Wednesday 24 October 2012

Heanor Haulage Residential Development

I've been my nosy self tonight and really wished that I hadn't.

Plans are in today for Heanor Haulage, Langley Mill. The site address for the residential development is Dean Street/Bridge Street so I'm afraid that involves us far more than I was hoping. As if we haven't had enough to put up with already.

Application - AVA/2012/0994
 Heanor Haulage Ltd Wesley Street Langley Mill Derbyshire NG16 4AL
Application to replace extant planning permission AVA/2009/0471 for outline permission for residential development
 A decision is anticipated on 21/Jan/13 under the Delegated Powers.

I suppose this could just be a cheap way of extending the current passed plans, rather than starting from scratch as they're probably due to run out. Whatever, we can't wait ...

Update 26th October:
Our letters were sent out by Amber Valley Borough Council yesterday, the important people were sent theirs on the 24th (I'm not important). The strange thing is they still send letters to all the places they surely know don't exist at these addresses. What a waste of money! These include:
  1. CJ Car Sales.
  2. Delta Bookmakers.
  3. Netto.
  4. Insight Glazing.
  5. PMB Pallet Express.
  6. Heanor Haulage (cough, cough).
  7. Chiron Gas and Welding Supplies.
  8. The Yard Wesley Street (honest).
  9. Pickerings Brakes and Clutches.
  10. Les Wilson Freight Express.
  11. Potters Snooker Club.
  12. Probably several addresses demolished to make way for Asda
I'm not sure that the Post Office is the correct address - but I expect it WILL get there, hmmm, is Asda getting one? Pass - I'm too bored to check further now ...

Update 18th January 2013:
Passed by AVBC on 17th January

Saturday 20 October 2012

Ten Weeks Of Alternate Day Fasting ...

... And An Experiment Never To Be Repeated.

By now we must all be getting a bit bored with this but I notice it's still fairly popular amongst my 'most read posts' so I'll continue with my updates a while longer.
.....

As I expected the weight loss did slow down after week three, with a normal 2lb loss every week after. But on week seven I had a pleasant surprise - yes, I know it's week ten now, but bear with me (this is a diary) - I'd lost 3lb ... WOWEE methinks, if I can lose 3lb in one week at this point without changing my diet significantly after week four, what would happen if I did two double down days a week?

With my main aim - by now - of fitting into a certain dress by a specific date, I thought 'I've got nothing to lose - except weight - I'll give it a go'.

So far the 'diet' had been a pleasure because on down days I've always been on a high. Another way of describing the feeling is 'fair twanging'. Possibly a euphoric buzz only achieved with early drug taking (before dependency) or what the more athletic among us feel during and after exercise (endorphins).

This buzz did NOT happen during week eight with the exception of Friday, and this was only because I knew that when Saturday arrived and I got on the scales, I was going to have lost loads of weight ... hmmmm.

I did down days on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Let me tell you it was a d-r-a-g. Normally by Monday night I'm grinning to myself because not only am I on a high - and sloshing from all the liquid I drink to stave off hunger - I'm also chuffed that tomorrow it's munch day.

During this week all I thought about was food, I was back to the miserable days of 'you can't eat that, it's got calories in it'. Not even Wednesday cheered me up when I allowed myself to follow a normal diet. All I thought about was hungry Thursday would soon be here, with yet another day the same after.

First thing Saturday morning, the scales were placed on the kitchen floor, I had a smug smile, I just knew it was going to be good ... 1lb, One measly pound. I got off the scales, moved them around the floor, on, off, on, off, twiddle with the dial, on. Still the same, I could have cried. I got pen, paper and calculator out to work out my calories over the week.

Oh bugger, it's possible (okay, it's obvious) I didn't eat enough. Not only did my skinny gene get switched off, it probably curled up and died. I bet the 'we're starving here, lets slow down the metabolism' genes kicked in with relish (BA**ARDS!). It looks like even though other people CAN do two consecutive days of near fasting, I can't, especially twice.

I went back to normal for week nine (Mon, Weds, Fri), I gained 1lb. I'm not giving in, I still feel great - worried in case I've buggered my metabolism up, but health-wise, fabulous.
.....

Now going off at a complete tangent here, this may be a mere coincidence, but I mentioned last time that I've not needed any stomach acid remedies. This still holds by the way ... Ahem, When my grumpy old man and myself go out, especially near water, he has to be smothered in mosquito/midge/whatever repellent, I just stand next to him admiring his little swarm of followers/biters. Then it's my duty to tend to the bites/lumps that he can't reach when we get home and he does his best not to scratch them. I NEVER EVER got bit myself.

