Celebrate #2

I'm determined to keep up and post once a week so here again with the Celebrate crew led by Lexa Cain.  Please feel free to join in by pressing the button below :)

This week I am celebrating -

1.  More things made their way out of the house - including pots and pans no longer needed by my student children or myself  which are now being used by a food group working with refugees locally - what a great idea!!

2.  I have made some headway with my revision for my upcoming anatomy and physiology exam - it is rather refreshing to know my brain still works as I have been wondering if it would be able to retain all this new information - especially so many Latin medical names for things!!  I often find these days I can't remember something simple - like someone's name so I was rather worried.

3.  Meeting more new people trying out Nordic walking and being invited to try out a new route elsewhere that is quite local to me but I had no knowledge about and looks like it is going to be brilliant.

All in all - quite a lot to celebrate.  Now I'm off to see the other lovely things that have been happening in everyone else's lives :)  Please tell me what the hi-light of your week has been - you know I'd love to know!

Celebrate #1 2017

I feel I've been gone for ages - that's how life can be and I'm sure everyone else feels the same with the run up and then aftermath of the festive season!  But it's good to be back and ready to catch up with all of you celebrating this past week.

A big thank you to Lexa, as always, for hosting this wonderful get-together :)  Why not jump on board and join the merry gang?

This week I am celebrating:

No 1.  Having time to return here!!!!!  It feels so good to be back and I have missed having time to be on-line "chatting" with my good friends and reading about what's happening in their many and varied worlds.  Here's to having at least a weekly round up again :)

No 2.  Getting back to normal after departure of DD. It was lovely having the kids back for Christmas but your life becomes not your own again!  My nordic walking groups are back up and running with new members joining for the new year and getting back to regular exercise is also what I've been craving - I need to shed those extra pounds that went on through eating far too much good food - or not so good food!!!

No 3. Sorting out my large linen chest and giving away bed sets we no longer have need of.  Now there is space for everything and the lid closes properly!!  Also the animal rescue charity should benefit either from selling them on or using them for the animals themselves.  A win - win situation.

I'm off to yoga now - first time this year too so I know I'll be wobbly - fingers crossed I don't fall over :)  Have a lovely week and looking forward to catching up.

Celebrate #27

I have been so busy recently that I am celebrating the fact I can join in with the Celebrate crowd led by Lexa and her co-hosts Tonja and L.G!  Click on the button below to join in too :)

This week I attended my local borough sporting award ceremony as a finalist in their adult coach/instructor category.  I was blown away to be on the stage with "proper" coaches as I still don't really count myself as one and it was truly lovely to have been nominated.  I didn't win but I actually know the winner and she is amazing so I was very pleased for her.  It was also really nice that two of the ladies that were my original guinea pigs when I first began teaching Nordic walking could also come along to the awards with me and we had a really great time together.

I am also celebrating getting into a good knitting cycle where I have used up quite a few odd balls of wool from my stash knitting lap blankets for Alzheimer patients as part of a new project at my local hospital.  Using 10mm knitting needles and two strands of double knit they knit up really quickly and look quite good too with the colour combinations I have used.

Lastly I am celebrating and being thankful for the continued good weather we have been having in November which has allowed me to be outdoors so much - autumnal sunshine is just so beautiful :)

Here's hoping everyone else has had a good week and found something to be thankful for too - I'd love to know what you've been up to so leave a comment below!

Weight Loss Wedneday

Well I have to report a small loss which is a step in the right direction and makes me feel positive for the future.  The scales now read ___ 4 1/2 so I need to keep going and hope that in two - three weeks time I will be reporting that I have gone below the stone threshold.

I have exercised well this week (5 hours - 300 minutes) and I tried out one of the recipes from my new dieting book:

that went down a treat with both my husband and myself which bodes well for the future.  So this week will give me the opportunity to try out a couple more and I have more exercise planned so that I will have done 300 minutes this week too.

Last week, I had an interesting comment left by author Crystal http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com about how muscle focused exercises could help with weight loss.  I looked into this and interestingly found many references by doctors of how the bigger the muscle the more calories are burned and for longer so this week I did a bit more exercise focused on my larger muscles and hope to continue and add to this this week too.

I am also going to be measuring certain areas of my body so that even if the scales do not seem to be going down as much as I'd like hopefully my body shape will be changing for the better.

Joining up with - 

because we all need a little support in this weight loss journey :)

Let me know how things are going for you and as always I really value any tips or advice you can offer :)

Celebrate #26

Another week where celebrations were high on the list - so joining in with the celebrate crew :)

Led by Lexa Cain and supported by Tonja Drecker and L G Keltner why not join in too?

1 - parties where we got lots of family together - always good to spend time in the company of little ones and lovely to have the opportunity to do a real party tea!!  Great fun had by one and all :)

2 - my radio interview for a local BBC radio station went really well. I didn't speak gobbledy gook and the radio presenter was really interested in finding out more about Nordic walking and invited me to tell everyone my website to find out more.  I've had more interest and people contacting me on the back of it so really pleased on how it all turned out!

3 - I also had more new people come out trying Nordic walking this week and really loving it so hope to see even more regular walkers this week - my group numbers are steadily growing :)

Here's hoping everyone else had a great week and will be enjoying their weekend too.  Leave me a comment below to let me know what you've been up to this week.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Must confess I feel rather down this week as my scales stay steady.  I sneaked a peak last week to see a one and a half pound loss but unfortunately after another party long weekend it looks like I've regained it all.  Looking on the bright side I haven't put on but still - sad face.

I wish I could say I feel confident I'll have a better week this time but I feel rather lack lustre - even though I got hold of one of the Hairy Bikers' diet cook books (from a charity shop) which had been recommended to me by a lady who has had great success this year - getting the weight off and keeping it off!

They have an on-line weight loss program too now (which you sign up and pay for) but I don't think that's what I need just at the moment but their free weight loss calculator did remind me that if I was able to lose 2lbs per week then it would take me less than 5 months to lose THREE STONE and that means that I would be standing on those scales on the 29th March at my perfect weight.  Maybe this thought will inspire me this week plus trying out some of their recipes?  Tune in next week to see what transpires :)

Linking up with - 

The Prompt #129

Joining in with Sara for her wonderful creative writing linky -

I wasn't going to this week but then I saw the prompt word and suddenly I had a flood of memories plus a new moment this weekend so I thought - why not?  I can't say it's very well crafted but I hope you get the message behind it :)

TRICK!

With a snip and a snap,

bit the chewing gum pack

On my brother’s small finger

which took too long to linger

on my prankster pack of gum

This trick - my number one!

“Why do you have that penny there?”

My Dad would pluck one from my hair

Or behind my ear, beneath my chin

“Please show me how,” I’d beg of him

A way to make me smile however sad

A trick to save the day however bad.

“I can pull my thumb in half”

My nephew said with cheeky laugh

And with all eyes watching him

He amazed us with his grin

And his thumb in two parts - quick

For him it’s his first trick!

A deck of cards was all he had

But magic oozed from my grandad

And stories told of naughty Jacks

And Kings and Queens both red and black

He’d shuffle in and out the pack.

These tricks I’d all wish back.

How strange that mischief such as this

Throughout our lives gives us much bliss

For young and old, for girl and boy

Tricks played, tricks seen, dispense much joy

And gives us memories - filled with laughter

That we'll hold now - for ever after :)