Still 89 lbs. I think I've lost all the easy lbs; it's going to be a tough slog to the end, although I am getting smaller. I'm in size 20 jeans now--which is pretty good considering I was in 28s or 30s at the start. Even a couple pair of the 20s are too big, too. Woo Hoo!! One of my friends is back in the States right now and she's picking me up 2 pair of 20s and 2 pair of 18s since she shops at Avenue anyway; she's tall.
The Rye Guy Fawkes Bonfire and Parade was this past Saturday. It was good! I used to think it was a long walk from the Mermaid to the far end of the High Street but I walked it several times on Saturday. I was impressed!
I'm much less impressed with work. I hate the schedule and I'm starting to hate the job. I am learning things though... I've learned that there is no one in the building--and maybe on the base--whose comfort level is less important than mine. I've learned that embarassment and public humiliation and ridicule are viable training techniques. I've learned that I'm generally wrong. But I don't seem to be able to learn to keep my mouth shut--so the embarassment and ridicule will continue. I'm also starting to wonder if I really want to be a member of this good ole boy club?
Monday 12 November 2012
Friday 9 November 2012
08 November 2012
89 lbs! Woo Hoo!! I'm down another size in jeans. I think my next 'clothes project' will be to go thru all the T-shirts and get rid of those that don't fit--and/or look too ratty to keep.
I drove down to Slough yesterday to visit my niece who is back on a business trip. She took a picture of me:
I drove down to Slough yesterday to visit my niece who is back on a business trip. She took a picture of me:
After much faffing around (mostly because I can't find the before picture), I finally managed to get the before picture on the same page:
Amazingly, I'm starting to see the progress!
04 November 2012
88 lbs! Woo Hoo! Now if I could just get some propane delivered life would be good... On 26 October, I checked the propane tanks for my place and the neighbor's; I was at ~25% and they had a bit more. So I sent the landlady an e-mail--and heard nothing. On 29 October, I started checking to see if the propane had been delivered. No joy. So on 1 November, I forwarded the first e-mail and asked what was up and started calling. I finally contacted the landlady late; they had been out of town and hadn't been checking e-mail (Really?!) but she said she'd left a message on the propane company's answer phone. Still no joy although I now have a small space heater. It's OK in my bedroom--but perishingly cold every where else.
On Halloween, after work I drove down to Bolsover Castle for a ghost walk. It was a cold, wet night but it was still a lot of fun. The walk was from 8-9:30, so it was quite dark when I arrived; I didn't really get a look at the castle. All I can say for sure is that it's big. Bolsover Castle is supposed to be one of the Midlands; I didn't see any ghosts but it was still fun. The guys doing the walk had lots of stories. There has been something on the site since the 12th century--and not everything that has happened there has been happy. There is a woman in Victorian dress whose been seen in one of the rooms, a young servant girl who got pregnant out-of-wedlock and had the baby--which may or may not have been still-born--and then threw the body in the oven and a young boy who only appears to children in the garden. Lots of good stories and not too cheesy.
Then on Saturday, we headed off to see Peveril Castle in the Peak District National Park. The pictures are from there. Just outside the visitor's center is a scale model of how the castle would have looked in the 12th or 13th century.
The next 3 shots are from the castle ridge, overlooking the village of Castleton. It was a great day for pictures!
The keep, with an anachronistic jet just above it :-)
Another couple of views from the heights, the first one looking towards the carpark.
The remains of the medieval walls.
The main entry.
Medieval garderobe (latrine).
The keep.
Cool pub sign.
The place where we had lunch.
The 'executioner' at the Bolsover Castle Guy Fawkes celebration. Once again, it was too dark to get a look at the castle.
Roving 'mischief makers'. I never did get a shot at their faces!
The only one of my fireworks shots that turned out :-)
English Heritage did a great job with the fireworks!
