A new week

This is what happens when a watermelon is launched at a car's windscreen (One's car in March, I did tell you about it).

Speaking of One, he and Emma are not going well. She is, understandably to a point, twitchy about LGF but that doesn't give her the right to check his phone and emails after he told her that he was no longer in contact with LGF! It was rather a messy weekend and he has decided to break up with her (they have been going out for a whole week!!). He really needs to focus on his upcoming entrance exam for the fire brigade and then getting his fitness levels up to scratch. He needed to know that he CAN get a girlfriend but isn't ready for another full on relationship. Especially with someone so insecure. Three and Tina had issues over the weekend as well and they broke up last night but he has just told me that all is now cool between them. I dare say I'll get the full story when he wakes up properly! Two and GGF are as strong as ever. She has irritated me somewhat over the past few days as she has had a cold but you'd think she was dying. I think she was one of those kids who only really got attention from her busy, professional parents when she was sick. I am the daughter of one of those and experienced it a bit myself as a kid so I know what it's like. But when Two said they were going to the casualty department of a busy public hospital on FRIDAY night because she had had a bit of temperature for a couple of days I was a tad unsympathetic! I told them they'd be waiting for 10 hours if they were lucky and she would be sent home with instructions to drink plenty of water, rest and take panadol. She has a viral infection, for god's sake. If she can drag herself out of bed to have countless cigarettes, eat normally, play trivial pursuit and go shopping she is not at death's door and therefore does not need to see a doctor - especially not a doctor in an overstretched emergency department!

I went with One to buy some shoes on Saturday from a shoe shop that specialises in fitting exercise shoes and assesses your gait on a treadmill on a screen. One had some major issues with his ankles turning in (and wearing shoes that were too small) and got fitted with a good pair that weren't that expensive. I was told the shoes I had were appropriate for only 10% of the population but when my gait was assessed was told that I am part of that 10%!! So no new shoes for me but I will be back there when I need my next pair. I was most impressed that I wasn't sold a pair even though I tried.

So I had to get my retail therapy fix and went shopping yesterday to buy some new sunglasses. I found a pair that were only $50 with a further 25% off (and they're Cancer Council ones so are really good for my eyes). Then I bought a new purse which is a bit like a clutch cos it has a handle which is handy for when I just grab my phone, keys and purse cos I don't always like lugging a handbag around. And then I found a really nice handbag so I got that as well. And then I went to the Vodaphone shop to enquire as to why my phone cuts people off and ended up with a new phone for nothing (we just signed up for a further 24 months on my existing plan but get an extra $100 worth of free calls a month as well). Two will get my old phone. My new phone has blue tooth and GPS. I'm sure this is very important!! If I ever drive to Sydney again I might not get lost. I do love my gadgets.

I baked some brownies over the weekend. Chocolate cheesecake brownies and raspberry, macadamia and white chocolate blondies (white brownies!!). Very nice but they have all gone now which is good. I love baking but need other people to eat the results. Quickly.

One and I hit the park this morning. We did a lap and a half and then I ran across the park from side to side on the grass as per my instructions from Fireman Sam. Ran one way, walked back and repeated 4 more times. It felt fucking fantastic. My shin tweaked a tiny bit but I think it was more memory pain (I made that up but it sounds plausible) and my back was fine. A bit tender afterwards but nothing untoward and normal for me. I will do my stretches and see the physio this evening and, if all is well, will do this again on Wednesday and Friday. I'll do an hour's walk tomorrow and Thursday. Plus all my other bits and pieces of exercise. I need to crank things back up again.

So. It's Monday morning. One has just rung to say he as broken off with Emma but all seems OK there. Three is in the shower and will need a lift to the station. Himself is at work. He's been a bit cranky lately but that's another post. Two will be at GGF's place until Wednesday. Time for me to hop in the shower and get my day underway. I spent so much time running around yesterday I haven't even taken my new phone out of it's box so that will be my major task for the day. And some time on ET and to the supermarket (I want to make a chicken pie for dinner with pastry and stuff) and a good long walk this afternoon. If I get time I might start going through my wardrobe getting rid of my really fat clothes.

