So far so good....

I didn't walk every day and I didn't steer clear of all things sweet completely. But I did my best, which was good enough.
And lost 1.9 kg! Which just goes to show how much I have to lose.

I've been away for my Annual Conference - this year to Liverpool. I've been before but never with my camera eye. And as I am trying to file a photo a day on Photo Stash on Flickr I took my camera for a walk between hotel and conference.
The Victorians did a good job in Liverpool and a surprising number of their excellent buildings have survived. So there are lots on Flickr, but this is the building that made me stop and say 'I must take a photo'.
We came out of a marquee on the University site, round the corner from a plain concrete block to this

The original grand Victorian University building, with wonderful brickwork. The people just ahead were also taken by surprise by the building and whipped out their phones and iPads to capture the image.

Losing it

I know, new year, old resolutions.
But I shall try again, this time with the support of some good friends in Knitty World aka Ravelry.
Walking and eating sensibly are still the targets, with diabetes looming ever closer maybe I can gain some focus.

I've started with a walk today, which was just how it should be, clear sky and sunshine, fresh wind and a camera to hand.

I love the sight of winter naked trees against the sky

It was longer than intended as the first route was blocked by a construction site, as was my second attempt at a circular route, but I did come over the brow of the ill to find the Minster on the skyline.

Spot the Minster, interesting how it looks much clearer by eye.

When I set off my garden thermometer was registering 15 C and it was hard to believe it is January, especially when I saw these roses on  my way back.

Walking in the City

Friday was a day trip to London. 'Work' of the networking kind - ie listening to a few speeches followed by lunch and catching up with folk. This included going all the way to London to meet the first time a near neighbour in York, who also works in the building up the hill from the office. I think we will get on well.


But by 2.30 everyone was drifting away and I had decided to take advantage of the sunny day to walk in the City, a part of London I do not usually go to.

Terry Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork is said to be built on 'black loam, broadly, mostly what it is built on is more Ankh-Morpork'. 


The same could be said for London. The bombing of London revealed parts of the Roman fort for the first time in a very long time. 


Parts of the London wall have been preserved and new buildings rise up around the remnants.


From here it is a short walk to the river and St Paul's.

Developers have preserved some excellent views of the cathedral, the dome suddenly appears unexpectedly.


I had not been to the Tate Modern before, so the camera was in constant use, on the way and inside

and coming put into the evening light.



And then I walked back to Kings Cross, amazing much more footsore I get walking in London than elsewhere.


More images, as usual, on Flickr.

What I did at the weekend

I am back from a great weekend with knitty friends.
We met up at a friend's home, knitted, nattered, drank lots of tea, ate good food.
We even managed a walk round the village, including the churchyard, where many stones were so worn it was impossible to read the inscriptions. Other little angels had stood the test of time much better.

In common with many houses with children, there was  a trampoline in the back garden. Fit Friend couldn't resist checking out whether she could still do it. She can ->

 I have never been on a trampoline before. But with a great coach, I was soon flying! Well of the ground anyway.
Fit Friend says 10 minutes a day woudl be great exercise.
I can believe it!

Walking this week?
Sundayü
Monday x
Tuesday ü
Wednesdayü
Thursdayü
Friday x
Saturday ü

Walking not blogging

Well I have been walking - not every day but more than I would have done if I had not blogged my resolution.
I have been meaning to blog for ages, but last month I  was away a lot, including my first trip to the US.
I seem to have been catching up ever since.

I do like to blog with photos, but blogger has never made that easy, so it always takes me ages to get on with it.

So just a few from my trip (a bigger selection on flickr). I flew to Philadelphia and  took a train to Washington DC. With a little time to spare. I took a look outside the station - to an archetypal US view - skateboarder and skyscrapers!

Next day was Sunday in Washington, so I had to go to the Eastern Market - and what should I find there but wool! Christian Rathbone designs rugs which are made in Turkey using vegetable dyes and wool from local sheep.

I had to buy a skein of course - wound in the interesting manner you see on the stall.

The market has local producers selling vegetables as well as crafts, 'antiques' etc.

Then on to walk down the National Mall from Capitol Hill to Lincoln Monument.

Looking back from Lincoln to the Washington Monument

Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

The amazing National Museum of the American Indian

Walking is good

An advantage of walking to work is passing the horse chestnut trees, which took a hammering in the winds last week. I can't resist a conker, that smooth glossy shell nut inside a velvet-lined spiky shell.

So the walking:
Saturday 10th  : 41 minutes around the block
Sunday 11th :  38 minutes into the village
Monday 12th : 2 x 15 minutes
Tuesday 13th : 23 minutes to work; 24 minutes home from work
Wednesday 14th:   23 minutes to work; 29 minutes longer route home from work
Thursday 15th: 27 minutes streets of London
Friday 16th: 23 minutes to work;
Saturday 17th: 32 minutes old running route in Derby
Sunday 18th - 'rest day' - ie I didn't get out
Monday 19th - failed miserably drove to work and forgot we had a visitor at lunch time
Tuesday 20th - 25 minutes - longer route to work, still not 30 minutes

I enjoyed the walking and certainly worked up a sweat and raised heart rate (got the Garmin out too!). I lost a pound too - might have been more if I had a bit of a binge eat on the two days I didn't walk. So clearly the exercise feel-good works when I do it.

30 minutes

My friend N is very good at getting me to think afresh. She has just started a new blog about  her approach.

We have been having a declutter in Derby as we hope to move after 20 years in the same house. But I have not faced my wardrobe for some time. One issue is that I have two wardrobes - most of my clothes have gravitated to York as I am here more than there, but I have to keep some in Derby for weekends. The other issue is that I hate clothes shopping and and I try to avoid looking at myself in the mirror. All to do with the weight issue of course.

To cut a long story short, I have confronted my York wardrobe and reduced the wearing collection considerably. There are now three piles - things I do wear; things I never wear (to go  the charity shop) and things I would like to wear when I lose a stone. There will be similar piles to identify in Derby too. And there is probably a pile to wear when I lose two stone as well.

So what has this to do with thirty minutes?

You may remember this used to be a running blog, but a knackerty knee put paid to that. I loved doing the exercise, but found it hard to fit in to a busy life at times. Since giving up the weight has piled on more. I have tried, I really have but have not found the focus. But this week I got back that 'high' when I walked to work, rather than cycling. And feeling good helps me eat better.

So I going to try to get 30 minutes walking every day. Easy on days in the office when there are no time pressures - I can make that 30 minutes each way. Weekends, are when I am less likely to get out of the house so that's when I have to make the effort.

I'll let you know how I get on (if there is anyone still out there reading).