66 and beyond!

Thursday

to be fair, Justin is also working......... it makes a difference, but, yes, he is a different personality.

Today I re-instated one of my old habits - well, almost. I haven't had a mindful coffee on the doorstep for a very long time - the doorstep here isn't conducive to it. But I checked the tide and went down to the beach at low tide, in my wellies. I didn't take coffee today (as we're not 'supposed' to do that yet - March 8th we can sit and enjoy coffee outdoors!) But I was out for almost an hour and really enjoyed myself. I'm going to get that into my daily routine if I can.

Today's not a run day, so I'm going to do a standing Pilates session (youtube) and see how that feels.

At 2pm there's a zoom webinar on sustainability - towards COP26 by Earth Charter International. The Buddhist organisation I belong to, SGI-UK, is a member of Earth Charter - that's how I got to hear about it.

So - off to eat my chick pea and veg curry - then onto zoom!

PS - the grocery shopping was done at 8am today - it already feels like a long time ago!

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/25/2021 (12:20)

Justin is apparently more fare weather then you. I loved the photos in your blog and the rainy day picture below.

Wednesday

and another night of extremely strong winds from the south (coming straight off the sea) - I'm going up to Trengwainton this morning - I haven't received a cancellation notification, so the wind is obviously not quite at the their cut-out point.

Today I've designated a 'rest day' for exercise - but I'll get a nice walk done.

Cornish evening class today - and I'm not prepared - there's still a window of opportunity to refresh my memory this afternoon!

I need to get groceries today as well - although I might only get essentials and leave the rest for tomorrow.

Later: I got a very nice walk done - I used a techno 121BPM audio track to keep me pacing nicely. The garden was virtually empty, so I had a nice chat with the lady on the admissions desk - and she said she I'd made her feel better, which was really nice! It wasn't as windy farther inland. I got 13,500 steps done (about 7k). And I didn't do ANY grocery shopping - it can all wait for tomorrow.

Cornish evening class was good (as always). And I'm going to end my day with a hot chocolate and comedy show, then a relaxing fragrant warming bath, then get into bed with a book to read. Ah, it's a hard life I have!

I'm not running tomorrow because Justin has to travel to Plymouth for some training, so we're going to run on Friday. I decided NOT to run tomorrow as well - but to do some indoor exercise instead. I've found another exercise programme (via the NHS) which looks interesting to me (Our Parks) - they call it a Couch to Fitness and it's a 9 week programme. I like things that progress gently - I think it will suit me. It's free too, which is a factor.




Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/24/2021 (14:03)

Ha! Justin messaged me this morning to say he wasn't coming out today - underslept and too windy/rainy. Actually it wasn't raining at all, but was very windy. I went out and did 25 mins intervals round and round a sheltered bandstand in the park! It was the NHS SPEED session, which is 155-165 BPM - a bit slow, but I did it. Then I ran home at 162 BMP. I've downloaded some more tracks from PODRUNNER to give me different speeds - I find them really helpful.


After yesterday's random sunny Spring day, we're back to grey skies and strong gales again, coming off the sea (which is noisy)!

I don't have to go out again today. I do have some laundry to do - but the machine was in use when I went up, so will try again later.

There's a new creative project coming up - curated by Newlyn Art Gallery (which I did the 'extraordinary postcards' for - it's an embroidery project on the theme of HOME - the artist (Klaus Rommelaere) asks for photos of objects in our home, then creates a drawing suitable for embroidering - then sends out a pack with all the materials needed. We embroider our designs, then he assembles them in a 3D installation.

"HELP EMBROIDER A HOME!

Artist Klaas Rommelaere asks for your help to embroider a new large scale artwork, Home, for an exhibition this summer at Newlyn Art Gallery. The fabric walls of Home will be suspended in the gallery, creating a room that visitors can enter.

The decoration of Home will be a collective representation of the place in which we are all spending so much time.

Klaas will invite you to send him a photo of a favourite object in your home which will inspire him to draw a design for you to embroider. This design will be sent back to you with instructions and a free sewing kit. Your completed embroidery artwork will be forwarded back to Klaas who will assemble Home ready for the exhibition in July."

Right up my street, eh?!




Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/23/2021 (06:29)

I'm thinking happy weather thoughts for you on your walking adventure today. Running with Justin is a great accountability exercise for both of you.

Thanks. When Justin and I run on Tuesday, I've suggested we run up and down the prom (flat) and try running a bit faster - for the fun of it, and because I know it's his goal to run faster.

Monday - and the weather forecast is really good (hope it's right!) I've packed myself a canteen of food (potato, vegan tunah, sweetcorn) and will fill a flask - and after my zoom book meet-up with LT, I'll head off out. I've plotted a route which takes me to the coast path beyond Mousehole (whilst avoiding walking through Mousehole which can be a bottle-neck for people). I'm excited to be getting out like this. Fingers' crossed the weather holds. I guess I can pack my raincoat etc to stay comfortable.

Nice run today. Personally, my 5K speed went up as I ran further, and lost weight. Congratulations with the low weight.

Edited by: BDTHOM at: 2/21/2021 (19:19)

Sunday - and a mild, calm, dry morning - not sunny, but not windy - so a lovely gentle run this morning. I used a 162BPM track to pace myself, and ran just under 6k which felt good. Justin split off half-way and sprinted farther on, but I was 'home' before him because he winded himself and had to stop and walk. I'm fully-invested in the training wisdom of keeping the cadence lower and being able to run for longer at a more comfortable speed. I really notice that I can breath easily, and my pulse is regular at around 150 bpm which is cool. It's quite exciting to make these discoveries!

Today there is a Buddhist meeting on zoom - I'm tuned in now (it's a drop-in thing). As there shouldn't be too much rain today, I've washed my sports gear and hung it on the washing line outdoors. It might get rained on - but it might not! I noticed that most of the sports gear says to wash at 30c - and I used the thermometer to check the water - it's pretty cool.

I recorded my lowest weekly average weight for ages - 116.25lbs. That pleased me. And motivates me to keep going with my smaller portions, low/no sugar, low/no wheat diet.

Thanks guys!

I joined a zoom recorder group this afternoon - it was a bit harder than my regular group, but good fun. I persevered. We were doing Vivaldi's 'Spring' from The Four Seasons - which, as you probably know, is very fast!

I've done 30 mins circuits session - so I feel justified in chilling out now. I made some cookies - and had one at lunch time. And I can't manage another one - so two have gone in the freezer, and one is wrapped up for Sunday (I only made four). They did contain some sweet stuff - but only a small amount of maple syrup and black treacle. They have a nice chocolate/salt/cinnamon flavour - I put dried blueberries in instead of chocolate chips. They have some chia and oats, cacao, coconut oil (only a little), flour. It feels good to have only eaten one and felt satisfied. Not sweet to eat - nice texture.


the white stuff on top is a bit of soya cream and sea salt (it's supposed to be topped with melted chocolate and sea salt)

My son in the meantime is becoming a cake-maker for weekends at home - and today posted a photo of a 'rich chocolate loaf' from a Nigella Lawson cookery book I used to have called 'Domestic Goddess'. It's great that he's cooking at home - and I love that he's using my old cookery books, with my cooking notes in them! I have given them vegan books - don't know if they use them. He's been vegetarian all his life - but he does eat eggs in cake, and cheese.

