Cate's Diary

[Emilyrose]

Very sorry to hear about your friend. I don't blame you for being out of sorts.

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Llama & Em. I’m so close to bawling, but can’t as I managed to get an 11am vet appointment for Archie. I hate it when something is wrong with pets ( or my sons or small children). I’m not coping well at the moment. I’m a bit shaky!

 

[Llama]

Anyone would be cranky with a tick on their face and not wanting your Schutzbefohlenen to suffer is a sign of a healthy mind. Here's hoping the vet can easily help.

 

[liza3]

R seemed better last night, but he is very down & not coping very well. He is working too much again & getting overtired.
Our friend died overnight. His wife just messaged me.
Archie has a fern tick on his face again & won't let us try to deal with it.

That's a lot of stress and sadness to deal with all at once. Really sorry about your friend. That's really hard.
I hope the vet visit goes well and easy and that you are back to feeling on more solid peaceful ground soon.
Sending you a hug

 

[Cate]

Anyone would be cranky with a tick on their face and not wanting your Schutzbefohlenen to suffer is a sign of a healthy mind. Here's hoping the vet can easily help.

Thanks, Llama. The vet thought the thing on his face is a small growth & she said it should be ok, but to keep an eye on it. We both think it's a tick that I squished with my thumbnail, but time will tell. She had to take him to another room & get help giving him pills, which I didn't mind. Everyone is always surprised by how strong & stubborn he is. She was amazed when he manged to cough up the pill she thought she had gotten down his throat. He got a checkup, & wormed, vaccinated & medication to prevent ticks & fleas. The bill wasn't too bad at all.

That's a lot of stress and sadness to deal with all at once. Really sorry about your friend. That's really hard.
I hope the vet visit goes well and easy and that you are back to feeling on more solid peaceful ground soon.
Sending you a hug

Thanks, Liza. I feel a lot more even today. Archie seems fine. We'll keep a watch on his face. We'll be seeing R tomorrow when we meet up to collect his dog. He doesn't know that he's seeing us tomorrow & staying Saturday night. It will cheer him up. That hug was nice, thank you.

I was teary for most of yesterday & decided to share a bottle of wine with G. Luckily he reminded me that he was playing pool that night & had better not have a drink beforehand as he was driving. Phew! I felt like one for all the wrong reasons. I also managed to stick to 1400 cals, all nutritious.
I can't remember when I restarted my "diet" but I'll just say I lost 1 kg in October. I want to lose 2kg a month.....

 

[Cate]

I want to make some notes while it's fresh in my mind.
I saw the nutritionist this morning & came away feeling better about myself & what I'm doing. I told her what I eat & drink & how I never have a meal without protein & told her about my eating/dieting history. I got teary telling her how frustrating it is that I struggle so much to lose weight. She has made some good recommendations regarding metabolism & getting more protein & has recommended that I up my calories by about 100 a day, to 1500 & see if I can do some strength training, especially upper body to build my muscle to increase my metabolism. She also recommended not weighing myself any more than once a week & try to concentrate on being healthy and happy & don't log everything. In other words, stop worrying so much & find a healthy balance, without being obsessive.
We talked about lots of things, including the damage done to my system by losing so much weight so quickly all those years ago. She said losing 1 kg a month would be optimal for me. I said I had a referral to a physiotherapist but hadn't heard anything & she chased that up. The medical centre hadn't sent the paperwork. It has been done now & I will see a physio next & then go back to see her in about 6 months time. I can see her twice a year & a physio 3 times (5 visits all up) as part of my free health plan.
I bought some whey protein powder & some hemp seeds & on the way home I called into the berry farm & bought a kg bag of fresh strawberries, frozen blackberries & some frozen blueberries. Oats, berries etc is going to be a regular breakfast for me from now on(at least 4 times a week). I also bought some oat sour dough at the wholefood shop.

 

[Llama]

Glad Archie's vet visit went well and he seems ok. I like the sound of your nutritionist! Hope you enjoy your time with R tomorrow and he feels better.

 

[Cate]

Thanks, Llama. I’m relieved that Archie’s vet visit went well. People look at him & think “small dog, not that strong, probably yappy ” & get a surprise. A much younger friend ( A & M’s son) told me on Tuesday that he’s not a dog person, but if he could get a dog just like Archie he reckons he would.
I really liked the nutritionist. She seemed very young but I have faith in young people. She said that in the last few months there is new information to suggest that nuts are not absorbed as well as was thought for protein needs. I liked her manner. She seemed very smart, but also very kind.

 

[Llama]

She seemed very young but I have faith in young people.

Some people are good right out of school and get even better with time, others start out lousy and never improve. Being open-minded is rarely a bad thing!

It used to be a more common word. You did well to get it in 3, Llama. I feel like my brain has gone on holidays!

I meant that my 3s aren't as common as yours, but thank you!

 

[liza3]

Excellent that you like and trust the nutritionist.

see if I can do some strength training, especially upper body to build my muscle

I will see a physio next & then go back to see her in about 6 months time. I can see her twice a year & a physio 3 times (5 visits all up) as part of my free health plan.

Would the physio be the one to help you set up a plan for strength training or would that be a separate thing?

I bought some whey protein powder & some hemp seeds & on the way home I called into the berry farm & bought a kg bag of fresh strawberries, frozen blackberries & some frozen blueberries. Oats, berries etc is going to be a regular breakfast for me from now on(at least 4 times a week). I also bought some oat sour dough at the wholefood shop.

Sounds like a good healthy shopping trip and sounds like you are freshly motivated which is always great!

 

[Cate]

Some people are good right out of school and get even better with time, others start out lousy and never improve. Being open-minded is rarely a bad thing!

She seemed a bit surprised at my knowledge of nutrition, but I would imagine most people who go to see a nutritionist are there because they don't know what they should be eating. I came away with so much more confidence than when I went in. Upping my calories seems so counter-intuitive, but I trust her advice. Getting my metabolism moving is the goal.

I meant that my 3s aren't as common as yours, but thank you!

My 4s are catching up a bit after this week

Would the physio be the one to help you set up a plan for strength training or would that be a separate thing?

I hope so, Liza. I have to not show off when I see the physio. Hopefully, I am not on a bit of a high the day of the appointment as I take in more when I'm more level or even a bit down.

Sounds like a good healthy shopping trip and sounds like you are freshly motivated which is always great!

We have an excellent whole food store in our local town & you can take a container in & get almost anything from bulk tubs.

---

BF was a scrumptious mushroom omelette on 1 slice of oat sourdough.
We are meeting up with R & C today to collect his dog & will be visiting friends who live in the town we're meeting up in. We don't see them often enough & it's a good opportunity. Archie will have a play date with their dog. They get along well. R knows he's seeing us at some stage over the weekend as C told him the night before last as he was so miserable. He doesn't know any details or anything else about his surprise. She is a gem & obviously cares about him very much.
I don't feel teary today & am not shaky. I am going to try to write a letter to my friend T, whose husband just died as it's also her 60th birthday tomorrow. Doesn't that just suck?! I don't know when his funeral is yet.
Edit: His funeral will be on Tuesday afternoon.

 

[Emilyrose]

God, that's a difficult letter to write. I hope you find the right words, Cate. I'm sure you will.

Enjoy your weekend with R and C. Glad you had a good meeting with the nutritionist. Interesting about the nuts! I think we developed farming for a reason!

 

[Llama]

I'm not sure that it matters which exact words you use as long as she knows you're there for her - and a letter will surely do that.

 

[Cate]

God, that's a difficult letter to write. I hope you find the right words, Cate. I'm sure you will.

Thanks, Em. I’m such a slack arse with following up with letters these days, but want T to have something that will convey how much we care.

Enjoy your weekend with R and C. Glad you had a good meeting with the nutritionist. Interesting about the nuts! I think we developed farming for a reason!

He got a lovely surprise to see us. He is really struggling.

I'm not sure that it matters which exact words you use as long as she knows you're there for her - and a letter will surely do that.

It does matter to me, Llama, because I worry so much about doing or saying the wrong thing. I just feel that I want to express exactly how I feel.
I bought a lovely card today. It was perfect. I’ll post it’s wording in the morning. I don’t want to disturb R’s dog by getting up. We just got back from a long walk & hopefully he’ll sleep well tonight. It’s his first night here without R.

 

[Llama]

Ever the perfectionist! I guess what I meant is that whichever words you feel are right will work.

 

[liza3]

He got a lovely surprise to see us. He is really struggling.

Sorry to hear R is struggling so much. I hope things improve for him soon.

I bought a lovely card today. It was perfect

Nice to find the perfect card. Finding the right words can be hard but I'm sure if you write from the heart your love and care will come through.

 

[Cate]

Ever the perfectionist! I guess what I meant is that whichever words you feel are right will work.

I wish I wasn't that way, but I am. If I slip a note into the card it will be safer than trying to write what I want to say on the card. I have wasted so many cards in my lifetime & then nothing gets sent.

Sorry to hear R is struggling so much. I hope things improve for him soon.

I can tell you now what the surprise was. Hot air ballooning. I hope it wasn't foggy for them as it is really foggy here. They were staying in a fancy hotel nearby & getting up at 4 for a 4.30 flight. At 5 am I was sent a heart.

Nice to find the perfect card. Finding the right words can be hard but I'm sure if you write from the heart your love and care will come through.

Thanks, Liza. I might leave it until tomorrow afternoon when I am on my own to write it.

We got a good night's sleep. O slept through the night. He barked in C's car almost all the way up to where we met yesterday & it must have driven them crazy. He is really demanding attention I think. When we put him in our car he settled & went to sleep. He grizzled for a while early evening, G & I took them both for a walk & then he settled down again. He slept well. We all did.

 

[Emilyrose]

Lovely surprise! I've never done it myself, kinda scary, but very cool!

Glad that the dog settled down and you all slept well. x

 

[Cate]

I don't want to go up in a hot air balloon but would love to take G up in a helicopter as he has never been in one. I had a surprise trip planned a few years ago, but it was called off due to bad weather up Cradle Mountain. He still doesn't know about it. I'm still hoping to do it one day.
O is unsettled again & we'll take them for a walk soon. he really misses R.

 

[Llama]

We used to have a lot of hot air balloons landing in the field across the street. Our dogs hated the sound of the burner so much! Such an early flight sounds magical.