Turning 50s not so bad

Thursday 16th January 2019
Don't ever let the place you start dictate where you finish.

Let's just say at least I tracked yesterday!  My day didn't end great with mom but I didn't use it as an excuse to go in the kitchen and eat any more than I already had, so that's something.  There's a lot of internal dialogue going on within me at the moment regarding my diet and my health and my lifestyle in general.  I suppose it's because I'm also thinking about the fact I'm about to turn 50 and looking at where I am in my life, what I have, what I want, where I'm going, where I've been, how long I've got!  All of that stuff, definitely gives me plenty of thinking material, if I come out with anything insightful, I'll let you know.  I know lots of people have lists of things to do by the time they're 50 or 50 things to do in their 50th year, that sort of thing, I don't even want to contemplate that with my circumstances, let's not lower the mood anymore with the stuff I can't do.  Instead I think I'm going to write a list of 50 things I'm glad I have done over the last 50 years to remind me of the amazing life I've had so far, so right of the top of my head let's see how many I can list;

1. Trekking in Nepal (that visit changed me as a person)
2. Flying round Mount Everest with mom for her 60th Birthday
3. Seeing a blue whale in the Baja California - I'd waited over 20 years for that ambition to be realised 
4. Touching a grey whale whilst sitting in a small paddle boat and being sprayed by her
5. Having the same whale list our boat out of the water. (Are you seeing a theme, I have a thing for whales!)
6. Watching humpbacks breach in lots of places 
7. Seeing Killer whales in Iceland 
8. Spending my 30th birthday on a boat with just my mom & sister whale watching with 2 experts - the most incredible experience.
9. Oo oo watching elephant seals on a beach in California - seeing one give birth! 
10. Sitting all day on the Cromarty Firth waiting for the dolphins to pass by
11. Hiking Machu Picchu
12. Cycling from San Francisco to LA with my brother
13. Cycling through Kenya 
14. Spending Christmas with my Bestie
15. Visiting New York with my Bestie 
16. Climbing Snowdon 3 times in a day
17. Climbing Snowdon 3 times in a day AGAIN years later to prove we still could 
18. Becoming a WW coach - one of the best decisions I ever made.
19. Riding on a Tandom bike with my besties - it was on my bucket list and they made it happen.  
20. Passing my driving test, it gave me so much freedom. 

I'm buzzing from those memories now, I'll carry on when I haven't got to leave for work and have loads to get done first.  It's good to remind myself that I have done so many wonderful things, makes the not so easy days at present easier to handle. 

I'm trying to get back in the kitchen again and cook more, yesterday I got out my WW rice cooker at last to give it a go, 

I have to say it does what it says on the box, I've only ever bought brown rice in a microwave packet because I've never been able to get it to taste any good myself, but one of my members said she was going to stop with those pouches to save money and also because of the environment and the 'plastic' thing, so I decided I will try the same and this was the result. 

I'd roasted my peppers, fried my onions, sausages and some sun dried tomatoes, added a bit of cumin,  garlic and coriander and mixed it all together once my rice was cooked, it was a huge pan of food, Serves 6  💚 6SP 💙 6SP 💜 2SP.  I used those Good Little Company skinny sausages (4 for 6SP) because they were on offer, but it would be great with the chicken sausages my members get from Penn Road Butchers.  240g brown basmati rice, (24SP or zero on purple) cooked in the microwave with the rice cooker, I went over the shop whilst it was doing its thing.    I also added 100g sun-dried tomatoes from an open jar (4SP) trying to use up what I have, and I did add a tablespoon of vegetable oil for 4SP to add some taste and cook my onions but you could use spray light.  Anyway it turned out okay and was satisfying. 

Just briefly back to my internal thinking about becoming 50, I said to someone last night 'if you're not careful, you're gonna have a bloody heart attack!" at their choices, then I thought to myself, erm 'pot, kettle, black!'  It's time to start thinking about the fact that what I eat and drink affects my health, and the older I get the more that's important.  I've already decided I'm not going to stress about it until after my birthday, but from Monday, I hope to make my 50th year, the year I do start loving myself and taking care of myself as much as I do everyone else, I owe myself the love that I so freely give other people.  If I'm going to be stuck in this house, I might as well make it a healthy home and use the time to turn myself into the best version of myself.

My brothers promised that when he's back in March, he's going to build me a decking out the back, that will finish the garden of wonderfully and hopefully we'll get some lovely sunshine this year and I can start enjoying being out there again, get some nice flowers to brighten it up and make it a place mom want to sit in.  Until then I'll get my kitchen mojo back, one of my members made me want to find easy, quick meals because she doesn't actually like cooking so if I can find ideas to make it easy, we won't have to be in there too long!

Okay, I'm off, here's to surviving another day, my long, but enjoyable busy one.  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx