SNOW!

So excited woke up this morning to SNOW, Bob said i am excited like a little girl yeah right, later on we had another good downpour of snow.

The Gym

I had an appointment at the Gym today with Jonathan, however, because i went as a GP referral, but they needed someone with extra training for that who wasn't on today, so i have to go back on Thursday to see Tracy.

But Jonathan gave me a tour and i tried some of the equipment out.

Hunstanton - Old Hunstanton and back again

Today i went on a walk with the boisy.com Smith Family, Andy organised the walk so we just followed him, it was a lovely sunny day and not too cold.

We started off about 11am at Jen and Andy's and meandered our way upto the A149, we walked up and crossed over the road and headed up the road then track past Smithdon towards Ringstead, we then left the track and turned into Lovers Lane, where Dylan got his binoculars out and did some bird spotting.

At the end of the Lane we turned right and headed towards Old Hunstanton Duck Pond, we turned right and meandered our way through woodland, that bought us out direct at the Duck Pond, where Andy had the foresight to bring some bread to feed the ducks, part of the duck pond was frozen so i dare say they were glad of the food.

We went to the seat at the crossroads and sat and had lunch, we then headed up to the A149 and came out near the Caley Hotel, we walked along the A149 and turned right and walked round the Pitch and Putt, so Dylan could have a toilet break.

We then walked along the cliff tops and through the esplanade gardens, past some shops, through the market place and past Tesco and got home about 3pm.

It was a tiring but satisfying day.

Pooh Bridge by Nigel Lampard

Thoroughly enjoyable book, different and enjoyable.

When Richard Blythe's wife, Rachel, dies from cancer after a protracted illness, he is determined to get away from it all amid the wilds of the countryside, abandoning his young twins, his job, his friends and all known responsibilities for a few precious weeks of recuperation.

However, within days, the world has caught up with him, confronting him with a vulnerable girl whom he finds unconscious and who clearly has more of a story to tell than she is divulging.

This unfortunate meeting kicks off a series of events that unsettle Richard's life to the point where he can no longer anticipate what will happen next or gauge who is on what side, until he meets the seductive Sophie who has all the appearances of liking him but seems to be working to another agenda Richard can only guess at.

'Pooh Bridge' is a mesmerising murder mystery, seeped in grief, which continuously offers the promise of the beguiling snake that is coiling and coiling in readiness to strike you.

Kindle

On waking up on Friday the right hand corner of my Kindle was all grey and my book couldn't be read.

On ringing Amazon customer service, they said it needed replacing, but i was out of warranty, yes, that be right, 1 month after 12 month warranty expired, typical.

They then explained my model was no longer available, however, they said i could purchase a Kindle touch for £69, well that is useful, and not very generous, as that is the price they are being sold for on the website,

Nine Lives (Sam Archer 1) by Tom Barber

Thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced action packed book

It’s New Year’s Eve. A major terrorist cell is planning a series of attacks across London over the next forty-eight hours. The government has surveillance on the group, a man undercover, and prepare to move in, to take out the terrorists before they can strike. But they lose contact with their inside man. And the cell vanishes into thin air, dispersing into the streets, armed and intent on completing their assault on London. The best Counter-Terrorist teams in the country are told to take them down before it's too late.

Nine terrorists.

Nine lives.

The Armed Response Unit is one of these teams. Efficient and ruthless, the task force is ordered to locate the leader of the cell. As they pursue the man, they soon realise that this is far bigger than any of them could ever have imagined. Bombings, rocket attacks, betrayal and a series of unexpected and shocking twists leave the men fighting just to stay alive.

There's Archer, the youngest member of the team, keen to prove himself and justify his spot on the task force. His best friend, Chalky, who is forced to fight both the terrorists and his own demons. Porter, Deakins and Fox, tough and experienced men who have never dealt with anything of this magnitude. And Mac, their sergeant, who must make the quickest of decisions and lead his men against the invisible enemy.

