Thanks for visiting. Naturally I hope that you have a great weekend too.

Dawn
Now that you are back on track one thing is for sure - you will be a lot nearer your goal by the time that your birthday comes along than you are today. It does get tough when you are well into a long term project. People that never had much to lose can go on a diet - eat the odd crispbread and tell everyone how tough they are having it while most other things in life stays the same - and stop within a couple of months. They probably have had a successful project too because they feel happier about how they look. Then there are the people that need a long term project..... We totally reorganise our lives and have to basically restructure things so that if we stay on track we couldnt lose more weight if we moved into a health farm! We throw ourselves into it - body and soul. We exercise in a way that we never have before - and we eat so healthily we feel that you should be saying things like "my body is a temple". It is no wonder that we get a bit jaded after a time. I am not perfect - guess who has been hitting the honey shreddies today....

I am so pleased that you are back on track. You will get there. Dont be surprised that you are only human and slip up occasionally. You might not be the weight that you would like for your birthday - but you will be near enough as makes little difference if you compare things to your start weight. Dig out those old start photos and then look in the mirror. Realise how far you have come already.

It will be my birthday in a week and I am certainly not as thin as I would like to be yet. It was my wedding anniversary a week ago - and I was the thinnest that I have ever been on my wedding anniversary (all my weight went on starting immediately before I married and continued over the next year - I was enormous by the time my first anniversary came around). I would have loved to be able to wear my wedding ring on my 22nd wedding anniversary - but I couldnt. I still have never worn my wedding ring on any of my anniversaries. Naturally - I tried it on - but I wasnt quite thin enough to wear it yet. I still have those remaining pounds to lose for a reason. I will get there - but not quite in time for that deadline.

We are nearly there - but not quite yet.

Valerie
I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see that you are now of a weight that you feel comfortable and are within a four pound range where you would happily spend your life. That is truly brilliant.

I am pleased to report that my ankles have done excellent service and give me no problems. I am now the proud owner of a treadmill (a Tunturi T60) so I no longer have to walk outside when the weather is bad.

Take care
Love
Margaret

I see the scale is going back down more. Hope you're having a great weekend.

Val--I have tried very expensive, high quality tequila and I still find it revolting.

I'm having a great weekend - and I know that you will be.

No tequila for you Kimberly - no matter what magical properties for weight loss may be discovered for it.

Glad you're having a good weekend.

No worries---I have absolutely no desire to drink tequila. Caffeine will be hard for me, but I have cut way down on all the coffee.

Yoohoo! Anybody home?

How's the weight going? Has it come down anymore today?

I was watching a cool travel program last night that took place in England and Wales. This guy went to Dover, and talked a bit about the white cliffs, and then to Canturbury Cathedral where they showed a re-enactment of Beckett's murder. Then to the Cotswolds where they showed a medieval joust, and explained how the two finger sod off salute came from--back in the days when archers fought in battles (mainly with the French), those two fingers were the ones they used to pull the bow string back, and I think he said that when an archer was captured the enemy would often cut off those two fingers as punishment. So when the archers would successfully empty their quiver without being captured, they'd give the French the two finger salute..lol I always wondered how that came to be. They also went to Cornwall and showed how to make a Cornish pasty. Yum. Anyway, it made me want to go back for another trip--not that I need much encouragement.

My weight just doesnt seem to want to come further down yet. 9st8.6 after my walk today. I am just hoping that it comes a bit further down over the next few days. I am still 2.4 pounds up from my low weight.

I admit that I have been hitting the cereal too much (am back on the honey shreddies!!!). How I can eat cereal like it is a junk food - I do not know!!!! If it doesnt come down further by Wednesday - that will be the reason why!

I am pleased that you enjoyed the history program. The French were our traditional enemy in centuries gone by. I had heard before that story of the origin of that gesture.

On Saturday we went about 50 miles away to a re-enactment event featuring loads of people dressed up in 18th century clothes. There were a couple of museums there too - one on Oates that went to the Antarctic and another one on someone called Gilbert White who wrote an old natural history book that Darwin used as a reference when he was coming up with his theories. All in all - we had a very pleasant time.

We have had a much quieter day today. We toyed with going out to an event at Osterley (which is quite near here) - but in the end decided not to bother. Rod decided that he would prefer to play with the computer.

Hey Omega! Just popping in for a squiz

Always good to see you here Anke.

