Thanks, Emily & LaMa. I'm sorry I have been so slack in the forum. I thought of you guys while I was away, but I really enjoyed engaging much more in the physical world & came to the realisation that I need to spend less time on the computer & more time getting out there & being more physical.
Every time you go away you change just a little bit(well I do anyway). I quite like the person I have become, but I still have a long way to go with my self-confidence away from here. I think I need to develop my interests & to live my life more. I feel I have had a few insights while away.
I don't think I said before, but I came back from our holiday weighing exactly the same as when we went. That was a shock as I ate from a buffet 3 meals a day. I hardly ate sweets though & didn't snack. I decided early on to really enjoy the food- the flavours, the variety of curries etc & always had enough, but not a gross amount.
I drank less alcohol than usual & by the end of the holiday felt quite ambivalent about it. Not anti, just aware that I actually want to cut down & enjoy it less. I enjoyed drinking different teas, especially the Sri Lankan ginger spice tea. I'm having a small pot of it now. I gave R one of the packets when he came up for the weekend, so I'll have to see if I can find a Sri Lankan or Indian supermarket & stock up. I just love it!
I decided that as I did so well away from home that I would knuckle down & lose weight now that I'm back. I have not eaten any bread at all since we got home. I have lost 1.5kg in the last week. I have been having organic oats with unsweetened almond milk & a teaspoon of honey every morning, heated in the microwave. It's cold in the mornings & this warms me up & keeps me filled up until midday. Win!
Instead of saying no I said yes to an invitation to lunch with the golfing women. The reaction when asked-"Really? That's fantastic!" It was today & I had a ball. I dosed up on dry cough lozenges that suppress the reaction to fragrance & survived the day well. They are not good for you & I don't want to take them all the time, but it was worth it. I rang the restaurant this morning & organised what I would have for lunch, rather than having to ask so many questions re gluten-free etc. It worked really well. I had a seafood "surprise" & a dessert surprise, both scrumptious. It also made it easier for the restaurant. One of the women rang me tonight to ask how I was after the lunch, which was sweet.
Instead of doing everything with G I am going to do some things on my own. I think it will hold me in good stead if/when one day I find myself without him.
I am not going to even think about living somewhere else. Our home is so beautiful & such a healthy environment that I think we will stay here until we absolutely have no choice. We are so lucky!
I think I do have an aptitude for languages & I would quite like to explore learning a new language, possibly Italian. I loved the sing-song tone of the Sinhalese language. I'm not sure that I want to learn it. Maybe if we work out where we're going next learning that language would be fun. G says he wants to go to Spain, Portugal & Morocco. We most probably won't go until 2019, so that would give me some time to learn. The joy you get when you make the effort to try to learn someone's language is plentiful & very rewarding. When we were greeted by "Good Morning" & I returned the greeting by joining two hands in a prayer-like manner and saying "Ayubowan" the grins & looks of utter surprise were priceless.
I still haven't sorted out my trip notes or photos but will share some with you when I have. It's nice being back & I know I'm neglecting you all a little, but I do care. Everyone is doing well. Lots of love to you all xoxo Cate
I think he has to go, but I'm not sure that a petition is the right approach.