As events unfold, other people are drawn into the danger. The Prime Minister, desperately trying to find a solution and protect the capital. A mysterious female Mossad agent, who appears out of nowhere and joins the fight against the cell. Two Special Agents from the DEA, one of whom was a member of the SEAL team that stormed Osama Bin Laden’s compound and who for some reason is struggling with the memory. And the vicious, powerful leader of a Middle Eastern drug cartel, who operates in the shadows and is somehow connected to the terrorists.

With crowds all over London celebrating the New Year, and with nine terrorists somewhere amongst them, the Armed Response Unit is faced with the most dangerous night of their lives. As the savage, shocking plans of the enemy is ultimately revealed, the ARU officers are faced with the ultimate question.

How many times can a man cheat Death before Death evens the score?

Calorie Counting Ideas for 5:2 Diet

Soup

• Heinz Weight Watchers Tomato Soup = 76 Calories
• Heinz Weight Watchers Carrot & Lentil Soup = 87 Calories
• Miso Soup (1 sachet) = 14 Calories 
• Spicy Butternut Squash Soup = 113 Calories
• Spicy Tomato & Lentil Soup = 123 calories 
• Tesco Light Choices Carrot & Coriander Soup in a Mug = 65 Calories

Fillers

• Couscous (50g dried) = 158 Calories
• Hard-Boiled Egg (large) = 78 Calories
• Kingsmill Wholemeal Bread (1 medium slice) = 96 Calories 
• Oats So Simple (36g sachet + 180ml semi-skimmed milk) = 221 Calories
• Porridge Oats (40g dried) =150 Calories
• Quinoa (40g dried) = 147 Calories 
• Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans (½ tin ) = 70 Calories
• Tesco Light Fresh Mash (½ pack) = 140 Calories
• 
  

Dairy

• Dairylea Triangle = 43 Calories
• Edam (28g) = 100 Calories
• Feta Cheese (38g) = 100 Calories
• Light Cottage Cheese = 70 Calories (100g) or 42 Calories (60g)
• Light Philadelphia Soft Cheese (1tbsp)= 28 Calories

Vegetables & Salad

• Asparagus (4) = 11 Calories
• Baby Beets (50g in vinegar) = 65 Calories
• Bell Peppers = 30 Calories
• Carrots (1 medium) = 25 Calories
• Cauliflower (87g) = 23 Calories
• Cucumber (1 medium) = 24 Calories
• Cucumber (8 slices) = 8 Calories
• Peas (38g) = 38 Calories
• Potatoes (1 medium) = 161 Calories
• Salad Leaves (40g) - 7 Calories
• Spinach (30g) = 7 Calories
• Spring Onions (2) = 10 Calories
• Tomatoes (1 cherry) = 4 Calories
• Tomatoes (1 medium) = 26 Calories

Dressing

• Balsamic Vinegar (1 tbsp) = 10 Calories
• Olive Oil (1 tbsp) = 120 Calories
• Tesco Light Choices French Dressing (1 tbsp) = 8 calories
• Tesco Light Choices Balsamic Dressing (1 tbsp) = 12 calories

Fruit

• Apples (1 medium) = 95 Calories
• Apricots (3) = 38 Calories
• Banana (1 medium) = 90 Calories
• Blueberries (25) = 20 Calories
• Grape = 2 Calories
• Kiwi Fruit = 46 Calories
• Nectarine = 67 Calories
• Orange = 86 Calories
• Peach = 42 Calories
• Pear = 42 Calories
• Plum = 36 Calories
• Raspberries (10) = 10 Calories
• 1 medium Strawberry = 4 Calories

Snacks

• Crispbread = 35 Calories
• Oatcake = 46 Calories
• Rice Cake = 35 Calories

Something Sweet

• Heinz Weight Watcher Vanilla & Fruit Fromage Frais = 48 Calories  
• Nakd Cocoa Orange Raw Fruit & Nut Bar =145 Calories
• Total 0% Greek Yoghurt (1 tbsp) & honey (1 tsp) = 48 Calories 
• Cadburys Giant Chocolate Buttons (1) = 15 Calories (thanks Lori)

5:2 Diet or The Fast Diet

5:2 Diet

Eat, Fast and Live Longer.

Michael Mosley,  set himself the challenge to live longer, stay younger and lose weight. Three things that I am sure we would all like to achieve. During a one hour Horizon documentary Mosley spoke to many people including scientists and found out that a low calorie diet is the secret to these three elusive goals.