Have a good day.

12 weeks down the track

I cannot believe how far I have come in the last 12 weeks. I have lost 10.6 kilos and over 4% body fat (I didn't check my body fat percentage when I started, only after the first 4 weeks). My face looks noticeably thinner, I have dropped a size in pants and no longer have a discernible shelf under my boobs (although there are still some spare tyres to lose). I still need to lose another 20 kilos and would be happier if I was closer to half way but, considering the set backs of the past two weeks, I am pretty damn pleased. I am also pleased that I didn't lose the plot when I weighed in this morning and didn't see a huge drop on the scales.

Weight loss aside, I can't believe how much fitter I am. I really miss running but am walking every weekday morning at 5.30 and did a 2 hour walk last Sunday. I have not used ET as much as I could this past week as my back has been really dodgy. I have seen the physio 4 times now and today she said that when I have had 2 pain free days I can start gently running again. I am soooo excited!!! I am hoping that I will get a run in on Monday as I'm seeing her again on Monday evening and it would be good to get her to check me over after a run.

Fireman Sam is still not allowed to bend so is vertical or horizontal. Needless to say he is going stir crazy. You can only read so much, watch so many dvds, play so many games before the novelty wears off. He's not allowed to drive and walking is limited. He rang me today after he had had a massage and I went round to his place for coffee. We discussed my training program (I guess talking about it is the next best thing to doing it!) and he wants me to walk for an hour every morning and try and get 50 minutes on ET in the evening. Push ups to be done after my walk. That's all he suggests at the moment until my back is better (and his, I guess, as he wants to come back out and supervise me). I rang him after I'd seen the physio and if I'm OK to run on Monday he has told me how he wants me to tackle it.

I am so fortunate to have such a close friend who is happy to train me and is as pleased with the results as I am. It helps that he is also such good friends with the boys and I think he and Himself will become mates when Himself is home all the time. It was his (Fireman Sam's) birthday at the weekend. We bought him some gift vouchers to shops that the boys know he loves shopping in, a lego firetruck, a sesame street colouring book and pencils and a whole lot of American chocolates (we have a shop that sells American foods close by). I baked him some chocolate peanut butter brownies and the boys took the whole lot over in a batman bag before they went out to play laser quest and then out to dinner at TGIF. You wouldn't guess he's just turned 37! He really misses his family in the States so I think he got a kick out of the whole thing.
(I have just read this through and it makes him sound rather simple! Nothing of the sort, just a guy who's a big kid at heart)

The fitness track is getting quite busy in the mornings now. I suppose people are starting to venture out as spring gets closer, even though it's still bloody cold some mornings. As in ice on the windscreen cold. It is still my favourite time of day, though. I love getting up early and walking in the clean, clear air and watching the sky change from inky black speckled with stars to a greeny yellow and then vibrant oranges and pinks. It's my time of the day and I can chat with a companion or listen to my iPod.

One has a new girlfriend. We will call her Emma. She works in the same building as he does. I think she might actually work for a company that has something to do with One's. I am always wary about people who get their meat where they get their bread but I guess the whole having a relationship with a work colleague is part of growing up! He had some issues with LGF earlier this week and was very stressed about it. I suspected it had something to do with him telling her about Emma (Fireman Sam confirmed that this afternoon) and Emma, understandably, felt threatened by LGF. After a long talk with Fireman Sam One realised that he really needed to cut ties with LGF for a while and all reminders of her have been removed from his bedroom and all photos with her in them have been removed from around the house (all into my bedroom at the moment!). Since then he has been much happier. I don't expect Emma to be around for any great length of time but she is a nice girl and just what One needs at the moment.

