Father Jack's Taxi

I think maybe Father Jack Hackett was in town today?

A Raise In Fares

The bus fares are to change from next Monday as a result of the rise in the price of fuel. Ok, we thought it would. I seem to be using public transport a lot more than I used to. For a good while I have been getting on buses that drivers have been a lot more user friendly. Polite and pleasant.

This morning was an exception... I caught an early bus to head into town, I was off work today but wanted to go to the gym. Not even a grunt from the driver as I boarded the bus and away the bus went, before all who who had just boarded were able to sit down. I noticed as the bus was approaching a stop a postman running (He must have had first class mail) for the bus, he must have been less than 20 yards from the stop and no way would the driver NOT have seen him but he just drove on. I thought to myself what would have been the problem pulling up to the stop and wait a few seconds for the guy?. On we went and in my opinion was faster that the speed limit allowed for the area. The same driver did the same thing at another stop further down the road and the second guy was closer to a stop than the first. What a public servant the driver was.

Target In Sight

Surprised tonight. I was hoping to have a pound off at my FF (Sorry Sharon) I should say my Slimming World Class. I weighed in with another 2 and a half pound OFF to bring me within 3 and a half pound off my target.

6 Stone 10 and a half pound off. NEARLY THERE!

You know, you may think that's brill, but my LSD had 5 and a half pound off.... Well done to her.

Words Of Wisdom (Or are they)

Can't eat Beef, Mad Cow....

Can't eat chicken, Bird Flu

Can't eat eggs, Salmonella

Can't eat pork, Fears of Trichinosis....

Can't eat fish, Heavy metals in the waters have poisoned their meat

Can't eat fruits and veggies, Insecticides and Herbicides

Hmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!! MMMMMMMMM

I believe that leaves Chocolate !!!!!!!! Remember - - -'
STRESSED' spelled backwards is 'DESSERTS'

Photo Shoot

Had to go to the City Hall today as a local newspaper is running a story this week about OUR (My little swamp duck and I) weight loss. We had our photos taken wearing a sample of our old clothes. My LSD had a jacket on which would have gone around her a couple of times and I put a pair of trousers on which I can only describe as clowns trousers. (All that was missing was the big shoes)
We had just finished the photo shoot when this lady approach us. She introduced herself and said she was from Canada. (I thought she was coming to tell us to get the hell of the grass) she then asked one of the snappers if he would take a photo with her camera of Queen Victoria's statue and herself as her daughter's name is Victoria. I had to laugh... There was this professional snapper with this huge camera around his neck and she started to instruct him in the use of her camera, it was so funny to watch...

PS: Ref Royal Snail...... Got my two parcels today over 72hrs later

South Ossetia Crisis

Georgia says its forces have withdrawn from South Ossetia. An government spokesman is reported to have said it was not a military defeat but a necessary step to protect civilians from a "humanitarian catastrophe". (A bit late for that mate, I think sadly that's already happened)
I was reading a comparison of the Georgian forces to the Russian forces.
GEORGIA
Total personnel: 26,900
Main battle tanks (T-72): 82
Armoured personnel carriers: 139
Combat aircraft (Su-25): Seven
Heavy artillery pieces (including Grad rocket launchers): 95
RUSSIA
Total personnel: 641,000
Main battle tanks (various): 6,717
Armoured personnel carriers: 6,388
Combat aircraft (various): 1,206
Heavy artillery pieces (various): 7,550 (Source: Jane's Sentinel Country Risk Assessments)

Royal Snail (Part 3)

The saga continues.... Tried from 12:00 to get through on the phone to Tomb Street (I have a good idea why it's called that) but surprise surprise it was engaged. My wonderful house phone has a ring back feature on it. So I let the phone ring until it cut out after 5 minutes with a message saying "no answer at the number you are trying, press 5 for ring back, so I did.
About 2 minutes later it rang, I answered, and nobody there. I went through the same procedure 4 times.... After that I just tried my luck. Sometimes it rang, no answer... Time was slipping away as they close at 1, I got through about 12:40.... Happy days I thought....

What I'm about to tell you is the honest truth about what was said....

The voice said "Hello".. "Hi, could you check for me if my two parcels are in yet please" I asked... "Ah.. hold on, I don't know what the craic is down here" and off he went.... about 30 seconds later this other guy came on the phone "Hello".. "Hi, if I gave you two parcel reference numbers could you check if they are there yet please".. "Don't give me the numbers, whats the address" told him, off he went and returned empty handed. "It can take up to 48 hours to reach here" he said...

