Thursday, May 18, 2017

Accelerating


We seem to be blessed with a daily viewing of ducklings on our evening walks with Buddy.  This is a fresh batch, newly hatched in the last day or so.  There were 10 babies, I just couldn't get them all in the picture.  The weather has turned sunny all of a sudden and we are supposed to get nice beautiful days for the next two weeks with little to no rain and only the odd cloud.  It never really gets that hot here as we have one of the most moderate year round temperatures in the world (Parksville an hour away from us gets that title).  I will take sunny and 20 degrees celcius any day.  Buddy particularly loves the sun.  In fact, he regularly insists he needs to go out to empty his bladder and instead hops up immediately to our patio couch to lie in the sun instead, funny dog.



I had a lovely Mother's day with calls and texts from my 4 stepkids and flowers and amazon GCs from all of them.  Mom came over and I cooked her a BBQ supper and we watched a movie.  Hubby spent Mother's day visiting his Mom who has been moved to a different facility that treats Alzheimer patients but also others with other mental disorders.  Her overall care will be better as there are more care workers there and they treat the mental, not just the physical.  While she can still speak she may or may not have recognized her two sons on Mother's Day.  She is still deteriorating at a fast pace mentally but seems to have gained a little weight since moving to the new spot and she had pink in her cheeks so that is a positive. 

With less than two weeks away before our holiday to Greece hubby just got back from a five day business trip and we are now trying to wind the business down until our return.  We have decided that we will not be taking a laptop with us.  We are taking an older ipad (7 years) and our phones and a couple of old fashioned books as both of us hate reading on electronic devices.  I have begun packing, at this point my suitcase is laid out and all that is packed is underwear and my bathing suit.  Really, what else do you really need?  This isn't a beach holiday but we will be spending a few hours on a volcanic black sand beach at Santorini as well as three days beachfront on Naxos.  We love walking the beach so we are also taking older water shoes as my 25 year old memories of Greek beaches were that most of them are made of pebbles, not sand.  If the water shoes become smelly we will leave them behind rather than stink up our luggage on the way home.  We are still doing carry-on only at this point, each with the smallest sized suitcase and hubby with a small backpack and me a large purse. We will have to check luggage on Aegean Airlines as they have very strict carry-on requirements and some very small aircraft.  We are only taking one ferry but the lighter luggage will make that much easier.  Why are we taking carry-on only?  Because it takes 4 flights to get to Santorini from Comox and the days of lugging around a bunch of luggage doesn't make any sense, especially when you are moving around in a country rather than staying put in one spot.  There is no chance of lost luggage when you carry everything on and it is much speedier at places like London Heathrow when you don't need to wait for your luggage to clear customs.  We will be physically responsible for moving our luggage in a lot of places and the lighter it is the better.  The first year we went to Europe we each had a large suitcase and a large carry-on.  That was four years ago,  We now travel with half as much.  I take a small container of laundry detergent and we will do a small amount of washing part-way through our trip.  

While hubby was away I managed to get completely caught up on my accounting work, cleaned the house, mowed the front and back lawn and got the most steps in a week ever on my fitbit.  I am hoping to hit 70,000 steps in a week next week, each week creeping closer to the target. I just weighed myself and am now at 139.3 pounds.  The second weight goal I had was to be under 140 lbs before we went to Greece - achieved!  A total of 7 pounds since I started the weight loss goal in earnest.  I am aiming for an end-weight of 135 lbs with a goal to keep the weight off permanently.  It seems I am losing about .3 to .5 a pound a week which is appropriate since I am definitely not starving myself, just eating healthy, not snacking and increasing my physical activity.  I am eating tons of fruit instead of things like bread and chocolate (my kryptonite).  I do expect to gain a pound or two in Greece but also expect to be walking my butt off so hopefully that will help.  I will avoid bread as much as possible, not always easy in Europe where bread products figure so heavily into breakfasts. 

This weekend is a long weekend in Canada and we have zero plans other than some yardwork and I am spending a few hours Friday night with a friend in a pub.  If the water is calm, tides are right, and temperature warm enough we might even go kayaking!  I am not counting on that though as hubby has loads of work to catch up on from being away.  It appears we are getting two more contracts so the second half of the business year is likely to be as busy as the first half.  

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

22 comments:

  1. The ducklings are so adorable! Good for you traveling with just carry-on. We do that, too, and it is so much faster getting through an airport. Have a wonderful trip!