I had a huge hissy fit at work yesterday. My boss made one too many cracks about lunch breaks. A silly thing to lose it over but it was the final straw for this black cat. I was ready to resign. I was shaking with anger and frustration, rang Himself and told him I was quitting after lunch. I told several of my workmates. My boss spoke to me after lunch and I told her that I was ready to quit but I had just spent 45 minutes with a patient doing what I do best and it made me realise how much I love that part of nursing (the stuff they don't teach you at uni but that you just ... do). A lot of the frustration comes from top management and their screw tightening economic dictums. We are chronically understaffed. We don't get recognised for the things we do for patients but for which we can't claim funding and then the boss gets pressured from above. A triage phone call can take ages to resolve but isn't reflected in our stats. A simple procedure which takes 10 minutes can end up with the nurse spending several hours as we arrange social work, nutrition advice and just sit and listen to the patient or their loved ones as they pour out their concerns. But we don't get funding for that so it doesn't get reflected in our stats.

I have 6 days off (well, 5 left) and so will mull over things and decide what to do. I still maintain that we have one of the best health systems in the world - it just sucks to work in it, sometimes.

OK. Early start tomorrow.

still not running

Thomas likes to join us for dinner!

So, I'm still not running. And now the back is sore and the knee is clicky and, at times, really sore. I saw a physiotherapist today and she massaged and ultrasounded and pilatesed and it was a bit better. I have to go back tomorrow and Monday. No running and no punching bag for the time being but I should be able to when things have settled. I can still walk and I can still use ET. Last night I was on ET and my knee was really painful so I (eventually) stopped. I hopped on this afternoon for about 20 minutes and it was better. Not perfect, but better.

I am scared that I will lose the cardio fitness I have worked so hard for and terrified that all that weight will come back on overnight. It does, you know!! I will give myself another week off from running and see how things go. I was going to have a little trot this morning but my back and knee put paid to that. I think my shin's better, though!! The physio gave me the name of a shop that sells athletic shoes where they assess you in motion on a treadmill which One and I will be going to as soon as we both have time together. He also has a dicky knee and runs in cheap shoes.

Meanwhile, Fireman Sam is carrying a work related injury and is having an MRI this afternoon. Before that, though, he saw a different physio from the one he has been seeing and was told that his injury is common in athletes and is easily fixable BUT he is not allowed to sit, run or lift weights for 7 days. No driving. He can sit to eat a meal for 15 minutes but then it's stand or lie flat on his back. He can walk. I don't envy his girlfriend!

You know, it wasn't that long ago (like 11 weeks!) that I would have thrown my hands up in disgust and gone back to slobbing on the couch and eating and drinking my way to an even larger size. I accept that things will hurt, now, and that I will damage bits but the overall benefits far outweigh the aches and pains. And when I have lost all my weight and am strong then I am sure that I will hurt myself rarely, if ever.

I bought myself some new undies yesterday. A size smaller and they fit. I also bought some pants for training in (I initially wrote 'training pants' but that has a whole other connotation and I'm not incontinent yet!) and some tshirts - in a size smaller. Yay.

Himself will be home a bit later this evening as he went to a work lunch and booked himself on a later flight. One is also out with his company and won't be home til late. Two and GGF will be home this evening as will Three.

I haven't heard any more from my parents or my brothers so assume that Dad is OK. I really should go and see them. Maybe on Sunday we'll pop over.

One is a different bloke these days. He has matured so much since he broke up with LGF. She has since broken up with the bloke she was going out with and I was worried that would put pressure on One but he coped with the inevitable weepy phone call with the comment that it was a bit of a pain! He is oozing confidence as well which is great as he was so insecure before. He still has a long way to go but at least he has some self-esteem back.

Two finally has an appointment to see a psychologist in a couple of weeks. We are both really hopeful that this will help him deal with so many of his problems. Which has just reminded me that I need to ring the rheumatologist to see if he has found an ENT person. It'll have to be Monday now. Two made a promotional DVD for the Melbourne campus of the academy he studied at and is now working for. The head of the company and his right hand man saw it and were most impressed. They now want Two to make one showcasing all campuses to be shown in SE Asia as well as here.