There are different ways to go about this, but basically you are either looking at having a continual low calorie diet or fasting. I think I would rather shoot myself in the foot than go on a lifelong low calorie diet, so I was interested to find out how the fasting went and the results it produced.

The results were astonishing. Mosley found out that a third of his body was fat and that he stood a high chance of getting heart disease and cancer, but after he fasted for 3½ days, his chances were reduced dramatically. Here is an explanation of how it works:

1. Our bodies have  a growth hormone called IGF -1. As a child this is what helps our bodies grow, but as adults it ages us.
2. High levels of IGF-1 can lead to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
3. Lowering your levels of IGF-1 can help prevent against these diseases and can be done through your diet.
4. When lowering your IGF-1 levels, growth stops and your body starts to repair cells. It also uses up your glucose and starts to burn fat, so you also lose weight.

Now it all begins to make sense, doesn't it? But a 3½ day fast is more than most of us could contemplate. There are another two options:

1. Fast every second day (still a stretch!)
2. Eat normally 5 days a week and fast 2 days a week.

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/110651/BBC_Horizon_2012_Eat_Fast_and_Live_Longer/

http://www.thefastdiet.co.uk/

http://www.feedfastfeast.com/

http://www.tinnedtomatoes.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/187492001383720/

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4115289

http://feed5fast2.wordpress.com/

 

A Carol Christmas

A pretty predictable christmas movie, but ok, bought a tear at the end.

A Carol Christmas follows the basic plot of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, but the story has been modernized...

The Holiday

A wonderful feel good film, i loved it.

Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.

Sad News

Today i heard that my Dad's cousin Tony Leeson died this morning in Leicester.

The Thomas Crown Affair

Tonight we watched this Pierce Brosnan Classic, brilliant.

A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.

Dieters Going Retro with Tricks from 60s, 70s

Old diet tricks from the 1960’s and 70’s are making a comeback. Trends such as the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, cottage cheese, and rice cakes are becoming popular once again. Retro foods, which are often minimally processed, easy to eat and extremely low in calories, have become appealing to dieters because they just might work. Low-fat cottage cheese, for example, is a great source of protein and calcium. Eating grapefruit can reduce insulin levels. And cabbage is known for its high antioxidant content in addition to being very low in calories. Snack foods such as air-popped popcorn and rice cakes offer a lot of fiber and volume to help keep you satisfied longer.

13 Steps to Reach Weight Loss Goals in 2013

January: Clean out your kitchen of leftover holiday foods and temptation. Stock with healthy staples such as frozen or fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, nut and nut butters, dried beans, seeds, condiments like olive oil, low-fat milk and yogurt, eggs, and so on.

February: You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get your workout on! During the cold winter months, make time for activity at home with an exercise DVD, or bundle up and schedule walks around your neighborhood with a buddy to keep you honest.

March: This is about the time people’s New Year’s Resolutions seem so far away and fall to the wayside. Keep a food log or a plain old pen and paper to stay accountable for what you’re eating and recognize where you need to make improvements.

April: Take the whole grains challenge and make three servings of grains every day whole – including brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, and even air-popped popcorn. These foods help fill you up on fewer calories than refined grains and are not only beneficial for weight loss but can reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

May:  It’s officially farmer’s market season! Make an effort to visit yours and incorporate a serving of a new fruit or vegetable every week. Choose produce from every color in the rainbow to get a variety of nutrients such as antioxidants and fiber.

June: Swap in lower sodium foods. Instead of deli meats or sausage at your barbecue, choose fresh grilled chicken, fish, or roast turkey to save on saturated fat and help reduce bloating for swimsuit season.

July: Stay hydrated with about 8-10 cups of water per day to keep your energy high and metabolism strong during sweltering summer months. Ditch sugary drinks like lemonade or soda and, instead add fresh fruit flavor to water using an infusion pitcher if the taste of plain water is unappealing.

August: Lazy, summer months, no more. Take advantage of more free time to be active with your family. Once per week, go on an outing such as going to a local park for a healthy picnic and nature walk or engaging in a family friendly sport like swimming or biking.