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/20/2021 (12:20)

I agree with Harry.

I enjoyed my night-at-the-movies - that film never disappoints me!

Saturday - and I already decided to stay indoors today (for Covid reasons) - it's a wild, wet, grey day. But I have electricity, water, heat, food, safety, and whole variety of things to do - I am blessed!

I had a slow start - drinking tea and listening to my current audio-book through headphones. I had a nice scrambled tofu breakfast - and today I'm in the mood to re-stock my weekend treat supplies and make some kind of low-impact cookies. I'm also going to make myself a pasty for lunch - I have some spelt flour which seems marginally better than regular flour........ or I have self-raising organic wholemeal - I think I'll go with the spelt for the pasty. And I have a lovely bunch of strong green Spring Greens (local) to have with it - I'm really looking forward to those.

My weight stayed the same this morning - I looked at my weight report here on Spark, and I'm back to 116lbs where I was at the beginning of March 2020. So I've lost my pandemic pounds! Yay!

Yes, it's deceptive isn't it? (the rice) - it's a small plate, and the rice is really spread out thinly in the circle. But psychologically it seems much more - and it was enough!

I've just picked a date (checking the weather) to go on a more extended walk and take a flask and a sandwich (or something) with me for a kind of picnic experience. I've chosen a place to walk to - it's over 7k in each direction - but I can cut it short if it feels too much.

It's still Friday evening at the moment - and I'm going to watch Love Actually for my solo 'date night' - with a mug of hot chocolate (no sugar)!

Nice arrangement of your food. It looks like more then a quarter cup of rice. Well done getting out for a sheltered run with Justin. It rained here yesterday and I gave myself permission not to go out in it.

Enjoy the start of your Saturday.

Friday - and Justin and I did the running route I planned, which did keep us out of the wind for 7/8 of the route! I used a running podcast at 175 BPM cadence which felt very comfortable. The wind is going to get wilder as the day goes on. I've got to pop out later - but not far, and not for long.

I'm doing another book-reading thing with my friend LT on zoom this morning - just 30 mins. We're reading about happiness (Buddhist perspective).

My self-care prompt for the day is to read my favourite book - I'm not sure I have a favourite - but I think I'll read Winnie the Pooh out loud to myself!

The scale was back down again this morning - yipee!

I had a nice morning walking out to Trengwainton and back. I did a little blog so I could share a couple of photos to some Spark friends.

When I got back, I had a coffee and a break - then had to go back out to get fresh fruit and veggies etc. All done. So all good for another week!

I've been researched portion-sizes from 1950s - I'm a bit obsessed by the thing about how women's clothes sizes have been manipulated over the years - we're all now wearing sizes that are actually about 4" larger than they were in 1960. I found a few articles on the BMJ (British Medical Journal) site which said that on average women were about 24lbs heavier than 1960. There is a Government committee on Obesity which is gradually changing laws about how food are presented to us - portion sizes in particular - and they're aiming to reduce the amount of calories consumed by about 5% - apparently, for our health, they need to be reduced by about 50%!

I set my lentil and veg curry out on my plate with all the rice spread around the outside of the plate - like the old-fashioned 'Vesta' curry! And actually, it worked better than putting all the rice in one place on the plate. (It was 1/4 cup of cooked rice)



I'm on a mission now - although there is zero information for vegans from 1950 - it's all meat-and-carbs with a bit of veg.

oh, and I had the foam roller out after lunch! I've arranged to run with Justin tomorrow despite rain and wind - I've planned a route which should keep us away from the wind as much as possible.


Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/18/2021 (12:45)

I do believe a rest day is good. I think all runners will do consecutive days sometimes. You are always mindful of what you are doing and how you feel afterwards. Enjoy the gardens today.

Sometimes weighing every day is just a mystery.

I'm not regularly running on consecutive days (I've only done it once) - and can feel how important the rest day is. My calves are stiff this morning, and I did some 'toe running' yesterday morning, and I think it must have been that. I've downloaded a 165 BPM for the runs I do with Justin.

Thursday - and it was a windy night with things blowing around, but all calm this morning, even some sunshine - and I'll be setting off for Trengwainton in a little while.

My weight is up this morning and I've no idea why - unless it was the extra exercise maybe.

Starting to run on consecutive days can take getting used to. Be sure to take it slowly on most of your consecutive runs. It's fantastic that you are getting out as much as you are and working towards your goals.

Wednesday - and I ran this morning; another wk1 of the 10k program which was 38 mins with run/walk intervals at a slow pace. I'm going to move to wk2 next time. It was a calm, dry, mild morning. But it's been raining since midday.

I went and collected a new pair of glasses this morning, then to the post office to post a little present and card for a friend, and to the library to hand in a book. Later on I was unable to find the receipts from the optician, so I've emailed the library to see if they got caught up in the book I returned!

This evening is Cornish class.

I cut about 6" off my hair yesterday - just tipped all my hair forward, wet, and cut straight across. Of course, that doesn't make a 'good' haircut as I now have longer hair at the front than at the back, but it doesn't matter as my hair is always clipped half-up or in a pony-tail. It hardly notices at all - I don't think anyone else would notice .......... it had got very long!

Despite running I feel quite low-energy - unmotivated generally. Perhaps it's just the weather and the time of year. Weather?! Gosh I saw on the news the extreme weather down in Texas with power outages, and wind-turbines frozen!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice morning - and I'm going to Trengwainton. But the gales are coming back on Friday apparently.

I'm reading a book that someone gave me as a present a while back - Vegan Freak by Bob and Jenna Torres (written over 10 years' ago) - and have just been reading about the cheese issue - and the possibly connection to oxytocin. Anyway, the only non-vegan food I have in the house right now is Greek yoghurt. So - I've put vegan yoghurt on my shopping list - it's more expensive to get GOOD vegan yoghurt (without sugar etc) - but I'll do it. Oatly also do a very nice oat-based creme fraiche (can't always get it, but will look).

Tuesday - and the main news today is that there is nothing in the diary and I'm not going out anywhere (except, perhaps, to put the recycling out for collection tomorrow).

Justin messaged to say he can't run on Wednesday morning as he has to go and have his second vaccination shot. I have said I'll run on Wednesday anyway, and we can run together on Friday (weather permitting). I know he runs in the afternoon/evening sometimes, so I know he'll fit something in for himself somewhere. It means I can do my 10k training plan on Wednesday.

I've had a felt chicken hanging in my window for two weeks (or so) now, for The Great Big Art Exhibition 2021, and yesterday I was pleased to see some children stopping to look at it and point at it. The theme was 'animals'. Now we have two weeks of 'portraits' and I've hung a LEGO face in my window! I had fun making it and finding the right pieces. I tried to put ears on, but they didn't look right so I ditched them!


[I realised the nose would work better the other way up, so I've changed it now]

I might manage to finish knitting my jumper today - and listening to the audio book. Before breakfast today I sorted out my running togs drawer - and have re-organised it a bit kind of Kondo-syle with some separators for my socks and buffs etc. And some warm-weather stuff I put away in clothes storage boxes. I was getting frustrated at having to rummage for stuff every time!