Three is still working at his low paid job. He is frustrated at the lack of money and needs to find another job or negotiate a move into an area that pays commission. Both of which are hard to do when you're 18 and still finding your feet.

I cooked an awesome meal last night. It was from the Women's Weekly Wok cookbook. The little ones that you can get from the supermarket. It was a spicy beef using fillet steak. I was reluctant initially cos the meat is rather expensive but, damn, it was good. Definitely one to do again but not if I'm feeding hoards!! What I did decide, though, was that I need a decent wok. We need to do some shopping tomorrow so will look at one then.

OK. Time to go to the supermarket and then go for a walk. I have missed my evening walks because of going round the park in the morning.

Next Thursday will be my 12 week weigh-in. I am excited and apprehensive.

No golf for me for the next two weeks as I have to go back to the physio tomorrow and Himself wants me to go to Sydney next weekend as he has been invited out with some of the people he works with. Typical. Now he's coming back to Melbourne after 3 years he's finally developing a social network!!

Have a great weekend and stay safe.

After the fall

This is what my dad looked like after his fall the other day. In spite of his injuries I still think he looks pretty good for someone who turns 89 in November. The bruising around his eyes will be pretty spectacular in a day or so!

Saturday

It's dark, drizzly and chilly. Himself is in his shed. One has gone out with some mates. Two and GGF are home after working at the uni's open day. Three and Tina are at the movies. There are a couple of chicken roasts and a butterflied leg of lamb waiting to go in the oven. I am sipping on a nice Riesling and nibbling on pistachios. All is good.

I walked early yesterday with One. Fireman Sam guilted him into getting up and coming out with me. After I took him to work I tidied the place up a bit and then went and had a lovely lunch with the Mermaid. We covered a lot of topics that only two women who have known each other for many years can. We decided that for all our thinking that it was our generation that epitomised the sexual revolution that came with the advent of effective birth control we are still very much a product of the mores and values instilled in us by our parents' generation. The men certainly benefited from greater sexual freedom but the women were still stuck with ideas of sex having to equate to love. Which it can and does, don't get me wrong. But as I get older I think that maybe a good bonk for the sake of a good bonk isn't such a bad thing. The current batch of youngsters seem to be getting this all in perspective but will there be a backlash later? Don't know but it will be interesting to see.

Fireman Sam was unable to make it around yesterday so I did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer (ET) and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. He won't be around next week either so this will be a good indication of how good I am at pacing myself. I'm hoping that by the end of the week I will be able to try running a lap of the park. It will depend on my leg.

This morning I did an hour on ET and it was a harder workout than the 90 minutes on the bike. Or I'm suffering from goldfish memory! One woke with an horrendous hangover so there went the plan of working out with him. He and I went to the butcher (see chicken and lamb above) and then to Chadstone where he bought some ibuprofen and water and a SALAD for godsake. Everyone knows the only food cure for a hangover is the Greasies. So after I went to Target and bought a couple of pairs of undies and a new pair of 3/4 length pants for running in I took him home via Dirty Bird (aka KFC) after which he fell asleep in front of the telly.

I went to Bunnings with Himself (see above re shed - he's still working on my bookcase and has been to Bunnings THREE times today!) and then to the supermarket for veges and stuff for tonight. Lordy fresh veges are expensive at the moment. After years of drought we have had flooding rains this winter that have badly effected the market gardeners that supply Melbourne. Hence broccoli selling for $8 a kilo recently. And yes, that matters. I love broccoli. And brussels sprouts. A favourite quick dinner is brussels sprouts and bacon.

Once home I changed and went for a walk down to the shops to buy the latest issue of Runner's World. Looks good. Anything that can keep this delusion going that I AM in fact a runner can only be good!

Tomorrow we are going to a luncheon to celebrate my inlaws' 60th wedding anniversary.

Himself is not going to Sydney until Wednesday and volunteered to come walking with me on Monday at 5.00am. We shall see!