*Grabs megaphone and shouts across the pond* "Put those honey shreddies down, lady!"

Your weekend sounded like a lot of fun. I love to do things like that. Did you take any pics?

Yes, the French did like to take sides against you quite a bit. For instance when they came to our aid during the American Revolution. A lot of Americans like to insult the French, but they should keep in mind that if it weren't for the French coming to our aid, we would not have won, and would probably have the queen for our head of state instead of George Bush. Damn French!!

It's terrible - my weight isnt coming down and I can only stop from eating cereal by going out and walking. I have walked to Twickenham and back this morning (pedometer now up to 11.86 miles) so might not bother with afternoon laps - it will depend if I can stop eating or not. If I go out walking again - my stepcount will get pretty high.

I think that Rod took one or two photos of people dressed up as soldiers. He hasnt loaded them up yet. I will show if any come out well.

I am not surprised that you want to blame the French. It is just such fun to follow traditions like that! I think that it keeps us in touch with our ancestors.

I must admit that I am perfectly happy to live in a monarchy. The Queen and her family are not perfect (there again - who is?) and I have to say that Charles irritates me at times (e.g. his stupid "defender of the faiths idea) - but I have never wished that we had a president instead. At least a monarch is from a suitable family background and is trained and educated for the role from birth. They know what is in store for them and know that they have to behave accordingly. It would be hard to deny that the Queen works hard for a woman of her age representing her people in an ambassadorial role at an age where many would be sitting back and leaving work to younger people. In this respect - she is only beaten by her mother's track record.

Hello, im back!

Had a brilliant time thank you, you're so close to your target now, 10lb!
Well done =D

I'm pleased that you had a great holiday Becky.

My weight is a case of "so near and yet so far"!!!!.

Good Morning M~
Ahhhh I love reading about all your historical stuff. I just love the 18th century in general I think. Though I know it was a barbaric time it still must have been romantic. Or at least I would like to hope so.
I have been playing around with the idea of getting a pedometer. As soon as the kids are back in school I plan to pick back up on my walking. Right now all they do is complain, complain, complain.
It's too hot, I am thirsty, my feet hurt.........on and on and on. LOL
So I figured it is best to forgo the walking for now. Besides they will be back in school in 22 days.
I am nervous and excited all at the same time this year. As my youngest will be starting school leaving me at home by myself for the first time in 9 years.
I am looking forward to riding my bike, walking and taking hikes. And of course the occasional nap here and there. LOL
Hope you can put down the Honey Shreddies. I know what it is like to have something in the house and even though you know shouldn't eat it/them you do anyway.
Have a great day M!

Hi Dawn

In some ways it will be sad for you when your youngest starts school and closes that chapter of your life. New chapters involving your children are opening all the time and I am sure that you will find much pleasure in those.

You will gain freedom when they all go to school after the holidays. I am sure that you will enjoy exercising that freedom. When you get the opportunity to restart your walking - I am sure that you will benefit from wearing a pedometer. Some people just wear theirs for exercise walks - but they really miss a trick. The fact is that if you wear it all the time you find yourself doing a little extra walking around the house or doing those mundane tasks that fill up our day. They all burn calories.

I hate the way that some food items speak to us and entice us to eat them irrespective of whether we are hungry or not. It is almost like that food item is determined that we should be fatter than we would like to be.

You speak of life in the 18th century. I am quite fortunate in that I know what many of my ancestors were doing in the 18th century - it was not particularly any more romantic than time today for my lot (and the barbaric era had been and gone for my lot too).

This may amuse you. Joseph Backhouse was my great great great great great grandfather. His daughter Mary married George Roper.

Here is Joseph's will where he clearly is comfortable about leaving posessions to Mary (in an era where a woman had no property and on marriage everything that she had was legally the property of her husband) and he clearly did not think much of Mary's husband - my great great great great grandfather.

Awesome!
How cool for you that you have such a wonderful piece of your history.
I think your right in believing that your 5th great grandpa did not like his Son-in-Law to well! LOL
I also found it interesting that he gave so much more to the servant girl than he did to (I assume) his son.
Unfortunate for me I have no records of my family. At least nothing like that.
On my dad's side is Cherokee Indian and on my mom's it would be anyone's guess since her dad was adopted. And back in those days no one ever, ever, ever talked about the adoption.
Thanks for posting the will. I really found it to be very interesting.