Wankerbastards and summer sunshine will make us want the bloody wine. But tryers to be dryers won't give up, and ice cold becks blue we will sup.

[Frouby]

Thread 7 for the tryers.

Join us for tips and support for encouraging a more healthy relationship with alcohol. Whether you want to drink less, or not at all, stay in your units or just cut down this is the thread for friendship, support, tips and ideas.

Absolutely no judgements here, but there will possibly be swearing.

Other threads are dotted around but I have yet to master a clicky link.

www.slowcookerclub.com/recipes/lamb/slow-cooker-lamb-tagine

Here’s the recipe I used.

Anyone got a nice chick pea and spinach recipe? One where the chickpeas don’t stay hard 😂

Flossie I'm so sorry about your Dad, I hope he is on the mend now and that your mum is coping OK. How awful for you on top of DD's illness again last week.

Water Terrible news about your MIL too, it must be very difficult for both of you. I hope you had a nice child free evening last night.

Buckeejit you have done brilliantly and another stretch this week, wow!

Longest have the antibiotics worked?

Frouby that roast dinner looks amazing. We never eat that here in France anymore. I miss all those vegetables one plate.

Dion how is DP? Still charming I hope.

Leaving do you get back to Europe often? What do you miss most? I think you are a lot further from the UK than me.

Had a good weekend, we've joined a little local tennis association and on Saturday there was the final of the club and after all of us had a picnic (with aperos and wine, I didn't drink) then we all played tennis in the afternoon, then boules and pallets, then in the evening the usual galette saucisse (sausage in savoury pancake) and more wine. I was driving so didn't drink too much.
Yesterday worked, teaching starts properly this week so lots of lessons to prepare.
This week I WILL be AF, I'm fed up of drinking, even if it is never to excess, and slept so badly last night it's unbearable. I don't get back from work until 8pm Mondays so today will be easy.
Have a good week everyone!

Flossie so glad your dad is better, I cross posted with everyone, had a breakmid writing to take DS to school

flossie so glad your dad is on the mend and that your dsis knows, it must have been sooo difficult for you.

Lol at lamb tagine face 😂😂😂. Dh is the same when I cook anything new. I once made this amazing pasta dish using fresh tuna steaks, capers and olives in a fresh tomato sauce. Had fucked about for hours skinning the tomatoes and all sorts. It was when we lived next door to my pirate friend. We were sat outside, and pirate friend had just been to chippy for his dinner so invited him to come and eat with us (was a common thing). Passed dh his, and he pulled a wtf face. Pirate friend said how amazing it looked and smelt, dh took one mouthful and swapped my beautiful pasta dish for pirates manky kebab and chips. Could have stabbed him with my fork.

Pirate was much more enthusiastic about it though and very happy with the swap.

I ask dh every week what he fancies eating and every week I get 'owt ya want to cook love. Except spag bol. Or tomato pasta.'

Then we have a big conversation about what I might cook. And he rules out very normal suggestions like chilli, shepherds pie, hunters chicken, porks chops, jacket potato. And suggests chicken kievs and pasta sauce (nasty plastic kievs with batchelors pasta sauce), sandwiches, stirfry and maybe stew and dumplings. Fuck sake.

Have got fatclub tonight. Despite a very moderate fortnight, lots and lots of walking (12k plus a day), healthy food and lots of veg I am exactly the same weight as a fortnight ago. I feel very bloated for some reason, not pmt but that sort of tummy which came 2 weeks ago when AF arrived. Fuck sake again. Hoping to pee of a couple of lbs before 5pm.

Frouby I do loads of sport but have still put on weight. I snack on almonds and cashew nuts A LOT and probably get through 1kg a week. That is a lot of calories. If I could stop that and stop the chocolate I'd lose weight easily as I don't eat big meals. This week it is homemade carrot and leek soup every evening as DP and I both want to lose a little weight.

Carrot and leek soup sounds fab!!

Yup frouby, my dh the same. I’m mega healthy and into nutrition etc (apart from bloody Pinot!!). I eat really well and mindful. Dh however, whenever out, stops for McDonald’s, eats crap, always chooses the same bloody meal of steak if he can! I’m a vegetarian Ffs!! When I first met him he would eat anything out of the children’s frozen food cabinet in the supermarket..chicken shapes and smiley faces were his fave!!

longest do you have any professional connection or background in British citizenship applications?

Not really leaving but i will do my best to help. I have countersigned a couple.

Great news @Flossie44

My dh is exactly the same when I cook something new. Rarely bother now. Yet when he tries something it's usually 'this is the best chicken I've ever had...' or similar 😒

I really really need to lose weight but I'm just so lazy & hate exercise. Despite the AF days, I've eaten more crisps & chocolate. Just had a cup of tea & brownie for breakfast as dc hadn't eaten it on the weekend. Will make some soup this week over a couple of nights which will take up time.

Weirdly I feel like after just one week doing AF week nights it already feels like a routine so hopeful I can keep it up. Depends what life throws at us over the next while I suppose.