I received an email from my father yesterday (actually addressed to Other Brother but cc'd to me and Dr. Teacher) informing that he had had a fall. Dr. Teacher (who, you may remember, only lives 5 minutes away from them whereas OB was visiting from Canberra) was unaware of this and went around on his way home from work. He rang to tell me that Dad is ok but very battered and bruised. Nothing broken but we are concerned as to why he had this fall ... his second in as many weeks. Dr. Teacher will try and find out what, if any, tests Dad has had lately and maybe suggest he gets a full physical. I can see this being met with great resistance which is understandable. Dad doesn't want to have to stop driving but this may have to be the case and I am not going to be the one to tell him. Hopefully Dr Teacher can convince them to see a doctor who will make that suggestion.

Getting old - I mean REALLY old - sucks. Big time.

I have had a really good look at the photos GGF took at Two's 21st and was appalled and disgusted at how grossly big I had become. I am tempted to get someone to take some photos of me now as a comparison but am afraid that I won't be able to see a big difference. Which reminds me. I forgot to tell you that when Two and I went to see the rheumatologist on Thursday he (the rheumatologist) asked if I had lost weight and when I responded in the affirmative nodded and said it was obvious. After he had chatted with Two and talked sarcoidosis and methotrexate and livers and stuff he turned back and asked me how I had lost weight. So it MUST be noticeable. I'll get the photos taken and if I like the difference I will post both here for your perusal.

Now I'm off to browse through my new magazine and have dinner with Two and GGF and Three and Tina (and Himself - he's allowed out of the shed to eat) and then watch good Brit. TV.

Stay well and safe.

Just a quick one

• My shin is slightly better today.
• I power walked around the park this morning (on my own ... One slept in again) and made good time so was happy with that.
• Fireman Sam, GGF and I went looking at elliptical trainers and I bought one.
• Fireman Sam is coming around in the morning to get my new 'base line' on this piece of equipment. I have used it and struggled to get 10 minutes out of it!! Oh well, a new challenge.
• I rang the public clinic to let them know that Two had an appointment with another specialist at 3.30 and needed to be seen on time. They were unable to ensure that so I cancelled.
• We saw the rheumatologist and he will arrange for a private ENT person to monitor Two's throat and he will manage the treatment. It looks as if the steroids alone aren't doing the job (which we knew) so Two will probably go onto methotrexate. A potentially nasty drug but not as nasty as some. It will seriously curtail his alcohol consumption which isn't a bad thing as long as he sticks with it or he could permanently damage his liver.

• I'm up again at 5.00 to walk around the park and pound the bag for 45 minutes (which I also did this morning) so will hop into bed with my book.

Injured!!

I cannot believe this. I have a shin splint. It fucking hurts. It probably happened late last week but I didn't recognise what it was and continued to run. The pain on Monday after running was horrendous. I didn't run yesterday cos Fireman Sam AND One slept in. So I rode my bike which was probably a good thing. This morning One and I went to the park as Fireman Sam had slept in again and he met us after the first lap. I was struggling and couldn't really push myself like I usually do. I was aware of every step. When we stopped I described the pain and where it was (thinking I'd done something to my ankle) and was greeted with "Shin Splints". No running for a couple of weeks. I googled them and also spoke with the doctor at work (a keen runner) and rest seems to be the answer.

Tomorrow I am power walking around the park. And using the bike. And doing 45 minutes of bag work. This will, I am assured by Fireman Sam, keep the momentum going and stop me going backwards from a running and fitness perspective. We may also look at getting a Nordic thingy (I think it's like a cross trainer) to use instead of the bike.

Tomorrow marks 10 weeks since I started this journey. Who would have thought back then that I would a) be carrying an injury caused by running and b) be shitty cos I can't run for 2 weeks!! People have commented on my weight loss at work and this makes me feel better.

Two was at GGF's last night (with Phoebe Ford - my little Ford Festiva for those who didn't know me back last year when I got her) and some arsehole driving a car with a tow-bar backed into the driver's door. And buggered off without leaving their details. Hopefully it is just the door that is damaged and we may be able to get one from a wreckers.

