Summer Sunshine.........At Last!

For some reason my recent diagnosis has finally given me permission to be nice to myself. The timing couldn't have been better either. With the kids out of school and the sun finally arriving here in the Pacific NW, the chance to shift life down a gear or two has been pretty simple.

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen too.........I mean, you know me, I always do, but now there's a sense of urgency attached to my forays into the fridge. After all we ALL eat at least 3 times a day, so instituting a new diet is not something that you can put on hold.

I've never been on a diet in my life...........I say this not to annoy you (although I know it has always made people mad that I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce), but to draw attention to the fact that I have absolutely no concept of just how dang hard it is to have your food restricted!

When the Handy opens a bag of potato crisps in front of me in the evening, I want to throttle him and when the kids sail past me with a bar of chocolate, my tongue hangs out! Last week I baked some French bread, munched on it with a handful of red, seedless grapes and felt this overwhelming desire to finish the meal off with a stonking great slab of Brie.

Be still my beating heart.

My salvation seems to lie in the realms of Asian food for now. Coconut milk is my best friend, so a good Thai curry is on my list of 'skills to acquire.' In the meantime, I'm trying to distract myself from my stomach, by indulging in some summer reading ( love The No1 Ladies Detective Agency series) and a spot of light-weight knitting.

I've cast on for Stephanie Japel's Drop Stitch Lace Tank. I'm knitting it in the round and so I've done away with the selvedge stitches and am adapting it as I go. I've had the Pima Tencel yarn in my stash for the past 2 years and have been wanting to knit this top for the same amount of time. Now I'm doing it. 

The yarn is very stretchy and pills a little but it's usable. I'm hoping that I get the sizing right. I'm using a US 6 needle but am thinking that I may have got away with casting on a smaller size? Oh well, time will tell. 

As I write this, I can hear the hum of the lawn mower, the flag is flying and I'm marinading chicken for the barbie. An egg-less, fat-less, milk-less (potentially taste-less) cake recipe is awaiting my attention and the fireworks are ready for tonights street party. It can only be the fourth of July.

The sun is shining, my family is together......... it's a beautiful day for a celebration!