Posh Nosh!

17^th September 2011

The best revenge is massive success. Benjamin Franklin

It’s pouring down out there and I don’t want to walk Alfie in it unless I have to, so I’m going to wait to see if the rain slows down, I don’t mind getting wet but he’s not 100% so don’t want to make him any worse. No point both of us getting soaked if we don’t have to.

Yesterday was full of food – eek, but it was all delicious, I shared a delicious 3 course lunch with my friend, luckily it was quite posh food so there wasn’t much on the plate, I had;

Starter - Pickled carrot and salmon cannelloni, lemon crème fraiche, potato bread and rocket

Main - Pave of Scottish salmon, fricassee of summer vegetables, mache and Szechuan squid

Desert - Chocolate and roasted pecan brownie, pecan and pear salsa, maple ice-cream

I’ve realised I really don’t like chocolate brownies, I just don’t see the pleasure in them at all, I’m not joking I genuinely don’t like the taste.  Lunchtime is always good to go for posh lunches because they’re cheaper we paid £16 for the 3 courses.  I did smile when the starter came out I had visions of a huge tube of Cannelloni pasta or at least a smaller version but no the tube was made from carrot!!!  It was still a very tasty lunch and although I was very envious of my mates “Onglet steak bourginion, slow roast potatoes, shallot puree and tarragon dressing” which looked like a tasty stew to me, I got over it ;D

I spent my evening at our area meeting so was working till 9 then we went for a balti!  Luckily where we go doesn’t serve very large portions of anything and it’s a bargain for a tenner!  So that’s me on 29pp a day for the rest of the week, I’m going to say yesterday wiped out all of my weeklies and also any activity ProPoints I may earn from now.  Speaking of which I worked out using my Weight Watchers esource Activity Tracker (free with monthly pass) that running for 30 minutes yesterday earned me 5pp ;D my long term aim is to get my fitness level up to where I’m running 30minutes 5 days a week, so that will mean I’ll be earning an extra 25pp a week, bonus, I’m hoping that will help me lose this 6lb that’s keeping me from my goal.

I was talking to someone yesterday who made me realise that we all have a ‘face’ that we show the world and then we have the ‘real us’, everyone has their reasons and the may not put the ‘face’ on all the time, it may just be for work or another situation, but usually it’s a kind of protection thing.  This lady has always come across as being quite strong, very driven and almost hard I’d say, but yesterday after having a chat with her I realised she’s actually quite lovely and it’s just her way of coping with life.  I’m sure you all know someone like that, so the next time you speak to them keep it in the back of your mind that they’re no different to you, they just cope differently.  Maybe you’re one of those people, I know I used to be, I always had a brick wall up around me protecting my feelings, letting no one in but these days I’m very open and honest and I’m very lucky to have a wonderful collection of friends that I can confide in and lean on should I need to and I’ve realised you don’t have to be strong all the time, showing your vulnerability and asking for help is actually a sign of strength.

I’m off to the theatre today to see a matinee with David Essex in, something about a fair, I can’t remember I just said yes when my mate asked me, I’ve really got to learn to say no sometimes, I’m always saying yes,;D but I do like the theatre so I know I’ll really enjoy it although I do still occasionally say yes to things I don’t want to do

Do you say find yourself saying yes to requests you'd rather decline or, worse, that actually cause you upset, discomfort, financial or emotional harm?  If you do, you're one of many who struggle with setting boundaries.  Lots of people feel uncomfortable setting boundaries and/or saying no; they want to be liked and worry that a refusal will result in negative opinions from others. What they fail to recognise is that betraying oneself causes the only type of negative opinion that really matters: negative self opinion.

If you've struggled with setting boundaries, choose to change now, decide to start saying no when you don’t want to, remember how you choose to treat yourself teaches others how to treat you.  Setting boundaries doesn’t mean being rude or selfish. It is a generous skill that results in less stress, increased happiness and more time for the people and interests that matter most to you.

The next time someone asks you something and you don't want to do, give or hear it, first tell yourself: It is okay to say no. Next, kindly, firmly, using as few words as possible, and little to no explanation, decline the request, set a boundary, or if you want to, offer what you are willing to do.   If it makes it easier to say something other than no, use words like unable or can't or say you have other plans. Imagine all of the things you could enjoy, accomplish or avoid, if you said no when you wanted. Start now xx

Only do things this weekend you really want to, oh except the washing and ironing, I think you gotta do that ;D