Silence

Diversity - winners of Britain's Got Talent 2009 - worthy winners!!!

I am so happy.  There is justice in the world.  The winner of Britain's Got Talent 2009 is Diversity and what worthy winners they are.

If you don't live in Britain you have to watch them on You Tube.  Watch (1) their audition (2) their semi-final performance and (3) their final performance of tonight which stole the show.

I have wanted them to win and I am so so so so happy right now.

Well done guys - you so so so so so deserve it - I wish you future success.

Liska xx

I feel cleansed and decluttered

I want to focus on the blog posts that I do regularly read and benefit from, so I have had a bit of a "blogs I am following" cleanse and feel detoxed :-)

I really felt like the list of blogs I had to read was endless, so I have done a bit of weeding, to suit my personal taste.

Anyway, I guess it just replicates my day.  I had friends coming around at 2 (they arrived at 3.30 due to train problems)... anyway, in readiness for them coming, I got up at 7.30 to do housework and have a declutter.  It made me feel cleansed.  Then I made the 3 of us a delicious lunch (HEALTHY don't worry) but I did then make a chocolate cake.

Anyway, it is the first day of full on Summer weather here in the UK; it was simply a gorgeous day - warm, with a clear blue sky.

So I guess I have now decluttered my blog as well as the flat, and I feel all the better for it.

So for the bloggers who remain with me, I will be able to dedicate my focus to you, without being side-tracked.  Thank you for keeping me company in blog world, and helping to justify my recent purchase of  a laptop :-)

Bye for now (watching the final of Britain's Got Talent)

Liska xxx

Modern versus history

This photo was taken by me on 17th February 2008 when I was in Newcastle.

It struck me that we have modern on the ground floor, and history above.

Look at how far we have come, or rather how backward we have become.

From the beautiful stained glass windows, you can see what the store used to be, and clearly in not removing that piece of history, someone else clearly likes it as much as I do.  Click on the image and make it full size and you will be able to see what the store used to sell.

But we seem to have turned into a plastic fantastic world.  We rave about recycling when all of our pop is in plastic bottles.  When I was little I didn't even know what recycling was, but all my pop was in glass bottles, which I could get money for returning.  My toaster was fixed rather than replaced, and my shoes were repaired rather than binned.

Anyway, look at my photo and see if it speaks to you, the way it spoke to me.  I wasn't even looking at the shops, and I definitely wasn't looking up at 1st floors, but it somehow grabbed me.  Maybe there was a story there, just waiting for the story-teller and the camera!

Sorry I know this is meant to be a weight loss blog but we all need a little light relief.  I could do with being "lighter".............

Since my New Year Resolution I have gained half a stone (yes my weight loss ticker is out of date).

I am now 13 stone and 13 pounds, which the scales tells me is 88.4 kg, so I am back to 88 (which in BINGO they say is "two fat ladies" - how very appropriate!)

I have been here before........ and if you click there, you will see it was 20th October 2008! yes, 2008................ I have put the weight ON and turned the clock BACK.

I really really really have to start sorting my life out......... (so I got back onto the subject of weight loss after all........... but alas, it is pontificating about it, rather than doing something about it!)

Liska Life off to bed.......... zzzzzzz. ...........xxxxxxx

Saladmaster - healthy cooking and eating - LOVE IT

This is my favourite piece of kitchen equipment.   (One of my Saladmaster pans).

They cook without fat, and without water.

Very healthy way of cooking and then eating.

This photo was taken by myself on 29th April 2008.  All those veg are cooked in that one pot, with lid on.  A vaccum is created and they cook in their own steam.

I have the full set, so can do salmon in another and potato in another etc...

What is even more amazing is the veg in this pot do not effect each other's flavour AND there is no smell.  So you can cook brocolli and cabbage etc... without fear of the sweaty feet smell.

You can even make a cake in one of them.

Oh and the set includes an electric skillet.

LOVE IT!!!

