Day 28 – Week 5

186 pounds. (13st 4 pounds) 2 pounds lost.

The week began with a realisation that I was utterly hopeless using my new rowing machine as my body screamed out against its motion. My first day of 1 minute 17 seconds before being in bits was embarrassing. The next time was 5 minutes, then 7 minutes. The third attempt was 15 minutes! Although I’m still trailing behind Peggy – at least its moving in the right direction! Interspersing this with 20-25 minute sessions on the cross-trainer – and walking. More on the walking in a moment.

Nothing new to report on the food front – still no wheat, fat, salt or sugar (except for running out of breakfast (!) and opening an old-stock carton of Bran Flakes with its main ingredient of wheat) Still no alcohol though.

This came in handy at the weekend. On Friday afternoon, we bunked off early from work and in just 2 hours we had arrived in Devon at the home of our friends Joan and Henry who live on Dartmoor, such a stunningly beautiful part of the country.

Friday night we all piled into Henry’s 4 x 4 in our black tie/ball gown best to attend a fancy ‘do’. I avoided the bread, and enjoyed yet another way to cook chicken (being in the conference industry and having attended hundreds of ‘gala dinners’ – by now I MUST have eaten chicken in just about every way it can possibly be cooked!

The drink flowed freely and for many hours. I had volunteered to drive back and so stuck to drinking copious quantities of water. It’s weird being one of the few sober people when surrounded by so called grown-ups who were ‘feeling no pain’. Attending the ‘re-rigeur’ disco took me back in time. Not just the DJs choice of music, but it was just like a school disco – but with A LOT of wrinkles. I also witnessed a couple in their late 60’s and early 70’s grabbing each other’s bums on the dancefloor. I think he’d pulled!

I wish to apologise profusely for what I did to the gearbox of Henry’s Chelsea Tractor on the way home. I don’t think any lasting damage was done! And thank you to my well-lubricated passengers for all their well-meaning ‘help and guidance’ when the clutch seemed to seize up, half way up that somewhat steep, winding road at 2am.

Saturday was a quiet affair. My companions the night before put on a brave face, but I knew better…. After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, we headed out on a gentle walk on such a bright, sunny day. Who could have believed it was January! The views were stunning as we looked down over Widdecombe one way, Haytor the other - Teignmouth and thesouth coast in the far distance. Peggy was thrilled to have managed to get a just before dusk, 10 minute para-gliding flight from Haytor.

The wine, Bailey’s and port flowed again that evening when we were all joined by another couple; Ken and Daph - friends of Peggy’s for over 25 years.

Fast-forward to Sunday lunch – home made vegetable soup, houmous. We were joined by Robin, one of Peggy’s para-gliding buddies who lived nearby, Mandy a commercial hot-air balloon pilot and her husband, the legendary film cameraman Leo Dickinson who regaled us with countless fascinating stories of filming the seemingly impossible . From filming a flock of ‘tame’ geese following a powered hang glider around Mont Blanc, going over Mount Everest in a hot-air balloon, ‘falling’ out of a hot-air balloon, trying to keep up with a peregrine falcon in rapid descent. What a life.

As soon as lunch was over – no time for coffee and we are all out of the house with 3 over-excited labradors up a long steep pathway through the woods, up on to Rippontor, in the brilliant sunshine in a cloudless sky. A day they call ‘Buckskin and blue’ in Canada – deep blue sky – surrounded by the pale coloured ground cover across the Dartmoor bog. This couldn’t possibly be the end of January for goodness sake. We tried to explain this to a passing butterfly! Acually we saw two of them! Amazing.

By the time we got back after 2 hours of fairly strenuous walking – legs screaming, sweat pouring – it was time for afternoon tea – and my most difficult weekend experience – toasted teacakes and lashings of home-made blackberry and apple jam were laid out in front of me – both of which are my absolute favourites. I don’t know how I resisted temptation. But I did.

We got home at 9pm – in bed and asleep by 9.30! Thank you, Henry and Joan for a fantastic weekend. And I’ve only got 18 pounds to go!