On Halloween, after work I drove down to Bolsover Castle for a ghost walk. It was a cold, wet night but it was still a lot of fun. The walk was from 8-9:30, so it was quite dark when I arrived; I didn't really get a look at the castle. All I can say for sure is that it's big. Bolsover Castle is supposed to be one of the Midlands; I didn't see any ghosts but it was still fun. The guys doing the walk had lots of stories. There has been something on the site since the 12th century--and not everything that has happened there has been happy. There is a woman in Victorian dress whose been seen in one of the rooms, a young servant girl who got pregnant out-of-wedlock and had the baby--which may or may not have been still-born--and then threw the body in the oven and a young boy who only appears to children in the garden. Lots of good stories and not too cheesy.
Then on Saturday, we headed off to see Peveril Castle in the Peak District National Park. The pictures are from there. Just outside the visitor's center is a scale model of how the castle would have looked in the 12th or 13th century.
The next 3 shots are from the castle ridge, overlooking the village of Castleton. It was a great day for pictures!
The remains of the gatehouse.
The keep, with an anachronistic jet just above it :-)
Another couple of views from the heights, the first one looking towards the carpark.
The remains of the medieval walls.
Inside the keep.
The main entry.
Another view of the main entry. You can see how the walls were constructed, with the good, 'dressed' stone on the outside and a rubble 'core'.
Medieval garderobe (latrine).
The keep.
Cool pub sign.
The place where we had lunch.
The 'executioner' at the Bolsover Castle Guy Fawkes celebration. Once again, it was too dark to get a look at the castle.
Roving 'mischief makers'. I never did get a shot at their faces!
The only one of my fireworks shots that turned out :-)
English Heritage did a great job with the fireworks!
Tuesday 30 October 2012
30 October 2012
86 lbs! Woo Hoo! I've now undone all the damage from my holiday and lost a couple more lbs.
We did a trip over to Powys Castle on Sunday. What a great place! The weather still wasn't great but it wasn't quite as dull as it was a couple of weeks ago. Here are a few more pictures:
A peacock, strutting his stuff. I think the peacocks had the long tail feathers a couple of weeks ago, so they must have molted.
The doors to the old Carriage House. This wasn't open the last time I was here but this time we got to see the carriage, along with some livery and harnesses and a short video of the carriage.
Detail on the top of one of the down spouts. All these looked like lead and I think some of the Herbert family fortune came from lead. There were quite a variety of things, although there were a lot of dragons.
Family crest.
View of the castle from the gate; it was a rather dull day.
I think I read this time that it was the 6th Earl (the current Earl is the 8th) who gifted Powys Castle to the National Trust. The family still have an apartment there and all the stuff inside (and there is quite a bit of stuff inside!) still belongs to the family. They don't allow pictures inside but the new guide book was available this trip. I was amazed at how much I didn't notice the last time!
It rained cats and dogs on the way over and the way back but it wasn't raining while we were there. The National Trust always has very nice tea rooms at their properties and Powys is no exception. I was diet-friendly and had a lovely bowl of tomato and basil soup--without the bread! The other choice was carrot and rosemary, which was very tempting but the t & b won out. It was pretty tasty!
I had several 8x10 prints done from my travels around Britain this year and got those dropped off for the photo contest on base. I wasn't going to show any this time--they always hurt my feelings--but Greg talked me into it. After the one year where they picked a picture of a horse's eyeball, I haven't shown any in a while.
Tomorrow night, I'm off to Bolsover Castle for a Halloween ghost walk. Should be fun!
We did a trip over to Powys Castle on Sunday. What a great place! The weather still wasn't great but it wasn't quite as dull as it was a couple of weeks ago. Here are a few more pictures:
A peacock, strutting his stuff. I think the peacocks had the long tail feathers a couple of weeks ago, so they must have molted.
Peahen with chicks. Peachicks, maybe? I don't think I've ever seen the chicks before :-)
The doors to the old Carriage House. This wasn't open the last time I was here but this time we got to see the carriage, along with some livery and harnesses and a short video of the carriage.
Detail on the top of one of the down spouts. All these looked like lead and I think some of the Herbert family fortune came from lead. There were quite a variety of things, although there were a lot of dragons.
Family crest.
View of the castle from the gate; it was a rather dull day.