It's getting late and I need to be up early tomorrow. It's a day off but I still have a lot of exercise to do and Two and I are going to see the ENT people and the rheumatologist tomorrow afternoon.

Talk soon.

A week of running!

My three sons and their only female cousin at One's 23rd birthday pissup. Some were worse off than others. I leave you to decide who!

Fireman Sam's plan was that I would run one lap of the park every weekday morning this week. And I have!! I did the first three with him and the last two with One as Fireman Sam was working nights. I was really anxious that I wouldn't be able to do it without him but I ran and One paced me quite well. I heard Fireman Sam's voice at certain points around the park where he usually eggs me on and I made it. As we came up to the post where we sprint there was a sound like a million bees and a blur of lanky limbs sped past me as One took off!! He can really sprint, that one. He has the build for it. This morning was the easiest of the lot. Whether it's cos I knew it was the last one for this week or cos I am getting fitter or cos I didn't push too hard too soon or cos I know that next week it will be TWO laps for five days I don't know. But it was easier and I did recover well. Fireman Sam assures me we will eeeeeeaaaaaaasssse into the two laps. And it snows on the moon! One likes to run with Fireman Sam's girlfriend as they catch up on what's happening. I cannot imagine running and ... chatting!!! Fireman Sam said that he is like me and is always focussed on the end of the run rather than enjoying the process! That makes me feel better as I thought I was just weak and wussy but I do hope that as the weight continues to come off and I get lighter I will enjoy the process as much as One does.

Another bonus is that One and Two are working out together. One helps Two and shows him what to do and Two spots for One when he's lifting heavier weights. Speaking of which, we need to buy more tomorrow!!! Three was supposed to get up and run with me yesterday morning (Fireman Sam went into Three's work and worded him up) but he had a female in his bed! Yup. He has a girlfriend. She is a first year nursing student and is quite delightful. I shall refer to her as Tina.

There is a phenomenon amongst the young of today (doesn't that sound old and fogeyish) of having friends with whom one undertakes certain activities of a sexual nature. Know as "fuck buddies"! I am not going to explore the rights and wrongs of such relationships at the moment but mention it here because of a conversation I had with Two. My inlaws have recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and are having a luncheon for family and friends and made it clear that girlfriends were welcome.

Me: Are you and GGF coming to Nana's lunch? One and Three should be coming and I think Three is bringing Tina.

Two: That should be interesting. "Nana, I'd like you to meet Three's fuck buddy".

Well, it tickled my distorted funny bone.

Himself is coming home early from Sydney as he has some housekeeping he needs to do in the Melbourne office so we will go out for dinner tonight. I have done the mandatory 50 minutes on the exercise bike and have worked the bag for half an hour. I don't mind the bike but I am so looking forward to the day when it isn't what I have to do for fat burning. As in, I won't need to burn fat anymore as it will all be GONE!

Quite a few people at work are exercising to various degrees and with various degrees of success. My colleagues know that I get up at 5.00 to exercise and the reactions have been interesting. My boss tried to tell me that I SHOULDN'T exercise more than 3-4 times a week. Not even for general fitness. I wasn't going to argue but there are a lot of very fit people who do some form of exercise everyday and do it for pleasure as well as fitness and I intend to become one of those people. I understand the reasoning behind not working the same muscle groups two days in a row when trying to build muscle but if a daily run is good enough for certain occupations then it's good enough for me. And someone asked if "that is all you're having for lunch" the other day. Which is a sure sign that the weight loss is starting to show! And I think a wrap filled with ham and salad and a mandarin and an apple is quite a good lunch. Specially after a protein shake (made with yoghurt, water, berries, protein powder and flaxseed oil) for breakfast, a banana for morning tea and dried fruit and nuts to assuage the afternoon slump.

I think I'll go and read for a while. The house is relatively clean and tidy - apart from the weights all over the loungeroom! And it's going to be wet this weekend so I'm not going to wash the floors cos then I get shitty when people are incapable of wiping their muddy feet.

Have a good weekend.