to mind and sees what sticks. Now who does that remind you of? Just like the £350 million a week that was going to get pumped into the NHS eh Boris?
And finally, (yes finally - I don't half rattle on), I guess we all know where we were when they put a man on the moon don't we. I was 10 years old and in junior school and the teacher dragged a big old TV into the classroom so we could watch the moon landing. Even as young as I was I knew what a momentous and magical event that was! Wow! And wadda ya know! Fifty years ago today they put a man on the moon - and just a couple of days ago I managed to upload my own video onto my blog. So now the sky would really seem to be the limit wouldn't it - to infinity and beyond!
I honestly feel cheated that I do not remember the moon landing at all. I would have been 3 years, 8 months old, and nothing about that time sticks. Unlike so many of my "memories" from young childhood, with this world event, I don't even remember the stories of people talking about the moon landing yet remember cystal clear that at about the same age, I stowed away in the back of my dad's truck when he was leaving town for some of his horse shoeing clients. ONe sibling saw him leave, and then my head peak out and went running after him to get him to stop. Had she not seen me, I likely would have ridden halfway to Canada without him knowing I was back there. Do I remember this, or remember the story? I don't really know, but still, nothing about the moon landing. Isn't that odd?
ReplyDeleteHa ha, an illegal immigrant! How funny! We moved from our "old house" (they were being bulldozed as slums) when I was almost three and I stunned my mom one day by describing the move, how excited I was when the truck came but then took off with our neighbour's stuff first, and various other details I can recall when I was 2-3 years old. So it obviously is possible to remember very far back but seemingly for you your dad's truck was more of a draw than the moon landing eh!
DeleteBoJo the Bozo. What an idiot. No wonder trump likes him so much. I'm really excited that YET ANOTHER ONE who has no clue is going to be in charge. I don't really know much about Jeremy Hunt (other than the devastation he caused as Health Minister), but he at least seems a bit sensible, you know? Ugh. It's enough to make a girl give up on it all, really. Who the hell do I vote for NOW?! :(
ReplyDeleteThe weight loss is great news! I think NOT thinking about it is the key, not being so panicked about things. I'm not explaining it very well, but I lost about the same as you in about the same period of time simply by not being stressed out about stuff. When we moved into the last flat from the house we were sharing, it seemed to just fall off without me even thinking about it, and I didn't particularly do anything different.
Hope you don't get the heat forecast! Gross... stay cool!! xx
I think you might be right on the weight loss thingy- or at least I hope you are. I would like to lose another 2 stone ideally but anything is a plus at the moment. And yeah, Boris!!!! Don't like him at all but he will definitely be the next PM! Poor you!
DeleteCongrats on your weight loss! Maybe it is just lack of working stress in your life - who cares what the reason, that's great! I was an 8 month old bump in my Mother's tummy at the time of the lunar landing :) Interesting that Kardashian makeup is dumped in Ireland. I go out for the el cheapo drug store makeup - wouldn't think of spending stupid money for a bimbo's name on it lol. I always love your posts, so entertaining
ReplyDeleteThe moon landing really did have a "this is so special" feeling to it, even for me as a little kid. And I'm with you on the cheapo make-up too. Lidl do some great stuff (creams and make-up) so I don't see paying a fortune for it either. And who really wants to look like a Kardashian anyway - on with a trowel and off with a blow torch!
DeleteThat was a lot of this and that lol! You are lucky to be out of the way of BOJO. I do not understand how he is where he is, I guess thats money for you!
ReplyDeleteI think the too much make up trend is fairly widespread, not only in Ireland. I think its such a shame to see young girls plastered in makeup when their skin should be at its loveliest!
I think we lose weight when we stop worrying about it. Like you said, you no longer eat by the clock. I found when I worked I had breakfast, midmorning coffee and a biscuit, lunch, mid afternoon and a biscuit. Not to mention on my way home I always felt I was starving (I wasn't) and ate a bar of chocolate on my way from the office to the car (a ten minute walk!) Now, although I still have morning coffee etc, its not always with a biscuit and often if I'm busy doing stuff I forget the mid morning/mid afternoon ones. I've not lost weight unfortunately but neither am I trying to lose weight and only when my clothes feel a bit tight do I try to cut down on the inbetweenies! You're probably eating healthier too as you now have time to cook meals and also shop for the right ingredients.
I remember watching the tv and being very excited watching the moon landing. Now the children of today would barely give it a second glance. We were lucky enough a few years ago to be in Orlando when a shuttle was being launched so we travelled through to Kennedy Space Centre to see it live and it was absolutely amazing. We were a good two miles from the launch pad and the vibration and heat was unbelievable, not to mention the roar of the engines. I felt all the hairs on my back of neck stand up and remembered that moon landing, never in a million years did I imagine at that young age I'd ever get to see a rocket go into space in real life!!
You might be right about stress making us gain weight and I also heard that poor sleep can do the same - although why I don't know. Of course now I'm getting 7-8 hours a night as opposed to 5-6 hours so that might help. My guilty secret is that I sometimes used to go and get a milky ice coffee just to get away from my desk - force of habit really I guess. And years ago we had a house in Florida and were lucky enough to be there for one launch too. Absolutely amazing (although you'd never get me up in one of those things)!
DeleteThat weight lost is great! Retirement is good for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remember the moon landing. After Neil Armstrong said those famous words, my family and I went out into our yard to look up at the moon and it seemed as though everybody in my neighborhood was outside doing the same thing It was simply amazing.
It was a magical moment in history wasn't it. I'm not sure what could rival it to be honest!
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