I think I read this time that it was the 6th Earl (the current Earl is the 8th) who gifted Powys Castle to the National Trust. The family still have an apartment there and all the stuff inside (and there is quite a bit of stuff inside!) still belongs to the family. They don't allow pictures inside but the new guide book was available this trip. I was amazed at how much I didn't notice the last time!
It rained cats and dogs on the way over and the way back but it wasn't raining while we were there. The National Trust always has very nice tea rooms at their properties and Powys is no exception. I was diet-friendly and had a lovely bowl of tomato and basil soup--without the bread! The other choice was carrot and rosemary, which was very tempting but the t & b won out. It was pretty tasty!
I had several 8x10 prints done from my travels around Britain this year and got those dropped off for the photo contest on base. I wasn't going to show any this time--they always hurt my feelings--but Greg talked me into it. After the one year where they picked a picture of a horse's eyeball, I haven't shown any in a while.
Tomorrow night, I'm off to Bolsover Castle for a Halloween ghost walk. Should be fun!
Saturday 27 October 2012
27 October 2012
Woke up this moning to a dusting of snow (snow for heaven's sake! What is up with THAT?!) on the stone walls I can see from my bedroom window. UGH! So I pulled the duvet over my head and went back to sleep... It's no wonder I don't get much done!
I'm back to 83 lbs lost so I've almost undone the damage from my holiday. Yippee! I really hate this new schedule! There are only 6 of us in my group now; 4 of them get to work the old 4-on-4-off (the good schedule) while 2 of us are stuck on the crap schedule until we get certified on the extra duties. The schedule is listed as F1 (7-3) and F2 (3-11); some people say the 'F' stands for 'Flex' while others say it stands for 'Flight'. As far as I'm concerned, they're all wrong--that 'F' stands for 'F*CKED'! Amazingly, my co-worker really likes this schedule, which alarmed me but I've since found out that I can get certified and go back on the good schedule regardless of what he's doing (or not doing) so I feel a little better about it.
We also have a new (very stupid) performance maagement system, which they implemented after we had started the year on the old system--and with no training! What on earth were they thinking!? As the years have gone by, management knows less and less about what we do on a daily basis--so the burden of writing the review falls more and more on the employee. What a crock! We have reached the point where the review is an effort in creative writing--and I don't like it!
But I did have some good happen this week :-) I had an appointment on Tuesday at the Harrogate Hospital to have a growth on my cheek, near my eye, looked at. It's apparently some kind of 'viral wart' (whatever that means), so it's not skin cancer and they weren't real busy that day so they removed it. Yippee! They warned me the local anesthetic would give me a black eye--and it did--so now I have to decide on my story: Did my manager hit me or did one of my co-workers? It's a tough decision. I'm leaning towards my manager, although one of my co-workers is probably bit more believable.
Jeff and I are heading for Powys Castle tomorrow. It's just a 3-hour drive, so very doable even with the shortening daylight this time of year. Hopefully tomorrow will be as nice as today....
I'm back to 83 lbs lost so I've almost undone the damage from my holiday. Yippee! I really hate this new schedule! There are only 6 of us in my group now; 4 of them get to work the old 4-on-4-off (the good schedule) while 2 of us are stuck on the crap schedule until we get certified on the extra duties. The schedule is listed as F1 (7-3) and F2 (3-11); some people say the 'F' stands for 'Flex' while others say it stands for 'Flight'. As far as I'm concerned, they're all wrong--that 'F' stands for 'F*CKED'! Amazingly, my co-worker really likes this schedule, which alarmed me but I've since found out that I can get certified and go back on the good schedule regardless of what he's doing (or not doing) so I feel a little better about it.
We also have a new (very stupid) performance maagement system, which they implemented after we had started the year on the old system--and with no training! What on earth were they thinking!? As the years have gone by, management knows less and less about what we do on a daily basis--so the burden of writing the review falls more and more on the employee. What a crock! We have reached the point where the review is an effort in creative writing--and I don't like it!