This was also noticeable when I went with a group of women for a short break to Spain. They were well munched, me ... not a nibble. I put this down to my habit of jumping in the shower every five minutes. I'm not suggesting for a moment that my friends are a mucky lot, but I only had go back to our room to use the loo and I'd be under the shower before I went out again. This was a stage I was at with my obsessive compulsive doings ... shame it's never extended to being tidy.

Anyway I digress, Last week I got bit, not once but six times, four on my right wrist and two on my left knee. They swelled up, went red and ITCHED. This set me to thinking (I'm like that). I checked online to see if there was any connection between an over-acidic stomach and immunity to mosquitoes, and guess what I found? They'd done experiments and found that stressed people give off a gas that repels them. May I suggest that when they're stressed; their stomach acid goes into overdrive and this is what repels them ... just a thought.
.....
And now to week ten. I followed my usual pattern of Mon/Weds/Fri down days, felt enormously bloated - hormones ... I am STILL a woman ;-) - This morning (Saturday) the  scales were placed gingerly on the floor, I took my pyjama bottoms off - we're still at the tin hut (brrrrr) so I'm wearing heavy duty, winter strength nightwear - shivered my way in a tiptoe fashion onto the scales. Oh yes, not only have I lost the 1lb gained last week, I've lost another 3lb with it (yeah, yeah, hormones, blah, blah blah) - a total 27lb lost, hmmm so maybe a delayed reaction to the two double down days on week eight????

Will I do it again? NO, NEVER! It's not worth the misery. Slow and sensible from now on, even if it's only half a pound a week ...
.....

  1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
  2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
  3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
  7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
  8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
  9. Me and Zumba
  10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
  11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
  12. Growing Up 
  13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
  14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
  15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
  16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
  17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
  18. Fasting For Maintenance
  19. Tweaking Maintenance
  20. Weight Gain 
  21. Still Maintaining
  22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting
  .....

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Latest Doings in Langley Mill

 As I've mentioned before, not everyone looks at the comments so here's the latest observations by ALI:

  1. The demolition of the former CJ Car Sales building has begun, so the opening of the new store can't be all that far away.
  2.  Not many local motorists are prepared to pay the new charges on the former AVBC car park (free) on Cromford Road. We now get idiots parking anywhere they like on the road and side streets causing a hazard to other drivers.
  3.  Just noticed we now have 2 illegal car washes in Langley Mill, the one that opened up on Dean Street months ago has only just applied for 'retrospective planning approval' for their 'car valet business' 5 days ago (11th Oct.) according to AVBC Planning Dept. website. So much for following the legal rules and regulations.
.....

Yes ALI, I noticed the retrospective plans last week, I had a little titter at the time. Apparently they had permission for one part of the plans, then decided to go ahead without permission for another bit ... presumably the environmentally unfriendly - lets chuck our water down the drains and hope no-one will notice bit. Obviously some people will always think that the rules don't mean them ...

Thursday 11 October 2012

The Nightmares Have Begun

My regular readers will know that We've been to Ripley and booked our wedding ... OMG OMG OMG!!!!

Excuse my hysteria but time is whizzing past and the day will soon be upon us ... AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!

I really must calm down, but I have to report that I'm well into the nightmare stage, where everything that can go wrong, DOES go wrong ... it's HORRIBLE and in glorious technicolor.

I've had to wake grumpy up to tell him about my dreams because we all know this prevents it from happening. Then I've had to retell him again during the day to make sure he's got it.

So far ... and these things are NOT going to happen because I've told anyone who hasn't been able to avoid me:
  1. We're late and can't find anywhere to park the car (ooer does Ripley have a fair? where is it? when is it? ... HECK!).
  2. We've forgotten the rings.
  3. ditto chequebook and ...
  4. The paper with our choice of words.
  5. The CD - the less said about our choice of music the better, I'm already furious that I've never heard it in years and now at the 11th hour an advert has pinched it - but not to worry because ...
  6. ... the speakers don't work.
  7. It rains and NOTHING I'm wearing or carrying is colourfast.
  8. My stockings/stay ups have rolled down my legs.
  9. My dress has split.
  10. All the beads fall off my dress.
  11. My dress doesn't fit (yet) - this is true and probably accounts for numbers 9 and 10.
  12. My hair and make-up are a total disaster.
  13. My bouquet falls apart.
  14. I lose both it and my engagement ring at the same time, hmmm
  15. The groom can't remember how to do a Windsor knot in his tie ...
Hang on a minute though, I was awake for number 15. In fact I was having my breakfast in bed this morning and was being treated to a fashion - cough - show by my grumpy old man in his new suit and lovely spiffingly EXPENSIVE silk tie. After fifteen minutes I'd text everyone about his dilemma (I'm like that - proper nasty). Then I made him practice on an old tie ... this took another twenty minutes before we had a eureka moment.

