Tuesday 24th June - breaking the barrier at last...

 I check my weight most mornings and note it down in my diary. I couldn't do this while I was away, so I shouldn't have been surprised when I stood on the scales on Saturday morning... 'what!' I got off the scales, on again... 'I'm not writing that down!' Sunday,  Monday, same story. Today... not wonderful, but I was prepared to start writing my weight in my diary again. 

I'm only aiming for a very slow rate of weight loss; 100 grams, about three and a bit ounces a week is fine. I'm 'working' if it could be called that, on breaking through the 10 stone barrier, or 140 pounds, or 63kg. I had just done so before we we nt away (62.95kg , so by 50g, or 1.75 ounces). I'm not  sure that the scales can measure that accurately - it's all a bit of a game. 

Years ago I did weight watchers properly, with over 2 stones of 'baby weight' to lose. It took me over a year, following the scheme and aiming for 2 lbs a week (around 900g). I stuck with it, mainly because I was so embarrassed to be paying more per week to weight watchers to lose weight than many people in the world had to buy a week's food for their family. I've still got my tiny little golden key for reaching my target!

My current 'plan' includes some biscuits, some chocolate and some crisps. A little bit of each. So I can't expect rapid loss! But I have been on a very low downward trend for several years now so that will do me fine.

The advantage of writing the weight in my diary is that I can look back to previous years and give myself a pat on the back.

....

I've just slipped out to do some minimal watering. V, my lovely gardener friend, has come round and started to sort out my tatty patio pots, planting up all sorts of delights for me to enjoy. Two areas in particular needed urgent watering,  and there were two full cans in the garden... job done. 

My experience is if we do water the garden, it will rain hard overnight. If we don't, it won't. I'm hoping that I will have fixed it in my favour; I've done a bit of watering so might it rain a bit? Yes? Maybe?

.....

Now watching 'Bake-off, the Professionals'. Teams of professional chefs compete to make perfect French-style patisseries, ruthlessly judged by Benoit and Cherish. 

'Chefs, these are not identical', says Cherish, measuring the connections with her ruler... They make Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood look slapdash and laid-back.

You would think that this would very an odd choice of television viewing for someone who is vaguely trying to keep their weight under control. However I find that although I find the processes and end results impressive,  beautiful, amazing, the cakes themselves are so rich and complex, with so many layers and flavours that on the whole I have no desire to actually eat them!

.....

Music

Shostakovitch waltz from Wind Quintet, Carion Quintet.

This seems somehow familiar, and I love the staging. If I hadn't read the title I would never have thought of it being by Shostakovitch.