Why go on I thought... Looks like Monday ..... We are going to see The Mummy tonight, maybe I'll check if my parcels are in Hamunaptra

Royal Snail (Part 2)

Had my swim and a clam down steam room so time to tackle Tomb Street once again... I took the advice I was given and phoned first. How strange permanently engaged, quicker to call on the way past. Got parked and in I went. Different guy this time, off he went with the two cards, and back he came with the two cards. "Not here, you've to wait 24 hours before calling and really you should have rang first"... "OK" I said "2 points, 1st I did try and phone and it was permanently engaged"... "We're very busy and he's (Whoever that was) always on the phone" was the reply. "Ok" I said my 2nd point it's now 25hrs so that blows that point out of the water"

"It takes longer than that" he said. That's when I realised no point continuing the quest for my parcels, just go home... but not before getting out my final line. "So what you are trying to say is, whats written on the card is a load of dung"?.... No reply....

Royal Snail (Part 1)

Arrived home last night to find 2 "Sorry, you were out" cards lying in my hall. The post man had been at 10:06 am and the two parcels he could not deliver went back to the depot.
I went down this morning at around 9am to collect them from Tomb Street. "They're not here" I was told. "You're supposed to wait 24 hours"... "So if I stand here for another 45 minutes they will appear?" I asked... "Perhaps it's the bad weather holding it up" he said... I did smile at this point and asked... " Bad weather?, are they being flown down from Mullusk on a paper aeroplane?" He then got the hump and said I should have rang first.....
I went off for my daily swim

More New Clothes

Went into town after work last night as I wanted to get a new shirt. I ended up with a new jacket, two pairs of trousers and two pairs of jeans, but no shirt.
On the good side of things I've dropped another trouser size. That makes eight in all.... yeee haaa.
On the bad side we went to Morrisons for a wine, then to the Apartment and had a few cocktails, a lovely dinner with wine, a taxi home (No wine), finishing off with a cheese board and some more wine.... Let's see what damage has been done next Wednesday night at weigh in.
I have scheduled this post for tomorrow morning as I shall be away swimming and steam rooming (For damage limitation) by the time it gets published.
I've a feeling I'll have a sore head into the bargain...
Today is 08/08/08

A Perfect Relationship

THE FIVE SECRETS OF A PERFECT RELATIONSHIP


1. It is important to find a woman who cooks, cleans up and has a job.

2. It is important to find a woman who can make you laugh.

3. It is important to find a woman who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It is important to find a woman who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It is very important that these four women don't ever meet each other

Yet Again

Another pound off tonight, making it:

6 Stone 8 Lb off

I was thinking about the ones who say "Oh, don't lose anymore weight"... It's a pity they didn't say to me years back...
"Oh, don't put anymore weight on"

Maybe they did, and I just never listened..... lol

I'll Huff And I'll Puff

Since starting into my new get fit routine I've been swimming nearly everyday at a pool near to where I work. I enjoy after the swim to relax in the steam room or sauna and finish off in the jacuzzi. I go into the steam room then these so called super fit participants from the gym come in and they huff and puff as if they are 90+ and smoking 40 a day, and it takes them ages closing the door behind them. You can guarantee that one will say "Phew, it's warm in here" (Of course it is you muscle bound bone head, it's a STEAM ROOM) I often bite my tongue as pain and I don't mix. (If you know what I mean) The other day I went to the jacuzzi and there were two guys already in it, they were sitting talking (Nothing wrong with that you may say) without the jacuzzi running? ... I being me, just got in and switched it back on. As the bubbles started to erupt like a volcano they got up, got out and when they were about to go I just could not help myself so I said... "Sorry guys, if I'd known you only wanted a bath together I would not have switched it on"
It was at this point I thought oops, big mouth... Luckily they just gave me a dirty look and not a smack in the gub.... I live to slabber another day...

Dollar Rate

This time last year I was able to get $2.03 to the £. Today I got $1.92.16. Not bad I suppose. What did really annoy me, when I went to my bank at lunch time there were three tellers on duty and a long queue. People were banking their penny's and it was taking ages. One of the tellers went for lunch and the queue got even longer. I was getting cash so I could change them into US dollars. I asked what their rate was and it was lower than was offered by another bank. So I took my money and went straight to the other bank. What a change. They have started a new policy were staff stay on over lunch time and take their lunch off peak. No queue and good service.... Well done Ulster Bank at Shaftsbury Square.... The Northern could learn from them...

Ewe Ate All The Pies

Read this story about a 22 stone sheep. Wonder would it like to go to Slimming World. It likes to watch TV. I was thinking pehaps it's top 5 programmes are...