I could feel the effect of running for two days in a row - my toes were complaining. I am, at the same time, wistfully planning a kind of day-out with rucksack and flask....... and doing a trail walk/run........ I guess there's no rush..........

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/16/2021 (10:40)

Sounds like a good plan. Glad the two of you are continuing the regular slow 5k runs together.

Thanks - I felt good about myself for achieving that.

Nothing much more happened on Valentines' Day, but I did stay off the sugar.



Monday - and it was calm, mild, dry out when Justin and I had our 30 min run. I did ask him about what he wanted to achieve, and he wants to be able to run a faster 5k (20 mins) and is doing his own plan (at the gym on a treadmill preferably). So I shared that I was doing a 10k plan because I want to build endurance/stamina. So we've both agreed that our plans are things we do on our own, and the regular 30 min/5k run is what we'll do together.

Today is Buddhist book study with LT on zoom - so I'd better go and make my coffee!



Later: I forgot that there was another zoom thing this afternoon - an interesting talk about Cornish history from the archive centre. Then an hour's chat with a friend on the phone. Phew! Where's the day gone?!

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/15/2021 (12:34)

Well done getting out the door for the wild, windy run.

Have a happy, restful Valentines Day. Peace.

Well, I did get out for that walk - got soaked and frozen too! Then spent the remainder of the day under a blanket pretty much, watching a comedy series in iPlayer! I also had a somewhat runny nose - so maybe that was why I felt I needed to just lay low on Saturday.

However, I laid out my running clothes (for a windy, rainy run) ready for Sunday morning.

Sunday - and I woke at 5am, made coffee and took it back to read for an hour or so. Then I went out for that rainy, windy run. But it wasn't very cold and I actually really enjoyed the wildness of it. I was out just before sunrise, and only met a few other people - there was a sense of comradery. I felt good for doing it. I've found some free downloads of a 10k programme from PODRUNNER - and as I was on my own, I did week 1 session of run/walk intervals. The theory appeals to me - of learning to manage stamina and speed so that I can keep going. I will run with Justin tomorrow and just do 30 mins of something continuous I expect. I don't expect him to want to join me in training for a longer run. I think he'd like to run faster, but he's not an adventurer or trail-runner.

There was a flurry of Valentines wishes sent between friends on What's App this morning which was nice. I came home from my run and had a pink perfumed bath, then coffee and pancakes (buckwheat and apple), then opened a box of goodies I'd ordered for myself from a company called BLURT (positive mental health type stuff - self-care etc) and had a cup of rooibos blueberry tea which was nice.

The rest of the day will unfold............ knitting, audio book, film........... reading and tea...............

PS I had a special flapjack yesterday - made with morello cherry conserve, chocolate and nuts etc - it was delicious, BUT I noticed that I woke up feeling hungry this morning in a way that I don't usually - and I KNOW it was the sugar I had yesterday. Very obvious.

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/14/2021 (11:36)

It sounds to me like you are doing exactly what you should do today. The sun is taking some self-care time and so are you. Going outside in the rain counts as self care too when it's not connected to 'doing' anything.


Enjoy.

Saturday - and it's one of those days when even the sun is struggling to get going! There must be a very thick cloud-cover - it's raining, windy, dark enough to need lights on indoors. I've lit a candle for some 'hugge'!

I managed to NOT look at my phone this morning - I got up, made a cuppa, settled myself with blankets on the bedroom sofa, took some mindful minutes to stare into the fake flames of my electric heater, and reflect on my dream (part of which was a hairdresser cutting about 24" off my hair - and I was delighted, saying "how did you know that was what would work?!" ) Then I had a few moments with my teddy bear (a la Linda Spangle) and gave him my phone to look after. I then spent an hour of very enjoyable time reading my current book.

It's not a day to go out really - but I have a desire to wrap up in waterproofs around 4pm and just go for a walk outdoors.

I'm going to apply myself to some Cornish home-study this morning. I'm going to try to carve up a spot in my day for it regularly - otherwise I skip it too often! I enjoy it once I get going. I guess it's not an easy task for me because it doesn't fit my tendency to feel satisfaction from completing things. On-going tasks are harder for me (housework is an example!).

I have two Chinese New Year things on-line this afternoon - ah, yes, so I'll have to do my walk at 2pm, not 4pm. Good job I noticed that otherwise the walk wouldn't have happened.

Happy Lunar New Year! You started out great by running in the wind (with the wind? ) today. It was a good way to get out of whatever you felt yesterday.

It was REALLY cold yesterday, and I pretty much stayed in my kitchen all day as it's the smallest room, and I can keep it warm more easily! I did go out for shopping and got knocked sideways by the wind a few times!

Maybe because of the cold, I ended up snacking a little - nothing terrible, but opened a bag of macadamia nuts I'd bought to make 'cheese' with, and had some of them and a couple of juicy medjool dates. I was unable to identify my feelings - or perhaps, more honestly, I wasn't prepared to sit quietly for long enough to discover my feelings. I knew I 'shouldn't eat' those things, but I just wanted to.

Friday - and Justin decided not to come out to play because of the wind. But I went out anyway - wrapped up well - and had a great run! The wind wasn't too bad at all today (but the forecast is for stronger winds over the weekend again). After my run, I stopped at the postal delivery office and picked up a parcel - and found I had THREE parcels! woo hoo! And I had two nice things through the letter-box today too. I have a pretty little wooden jigsaw puzzle in the shape of an angel fish, two self-care boxes from BLURT which are divine (it's like getting presents of things you just love and didn't know you wanted!) - and my monthly package of teas from Bird & Blend (this month there are three 'pancake' varieties to sample - two are rooiobosh one is black tea). And the wrist-warmers from my sister (which I'm wearing right now).

I've got a load of laundry done - and that's it. I'm home for the day now. I had a little thrill from getting a virtual badge from Garmin!

and, of course, I was OK. But I did kind of waste time waiting to run! I don't think I'll do that again. We had a good run - I took Justin on one of my adventurous routes - even though he lives locally, he hadn't been that way before.

And the Cornish evening class was good too - fun, friendly and interesting.

Thursday - and I had a ticket to go to Trengwainton again, but it's closed today because of very strong winds. I am going to pop into town for a few things - practical things like postage stamps and pound coins for the washing machine, as well as the usual basics like onions and carrots and plant milk (and coffee!)

I had a pair of 'cooling arm sleeves' from Aftershokz with my headphones (freebie) and they were too large for me (they fell off my arms!) - so I messaged my sister to see if her husband would use them - she was delighted, and then messaged me to say she'd had a free pair of recycled cashmere wrist-warmer/gloves and would I like them - I said "yes please!" So a little freebie exchange is going on between me and my sister today! We don't connect of very many levels, so this is a nice thing to be happening.

Apart from this - my main event will be a very comforting, spicy, warming, tasty veggie curry for lunch!

You will be okay.

Wednesday

I didn't feel 100% yesterday - a bit of a headache and generally a bit under-par. But I did my workout in the afternoon, and felt better afterwards. I'm kind of addicted to the hula-hoop at the moment and find myself doing 12 mins of hooping even on days when it's not on my plan!