I have to ask myself ... is it really worth it? ...

Saturday 6 October 2012

Eight Weeks Of Alternate Day Fasting

Any of my regular readers NOT interested in alternate day fasting, will do well to give this a miss as it will bore the pants off you...

Well, believe it or not I'm still sticking with it. My most oft uttered words now are no longer 'who put that there?', but ... 'I'm a good girl I am'. This is my new mantra and is repeated throughout my down days when I've either been crunching on salad (bored with that now), ploughing my way through a delicious 'stir-fry' or chewing on kale which seems to have all the properties of green chewing gum!

I still feel great, my energy levels are way up there where they used to be when I was much younger. I'd originally put my sluggishness down to getting older (any excuse), but now I know - and will admit - the truth ... I was just too fat.

I've decided that when I reach the weight I want - which won't be ridiculously low as I really don't have the frame for it - I'll continue doing the fasting but only one or two days a week. This is what I consider a good way to maintain my weight and should also keep the other health benefits that this lifestyle has promised.
.....

Yes, about those health benefits ... I'd read about asthma, diabetes, heart disease, alzheimer's, cholesterol etc. But what I'd not come across was stomach problems. It seems odd that I've missed it as I thought I'd have latched onto that one straight away.

All my friends know that I've suffered with an over-acid stomach for donkeys years. I'm always sucking or munching on a fruit flavoured antacid tablet. I've always had pockets full of them and been in a total panic if I think I've forgotten them.

I still carry them with me out of habit, but I haven't needed a single tablet in four weeks ... not one! I usually needed a minimum of four or five a day. AND we had pepperoni pizza the other night - guaranteed to put my stomach in a hyper-fizz ... nothing.

I hadn't noticed that I hadn't needed over-acid stomach remedies ... well you don't, do you. I always empty my pockets onto the dressing table before placing shorts/cropped trousers/jeans/fleeces in the wash - this theoretically means I don't wash tissues, chewing gum or antacids with my clothes. In actuality, something from the aforementioned list gets washed almost every week, leaving interesting stains or shredded, fluffy paper - I then restock my pockets from this pile every day but gradually realised that the same packets were coming back unused.

I will of course write in the future if my apparent 'stomach cure' changes. My intention is to be scrupulously honest (as ever) about this 'diet' as I know that my blog - and I assume it's the same for everyone else blogging about this subject - has elicited some interest from certain medical and scientific reasearch establishments because we're all basically guinea pigs.
.....

When I embarked on this lifestyle choice, I knew I'd be able to stick with it (for now) because:
  1. I work at home.
  2. I have will power.
  3. I bought the dress I want to wear for my wedding years ago when I was slimmer and I love it.
  4. Writing about it publicly is a great incentive, my diets are usually sneaky so I don't look daft when I fail.
Probably point 1 is the most important factor to me. Going out to work doing this 'diet' requires a lot of forward planning and understanding workmates. One of my friends who started ADF keeps coming a cropper because even her husband makes fun of her and deliberately eats yummy food that she loves - in a way that would try the patience of a saint ... or guarantee his swift demise. I've now had a quiet word with him and he's promised to stop being so damned annoying.

Even though I work at home - or the tin hut - and so don't need to think of what to eat at work, I've started to make my soup in batches on a Sunday afternoon, instead of on the mornings of my down day. This has stopped me wanting to eat it straight away and becoming over-souped. I make enough for six days weighing and chopping the vegetables of my choice, cook them either in the slow cooker at home or the oven at the tin hut (caravan near Skegness for those who don't know). When it's cooled I blend half of it to make it nice and thick.

Then I freeze most of it in tubs with added cooked chicken style quorn and soaked and boiled exotic (Morrisons) beans to give it substance. I now have lots of different flavoured soups (chilli, korma, garlic, herb) and a variety of vegetables - yum yum - with a maximum of 250 calories in each huge tub. This does NOT mean I have soup every down day, it's just there in case I haven't got anything in to dry stir fry or for when I get fed up of crunching through salads, oh yeah ... and sick of the sight of tinned tomatoes.

Oh, didn't I mention my weight loss? Well up to now I've lost 24lb ...

.....

  1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
  2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
  3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
  6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
  7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
  8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
  9. Me and Zumba
  10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
  11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
  12. Growing Up 
  13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
  14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
  15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
  16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
  17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
  18. Fasting For Maintenance
  19. Tweaking Maintenance
  20. Weight Gain 
  21. Still Maintaining
  22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting
  .....