I survived day 1!

Well I survived day 1 on the 1,501st diet that I started yesterday. Nutrition wise it probably wasn’t the best, but calorie wise if was great. I’m happy with that…Rome wasn’t built in a day after all. Day 2 is going reasonably well, I’ve felt a little hungry earlier but nothing that a cup of hot fruit tea didn’t sort out. Friday night is Chinese take away night in our house so I’ve had to plan early to make sure I can still take part in this. I’ve saved some points from my lunch and added them onto dinner – plus I banked some points from yesterday. I won’t be able to get EXACTLY what I want but it will be a close second :)

I’ve never really talked about my weight on here but this is a really big deal for me. About 5 years ago I lost 79 pounds with Weightwatchers and felt absolutely amazing. Then it all went pear shaped in my final year at university with my dissertation and finals exams. And now, after the deaths of 3 close family members, 1 house move, 2 new jobs and 1 redundancy later, I’m back up to where I was…if not 10 pounds heavier….which quite frankly I feel totally ashamed about.

I have no idea why I have even mentioned this on my blog, but at least you are getting to know who you are dealing with – and why I don’t post many photos!

Food.....gimme food.....real food!!!

I've been back from my vacation for 4 days now and I feel like I might...finally....be getting on top of things here. The laundry is done, the house is tidy (if not very clean...yet) and I've paid the bills. I'm also catching up with my graphic design stuff (the evening job) and I've almost caught up with my investigations in the lab (the day job)...so yeah....life is plodding along nicely :)

I've started diet number 1,501 this week (well it must be at LEAST that number by now) and I have to say I'm feeling pretty low on energy right now. Normally after a few days I find that I have bag loads of energy, but all I have this time is heartburn, churning guts, a headache and bad breath. Sooooo not nice. Well, we'll see how things go when I weigh myself next week...presuming I'm still doing it by then. I hate diets, doesn't matter what the diet, I just find that its almost impossible to stick to it. And its not that I don't like diet-food, its more the food preparation side of things. I really hate cooking and after a long day at work I really really don't want to start cooking a meal...and I can't say I want to spend all of my weekend in the kitchen preparing stuff for in the week either. What I really need is a live-in housekeeper and chef....any offers?....anyone? One of my colleagues is having her birthday today and has brought donuts in...that will be hard. I don't really want to tell her I'm on a diet, but I don't really want to eat a full donut. Decisions.....decisions...oh heck, I need hubby here to eat half of it for me!

Stirling Castle visit

Today was a lovely day...and our first with decent weather all day long. I bet some of you from abroad wonder why us Brits are fascinated with the weather...well its because its so flippin' annoying! If its not torrential rain, its howling gales and you can get 4 seasons worth of weather in 1 day, so you're always having to dress for any weather and carry I don't know how many coats around with you. Well anyway Scotland can make even the most chilled-out Brit pre-occupied with the weather! Today was glorious though and was perfect for viewing the beautiful vistas from the top of Stirling Castle.

The Wallace Monument, seen from Stirling Castle

We also went to a dedication for a friends baby - that was held in a local park and was absolutely beautiful. The baby's dad is the pastor of the church and decided to do a small dedication service for family and friends in this local park. It was glorious...and such a wonderful day to dedicate this young girl. I also got to meet many of my sister's church friends who were absolutely lovely :)

Day 5...guess where we've been

Guess where we've been today...I'll give you a hint...

Andy (cheeky thing) says this one looks like me and my sister. I think they're much prettier LOL.

We set off from Glencoe for the journey towards Stirling at about 10am and we made good time getting here just in time for lunch and a trip out. We went to Blair Drummond safari park and had a great time watching the animals in their...erm...reasonably natural habitats.

Guess what the weather is doing?

Well today what started out as a washout with the rain soon turned into something a little sunnier. We drove up to Malleag on a scenic tour and even managed to get out of the car to take a few photos. Harry Potter was filmed in this area and we saw some of the hills used in the Harry Potter films. We even ventured onto the beach at a small cove and had a walk down there.

We're heading to Stirling tomorrow to spend some time with my sister before heading back to England on Sunday. Hopefully I'll have chance to update again from there.

Just a couple of pics today as I'm running out of internet time :)

Our hotel - beatuiful but weird

Hubby at the beach

Ready for another update?

I will explain more about this trip when I get back, but just let me say so far that the trip can be summed up in 1 word....weird.