It's a cold morning, but no snow or rain here at the moment. Looks OK out there. My Aftershokz bone-conducting earphones arrived and are very cool - the only problem is that they have to work around head-wear like headbands and hats and hoods - but I'm sure I'll work something out! The sound is amazing and it's lovely not to have that irritation in my ear.

I'm not running until 10am today because of Justin's work schedule, and it almost threw me off-course this morning. I decided to get dressed in my running togs anyway, and to have an early breakfast to stoke the engine!

I think I'll be OK, but I hate having to wait to run!

I did find myself choosing coffee this morning, instead of the green tea - that must have been some kind of 'anchor' habit that emerged because of the relatively minor stress involved in having to come up with a different morning routine just for today! Thank goodness there are no cookies in the house!

Tuesday - and I'm glad I'm not running today! It's cold, and raining a kind of icy rain. Many places have some snow this morning - we might get a sprinkling this afternoon.

I woke quite late today, and made my cup of green tea with mint (someone tipped me off about this minty version and I find it MUCH more palatable!) and intended to read for a while, but I ended up scrolling through the news on my phone - doh! Must de-habituate that one!

I don't need to go out today - so I'm staying home. I need to do Cornish homework which I've left to the 11th hour again (class tomorrow!). Yesterday I had a bit of a slump after my run etc, and just laid about, watched a film, did some knitting, not a lot more!

Today I have a list again, but how much I'll do, I'm not sure. It doesn't matter really as long as the essential things get done.

I have agreed to run at 10 am tomorrow as Justin doesn't finish work until 9am. That's another 'tweak' to my routine - hope it doesn't throw me off-course too much. It is forecast to be icy cold, but dry tomorrow.

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/9/2021 (04:48)

Congratulations! It take discipline to get through programs like C25K. You have that covered.

Glad you are settling into retired life. I really had no doubts that you would.

Monday began with a message from Justin to say he wasn't coming out to play today as he'd run yesterday and felt sore and tired. So - off I went on my own and had a brilliant run. Very cold here, but not quite freezing; I'm so lucky! Lovely run!

Today is my book-club day on zoom with LT - looking forward to that. Then it's a kind of house-cleaning day mostly. Nothing urgent on the agenda, which is nice! I've settled very nicely into my retired life of being in bed by 9.30pm and lights out at 10pm, then waking early and doing my morning chanting. The evening routine has got two set-points which feel good: I begin with a hot drink and a sit-and-read at 7pm, and at 9pm I do half-an-hour of stretching. Those have settled into a regular place in the timetable and seem to work very well.

Also, tidying/decluttering a drawer or shelf is something that seems to work well in the evening - whilst listening to an audio-book. Then I make sure that noisier things, like sewing machine, chanting, recorder, smoothie-making, happen in the day-time hours.

thanks for the joyful energy! Yes, it's late afternoon here now - I had a great walk and meander through the gardens. There were snowdrops everywhere! It was quite chilly, so I kept moving. Did over 7k and 13,000 steps - so a good walk.

I will be doing the last C25K run tomorrow - and I've already ordered myself a 'medal'! I've ordered some bone-conduction headphones which will free me from having wires threaded under my top and into my pockets - and having a plug in my ear. I also found three follow-on sessions which develop speed and stamina which sound good - they're from the NHS, and I've downloaded them onto my phone. Not sure how useful they'll be as the cadence is slower than my normal cadence - but I'll have a go because I like the variety that 'new' things give me. Then I think I will have a go at my original plan of tagging week 1 onto week 9 and so on until I'm able to run for 60 mins and cover 10K.





Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/7/2021 (11:30)

Enjoy your Sunday. I know you are well into your plans by now. I'm passing on joyful energy to Spark you through the gardens.

Thanks. That early morning run had me feeling tired by late-afternoon! I did go and have that bath, and listened to classical music for a change. Then did my chanting, and worked my way through my evening list: hula hoop, knit, tidy a drawer, do stretches etc. It got me through to 9.30pm and time for bed and read!

Sunday - and the temperatures have plummeted all over the UK with snow and blizzards (UK style) in the south-east. But here on the SW tip of the island, we're protected by the Gulf Stream and just a few degrees warmer. It's cold, but it's not freezing or snowing. Today I woke very early at 5.30am, and got myself my Sunday coffee - and snuggled back into my warm bed to read. I'm reading "Happiness Becomes You" by Tina Turner which is very inspiring.

Today I have buckwheat pancakes on the breakfast menu - they come our really light. I think buckwheat comes is related to rhubarb, and not a grain at all - but a fruit seed. I just learned that soba noodles are made with buckwheat (I didn't know that!).

And the jewel in the crown today is the ticket to go to Trengwainton Gardens at midday today - I am really excited about being able to go there again; I've missed it so much.

And just one zoom today - a Windrush Foundation presentation; their sessions are always very interesting.

I agree with your revised expectations for vegan cheese substitutes. I was on the Urban Cheesecraft website ordering a kit for my sister's birthday and watched a short video by the author of "15-Minute Cheese" a book they sell. It was a dairy recipe, but a comment she made in the video stuck with me. There are a lot of nice soft cheeses or substitutes that we can make that are very satisfying. In your words, they fill that cheese space.

Well done getting out for 30-minute run today.

Later: the small sewing jobs are done. The Buddhist meeting was good. The Cornish AGM was good too. But this afternoon, now (17.00) I've slumped and don't feel like doing anything much at all. I'm going to have a warm bath to re-boot myself! Then, perhaps, if nothing else, I'll just get a jigsaw puzzle out to do.

Saturday and a glorious morning! Justin and I did our 30 min run easily today - feeling great!



This morning I enjoyed liberal portions of my very garlicky tofu 'cheeze' on toasted rye bread - it was lovely! I think the key is not to aim for 'cheese' at all, but for other tasty, savoury vegan solutions that fill the cheese space on the menu!

Today I have several zooms if I choose to do them - first up is a 2 hour Buddhist meeting (which I will do), then there is a Cornish language AGM - which would be beneficial for listening to Cornish being spoken, then the evening there is a recorder practise thing which I might listen in on and see if I think I can do it on my phone.

Apart from that, I have a nice day planned with some craft work (making birthday cards for March birthdays and doing some small sewing jobs).

I have avoided the dentist since the onset of covid. I feel more comfortable with the optician. They keep everything pretty clean normally and surly doing even more now. Mostly, I'm not there with my mouth open.

Nice of you to buy local. Amazon has enough money coming in. In late 2019 Jeff Bazos' ex-wife gave away billions of dollar to charity. By late 2020 she was $18 billion richer. then the year before. She literally can't give her money away as fast as her net worth goes up. She has is currently targeting community level covid relief programs to offset her pandemic windfall. Jeff is playing with rocket ships and moon landings.

I understand the concern for your upstairs neighbor. Self medication is a poor answer for his obviously real pain.

Friday - and I was disturbed to learn that my upstairs neighbour resorted to knocking himself out with alcohol to get a night's sleep. I hope beyond all hope that it doesn't trigger a drinking habit for him.

I had a good chat with CB yesterday, she isn't going to drive over to Trengwainton at the moment - but she's slightly undecided about it.