But I did have some good happen this week :-) I had an appointment on Tuesday at the Harrogate Hospital to have a growth on my cheek, near my eye, looked at. It's apparently some kind of 'viral wart' (whatever that means), so it's not skin cancer and they weren't real busy that day so they removed it. Yippee! They warned me the local anesthetic would give me a black eye--and it did--so now I have to decide on my story: Did my manager hit me or did one of my co-workers? It's a tough decision. I'm leaning towards my manager, although one of my co-workers is probably bit more believable.
Jeff and I are heading for Powys Castle tomorrow. It's just a 3-hour drive, so very doable even with the shortening daylight this time of year. Hopefully tomorrow will be as nice as today....
Sunday 21 October 2012
21 October 2012
OK, I admit it--I've been somewhat remiss with the blog since getting home from my holiday. But I've been REAL busy!! [That's my story and I'm sticking to it...]
I returned to Harrogate on Wednesday afternoon. It had just rained but it was real nice when I got in. I took a taxi home, started a load of laundry and headed out to run a few errands. Went to Sainsbury's (fat-free creme fraiche) and Waitrose (tsar sliced smoked salmon) and then headed to the base. I could see lightening flashing off towards Skipton, which is pretty unusual. When I came out of the APO, I could hear thunder rumbling and by the time I got to the commissary (a distance of less than 5 minutes), it was pouring down rain! Silly weather! I took the groceries home and went to the Baths, then came home and went to bed.
The next morning, I overslept so I was a few minutes late to work. Got thru the next 2 very busy days at work and went to see the Hairy Bikers at the Harrogate Royal Hall. It was pretty good, although a little strange--travel, comedy and cooking. The program (L5) even had some interesting recipes in it which I mean to try. I have to say that I don't understand their fascination with dressing up in women's frocks...
Saturday was pretty nice. We had tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Nottingham Capital FM Arena and it was fabulous! The tickets said 1900, which I foolishly assumed was the time the show started... The doors opened at 1900 but the show didn't start until 2000. I'm glad I didn't know that because parking was a hassle at 1820 when we arrived. The show finished at 2230 and it was a nightmare at the parking garage, so we went back to this little Indian place (Anoki) we had passed for a late supper. Apparently, great minds think alike because Andrew Lloyd Webber and the cast were also having a late supper there! The place does a 2-for-1 deal on entrees after 1030 pm and I had a very diet-friendly Tandoori Chicken Tikka that was excellent. It was all so much fun that I think we're going to get tickets to the arena show of We Will Rock You in March '13--and have supper at Anoki after.
Today, I finished booking the Christmas Market trip, so that's all set. And I'm almost back to my pre-holiday weight, so life is good!
I returned to Harrogate on Wednesday afternoon. It had just rained but it was real nice when I got in. I took a taxi home, started a load of laundry and headed out to run a few errands. Went to Sainsbury's (fat-free creme fraiche) and Waitrose (tsar sliced smoked salmon) and then headed to the base. I could see lightening flashing off towards Skipton, which is pretty unusual. When I came out of the APO, I could hear thunder rumbling and by the time I got to the commissary (a distance of less than 5 minutes), it was pouring down rain! Silly weather! I took the groceries home and went to the Baths, then came home and went to bed.
The next morning, I overslept so I was a few minutes late to work. Got thru the next 2 very busy days at work and went to see the Hairy Bikers at the Harrogate Royal Hall. It was pretty good, although a little strange--travel, comedy and cooking. The program (L5) even had some interesting recipes in it which I mean to try. I have to say that I don't understand their fascination with dressing up in women's frocks...
Saturday was pretty nice. We had tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Nottingham Capital FM Arena and it was fabulous! The tickets said 1900, which I foolishly assumed was the time the show started... The doors opened at 1900 but the show didn't start until 2000. I'm glad I didn't know that because parking was a hassle at 1820 when we arrived. The show finished at 2230 and it was a nightmare at the parking garage, so we went back to this little Indian place (Anoki) we had passed for a late supper. Apparently, great minds think alike because Andrew Lloyd Webber and the cast were also having a late supper there! The place does a 2-for-1 deal on entrees after 1030 pm and I had a very diet-friendly Tandoori Chicken Tikka that was excellent. It was all so much fun that I think we're going to get tickets to the arena show of We Will Rock You in March '13--and have supper at Anoki after.
