Franny Had A Little Yam - 10/10 thingummies :o)

[TooTicky]

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.

I think slur's title had an onion in it

I suppose I could, Idris - I am sort of hoping my cycle keeps away a bit, as when it comes back I will get ill-advisedly broody.

TooT - sleep - no. My own fault, that one. It's the space-for-me Idris mentions. ds1 is rarely asleep much before 9 and then I'm holding ds2 for another hour or so. I can't go to bed straight after that.

I think it's the looming of gong back to work and continued fallout from my last parental visit and a bit of worry about ds1 and feeling I'm not the person or mother I want to be or think I should be being, iyswim.

OUtdoors. Oh I've done it all wrong haven't I. Bother. Ah well tis a learning curve.

Forget title unimportant, Billy Bragg song Union/Onion substitution yadda yah.

We have loads of tomatoes on our balcony. The plants have overgrown everything else. Most are still green but we have had two red ones and about four or five more currently ripening. It is a few degrees warmer still here - 30 or 31 today.

I love Billy Bragg

That's quite a few things to have going through your mind bero.

I knew you were worried about seeing your parents again and did wonder how it had gone. Sorry it wasn't great.

On last inspection there were NO tomatoes on any plants. at all so its not just that they don't usually appear til say, september?

Sigh.

I relate to your cycle broodiness Bero.

I have no tomato growing to share sadly

Right, you must get more sleep. Sleep deprivation is one of the worst things you can do to yourself - it makes you feel crummy physically and mentally. I know.
Do you think you will feel better about work once it has resumed? At least it won't loom so.

And fwiw, you seem such a lovely mum The way ds1 opened up and went giggling off with my little band of nutters was just great. Cautious but self-assured, in the best possible way. And ds2 is just sweet!

Slur, have you had friendly insects doing business for you or do you need to get out the paintbrushes?

Oh Bero do you? He used to be better I think though. He has softened a bit and gone slightly blurry.

I changed factory to fig tree and land to lime as well. [unjustifiably pleased]

It was lovely, actually - they are fabulous to me and dc - but I had been hoping - seeing as it was a huge step for them to actually meet me again - that it was the beginning of a development which might have ended in them agreeing to meet dh (they never have and then I raised the issue and they made it perfectly clear they will never meet him and never accept him. Such frightening conviction of the rightness of their actions, sustained over 10 years! It made me start doubting myself again, almost.

Oh Toot I fear I am such a crap gardener that your last post made zero sense to me. Do I need a special paintbrush? Do homebase stock them????

I didn't realise they had never met your DH .

I can see how that could make you almost doubt yourself.

Oh TooT stoppit, I'm welling up

I think I probably will feel better once I'm in it - cos I'll have to get on with it, won't I, and all will get used to the situation and see it's Not the End of the World. And work are nice - I am unbelievably grateful not to have to go back to some shite job where I'm treated like crap.

DON'T doubt yourself. People have the weirdest blindspots sometimes.

Insects do the pollinating Slur, and if they don't I think you have to tickle the flowers and spread the pollen about. I've never actually done it myself.

Bero that sounds... mixed.

Parents are often very good at finding hidden insecurites and targeting exposing them.

There's some quote from the Merchant of Venice (I think - disclaimer - I studied lots of science) saying something about the expectation of things often being worse/better than the reality and I have found this is often the case.

Really must go to bed

Slur, he was definitely better in the olden days.

They always refused to meet him - just disliked the idea of him, and me being so far away - I got the works - tearful phone calls, threats of being cut off (financially and emotionally - this was 8-10 years ago, I was early 20s and still studying), a suicide threat It gave me IBS. I never really thought of leaving him, although I do remember very clearly a moment of sheer terror sitting in my student room where I briefly considered it, or rather the consequences, before realising it would make me unhappy and resentful forever. After that I asked him to marry me.

(the 'him' in 2nd para being dh and not Billy Bragg )

hmm Toot. not sure, I certainly haven't tickled any bushes but ds has been following various flying things saying "look zzzzzz!" so I think there are insects.

Will have to wait and see, but it isn't looking great I guess.

Gah, tasteless apples and absent tomatoes. On the plus side ds keeps finding strawberries to scoff.

Yes, expectation does heighten things in both directions, oesn't it?

Night idris

strawberries

We have raspberries but ds2 eats them as soon as they appear. Green. He has taught dd2 to do the same

But we should have lots of apples this year and they are delish