Its the only hotel I've ever stayed at where nobody is there to greet you and check you in...and yet somehow you are supposed to just GUESS where the rooms are! Yes you heard me right - you have to just guess where everything is...until evening time when some staff arrive. See? I told you...its just plain weird.

The view from our window simply amazing, but I wish I could say the same about the view INSIDE the room - I'll share more on that later LOL.

We will be cutting our trip short by a day or so due to cat/cattery issues but to be honest I'll be ready for home by then :)

Ok so onto today's highlights....today we drove into Oban (on the west coast) and then ventured into the seae life centre/sanctuary. The weather was grey and wet.....again....which is kind of getting annoying now as there is the most amazing scenery round here, just begging to be photographed!!

Well I'd better wrap up otherwise Andy will have drunk the bar dry by the time I get back into the lounge....here's today's highlights...

This photo sums up the weather so far

Some fish at the sea life centre

Cute little (show-off) otter at the otter sanctuary

I must give you some advance warning by the way....do not expect fabulous photos on my return. Thanks to wonderfully dull and wet Scottish weather, my camera has hardly been out of the bag...and the photos I do have have needed some MAJOR tweaking. Rhonda I need your photography skills!! I have lots of questions for you on my return :)

The forgotten pic

I forgot to add this other one - the view from our bedroom

And 1 from today...taken in Glencoe vilage.

Guess who

Well it seems that there is signs of civilsation even in the Scottish highlands...yes we have internet access! Yay!! So who cares if its shared with like 100 people and you get a 2 minute window to log onto it? :)

On the way...

Quick stop off at Loch Lomond

View from the hotel bedroom

Anyway I'll share a pic or 2 now and hopefully update more later. We got up here early evening yesterday and its done nothing but rain so excuse the dull...hurried....really rubbish excuse for photos. Hopefully I'll get some better ones before the end of the trip.

My birthday treat

Its a couple of days late (since Fridays and Saturdays are manic here LOL) but want to see where Andy is wining and dining me for Sunday lunch? Look here.

This place is seriously fab...though I guess you'd have to like veggies :)

Its my all time favourite restaurant!

Many thanks

Just a quick post as I'm about to start work (on the day job) - just wanted to say many thanks for the prayers and thoughts this week. Things have been a bit better over the last couple of days as hubby has finally realised that he's only human and has admitted to feeling very down. Please continue to pray for us - I will update soon :)

Please pray for us

I'm sorry I haven't really blogged much lately. Things have been a little difficult at home really and I haven't really had the energy to think up a decent post....and I guess this one isn't going to be great either.

Please pray for me and Andy as right now things are difficult with our marriage. It is nothing insurmountable but nevertheless we need strength to get through this. Andy's job loss is really taking its toll on both of us, its sapping our energy, straining the finances and making him short tempered. He just bottles it all up and then blows his top at the stupidest of things. Yesterday he nearly broke his computer by slamming the lid shut in a rage when I asked him if he agreed that he was over-reacting to something. That kind of brought it home to him that he had been over-reacting about things, but it was a long and painful process getting him to admit it. For the sake of my own sanity I really needed him to see that. I am trying to be patient and compassionate but after 9 months of this I am really beginning to be ground down emotionally. Please God I really need to feel your presence right now.

Blog awards!

Ave at Made In canarias has given me some lovely blog awards. Thanks so much Ave. So without further ado I'll go add them to my sidebar :)

I sooooo need a holiday

8 days until my holiday and I can't wait, I am so ready for a holiday. With my blog design "business" (if you can call it that when 95% of your stuff is done for free) doing AMAZINGLY well, I'm beginning to forget what its like to have any free time. I'm enjoying every minute of it though and its so easy to get carried away when you're having fun, but I'm beginning to feel exhausted and I think hubby is fed up of me always being on the computer. I can see his point, I mean lately my routine has been this....

Monday-Friday
7am - up and go out to work
5.30pm - home from work
5.30-6.30pm - cook and eat dinner
6.30pm - 8pm - respond to makeover request emails etc
8pm-12.30am - making graphics for makeovers

Saturday
9am-12pm making graphics for makeovers
2pm-midnight - making graphics for makeovers

Sunday
3pm - 8pm - installing makeovers
8pm-midnight - making graphics for makeovers

So yeah - pretty busy. Maybe hubby has a point?

Don't you just love it...

Don't you just love it when you're at work.....eating your lunch and you open an email from your husband which reads....

"Megs been sick.....................in your shoes."

Meg is our cat. Niiiiiiiice.