Today, I finished booking the Christmas Market trip, so that's all set. And I'm almost back to my pre-holiday weight, so life is good!
Tuesday 16 October 2012
16 October 2012
And now London, the 7th and final day of the William Marshal tour.
It's been another beautiful Autumn day here in London! We left our hotel (the Millenium Bailey's Hotel, across from the Goucester Road Tube stop) and drove to the Embankment and then walked to the Temple Church. We passed some interesting signs and plaques along the way, which I've included here.
Very cool pub sign; might be worth checking out sometime.
Wall plaque on the way to the Temple Church.
Effigy of William Marshal, the Younger, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Temple Church.
Effigy of Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke, Temple Church.
Rose window, Temple Church.
Interior shot of the Temple Church. There was a lot of scaffolding, which I couldn't completely avoid in my shots :-(
Pipe organ, Temple Church.
Baptismal font. Apparently the Templers weren't too worried about witches because it's not covered--or at least not covered with a heavy lid that takes 4 men to lift--like some of the others we saw on this trip :-)
Detail of the face on William Marshal's effigy. The London Blitz was very hard on a lot of the stonework.
More interior shots, Temple Church.
Western Entrance.
There were a lot of neat signs and plaques on the way back to the bus. The next few shots are a selection of these.
Our next stop was the Tower of London.
Siege engine at the Tower of London.
Tower of London
Beefeater at the Tower of London.
Inside the walls, Tower of London.
Traitor's Gate. Not the way you'd want to enter the Tower of London...
Weather vane on the White Tower.
Fake polar bear; seemed to be made out of wire. At one time in the distant past, the Tower of London was a zoo.
Wakefield Tower
The White Tower
More shots inside the walls.
Fake elephant.
Inside the walls.
The White Tower.
Another shot of the White Tower.
Cool cannon.
Tower Bridge.
Another shot inside the walls.
The White Tower.
Cool door.
And a final stop at Rigby & Peller, corsetieres to HM Queen Elizabeth II. They're like a very posh Victoria's Secret. I treated myself to some new undies :-)
It's been another beautiful Autumn day here in London! We left our hotel (the Millenium Bailey's Hotel, across from the Goucester Road Tube stop) and drove to the Embankment and then walked to the Temple Church. We passed some interesting signs and plaques along the way, which I've included here.
Very cool pub sign; might be worth checking out sometime.
Wall plaque on the way to the Temple Church.
Effigy of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, Temple Church. According to Crusader lore, the final battle will be fought in Jerusalem and the Temple Church is a bit of Jerusalem in London. The knights there aren't resting; they're at attention and awaiting the call when the final battle begins.
Effigy of Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke, Temple Church.
Rose window, Temple Church.
Interior shot of the Temple Church. There was a lot of scaffolding, which I couldn't completely avoid in my shots :-(
Pipe organ, Temple Church.
Baptismal font. Apparently the Templers weren't too worried about witches because it's not covered--or at least not covered with a heavy lid that takes 4 men to lift--like some of the others we saw on this trip :-)
Detail of the face on William Marshal's effigy. The London Blitz was very hard on a lot of the stonework.
More interior shots, Temple Church.
Western Entrance.
There were a lot of neat signs and plaques on the way back to the bus. The next few shots are a selection of these.
Our next stop was the Tower of London.
Siege engine at the Tower of London.
Tower of London
Beefeater at the Tower of London.
Inside the walls, Tower of London.
Traitor's Gate. Not the way you'd want to enter the Tower of London...
Weather vane on the White Tower.
Fake polar bear; seemed to be made out of wire. At one time in the distant past, the Tower of London was a zoo.
Wakefield Tower
The White Tower
More shots inside the walls.
Fake elephant.
Inside the walls.
The White Tower.
Another shot of the White Tower.
Cool cannon.
Tower Bridge.
Another shot inside the walls.
The White Tower.
Cool door.
And a final stop at Rigby & Peller, corsetieres to HM Queen Elizabeth II. They're like a very posh Victoria's Secret. I treated myself to some new undies :-)
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