I made a kind of vegan cream cheese using a silken tofu (which is all I had) with lots of garlic, some nooch, salt, lemon and herbs. It tastes pretty good! I was going to have some on my toasted rye this morning, but then remembered that I am going to get my eyes checked today, and don't want to be breathing garlic-scented breath over the optician.

I'm not 100% happy about having to be in a small room with another person looking into my eyes - but my eyes are important and I know they are taking as many precautions as are feasible.

I am also calling at the door of a store to collect a box of Playmobil that I've purchased on-line for my grandson's birthday in March. It takes more effort to order and collect locally - but worth it to support the local traders.

I have a nice, stress-free day after the optician. I think I'll leave choosing glasses for another day - so I'm not in there too long! My brother is good at choosing my glasses - I might ask him to have a look at the on-line catalogues and suggest something - he has a better stylistic eye than me.

Later: it was fine at the optician, and I found a pair of glasses I liked straight away. My distance vision has consistently improved over the last 5 years, my close-up vision is slightly worse - hardly any adjustment, but the new lenses will be better for my eyes and I needed new frames.

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 2/5/2021 (13:11)

Peoples person stories are often complicated for sure. Well done getting out for the solo run today!

Someone professional has been to visit my neighbour upstairs - and he sounds a lot happier. I had a quiet night. There's more to it than meets the eye for sure. But I woke every two hours through the night because I'd set the alarm to get up for an early run! Well, I got up and did my early run before dawn, with my head-torch. And it was SO good to be out there in the peace of the morning. Just a few deliveries going on - no dog-walkers out yet.

Came home, did my stretches, washed and changed, then went out to get my groceries. I had the right 'moment' to stop and talk with a man who sleeps in a doorway in a motorised wheelchair. I found out that he does have accommodation but doesn't feel safe sleeping there - he does also have a social worker and care workers - but says they don't serve him well. It was good to talk to him - and I suggested he got in touch with the MP who is good at housing support and disability. Again, the story is probably very complicated.

I'm looking forward to a video chat with my best friend, CB, this morning. She messaged me yesterday and told me that our beloved Trengwainton Garden is opening at the weekend. So I've got a booked entry ticket for Sunday lunchtime. I'm not sure if she'll be allowed to drive over from St Ives to join me - depends how you interpret 'local'. It would be nice to see her, but I don't consider the journey 'essential' or 'local' for her.

"I'm feeling really good at the moment - positive, optimistic, creative, healthy etc."


Spring is ready to bust forth here too. I was noticing the cherry buds swelling above me as I sat on the back porch this morning. We can always dive into a late winter deep freeze well into March. I hope not.

Despite Phil, it's feeling like Spring is on the way, here at least.

Wednesday, and I was awake until after midnight and before 5.30am due to David upstairs being in pain. It inspired me to do extra chanting this morning and send a load of positive vibes his way. He says on facebook that he hasn't slept for 3 days - but he also doesn't seem to be willing to get help - so, not much I can do, except pray/chant for him.

It's a beautiful morning here and I popped down the road to post a couple of letters. But apart from that, I've decided to stay indoors today (because of the coronavirus risks). I'm delaying my shopping until tomorrow. That gives me one whole day clear of possible contact.

I'm feeling really good at the moment - positive, optimistic, creative, healthy etc. And for that I'm very grateful. I have a lot of tools at my disposal.

I had a very creative breakfast - invented from what I had: tofu and sweet potato mashed together with some buckwheat flour and made into a kind of pancake. I decorated it with tomatoes, olives and coconut-cheese, and it looked like a pizza!

2 more weeks of winter.

It's too bad Justin will miss a run, but I think you are doing it right. You can move a day because of schedule conflict. If you move two days you both miss a run.

Great selfie!

Justin was happy for me to lead him on an adventure run! It was great.

You're right about having earned the benefits - I am grateful for them too.

The evening plans are really working well for me - and I'm feeling good about myself for being well-occupied. That evening 'drift' was becoming a problem for me and dragging my mood down too.

Tuesday - and we've done our run. It was dry and mild, but very windy. In one direction we had a strong head-wind which really taxed us! It was so noticeable - when we turned, and had the wind at our backs, we were flying! Here's a selfie of me showing my hair being blown sideways by the wind!



Lists work well for me - it takes the procrastination out of it - just do the next thing on the list (or not!)

I was checking my ice-box last night and found two olive scones I'd made a few weeks' back - so I'm looking forward to those at the weekend!

I'll be running on my own on Thursday as Justin has an early start at work on Thursday and Friday.

Groundhog Day? What will it be?!

You have earned the ‘old’ people benefits offered. You provided important service to people at a very low salary.

Which way did Justin go with your proposed route? Good for getting out there and running in the rain.

The idea of planning out one’s evening free time sounds a bit odd. But, I know I loose a lot of time to simply not knowing what to do with myself. I understand where you started with this. Glad it makes you feel good.

Monday - and I slept quite late - but went out for groceries before 8am, which was good to get done.

Today I have my Monday book study with LT on zoom. I have no other urgent things to do, but a list of things I CAN do, which include cleaning the house today.

I updated my Spark page for February, did my budget and checked all my benefits etc. I asked a question about my housing benefit which appeared not to be paid for one particular week (no idea why) and also applied for a warm home payment which is £140 towards heating in the winter for 'old' people on low incomes.

I'm enjoying my evening routines too.

Sunday - and I can hear that it's raining. I'm ready to run. Sunday is nice because there are fewer people and cars around in the morning, so we can run through town a bit (to get to the other side). I've got a loop I'm going to suggest today - see what Justin thinks about it.

My days have been MUCH more satisfying since I started making the effort to plan my evenings. It's quite a challenge to think of things to do - but everything has worked out well. Last night one of my half-hour slots was 'colouring' and I found a Cornish language colouring book I had on the shelf which has birds in it - that was fun. Then I did 30 mins of 'stretches' from a book I have. I allowed myself one 30-min episode of a comedy I enjoy.

This evening I have: small jigsaw; read & drink; knitting; core workout; bath; bed & read.

And it's already time to get some ideas ready for updating my Spark page for February!

Yes, I did - it was very wet, wild, windy - but fabulous!

Banana blossom fish and chips is new to me. I wasn't even aware banana's had an edible blossom. I poked around on Google discovering that a Vegan Thai restaurant we get takeout occasionally because it is near the clinic has a banana blossom soup. It's not fish and chips, but probably a more traditional preparation.

I'm guessing you got out for that walk. Well done!

Saturday - and it's raining hard all night I think. I set out my wet-weather walking kit last night, so there's no reason not to do. But I found myself waking with that "shall I? shan't I?" thought running around my head! Perhaps I could go out later - this afternoon (there's a zoom this morning)....... you know the kind of thing. Then I realised what was happening, and I've filled my thermos ready to go as soon as I'm dressed.



I have a container of banana blossoms in the fridge, where they've been overnight with nori flakes to hopefully marinate into sea-flavoured things. I've not had them before, and when I opened the tin (organic banana blossoms - vegan meat substitute) I was very surprised to see stuff that looked like pulled chicken really - a brown/beige colour. I posted a photo of it in the vegan group in our neighbourhood support app - and said "it looks a bit disturbing!" and another person replied "Be brave!"

