Oh dear...

So, I had my doctor appointment this week. What is it with Doctors that they can make you feel like a naughty school girl again (in the least nice way that is). He didn't even try to smile or make me feel better, but then again, how can you feel better when you haven't lost any weight in 8 months? '

I was telling him a rough outline of my daily diet while climbing up on the examination table ready for a further inflation of my band, and mentioned among other things, my daily hot chocolate, and that I would now have to drop my avocado on toast for breakfast. He murmured that he was more worried about the hot chocolate. I said "oh, no, it's low fat hot chocolate", to which he answered dryly "I'm not convinced."

Not happy Jan as now I have to ditch my favourite hot drink. I cannot drink coffee, and am only an occasional tea drinker. But to give up my Hot Chocolate! With boobs! What a shock. So I had to bring in tea bags today, and will have to now bring milk to work. Sigh...the things we do...

On a positive note, I can no longer finish that little container of pasta I usually bring to work for lunch...

More excuses?

Well, here I am, almost 2 weeks into my new job and I don't think I have managed to change my weight at all yet. I was hoping once I was away from the chocolate I could settle down and lose that darn weight.

But the Gods are playing tricks on me again. I don't eat chocolate anymore, and for morning tea I only have 4 cracker type biscuits, or 4 milk arrowroots, with a swipe of butter or with banana. And lunch is often a salad, or some hot leftovers. And now I have to climb stairs to get to work.

But I think I know what the problem is. I no longer work in a large office where I walked the length of the building several times a day. Now I tend to sit at a desk a lot. Not at all conducive to weight loss.

Note to self...get out for a quick walk every day, even if you don't want to! Lazy Sod! Dr appointment next week...oh dear...

Back to the diet grindstone...

Well, its time to say goodbye to the old, and hello to the new. Yep, the time has come to hang up the chocolate wrappers, and move on to the salad box. My tenure at the chocolate company is over. After 9 months, my dream run of endless chocolate has come to a close....I coulda had baby in that time!

So, now I start my new job today, I had better do so with a salad for lunch. As I am unfamiliar with the lunch room set up, this has the added advantage of making sure I get lunch in the absence of a microwave. I do have my huge travel mug though and a box of hot chocolate....low fat of course....

I have to admit I am nervous about my new job. It is a big challenge. Lots of new tasks and professionally speaking, it will be a huge step forward. But that also means probably extended hours for less pay. I am working on that one...

My sendoff from the chocolate company was lovely. I didn't realise how much I was appreciated. When the state manager says he tried to keep me (in those words) it is a boost to the old ego. I was given marble cheesecake and chocolate mud cake (my two favourites), a bag of goodies (lots of loose chocolate and a 600g box of Favourites), and also a beautiful bunch of pink tulips in a glass vase. Very nice. All day people were coming up to wish me well and give me a hug.

But I would love to be a fly on the wall...my replacement is a model. I will admit, a somewhat cluey one, but the reception desk will be quite a busy spot for a while now....haha.

Being Lazy...or Working too Hard?

You know, I had forgotten what it means to be a "stay at home" mum. I forgot how few hours there are actually in a day when you have a life again.

We just spent a few lovely days away at Normanville, a little beachside town on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It was great to wake up without an agenda and just poke along through the day. Mind, it would have been better if there was sun to poke around in!

We arrived at the caravan park Sunday before lunch, set up and proceeded to explore our surroundings. It was beautiful, warm, sunny weather. We wandered into Yankalilla for a look, spent far too much money, and wandered back to the park for a lazy afternoon sitting about. Dinner was done up in the camp kitchen, which was excellent.

Monday, well, it was so foggy we couldn't see in front of us as we drove around the hills. We searched for a good fishing spot and found one we though would be okay. However, it was over a breakwater wall of rocks, and of course, me with my dicky old knees, was the entertainment trying to hop from rock from rock. When we got to the water all we managed to catch were rocks. A highlight of that moment though was the little black seal who swam about two meters from us, stopped for a look at the silly people bundled up against the cold sitting on freezing rocks...then swam off to join his colony a bit further around.

We ended up moving to the Second Valley jetty and spent about 4 hours there standing in the cold trying to catch, well, anything except a cold. I caught the first fish, a little whiting about six inches long. Jr Her caught the next, a little sweetlip we think about the same length. Then, nothing. So we packed up and wandered back home. Dinner that night was a lovely meal at the Normanville Hotel.

Monday night the wind started up, and things were blowing around and rattling in the breeze. Our annex came unpegged and we scrabbled to resurrect it. After a bit of an argument the next morning, we ended up sitting around reading and watching DVDs. About lunch we decided to see what was at Myponga. Nothing. We drove up around the reservoir and over the dam wall, had a pie at the bakery, then came back home again. I got some washing done but as it began pouring rain just before we got home I had to race and grab it off the line. However, we were too late and it ended up in the dryer...luckily I nabbed the one which was working.

That night was dinner at the camp kitchen again, plus games in the games room - a racing car game, which Jr Her became quite good at, pool, and pin ball. Plus, an open fire to toast marshmallows over. Lovely! As I was going up to the shower, the only other people in the park, a German pair of tourists, were in the shower. So what? They were both in together and I knew what they were up to, so went back to our van. After a bit I decided I wanted my shower so Wayne suggested I go into the boys shower with him. I did, and no, we didn't!

Wednesday we were home by lunch, and after a few goes, even managed to get the van into the back yard, which we have just redone taking out the old fence and erecting a new set of gates on the car port. So now we can pop the top and access it whenever we want!

Yesterday I dropped Jr Her at school, came home and cleaned the old food out of the fridge, vacuumed the floor, re arranged the plant and stuff in the lounge room, tidied up the last of the stuff we had to put away, went to lunch with a couple of lovely older ladies, came home, put the roast in the oven, picked up Jr Her and a friend from school, went to Stratco for pipe corners, went to Brunnings and picked up some potting mix and pots, and went to an outdoors shop and swapped the chairs we had bought the week before to take away with us, because they gave us the wrong ones.

Today, I have been shopping for a couple new work tops, done grocery shopping, and made lunch. Whew! Now I have to go look at LCD televisions for the caravan, then go get Jr Her from school, and it will be time for Karate...there just aren't enough hours in a day when you aren't working....