Welcome to My Blog

A multi -faceted look at one Chinese woman's life. including musings about travelling and family life...

Wednesday 25 August 2010

A special birthday...

I went in and did my usual charity shop shift today and quite truthfully I actually enjoyed it!  Janette the colleague I work with is very friendly and easy going (also she is a grandmum to three little ones).
My boyfriend Andrew's grandmother is 90 today.   It is a grand age that I'm sure not many of us will ever reach.   To celebrate we all met up at the local Thunderdome restaurant (American style diner), all close family were present.  There were 10 of us.   The birthday cake was very nice and fresh too.  

Time of arrival:  7.15pm      
Time of departure:   9.20pm

Ryan was fascinated by all the motorbike pictures on the wall and the Betty Boop figurines.


Granny Violet's 90th birthday cake

Family photo

Tuesday 24 August 2010

My diet is a success!

You wouldn't believe it in a million years...I started calorie counting over a month ago , keeping a food diary and cutting crisps, chocolate and almost all bread out of my diet and have lost 17lbs so far.
Before I even started I felt low in energy, and motivation....and, now I feel SO much fitter thanks to the 'Nutracheck' online food diary !!  (nutracheck.co.uk)

My only dilemma now is what to do with all my size 16 clothes that are far too baggy for me...I have switched to a 14 wardrobe, so tonight I started to list some clothes on Ebay.   Here is what I put on:


I have only worn these twice and I love them so much - sadly they have to go.
Then there was my lovely check coat that I bought last year which is also TOO big for me now (it even has the tags on still)


The New me (first left)


Here are the steps to my weight loss:
  • Drink lots of water especially whenever you feel hungry( most of the time it is thirst and NOT hunger which needs to be remedied)
  • Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.
  • Limit as much as possible the consumption of sweets, biscuits & cakes as these contain empty calories.
  • Do more exercise (the more you do, the more your weight loss is speeded up, especially if you are eating fewer calories than your body needs)
I hope some readers will find these tips helpful - remember , persistence pays off.

Friday 20 August 2010

Back home from Barcelona

We were in Barcelona for 5 days. Highlights of our trip included:

1)  Las Ramblas
2)  Sitges & Girona day trips by train
3)  Cable cars to Montjuic Castle
4)  Golondrina boat trip......

          Barcelona was hot!!   The food was great and we had a good time.


Spanish Menu

La Boqueria fruit market

Arc De Triomf

Barcelona port

Girona

Girona

Maremagnum shopping centre

Cable cars to Montjuic

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Books I recommend

'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' - by Jean Dominique Bauby. The Frenchman suffered a massive stroke and ended up physically paralyzed.  . He wrote the entire book by blinking his left eyelid.

'The Joy Luck Club' - by Amy Tan is based on the story of four Chinese mothers and their very Americanized daughters.   (translated into 35 languages).

'Watching The Tree' - by Adeline Yen Mah, a book about Chinese traditions.

Anything by Michael Palin (travel writer)

Ryan sings......