So - I'm apprehensively going for a vegan fish & chip lunch today!



There's only one 'whole' blossom on there which will be 'fish-shaped' - I'm planning to use the rest for fish pies

www.veganlifemag.com/anana-blossom-fish-ch
ips/

Later: it was OK, but not wonderful enough to want to repeat it - I prefer tofu-fish. I incarcerated my oven fries - they were still good though!




Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/30/2021 (10:26)

The Scilly Isles have the first daffodils, then West Cornwall (where I am) - then it moves eastwards across the south of the country. Interesting, isn't it? Daffodils are a major crop here - not just for the flowers apparently, but for the bulbs. I remember one year when it was really wet (like this year?!) when the bulbs were ruined.

Yes, all the hellibores are out, and the magnolias are close to blooming too.

I'm going to take my Pacer Poles out for a walk tomorrow morning - and do a recce of a route I want to suggest running - it's a nice circular route, but I'm not sure how 'rough' the ground is at the moment. You are right about the re-scheduling - my first thought was just to run on my own tomorrow, but then I thought about just moving it to Sunday so we can both run. I hope he's negative too - he hasn't been in close contact with the manager, but you just don't know do you?!

Daffodil! It seems so early for daffodils. I had to look out the window to see if mine where blooming. No, but they are about 3 inches out of the ground. My hellebores are just stating to bloom.

The strength of an established habit is when an obstacle presents itself it is quickly planned around. I hope Justin tests negative.

I am absolutely loving my table - it's a work of art!

Friday - and the sun is shining, it's not raining, and it's not a running day - so I'm heading out for a decent walk - there's a route I'm heading for where I have a flight of about 150 steps up a steep footpath. That's worth the effort.

I've been making myself plan my evenings - it's not easy to think what to do! It's helped me get through the evenings much more productively. I'm going to keep it up!

Today, for example, it's have a drink and read my book; have a footbath and listen to audio book; play Traffic Jam game; tidy a drawer; bath; bed and read!

photos from my walk - which was wonderful! (my daffodil photo came out a bit blurred - but it was so lovely to find a field of daffodils on either side of the footpath



I also popped just up the road and got some groceries as I was running short.

I had a message from Justin to say he has to work an early shift tomorrow - so we'll run together on Sunday. I might go for another good walk tomorrow. He also told me that my ex-manager has had a positive Covid test, so he (Justin) is doing a test. I'm so glad I don't have to go into work any longer!


Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/29/2021 (10:56)

You and Justin have done great getting each other through C25K. You idea to lengthen your runs using essentially doing 2- C25ks is good. The other is a other is a 10K option. Those tend to push towards 70 to 90 minutes of running. Whatever you choose, you are in a great place.

Glad you like your table. That was a very nice gift from your brother.

Thursday (I had to check!) - and I was up & out for a run with Justin at 8am. Another low-cloud type fog and intermittent rain/wet clouds! But mild (hence the fog). We did the 28 min non-stop run for week 8 of the C25K, and I've been considering what we can do when we reach the end of week 9. I'm thinking of adding week 1 to the end of week 9 and working towards a 1hr running time - which would be suitable for adventures like trail runs which I love!

That's my outing for the day done - all at home now. I sat at my lovely table for breakfast - it's so cute! And I have a couple of zoom events today - one is a history one about the Jewish cemetery in Falmouth, and one is an environmental conference which the Buddhist organisation I belong to is facilitating.

There's a initiative (nationally) to produce some art to display in the window - The Great Big Art Exhibition - the first theme is 'animals'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-5583
1841

I usually have something in my window - at the moment it's still the New Year one which says "It's OK! 2021" and I was going to make something for February using hearts (valentine's). Not sure about the animals - maybe lovebirds?

It's nice to get out in all sorts of weather. I rather like the misty, drippy sort of days when it's not quite dry and not quite rain. The wetness keeps other people indoors. The low, misty clouds muffle distant sounds. Cornwall is a magical place for those sorts of days.

The table looks just like the picture. Enjoy!

My evening plan worked, and I slept well, and didn't feel the need to return to the kitchen for a little something!

Today, I'm going to do that walk. I'm a little anxious about when the table is going to arrive - but I haven't had a message from the couriers, so I'm hoping it's OK to go out!

Cornish evening class tonight - my homework came back with several corrections - but he did say it was a 'tricky' bit of homework - and I guess that getting things wrong are what learning is about.

Today I'm trying a new recipe - nothing that unusual, just the kind of roasted cauliflower type thing. I'm not a great fan of roasting really (except potatoes!) and prefer them just steamed mostly, or raw. I do like a stir-fry - for the texture mainly.

Later: had a wonderful walk - it was raining and foggy. I took some coffee in a flask and perched in a shelter long enough to drink it. When I got home the table had arrived and I'm thrilled with it!





Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/27/2021 (11:40)

I have decided to do a nice walk tomorrow - rain or shine.

And, after some reflection, I decided that I need to actually kind of timetable those last two or three hours of the day so I don't up feeling kind of a-drift before bedtime!

This evening there is a zoom meeting at 7.30 - after that I'll have a hot bath, then head for bed with my current fiction book.

Chronic pain is so debilitating. There really is nothing you can do for D-up-stairs except feeling compassion for him. You do that. And, that's good for your health.

I'm excited for you for getting that new table. I hope it helps you with the feelings of loneliness.

By the way, I love running through puddles!

Tuesday - and I think the sound D upstairs makes must be pain-related - I've started putting my ear-plugs in - it takes the sharp edges off the sound. There's nothing I can do to help him. It's not every night. Poor bloke.

It wasn't too cold this morning, although the wind chill made it feel colder. But it was raining heavily first thing. If I'd been on my own, I'd have gone on a little bit more of a trail run today - a bit of adventure, but my running buddy doesn't like puddles, and had been awake at work all night, so we just ran up and down the flat promenade by the turbulent sea!

I had a delivery today - which I was expecting to be the table, but wasn't - it was a floor mop and some environmentally friendly cleaning products!

I had a mini-binge on oatcakes and vegan cheese spread yesterday evening - I think I was probably bored and lonely - I was watching too much on the TV catch-up I think.

Today I need to do two things that keep getting passed from day-to-day on my list - both read/study type things. So - here goes! I'll feel better once I begin!

Very nice!

Haha - yes, the wall-mounted fan heater in my bathroom is the thing I rely on to have a warm place to get dressed/undressed etc - an internal bathroom, so no cold coming in through a window and it heats up quickly! I haven't had to go in there to eat - but that sounds like a very practical solution to a freezing cold house!

My brother upcycled a desk he had in his workshop - he's painted it in Cornish Blue colours (sort of) - which will suit me well. I don't know if you know Cornish Blue crockery - it's blue and white stripes. And he gave it a semi-distressed look. This is the photo he sent me. DHL have emailed to say it'll arrive tomorrow!



I already have a bookcase that my brother gave me years' ago - made with reclaimed wood, and he cut designs in it. It's been a wonderful piece of furniture - used for different things depending on where I lived and what I needed it for. Currently it serves as the bed-end and shoe rack in my bedroom! I love it.