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    1. Thanks - I am hoping it works so that hubby will be convinced this is the way to go from here on out (I am the driving force behind the carry on lol)

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  2. Those ducklings and Buddy are gorgeous!
    Great news about your Mother-in-Law, its a good sign when Alzheimer's patients are enjoying their food. My Dad used to queue up outside the kitchen for seconds and thirds and often loved food he used to loathe before he was ill.
    Great news on the weight loss, well done.
    How do you get on with toiletries? Do you buy them when you get there? I'm fine with stuff like shampoo and face wash but I'd struggle with sun cream. xxx

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    1. I have a bunch of bottles I bought from the dollar store all under 100ml that I put sun tan lotion and after sun in, I am hoping that works. We are not really sun worshippers as really fair so it is mostly for our faces and arms/feet that might get burned. Worse case scenario we will buy something there but I am hoping I have all the bases covered

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  3. Nice weightloss! Unfortunately, fruit should also be limited regardless of bread consumption, because of their sugar content. For me, that's a blow.
    In addition to a low intake of calories, the 7-8 hours of sleep are also very beneficial to weightloss. It is not only because if you sleep you don't eat, but because metabolism works well during sleep. I say all this from my own experience.

    Have a terrific vacation in Greece!

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    1. I really only do lots of fruit at breakfast so the sugar level is ok, I've been eating lots of veggies with my supper. The sleep thing is difficult, I could if my body would but I have a disease (fibromyalgia) and have insomnia. I am hoping the increase in exercise will help with the sleep part :) Thanks!

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  4. I think Aegean is 7kg I got caught last year on the way to Samoa via Athens from Heathrow carry on only but weight 9kg they made me put it in the hold didn't charge me tho lol. We did our three month trip with carry on only it was a challenge but well worth it as we were travelling on buses and trains as well as lots of flights. It's surprising how little you actually need I wouldn't go with massive cases ever again. I bet you're excited now re your Greek trip I would be we are going over to Samos in September but in the meantime we are looking at buying a camper van I must be bonkers lol.

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    1. Our ticket with Aegean includes 1 bag as I didn't book the cheapest as needed to change it in case of ferry strike/our connecting flight changing. At least the luggage is unlikely to get lost from Athens to Santorini though. A Camper Van? Woohoo!

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  5. Our girls used to love sitting in the sun. They would have hated the weather we have had since we returned mid April. I too am looking forward to the heat this weekend but not the snow melt. Fingers crossed that the lake doesn't rise much more.

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  6. So excited for your upcoming vacation! And, congrats on the weight loss - it's super impressive & I know how much work goes into even the smallest tick down. I've done a really good job of pretty much cutting out sugar - now I'm left with more snacky foods. My goal is to get my calories down to 150 less/day. It's not a crazy drop, but I know where my calorie sweet spot is for consistent weight loss, and I'm hovering just above it.

    Enjoy your long weekend!

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    1. I don't really count my calories but try for only 2 meals a day and if I must snack it is very small. I find I am not hungry except about 3pm but we eat early so usually a very small piece of something suffices.

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  7. We had a cat that sunbathed to the point we worried about it, his tummy would be so hot. I put my fitbit on again after seven months without it, sadly I gave up walking and eating whatever and not surprisingly are now trying to shed my regained ten lbs. I am starting slow with a goal of 5000 steps. I am usually getting close to or over 7000 steps. With the osteo in my knees I fing it easier to take to thirty minute walks a day to begin with.
    I get so bored with the same walks around here, plus a few parks close by, that was the fun of housesitting with so many new trails to walk.
    Have a wonderful time in Greece, Peter would move to Crete in a heartbeat he really loved it there.

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    1. I too was about 4-6000 a day without stepping it up. 10,000 was almost never. We have a used treadmill hubby bought a few years ago but I much prefer outside walks although it does come in handy if I am short at the end of the day or it is rainy out. I have been doing 15 minutes on the treadmill in the morning just to get things kickstarted for the day - it really is much less painful that way. I know we will have a great trip, traveling is not perfect but we try and go with the flow.

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  8. I've seen Canada Geese at the marina with chicks following behind, but the ones living near our cabin seem to be childless, at least so far. - Margy

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    1. Maybe it is a late year for the geese, heck, it's a late year for everything

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  9. the ducklings are so pretty. Your dog is very smart in finding a way to enjoy the sun. Any tips on packing lightly for travelling?

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    1. Two tips: pretend pack a few days ahead, then edit down the clothes until you have bare minimum. I also collect travel size everything (shampoo/shaving cream, contact lens solution) all year so that there is less room taken up in the luggage.

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  10. I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming trip and congrats on the weight loss! Your dog is cracking me up...I love standard poodles...they are full of personality.

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  11. Your weight goals are similar to mine :) I will also regain a couple pounds this coming week away I'm sure but being very active, like you, should help. The weather looks fantastic - I can hardly believe it!

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    1. I think one of the best parts of the holiday is eating locally - worth a pound or two in my opinion!

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