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| Nasturtiums |
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| Sweetpeas |
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| Beautiful dahlias ... I love this colour |
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| Roseberry Topping in the distance. It always reminds me of the Grinch's mountain, the way it curves over at the top ! |
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| Lucy on the horizon |
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| 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' :) |
Today was an active day, what with a trip to the allotments this morning (the girls and I walked up there) and a walk on the Moors near Osmotherley this afternoon. Which is good. Because I realised rather depressingly last night that after being thrown into the menopause at the tender age of 35 I am now suffering from what is unkindly referred to as "middle aged spread" at the age of only
37 :( I've put on 14 pounds since my operation two years ago, and it is all concentrated around my middle and boobs. I've tried eating more healthily and doing more exercise but the weight has continued to increase.
Having read a lot of testimonials from other menopausal women, I see that this is par for the course. Unless, of course, you are blessed with a high metabolism and a thyroid with a real zest for life. Apparently, us menopausal women should eat approximately 200 less calories a day than we did before the menopause. 200 calories ! Tell that to my stomach which wants to consume exactly what it was having two years ago with no complaints.
But I need to do something. I feel I am becoming, in the words of Alexander McCall Smith, "traditionally built". So I have decided to reduce my portions, eat only homemade, healthy food and start a health diary again where I can record exactly what I am eating and drinking every day, how much exercise I am doing, and how my health is doing generally. I'm not sure I'll be able to lose any weight but I guess it should improve my overall health even if I can't reduce my dress size. Wish me luck, dear readers. I am a foodie, so this is going to be tough.