What a wonderful and loving gift your brother made for you! A custom made table that fits your small kitchen not only improves your life, but you will think of your brother at every meal.

I get what you mean about heating small spaces. I used to live in a very cold place, below 0C for weeks at a time. I would go home for dinner between jobs and the only room in the 100-year-old building where I lived that would heat up fast enough was the bathroom. Yes, I would take my plate of food and sit in the bathroom. It motivated me to keep it cleaner then I might have otherwise. :P

We have the same weather today! The rain stopped and the skies cleared this morning. It's been very cold and damp without being cold enough to snow. Over the weekend it did snow within 30 or 40 mile of here.

Monday - and I was up by 7am, green tea and chanting, then out to get my groceries early.

My brother messages to let me know that the kitchen table he has made for me will be coming in the next few days - exciting! I'll be able to sit and eat in my kitchen, which is a much smaller room and I can keep it warm much more easily. It's going to change my life quite a bit I think. Different habits - good ones.

Today is blue skies and cold air. It reminds me of the kind of weather enjoyed in the alps - I've been skiing twice in my life, in France, and still remember that bright light, fresh, clean air, and the sense of space. I always thought I'd like to go back to the Alps in the Springtime - but that's unlikely to happen.

I have my weekly Buddhist study session with my buddy, LT, on zoom this morning. So, I'd better get breakfast done - portabella mushrooms and cherry tomatoes this morning, with some rye toast.

I'm noticing what things might be causing me to hold onto weight (even if it's just water I don't want it!) I think the rye bread is OK (pumpernickel style - no yeast or sugar in it). I'm trying to keep a list of the sweet things and grain-type things that might cause an effect in my body.

I've been doing a 1 min plank every day, and I notice that my arms are weaker than my abs - so an arm workout it on the cards for today!

How fun for your grandson. We don't get much snow here either, similar climate. There is a simple joy in stopping everything and playing in the snow when it comes.

I will let you know how the coconut cheese goes. I'm not sure how much different coconut flour is from almond flour, except that it tastes like coconut.

=

I have a vegan keto cookery book which has two 'cake' recipes in it which have both worked well - both kind of cupcakes. One was a poppyseed lemon cake, the other was a chocolate cake. They involve psyllium husk and flaxseed, and some kind of sweetener (I use the xylitol). There's also a recipe for black bean brownies which I haven't tried. I'm not sure coconut flour would work for cheese......... but it's worth a try! Let me know!

Sunday morning has started with sleet/hail type of hard, icy rain. Justin has been working all night (awake) but still wants to run - so we're meeting at 8.45am. I'm dressed and ready.

This morning I am going to make buckwheat pancakes with grated apple in (probably some cinnamon too) - that's my Sunday treat. The raw chocolate didn't cause a problem - I only had one yesterday and didn't want more. The go-and-grab bars were a bit more moreish because of the flour-like texture I think, and perhaps the no-sugar, dairy-free chocolate drops! But I only ate half a bar and haven't gone back for more. These are all very encouraging signs. I think I've managed to stay flour-free all week.

a bit later: we had a great run - it stopped raining or hailing and the sun came out - it was cold, but lovely!

I had buckwheat pancakes for breakfast - first time I've used buckwheat flour - they were really light and nice.

my son and d-i-l and grandson have been out playing in the snow! what lovely memories - we don't often get much snow here.



Later: I did feel hungry about 2 hours after my breakfast today - buckwheat pancakes and a bit of maple/carob syrup. It could well have been the maple syrup - or I could just have been hungry! I'm erring on the side of caution and guessing it might be the maple syrup. I'll put some date syrup on my shopping list and experiment with that.



Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/24/2021 (16:42)

That's too bad. I understand the cost of these sorts of bars. If it doesn't work . What can you do. My son bought a package of coconut flour. I don't think the cake he made from it worked out either. I'm not sure he will use it again. I'm wondering if I can make cheese out of it. Use it place of almond flour.

The grab-and-go bars didn't work out well - I followed the recipe carefully, but they were just crumbly like sand. I smashed them all up again and added more coconut oil, but they're still crumbly. I've put them in the ice-box individually wrapped. Sorry not to have a good report for them! Don't know what I did wrong.

I won't do it again as there are too many ingredients wasted! coconut oil, seed butter, coconut flour. I don't seem to have had much success with coconut flour generally!

That ad for the weight loss pill is appalling!

I haven't felt very hungry at all today. I'm thinking I might make my third meal of the day a smoothie.

Jason Vale is passionate. He can really get in your face with a challenge. But, like a really good coach that passion turns to encouragement at the slightest success. To change your health you have to change your lifestyle is a painful message for most people. here is an ad for a diet pill running on American TV right now, "You can lose weight and be healthy without changing your lifestyle!" You found inspiration and passed it along to others. Well done.

If the molasses doesn't trigger an addictive response, it's something you can stick to. At least until you see some sort of change, or you start to find your granola too sweet. My son is on the keto diet right now. Your grab and go bars sound like something I could make and share with him.

I kind of have a singles date-night last night; I watched a sloppy DVD and drank some hot chocolate (no sugar), then I went back to my place (my bedroom - haha!) and had a weak decaff coffee, listened to some mellow music and read for a while.
It was nice - a good act of self-care.



Saturday - and I got up when I heard David get up - about 7am. He goes out to take photographs of the dawn sky. So I decided to get up and do my morning chanting whilst he was out - that worked well.

I've got a load of laundry done. I've made a batch of grab-and-go bars which are now in the fridge. They contain coconut flour and protein powder, xylitol, seed butter, coconut oil, vanilla, dairy-free & sugar-free chocolate chips, coconut. I'm thinking the texture is going to be quite claggy - I'll find out later! They are just under 300 kcals a bar, and 14g protein, 2g sugar (according to the recipe - which is written by a nutritionist).

I was inspired by this one this morning - not everyone likes Jason Vale because of his very extrovert personality and passionate style - but I think his message is right on! I shared it with my family - they weren't impressed. I know how powerful plant-based diets are - my experience of those juice feasts we did will always remain with me as inspiration.

youtu.be/cYFB-yJXQjI

What else today - well the sun is shining and I long to go out. But I also want to stay home and keep safe. I might try just sitting by an open window with a cuppa and be mindful for 15 mins or so.

I've had my breakfast, and I have no craving for those raw chocolate stars! It'll be interesting to see how I feel after I've eaten one - with the little bit of honey in!

A bit later: 5 hours after the homemade granola with molasses and I'm not hungry - so molasses in those small quantities seems OK for me.

I have done 20 mins on the mini-trampoline, 10 mins hula hooping, and 1 min plank.


It's almost 15.00 and I still haven't had my second meal - granola was about 9.30 I think.

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/23/2021 (09:44)

I know - I check his facebook page to see how he's feeling!! Quiet last night. Even if is in pain, there's nothing I can do about it. He has a support worker and community mental health worker and occupational health worker who all have him under their wings.

Friday, and I met Justin at 8am on the Prom for our run. 25 mins, no breaks. It's going well. I bought myself a really nice, soft, comfortable jacket (water resistance/not waterproof, super-reflective - it has a REALLY good fitting hood too)


We're covering the 5k, but the time is really slow - around 42 mins (that's with a 5 min walk at the beginning and end) - but I'm feeling a lot stronger - better breathing and stamina.