Mmmm thanks longest perhaps I need to find an online immigration lawyer and see if someone could help. My problem is there are UK residence details on the form that seem to be assumptions rather than requirements but it's hard to tell if you see what I mean. The application is a non-refundable grand so I'm trying to make sure I understand fully!

I will definitely take a look!

I'll PM to explain?

Please do!

Antibiotics worked quickly thanks Madame.

Laughing at all the unadventurous dh stories. My dh would in principle eat anything but is on a v strict diet ehich is super annoying for the same reasons. He's relaxing it a bit though as it diesny help that much so we had mushrooms in our chicken and rice noodles last night - novelty! Have also discovered dried onions from ikea so can sprinkle those on top of things ive had to make onion free.

Morning all! Back from my weekend away and just catching up. So much for my restful Airbnb break. The bloody host didn’t send me a key code and didn’t answer any calls or texts, and there were no rooms at Premier Inn, Travelodge etc, so I ended up on an air bed on my friend’s living room floor 😂 His kids are adorable. Less so at 5.20am after a skin full.
I also managed to get stung by a bee on the drive down. That bit of motorway round Birmingham, probably the most built up and congested part of the country? No green in sight? There. WTF was a bee doing in that environment???
Anyway, it was lovely nonetheless, but I was very glad to get into my own bed last night.

Flossie, I’m sorry to hear your dad’s been poorly. I’m glad he’s looking a bit brighter now though.
Also your MIL Water.

Madame your tennis club get together sounds lovely. I’d like to play tennis. I don’t really know the rules or anything. I think I just fancy the outfit.

I also need to lose weight. I look like an over inflated version of myself. Sort of sausagey. It’s not a good look.

Omg NC4!!!!!!! Did the airbnb host finally make contact?? Jeeeeeez!! I hope you get compensation!! That’s awful!!
I too am an over inflated sausage. I look like I’ve been blown up with an bicycle air pump 🤯

That's a weird coincidence longest those onions are just like ones used as a very common topping in Myanmar. They are awesome and such a pain to make. My Danish friend told they are widely available in Denmark ready made

Madame we are closer to Europe than many places we have lived, visits are around twice a year at the moment. I can't say I really miss particular things, it's been well over 20 years so this is my normal now. I have lived in some very restrictive places where most of my wants tend to be based around wine and food, unsurprisingly

Sorry about your accommodation problem NC4 that's awful. Make sure you let AirBnB know so you get a refund. Airbnb have really reduced my bookings because there is so much cheaper accommodation available now, but the hosts aren't always very, um, professional. I stayed in one in Paris and I was sure the bed sheets hadn't been changed , even more when I found the Febreeze spray in the bathroom. Yuk. And they are never as clean as I think they should be.
Leaving I miss British pubs, on the food side as long as I can get PG Tips and Marmite I don't miss anything else.
Bucket have you lost weight this week being AF? I lost 2kgs when I first cut back, 6kgs in as many weeks. I stopped eating cheese when the wine drinking ended which helped.
Longest out of interest does your DH follow the FODMAP diet?
My DH eats everything and anything, he is very easy to cook for and would happily eat pasta most nights like the DC. Trouble is he eats too much and too fast hence the tummy he needs to get rid of. Apart from that he is tall and thin.

oh NC I x-posted your AirBnB nightmare rattling on 'bout onions. I'm yet to have a bad experience (although I'm sure it's coming), that's bloody terrible though. The owner better have a damn good excuse. As for the bee, no I can't account for that

The host has never got back to me. Absolutely appalling behaviour. It’s a good job I was visiting friends or I would have been actually homeless. Imagine if I was travelling for work?!?!? I even said in my booking that I was a solo female traveller.
Airbnb rang me and refunded me but they haven’t been able to contact the host either from what I can tell.
I’m generally pretty laid back and flexible but I’m appalled someone could take my money and leave me alone in an unfamiliar city with nowhere to stay.

Indeed NC terrible. Hope that's the last "hosting" they get to do.

NC4 😡 at airbnb and bee, wtaf indeed at being stung on motorway in Brum!

Flossie, glad your dad is brighter. Lol at tagine face. Cheeky bastards, these husbands, not wanting what they’re cooked. I’d have stabbed yours too

Madame, you sound very determined this week. 🙂

Dh has suggested we go for a burger tonight after collecting dd from her school trip so I will drink but am determined to have an early night.

I’m wondering about doing six months AF but not sure whether I can do it. Seeing MIL ill has made me think fuck, fuck about how fat and unhealthy I am.

LeavingAq, sorry about your MIL too.

Thanks water. She lived a long life and had a 'good death'. And I still have a MIL to wrangle (DH stepmother). I married into a rather large and dramatic family...

I'd be totally raging about that too - can't imagine why the host would do that. Also had only good experiences with air bnb but don't use them that much & only been quite local so far.

I've maybe lost 1.5lb in the last week but I'm so overweight that it should really be 1.5stone! Need to get Fitbit working & up early for a wee walk around the block. Don't think it will happen tomorrow but maybe soon!

@leavingAqaba sorry for your loss x