Author: Wattle

Mayndarin is a long month isn’t it. For one more week and a bit I choose to eat mandarins. After that a whole year could go by before I would need to chews them again.

Perhaps an occasional mandarin might be nice to chase down a pear or an apple? An interesting idea. I’ll consider it.

At some future date when I look in the archives for 22 Mayndarin 2019 I will see a photo of a glorious specimen of Kent Pumpkin. I will be reminded of how slowly I walked home today, hauling my prize. Of how I needed some rests and how I had to mop my damp brow. Of how heavy it was, and how much easier it would have been be to able to walk home without it.

Most of all I will be reminded of how it felt to lose the weight of three of the glorious specimens!

Many trees are showing their structural beauty now. The task of collecting autumn leaves is coming to an end. I am delighted to have completed the 28 walks I set for my task and gleefully trade in my collection for a meal at a restaurant.

Did you do the task? If you did and managed a decent amount of walks, be kind to yourself and have a meal out at a restaurant of your choice. There are still some leaves left yet to drop from the trees and there are still some days of Mayndarin left if you feel the amount of walks could have been a few more.

Which restaurant? What a good question. That will be something fun to consider whilst out on walks.

I am going to tell you about the task and eating plan for the month of June because we are moving house in early June. Days will need to be spent packing everything up here and then days will need to be spent unpacking everything there.

Talk about some sneaky exercise that will be inevitable during this busy time. Bend to this carton, place wrapped object in that carton, repeat, and repeat and…

The “Weight and See” web site will not be online for a while.

In the first year after giving up cigarettes we called the month of June “Pearn” because the eating theme we had at that stage featured fresh pears. Eat as many as you like. I liked to eat plenty of them, a whole orchard of them even, you’d think. Crunch, crunch, crunch, busy mouth, not smoking.

More endearingly, in other years we have also called the month of June “Spoon” because we allow any type of food that you are able to eat with a spoon. Even barbecue crisps are allowed, so long as they are eaten off a spoon. The usual philosophy of trying to eat less than was eaten in the previous Pearn still holds, and the collendar pages may require plenty of images of “half” to couple up with images of crisps.

We also enjoy some pasta meals with garlic, tomato and meaty mince sauces, served with cheese in a bowl. The usual meat and vegetable meals are given a different slant because during the plating of meal the meat is cut up so the meal may be eaten with a spoon. Some evening meals may also see casseroles on the menu, served with rice, or with mashed potatoes.

The pancake remains part of the evening meal. For this month steamed pears will accompany it, along with a scoop of icecream,

Even eat fresh pears with a spoon? No. Fresh pears are a hand held food. Eat as many of them as you like.

Who doesn’t like cosying up in a snug room, watching tv or old favouite reruns and movies and eating as many fresh pears, or as much soup as you like with a spoon? The “Pearn” (Spoon) task sounds really easy doesn’t it? Its an enjoyable task that doesn’t even really seem like a task.

What is actually also happening is that we are training our eyes and brains to watch television programs, favouite re-runs or movies without allowing a cigarette to go to the mouth.

Initially a substitution of food is made instead of cigarettes. Eventually, perhaps even some years later, it might be possible to watch television programs, favouite re-runs or movies without having cigarettes or even without having any foods associated with them. Somehow though, it does seem that that might be many, many years later. I believe that this is one of the most, if not the most, difficult aspects of giving up cigarettes.

The choice of exactly which food to be substituted can be made each year depending on how strong the urge is to keep on having cigarettes whilst watching television programs, favouite re-runs or movies is. Keep in mind (unless it is fresh pears) it needs to be a food you can eat with a spoon. I like soups. Choosing how thick they are, if they have pasta or milk in them varies with mood and weather. Over the time of years it also varies with having a smaller shape, the body needs less.

One thing is for sure. Waratah and I are in for an unusual “Pearn” this year.