Chocolat

Something I have been pondering - Last week I bought a block of Lindt chocolate - Orange Intense. Dont ask me why - I dont even particularly like dark chocolate but I do like the orange/chocolate meld thing. Every night this week since Tuesday Mark and I have had a square each after dinner. Now since Tuesday I have virtually stopped feeling nauseous all the time and I have been sleeping better. Actually we both have been sleeping better. Does dark chocolate hold some magical powers? Reminds me of one of my favourite books - Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Mystical and Magical stuff.

Some other good things -
Lost 100g (LOL - but better than putting on)
Bacterial stomach infection has gone
On at least two occasions, in the early morning, my right ankle has actually looked like an ankle and not a swollen tree stump.

Now a recap
One of my sisters came up and spent last Sunday with me which meant that I didnt get any gardening done but it was lovely to sit and chat.

My other sister, supervising the sale of Mum's house in Qld, managed the sale within one week for a really good price. Way to go! One less worry.

Gareth's cast finally off his arm. He took it off himself. Back to the snow fields this weekend not that it has stopped him snowboarding. Boys!

Think my DSLite is helping me. Either way I enjoy doing it.

The red dust day was incredible. Could not believe the sky on my way to the gym for my shower (yes I am still doing this). Mind you I think we will be cleaning up for a long while to come. The red dust just blended with the dust coming out of the bathroom. Just heard that our red dust has fallen in Auckland! We really are a sharing and caring nation.

Bathroom was waterproofed yesterday, the new ceiling has gone in, the drains are being done today and the tiling starts on Monday (I hope). Lucy needs another bath as she has turned back in to a "builders dog".

If I had just talked a little louder at WW meeting last night I might have been in trouble - the question was: What do you think of when I say Lasagne, Fish and Chips and there was something else. Everyone else was saying things like "fatty" and all I could come up with was "yum". Bad bad Julie.

Anne I can now see you on Facebook and will be able to keep in touch and comment. Anni if you have time to read this - I am so jealous and you sound like you are having a ball.

Have a great weekend everyone and take care.

A Need to Talk

I was thinking this morning how sick and fed up I feel at the moment and then I thought that I could tell you guys.

I am trying really hard to get myself back in some sort of routine eating, exercise and just living but finding it extremely hard.

Not having a bathroom is extremely hard. I know I know that in the long run it will be all worth it but I am exhausted. I feel like Mark and I are part of of tribe of nomads setting off each morning in search of a shower. So many problems have come up with the old bathroom - we have virtually replaced all the plumbing in the house because the old pipes were leaking into the internal walls and now it is just a waiting game as we wait for the bricks to dry. Luckily the builder is meticulous otherwise we could have more problems later down the road. Anyway the plumbing and taps in the laundry have been replaced, the new plumbing is installed in the bathroom, the bathroom walls have all been rerendered, the new ceiling goes in today and the floor in the bathroom is being topped. Hopefully the tiles can go on next week but we will have to see how the drying out progresses. Today it is 30 degrees so that might help with the process.

Healthwise - I am sore and aching everywhere. Not just my new ankle which is still horribly swollen. Because my blood pressure has gone up again and that medication has been increased my RA medication has been decreased and I am slowly seizing up. Maybe the BP problem is caused by my weight or lack of exercise or both. It really is a catch-22 situation. My stomach is still acting up - I go for the Urea Breath Test next Monday morning and I dont know what to expect there. The antibiotics I took 6 weeks ago were supposed to clear up the bacterial infection but who knows. (Just spoke to Mark on the phone who is worried about how I feel and his presciption is drink "real" coke - LOL).

I want my old life back!

The song that keeps running through my mind is "Mother's Little Helpers" by the Stones - "What a drag it is getting old".

Anyway - I am trying (yet again) a new approach to losing weight. I have increased my points from 18 (really not at all realistic for me - I feel deprived) to 25 and will see how that goes. If I can lose weight slowly on 25 points a day I will continue if not I will reduce it by 1 point each week - looking for the happy balance. Not the approved method but I am past worrying about it and no one needs to know except me and you.

Now some positive - I really want to do part of the Seven Bridges Walk next month with Jess. I thought I would do the part of the walk in her area in case I have a problem and we could call on her colleagues to help me if they werent busy. At the moment I cant see me even completing one stage but I did go an buy new runners on Tuesday so that I can try and break them in beforehand. (The guy at Footlocker in HOrnsby was great but people make me laugh when they see my right foot with the scarring still very much in evidence - he didnt want to lace the shoe too tightly as he was so worried he was going to hurt me.)

Anyway, I do feel better now I have spoken to you - life is such a bitch sometimes.