1. Dr Ewe
2. Sheependers
3. Not the 9 O'Clock Ewes
4. Ewe do you think you are
5. Ewe are what you eat

Yes, I know that's Baa d

Out Shopping

Went into town today and treated myself to dive fins. Why you may ask!. It's got nothing to do with the awful weather we are having at the moment (But then again, they will come in handy if the rain doesn't stop) They are for my holidays, off to warmer places and I intend to try a bit of snorkeling and maybe some scuba diving. Now I've lost weight there's less chance of me getting harpooned by a passing Japanese whaler, or getting towed back out to sea by Greenpeace

Ex-Wives Take Note!

Read this heart warming story.... Look at the guy's expression in the photograph, I think he's sending a personal message to his ex.....lol

Golf Day

Took a days leave today as I was playing in a charity golf day in aid of The Thomas Devlin Fund
Tee off time for our 4 ball (Ricky, Chris, Martin and of course Me) was 11am, and it was a nice morning as I hit my DDH about 30 yards.... "It can only get better from here I said to myself" It didn't....
The rain started and just stayed on. It was hard to believe it was the summer.... Look on the bright side, it was lady's day somewhere.... Apparently GOLF stands for Gentlemen Only Lady's Forbidden (Don't believe that for 1 minute)

Got There!

Well, I got there tonight, my thirteenth award......

6 and a half stone off... What a feeling....

I know some close concerning friends of mine are worried that I'm going to far... I can see it in their eyes when they say "You don't need to lose any more, stop now"
Well I can assure them they are worried about nothing, I'm eating loads and have no concerns myself, but I do thank them for their concern.
I can tell you it's been such a long long time since I've felt this good about myself and Slimming World has done this for me. It's a plan... A plan that has really worked for me.....A plan that has transformed me.... I eat the food I love with great results and never go hungry... If you need to, you've got to try it for yourself. You control it.

The last target I'm going to set is 7 stone, and I have no doubt (God willing that is) I'll reach it.
We have booked a holiday to Florida at the end of November and it will be such an experience to visit the Orange County... 7 stones lighter....

This Time 31 Years Ago Today

It's amazing the things you remember..... I can actually remember back 31 years. I was staying overnight in my LSD's house (On the couch of course, 29th of July)
We got engaged that morning and we then headed off to Dublin with her parents for the day. Can't believe that wonderful day was 31 years ago .... Thanks Kid....

Wet Start

Had intentions off getting up early and going for a swim before work. Alarm clock went off I heard the rain and turned over... (There's always tomorrow, if there's not, no harm done)
Had my swim at lunch time and the weather turned great. LSD Junior rang again to say they were heading off to Typhoon Lagoon

Wait until I have my holiday, I'll get my own back

New Week

Started off this week with a swim... Need to keep focused as I would like to have some weight off to get me nearer my target of 6 and a half stone. Think I may have over done it with the cycling as I'm sore in places I didn't even know I had places. Decided to do a bit of pruning tonight when I got home from work, think I went a bit overboard (Must have been the sun) but I ended up having to dig some scrubs up as I'd over cut them....

Summer Is Here

Another beautiful day. Sitting out on our new patio my LSD and I are having brunch when the phone rang. It was only LSD junior informing me her and her hubby were sitting in Cracker barrel having breakfast before heading off to the Magic Kingdom....
It somehow made my day seem somewhat damp

Opp's, Lovely Day

Got out of bed this morning to a glorious day. Sun splitting the trees, so true to my word out came the bike and off I set to collect my parcel. Not bad I was nearly wrote off only twice on the way to the sorting office. I don't know if it's because I've lost the weight that some car drivers can't see me on the bike or their eyes are just painted on. (I wish I drove a large vehicle I could get my own back on the car drivers)...(Oh that's right I do, and I do)
After picking the package up I went for a swim at the gym (Hey, poetry or what) after the swim I felt great so it was time for the long trek home (All up hill). Cut onto the heel and ankle, near the junction with Agnes Street the traffic was building up. This people carrier (DLA car) passed me with it's window open and flute band music at the top volume, followed by a boy racer in his red 1.1 corsa with his window open and bass music also at top volume, I'm sure his doors were going in and out. I have to say It took my mind off the traffic and the hill, but I have to admit It made me go that little bit faster as I thought the driver of Shankill Road True Blues noticed me laughing....

Late Post

Remember when the post used to arrive as you would be having a boiled egg or something else for breakfast, and the lovely postman used to leave the larger packages around the back of the house that wouldn't fit through the letter box. Not anymore. Those were the days when you had the same posty everyday, now you're lucky if you have the same one every week let alone at the same time everyday. I know with all the thieving scumbags knocking about today it's more than their jobs worth to leave a package unattended before they have your signature for it. They also used to try next door to get your neighbour to sign for it. Not anymore. They would rather you put more pollution into the air by making you travel to the sorting office to collect it....
I may get the bike out tomorrow and cycle to collect it. The only problem is it's all up hill on the way back (Hopefully it will rain tomorrow and I'll have to take the car)