September: Just because you’re not in school doesn’t mean you can't learn new skills. Try a new exercise or cooking class to keep it interesting and keep you motivated for healthy habits.

October: Don’t save up all your “treats” for Halloween! It’s healthy and balanced to include all the foods you love in moderation into your diet. Otherwise, you’re more likely to overeat when you’re faced with them, like you may have overindulged in the past on October 31^st.

November: Be savvy on the go and remember that "snack" isn’t a bad word. Always keep a nutritious snack on you, like nuts or an energy bar, as you gear up for the holiday season while shopping or traveling.  Going more than 4-5 hours between meals can set you up to overeat or give into not so healthy options when you’re at the mall, airport, or rest stop.

December: Drink alcohol in moderation – 1 drink per day for women, 2 for men. As the holiday party season gets into the swing, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to drink and add empty calories to your day. Brush up on best practices, lowest in calorie choices, and strategies to limit your alcohol intake so it doesn’t sabotage your healthy eating.

All Year Round: Reassess and revise as needed! You may try to make an improvement in your lifestyle but going to the gym for an hour every day isn’t realistic for you or you really dislike the new foods you’ve swapped in. This doesn’t mean you’re a failure and should give up hope. Take smaller steps and instead, figure out when you can fit in time for activity and what nutritious foods you do enjoy that you can include.

Health and Wellbeing

Saw this on Twitter interesting................

Improving the health and wellbeing of people in the borough is important to us.

Do Something Different

Do you want to make changes in your life? We are offering the opportunity for members of the public to sign up for the highly successful Do Something Different programme. The programme is designed to help and encourage you to make small changes in your life which make a big difference in your overall health and wellbeing. It will help you:

• become more active and stick to it
• be a healthier weight
• get out of a rut that depresses you
• have a better relationship
• be happier in yourself and with life

Making changes is not easy for anyone. Change is a difficult and much misunderstood process but it can be a lot easier than you think! By making small changes in your daily life and changing some habits, bit by bit, you can take charge of your destiny and become a happier and healthier person.

Do Something Different programmes are different, exciting and a lot of fun! Just a series of simple steps that will gradually transform your life, health and well-being and bring about lasting behavioural change.

All our programmes are designed to be:

• Fun
• Personally developing for each Do-er
• Do-able in only 7-weeks
• Great value for money

The Do Something Different programme is tailored to your specific needs of becoming a healthier and happier person. It is designed to help you to take small steps in a new direction by giving you a small daily ‘Do’ to complete.

Available Courses

Each course costs £35 per person and each participant must be aged 16 or over.

Healthy Weight/Happy Life
To register for the programme, please e-mail contact@west-norfolk.gov.uk or telephone 01553 616200.

http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=26686

http://www.kingslynnonline.com/2012/12/take-control-of-your-life-in-the-new-year-do-something-different#.UORzz1IuSL0.twitter 

A Priests Tale by Lindsay Llewellyn

I Loved this book,  a great read.

When does the end cease to justify the means?
Kayt'an Sahn has been sent to stop a bloody conflict - but at what cost?

*****************************

While a princess waits for her handsome prince, a priest sets out on a journey she didn't choose, in company she'd rather avoid, to a country where priests of her religion are killed on sight.

If she's going to survive in this strange new world, she's going to have to fight for her principles and face her prejudices - but first she needs to discover which is which.

In the meantime she's determined to make her feelings known, volubly.

New Year 2013

After an extremely busy day in Calendar Club we went to the Club at Manor Park, and had an enjoyable evening seeing in the new year.

On New Years Day - Shock Horror, we both had the day off, it was lovely and sunny and we drove to Kelling and had a lovely walk.

Christmas 2012

Sunday before Christmas - Went to Debbie and Jons
On Christmas Eve - Kinga and Kevin came round for a short while.
Christmas Day - Went to Church then Jen and Andy's
Boxing Day - Went to Mums while Bob Worked, we went for a nice walk along Snettisham Beach, then we went to Steven's when Bob got home for tea.

The problem with Calendar Club is we have little Christmas, as we only have Christmas Day off which i find disappointing.