Today? I'm staying home now. I had a new-for-me breakfast which was a coconut and mango quinoa bowl: cooked quinoa, diced mango, flaked coconut, plant milk. It was lovely! The coconut was nice and chewy, which I like!

I am planning to get some Cornish study done, play my recorder, read, chant. That's about it.

I hope David the upstairs neighbor is okay. I'm sure it's hard for you hearing him wondering if it's the chronic pain or some acute distress. When I was experiencing body pain, transitioning to sleep was difficult. I felt restless, but moving was painful. I think I groaned a lot when I moved.

Interesting how not working is effecting your meal/eating habits.

I settled down for a peaceful night last night - I'd had a relaxing bath, sprayed my pillow with lavender and eucalyptus 'sweet dreams' spray - and went off to sleep. Then I was woke by David upstairs - it was 00.25h. It sounds like he's groaning in pain (it's not sexual!) - and when I first heard it I though he was just experiencing pain. But I'm wondering now whether he's doing exercises. He has a very smashed up body and arthritis. He doesn't realise his voice is carrying down to me. At one point I picked up my pillow and went to the living room and tried to settle down on the settee. But a while later it was quiet and I went back to my bed. Once again, I'm OK as I don't have to go to work, so I can have a rest if I need/want to. I can't quite bring myself to ask him about it ...........

Today's big event is going out to get my shopping. On my list are ingredients to make two OK treats for the weekend etc. One is for simple raw chocolate made with cocoa butter, cacao etc and frozen. The other is for a grab-and-go protein bar from a vegan book which is really healthy - it uses xylitol for the sweetener.

I have almost stopped eating a third meal in the day. Most days I'm having my first meal quite late now - about 10am. And the second meal around 3pm. So, in the evening I only need something very small. I'm not cooking for the third meal. So it'll be yoghurt and fruit, or crispbread and nut butter, and I'm thinking that those grab-and-go bars might be good.

Later: I bought all the necessary ingredients for my raw treats - and I made the raw chocolates at lunch-time; I used a small amount of honey, a sprinkle of xylitol, and some desiccated coconut - the mixture is in a silicone ice-cube tray (star shapes) in the ice-box. I ran hot water and cleaned all the utensils immediately so that I wouldn't lick the bowl and spoon - gosh I wanted to! I shall probably make the grab-and-go bars tomorrow - the mixture makes 8 and they can live in the ice-box too.



Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/21/2021 (12:25)

Thank goodness it's all over! The United States has an intelligent human being in the White House!

Phew!

I was out early in the strong winds and rain to run 25 mins without a break - we did it!

Today was two zoom classes and staying home.

I feel great. I had some nice things in the post today, including a pillow spray (designed for children really) with lavender and eucalyptus - but it's really a 'soft' smell - for restful sleep.

As well as coronavirus, we now have extreme flooding in some areas of the country (not here fortunately for me). I'm starting to be preoccupied by the G7 Summit in June which is here in West Cornwall.

It's great to see you feeling good! A big win helps. I see quite a few people out walking the roads and paths with their trekking poles. Get onto the trails and poles are very common. Most people are not using pacer poles, because those are not as common here in the US. I've seen their video.

Today, I'm making a white-bean chili out of a Kim Campbell cookbook, PlantPure Nation Cookbook. PlantPure Nation is T. Collin Campbell's family organization and pretty hardcore no sugar, oil salt (SOS) whole-foods plant-based advocates. I thumbed through the dessert and sweets section, and she does use Sucanat in some of her recopies. Sucanat is a brand of whole cane sugar like muscovado or panela sugars. These sugars still have the molasses in them. Essentially dried sugar cane juice. It's still, but in a more whole-food form. Just more thoughts on sweets. She also makes her desserts with whole-wheat pastry flour.

Edited by: BDTHOM at: 1/19/2021 (13:42)

I watch Chef AJ occasionally.

I was in bed by 8.30pm last night - read for a short while and just had to go to sleep. It was dark, and I was sleepy. I slept for about 10 hrs. I think I have a slight virus - slight cold with sneezes and a tickly cough occasionally.

I had a VICTORY this morning - it was such a big WIN for me! I had determined to go out for a walk with my Pacer Poles, but was SO fearful of going out with them. Afraid of what? Looking silly maybe? BUT, I did it - I went out just before dawn and LOVED it - I felt I could have walked forever! Instead, I did 30 mins. Going out early is interesting - there is one young couple who I see walking down the promenade and back at dawn, arm-in-arm. There are the few early-birds that I see every time. It's a nice tribe to belong to. As the days get longer, and the dawn earlier, people are out earlier (dog-walkers in particular). I asked Justin how he felt about starting a bit earlier for our runs, and he's fine with that - so we're going to start at 8.00am tomorrow instead of 8.30am.

I'm starting the day with a smoothie today. I'm working my way through that recipe book and it's been interesting to try different things. Today there is a rice and beans type of meal for lunch which I'm looking forward to. (see - thinking about lunch already!)

I'm feeling good - you can probably tell!


Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/19/2021 (15:08)

That is good news on the granola. It might not be the sweet treat you should focus on and keep it in your diet as you ramp down your sugar sensitivity -- eat less sweet foods. Hope you had a nice run this morning.

I didn't watch the video. Joane and I followed her 21 day plant-based boot camp last year. This year Joane joined her emotional eating series. That was enough credibility to just send it for you and Harry to evaluate for yourselves. Another plant-based anti-sugar advocate is Chef AJ. Through the pandemic she has been posting daily (?) YouTube video's of interviews and cooking demonstrations. Again, Joanne tunes into them more often then I do.

Monday - and I slept like a log, didn't get up in the night at all. The little bit of molasses in my granola didn't spike my blood sugar - I didn't feel hungry an hour later, which I can do with flour-based foods. I found this interesting. Also, the scale was down this morning (unheard of on a Monday morning!). I was so taken by this statement from 'Wheat Belly' that I made a notice for my kitchen door.



I'm sitting here ready for my run. The green tea (mon-fri my first drink of the day) was easier to drink this morning. I must make sure I don't run out of it.

"I must make sure I don't run out of it" that is something that anyone who is trying to control food has on their mind a lot of the time, yeah? Hmm............ I need a strategy so that I don't relapse into coffee or black tea. OK - IF I don't have access to green tea, I'll drink a herb tea, or just have water.

Today I'm going to pay attention to my house and do what Fly Lady calls a 'weekly home blessing' - I haven't been good at managing to do this all on a Monday, but there's no reason for me not to be able to do this. And today's fun will be trying out my new carpet cleaner. Gosh I was proud to be able to screw in the screws to assemble the thing!

I watched that video - but didn't sign up as it's on a Wednesday and my Wednesday's are already full! I haven't been eating more sugar during the pandemic - I did at the beginning, right back in February, March, April I found it hard to resist cake! But not now.

Great, thanks Brian.

Melty cheesy sounds good. Perhaps that's what I've got!

Edited by: SWEETENUFGILL at: 1/17/2021 (16:31)