5 onion rings, 4 cauliflowers, 3 french beans, 2 turnip tops and a parsnip in a pear tree - 10 / 10 club

[FrannyandZooey]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information by following the link at the very bottom of the page

We had rat(s?) under our shed. I was v blase about them despite dp manically hissing things about Weill's disease at me, until I came into the dining room one day to find my darling baby ds sitting in his high chair with vicious looking rat on window sill (outside, thank god, but still only a few feet away) licking its lips at him.

The Rat Man Sorted It.

I am having to haave faith in Rat Man. But I am pessimistic by nature, and he doesn't have ot sit in my l,evly house listening to them scratching.

Didn't even think about disease. It is the noise. Bastard rats.

Brococloloo is a rarely seen vegetable, doncha know, ususally only seen at times of heightened stress.

Dd2 likes one of the Beatrix Potter books where the kitten hides int he chimney and the rats try and make him inot a roly poly pudding - is that Samual Whiskers? Anyway, it fills me with dread when we read it now.

we are a special case as we have a loft conversion so it is very hard to access the cavity between the first floor ceiling and loft floor (does that make any sense?)

Grrrrrr.

rats er yuk

dd1 has made me dinner i have a baked potato with garlic, tsatsiki, courgettes, aubergines, toms

i have also had an aplle and two banans

so that must be quite good

You could get a cat...

I am waiting for blackberry and apple crumble to heat up in the oven

[impatient]

Mmm Franny now I need to go and eat something.

DH is a madman. He is ill, IMO ill enough to be in bed at home. But today he has been at work for 9 hours and is doing some more work now, for a presentation tomrrow, so clearly no intention of taking tomorrow off, either.

It's my Birthday on Saturday and if he refuses to take time off now to recourperate and then is ill all over the weekend I will be very miffed.

OverRated, a snowstorm? Where are you?

Ooo, rats. Yuck. I had mice and roaches in my last apartment - I could hear the mice all night long. It was horrible.

Its finally stopped snowing - I'm in Chicago so we're bound to have more soon. I can't compost because I live on the 7th floor & have no outside space. I miss my garden

Crumble sounds lovely. I think I'll have to make some at the weekend

Morning all

What a horrid grey day it is. I looked outside and decided a warming breakfast was in order so we have had porridge and fruit.

Hope everyone who has been poorly are on the mend

Chicago? Goodness!

No, potatoes don't count I'm afraid.

Hello Avi

I have broad beans which were supposed to be planted by the end of November. But there are PUDDLES in the veg patch.

Hello, it is very quiet in Veg atm isn't it, why is that, are we all eating more chocolate and too shame faced to admit our low veg intake? Is it because we met up?

It's so wet and muddy here, i still have a hole in my boot and a permanently wet foot. My drive has turned into a mudslide.

Franny did you get dvd? posted a couple of days ago i hope it arrives safely.

I think everybody is just v. busy. I know I am - also, I think people don't pop in so often if it is quiet. It's a self-fuelling thing.
Sorry about your boot. I have only just acquired weatherproof footwear after months of sogginess.

Hello everyone

It is quiet here isn't it, busy time of year though. We have neverending colds too and ds hasn't been sleeping well so I've not had any evening time to myself this week. I have done practically b*££&~ all for Christmas AAAAAARRRRRGHHH

I don't want to be mummy any more can someone come and do it for me while I hibernate please?

Send me your sweet little ds for a few days Tatties

Oh Tatties, poor you....I'll have him

I've not been on here much, it's bloody hard being on your own with no car for a week. Ds has chipped a tooth in half and they can't fit him in til the 17th. I need to organise his birthday treat. I need some inspiration for DH's birthday. It's my mum's birthday tomorrow. I'm supposed to be organising a surprise get together for Dh's birthday and it's all too hard!

Sorry Tatties, hope you get a break soon.

Boco sorry no, oh shit our post has been appalling lately - did you get a proof of postage?

Have not been feeling fab today so best gloss over what I have eaten. Marvellous mushroom lasagne for lunch actually, with a salad, but dp did dinner and not a vegetable in sight. I am v grateful though.

hello lovely ones

I've had egg, beans, mushrooms and potatoe wedges

(But I did have veggie soup and a satsuma for lunch...)

Hello

I think with a combination of illness and Christmas, it gets harder to find that time for idle posting

Last night I was customizing a pair of black suede shoes with stick on rhinestones for the big party I am organizing next weekend. Prfobably sounds awful but they look good I think

Boco how did the parking poster thing go?

Tatties sorry to hear things are getting you down. Have you a quiet Christmas or lots going on?

DH is still ill although being up all night in and out of the bathroom meant he did actually decide to take a day off after all

Now, I'm just wondering if DS & I will escape or whetehr I will wake up ill on my Birthday. Oh the joy of having your birthday at the greyest, darkest, coldest, most bug-ridden time of the year, and just two weeks before Christmas [manic grin]

Frayed Knot, we have a cat!!!
He used ot be an excellent mouser, and we had present s every day. Now he has learnot to leave them outside, and not as many.
But he's not feist enough to deal with these monster rats.

Do you know, last night I decided I had had enough.
So I cried, like a girl (which would be correct) to dh.
And he was very manly and dared to go into the garage where I could hear them in the kitchen wall, and we saw one of them run out under he outside door. So dh then cut a length of wood to cover the bottom of the door, and that was that.
But I still heard soem more in the night, in our ceiling.

Ans everyhting is just too busy. Why does this happen at this time? And I hate the rain too.

TooTicky, are you going to the nearly new sale near you on Saturday?

Oh, LR your poor cat, it does sound like a pretty bad situation. He is obviously sensible and doesn;t want to be turned into a roly poly pudding

Have you called the ratman?

Yummy, any chance of the mushroom lasagne recipe?