I had an old favourite for breakfast with a new twist.

I made porridge with coconut water and it was delicious.  30 g oats, 1 tsp chia seeds 200ml coconut water, 50 ml water served with 15 g coconut nut butter and blueberries.  I brought the porridge to a rapid boil and then simmered gently for 5 minutes which made it the perfect consistency.

Washed down with a lovely cup of tea. My immediate neighbour returned from a trip to Sri Lanka recently and brought me some lovely tea from a tea plantation she visited and actually picked tea at.  I opened this packet today and it was very good.

I then spent 2 and a half hours walking in the forest with Lucy.  We walked through to the cycle track and then walked the entire loop and back to the car.  It was great to do a long walk and have a really good catch up with Lucy.  I will miss our dog walks and was pleased to have ended with such an excellent one.

The walk is an easy one because it is along paths but it is up and down hills and by the end of it I could feel it in my legs.  I was also very hungry and looking forward to my lunch at Sarah’s, who lives conveniently over the road 🙂

Sarah served a wonderful lunch which was a combination of very healthy and diet friendly food with less diet friendly extras.  If only I had managed to stick to what I first put on my plate I could have gone home feeling proud of myself.  One slice of mushroom and cheese pizza, lots of salad with no dressing, a chicken breast and a delicious potato gratin which was from a Slimming World cook book.  Healthy, nutritious and diet friendly.

Unfortunately, I am me and when other food is there, I have to have it.  I started munching on these irresistible cheesy bread squares Sarah always makes which are totally yummy.

I also added some sun dried tomatoes and Feta cheese to my plate.  Still not a major disaster.  I picked at some Foccaccia.  I could still have returned home, head held high.

And then, out came the naughties.  Admittedly, Sarah provided blueberries and grapes and if I had any willpower I could have eaten those, been happy and realised I was full.  It was not to be.  No such sensibilities today.  Because she also produced some little millionaire shortbreads, chocolate flap jacks and Goupie which is a local delicacy described as “a devilishly moreish chewy chocolate confection with a hint of crunch”.  I hate their dreary packaging and stupid name but the product is wonderful.  So I ate loads of it.  And then some more.

Meals like this are the hardest for me to behave at because all this lovely food is laid out in front of me to pick at.  I am the one on a diet lifestyle change but I ate way more than anyone else because once I have one, I have to keep going.  I definitely need to find a solution to that.  I did try.  I drank coffee and several glasses of water.  But I still couldn’t resist the sugary treats.

I don’t want to sound like I am moaning.  I had a fantastic morning and lunch time.  But the walking made me very hungry and the food at lunch time was just too tasty!

Well,  you wonderful Women of the Weald, I will miss you all very much.  I will miss your kindness, encouragement and support of my healthy eating endeavours.  I will miss our interesting and stimulating conversations.  I will miss giggling and laughing and laughing and laughing with you all.  I will even miss our filthy and at times, quite depraved conversations.  Big mwahs and hugs all round and thanks for a wonderful lunch Sarah.

The rest of my day was very dull compared to my walk and lunch.  Unbelievably I was hungry for supper.  I had 2 really small potatoes, baked with sour cream, tuna and cherry tomatoes.

I then had some Alpen with yogurt.  I am now taking my extended stomach to bed so it can not eat any more.

I am not going to be sad about not seeing as much of my dear friends over the coming months as I have done recently.  Instead I am feeling lucky.  Lucky that I know so many wonderful Women of the Weald and lucky that I have had the opportunity to have so much free time to spend with them all.

Daily points total

Squillions – I do not have enough fingers to count that high.