KWA - Beside the Seaside!

I said that I would post more photos of my KWA (Kent Wives Association) days that my friends and I share every couple of months. On this occasion, I was hostess and we often have either a theme or colour scheme. I had both!! LOL. As I live by the sea, that is what I chose for the theme and the colours we wore were Fushia pink, Turquoise, Orange and Lime with a change into whites for the beach shoot. These photos were taken in 2008. Get your shades....there's lots of colour! LOL.

The table is laid....I punched out little fishes and dots in the said colours for table confetti.

I bought fresh seafood from the beachfront.....dressed crab, cockles, mussels and tiger prawns.
Paper napkins at the ready.

Some decorations around the conservatory....it's surprising once I had the idea in my head, just how much I was able to find in the shops.

I part filled a glass vase with sand and added shells, seaweed and drift wood that I had collected from the beach.

Music machine for some relevant music...coloured straws and coloured ice cubes.
Gifts for the girls....castle shaped bucket, spade, Margate rock, windmill, sweeties and candy floss. Pink foam shrimps in the fish shaped dish in front of the totes. Remember those?

I made bunting to hang along the wall with photos of my grandchildren on the beach and photos of myself and my sister when we were young.....and a few postcards.

Eden - throwing pebbles into the sea.

Dontcha just lurve the cozzies?! LOL. Myself and my sister.
Ewww....look at that seaweed.

Here we are on donkies...Tony and Silver....I so remember those.

You may recognise this beach hut which belongs to my father in law from a previous post.
I placed fish magnets on the side of my fridge/freezer - along with a couple of postcards and some fruit netting.

I bought each of my girlfriends a Margate rock and I unwrapped them for a photo opportunity. Margate ROCKS! Get it?! LOL.

I bought this new turquoise basket at a charity shop....it goes along with the colour scheme - filled with oranges.

Now I couldn't have a beach theme without a beach, could I? Sooo....I borrowed some sand from the local beach and placed it on large plastic sheeting on the patio. I have a length of turquoise fabric that I place around the edge of the sand to replicate the sea. Wind shields make a nice backdrop. Then I added accessories - swim ring, beach ball, bucket, spade, shells, flippers, snorkel, sun tan lotion, deckchairs and towels.

...even a picnic hamper and a fishing net.

In case you don't know who my friends are....from the left...Pam, Joan and Rita Bobita! LOL.

Joan and I used to live next door to eachother in London - 51 years ago and have been friends ever since.

We have such fun when we get together. Rita is the joker. She is Joan's cousin and I have known her for almost as long.
Pam is Joan's friend from secondary school and I have known of her since then but she emigrated to Australia for several years before returning after her husband died.

Joan and Pam turned 60 in April and Rita and I will become 60 in September.....not your little old ladies with grey curly hair...oh no! LOL. We can 'hip hop, beep bop 'til we drop' (Mrs Doubtfire).

Rita telling us one of her 'stories'. LOL.

COME DINE WITH ME!
Can you guess what was for lunch?.......Home made fish and chips with mushy peas....wrapped in newspaper! LOL....very traditional.

For dessert.....jelly and icecream....I made the 3 flavoured jelly in my clean castle bucket. Getting it out was more difficult than I expected and some of the turrets came off in my hand!

So I shoved it in my mouth! ....

...but I missed some....ooops!

Sorted!Let's face it....we are all children at heart.
Then, after lunch, we changed into our whites and took ourselves off to the beach ....it seems the flags are flying for us....

The funfair was there....

Joan making 'Circles In The Sand'....leaving our mark.

Even The Red Arrows flew over.....woohoo...they must have heard about our day together! LOL.
Just like children....we had fun in the sand making sand castles.
Ta daaa...
I love these girls...
Ready...
Get set...
JUMP!

Back at the 'beach house'....

Another KWA day comes to an end....Time to go home!

See you all again very soon.

Diet dilemma!

I am really enjoying my food on the Atkins Diet so far and I know that I am eating good and healthy food. Today is Day 7. To date, I have lost 3lbs - not a lot and not as much as I expected to be honest but it's a healthy amount.

My only problem is that I am finding it hard to even reach 20 carbs per day with the foods that I have been eating. Most of the protein enriched food is carb free - meat, fish, cheese and eggs very low. The carbs are in vegetables mostly and as I am only on Phase 1 which is Induction, I am not allowed fruit as yet. I have been having half of a Hartley's jelly for dessert at lunch and then the other half for dessert after dinner - with one tablespoon of double cream. That seems to be getting me through my sacrificing of chocolate and desserts. I've been soo good! LOL. *Pats myself on the back*. I've even picked gooseberries and rhubarb at my allotment, cooked it and dished it up for my husband's dinner and not even whiffed it myself. I did freeze some of the gooseberries for when I am allowed to include fruit, so I don't feel deprived. I'm a good girl, I am. LOL.

The good thing is that I haven't had any sugar cravings nor headaches like some peeps experience. So I believe that I am past that stage. My body hasn't gone into Ketosis as yet but it's getting there! I am measuring dark pink on the Ketostix scale!

If there is anyone that can give me advice or experiences that they have had, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for your support peeps.

Fatgirl Slim!

That's it! I've had enough of watching my weight gain slowly over the years and I am not going to allow myself to get into any more bad habits.



I need to curb my eating NOW! Sooo... I have decided that I shall be doing the Atkins Diet. I have done it before - about 10 years ago and had great success.

As I am a , I am wondering if I will feel any withdrawal symptoms from the amount that I usually eat....



...and hot chocolate and biscuits....all those calories mount up.




However,so far so good.

Over the past 4 years, I have put on 2 stones. I felt good at that time - in 2006 and I want that same feeling again.

Out go desserts - except sugar free jelly. I am very anti aspartame but I figure that if I eat one packet of sugar free jelly each day, it has to be less harmful than all of the sugar and other junk that I have been putting into body over years - right?!




Monday of this week was Day 1. I am not expecting to lose any weight in the first 3-4 days until my body goes into 'Ketosis'.

What I can eat is lots of vegetables but my intake of carbohydrates needs to be below 20gms per day for the first couple of weeks - increasing gradually - depending on how much weight I need to lose.

Eggs are acceptable, as is bacon and all meat, fish and .....

....cheese....even burgers - minus the bun but if I make them homemade - and that would probably be the case, I would use 2 flat mushrooms instead of the bun.

So....wish me luck. After weighing myself yesterday - Day 4....I have lost 2lbs. Now THAT'S encouraging. Neither have I had any sugar cravings nor headaches. Ooo...I like this diet.



I am determined. I am determined. I am determined.

Have yourselves a.....