Tuesday 22nd March - weightless

 I guess that's what you would call a 'click-bait' blog title.

The book I bought, breaking my Lent resolution to NOT buy any books in Lent, but supporting my Lent resolution to do exercises every day, which, so far, I have just about kept, arrived yesterday.

It is a book of strength training exercises, and a group of ladies of - shall we say - more mature years - are all trying it and recommending it. So I bought a second-hand copy, and skim-read it yesterday. It is basically a set of 8 gentle, slow exercises, done standing or sitting, but using weights on ankles for leg exercises and dumb bells for arm exercises. The weights one uses depends upon age and fitness; reading the charts I should use one pound dumb bells and two pound ankle weights, or the equivalent in kg. You increase the weights over time as your strength improves, but the emphasis is on progressing slowly and steadily. Festina lente. 

I don't have any weights, so today I followed the plan, but without weights, hence, weightless!

This is not a bad way to start; I can learn the moves without strain (actually, it was strenuous enough for me at the moment!) while I am waiting for the ankle weights to arrive. I shall follow one of the suggestions to save money by grasping the little weight packets in my hands for the arm exercises, rather than investing in dumb bells.

You do the 30 minute workout twice a week. That seems manageable. 'while watching tv', she suggests.

There's a lot of background about muscles,  and bones, and staying  motivated, and the effect of strength exercises on the general level of fitness and bone density and so forth. 

Nothing venture, nothing gain. 

I shall continue do my normal stretches on non-workout days. 

I have taken a gamble and planted out the broad beans; they were growing out of their peat pots. and also the one pea that germinated, and the few peas that escaped being eaten as pea shoots. I've come to the conclusion that the reason the peas didn't grow in their little pots on the windowsill was that I forgot to plant them, apart from one. Something must have distracted me at that point. 

The broad beans are mulched with a mix of torn packing paper and paper napkins which had a design of poppies printed on them. The peas are under one of the plastic cloches behind them.

They been experiencing 'hardening-off' as I have forgotten to close the cold frame several times over the past few days. Come to think of it, I think I have left it open again tonight. Oh well. There are only seeds inside; nasturtium, calendula, wild flowers, and as of today, snapdragons.

Noah's Ark;

Who is hiding behind this door?

Dogs!

Here's the story;

 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.