Liska x

Big Ben at Night

I keep looking at blogs with stunning photos so I just went through mine (taken by yours truly) and saw gorgeous Malta photos but decided to share this one with all of you, given that I live in London. 

Photo taken on 13th November 2008 - the night I went to the House of Commons.

Enjoy.  Liska xxx

Aegis Training | London Personal Trainers - Fitness News and Views: Take The Stairs, Get Leaner

Aegis Training | London Personal Trainers - Fitness News and Views: Take The Stairs, Get Leaner

When we start to find stairs difficult we think about doing exercises (well do we...? sometimes...!)

But why go to the gym to help you combat stairs, when you can tackle the stairs themselves.

Don't go round in circles, like this photo.  Turn the stairs into a piece of training equipment.  Click on the subject line of this blog post and it will take you to the fab Aegis you tube video...

Good sound practical advice from Aegis. 

Look at the video it is super, as is their blog.

Bye for now,

Liska x

New Laptop and Wii Active

Hi

Sorry I have been away for so long but I have been without a laptop so I bought one today and am on it now - very happy with it.  It is after midnight but it is Sunday (well... I haven't been to bed yet).  On Saturday, which I am classing as yesterday, I bought the new Wii Active and it is absolutely super.  Great 30 day challenge on there and some brilliant personal trainer style posture work like squats etc... Comes with a Physio Type resistance band, which really works.  Was on it for 30 minutes yesterday and it really brought me out in a full on sweat.

If you love Wii, please try it, you won't regret it.  I wanted to do the 30 day challenge as an every day thing but didn't get chance today.

Must go to bed in a minute so bye for now.

Liska x

Fatter, heavier, but alive and happy :-)

Here I am.......

I am on the Apple, in my Virgin Active gym.  When I swiped in, I asked the lovely person on the desk, "when was I last here?"..... he said 6th Feb........! At £110 a month THAT IS NOT GOOD.

When I used to come here really often (before Xmas) and used to blog a lot about it, it was all only swimming, jacuzzi, steam and sauna, but tonight Josephine, I did 20 minutes on tread mill, then kettle bell, then Swiss Ball, then rowing machine, then sauna.

I am now sitting in the cafe with a LARGE salad and a Cafe Mocha.

I plan on being super healthy over the next 4 days (the 4 day Easter Break from work).... I plan on doing loads of housework, loads of Wii Fit, digging out my Pilates Machine from the spare room, etc.... I am going to try and lose 4 pounds in 4 days :-)

Most of the New Year I have been 13 and a half stone but that is now 13.75 stone which is insane, given that a couple of months back, I lost a few pounds and I thought 12 stone something was within my sights, especially given that the Wii started to call me overweight rather than obese.  Well..... that was a couple of months ago, and I have been a pig and a slob since then, hence my enduring silence (sorry guys). 

My laptop at home was a work one, and due to 2 work laptops dying (not mine) they (I.T.) had to recall all spares to circulate them to people who needed them during the day, hence another reason for my silence...

Anyway, I am back and I'm proud... (remind you of a movie??? :-))

Even though I have not been here since  6th Feb, I have been circuit training every Wednesday for the last 3 weeks at my friend's gym, and did go on an active weekend to the Peak District (20th to 22nd March).  BOY WAS THAT EXERCISE.  WE CLIMBED MOUNTAINS, and it was so so so so active.  GOSH!!! I will share some photos at some point.

I must leave in a moment to catch my train.

I won't leave it as long again... sorry guys.....

Liska xxxxxxxxxx

Happy and THANK YOU my blogger friends x

I am so so happy. I had salad for lunch yesterday, and just ate salad just now for dinner. I did have lunch out today but it was just poached eggs and salad and hollandaise sauce.

I stayed away from the cappuccinos yesterday and today (yes, despite giving up for over a month I had been back on them last week - another reason for my deathly silence).

But I feel lighter and brighter and happier this evening.

Logging on just now and seeing the 4 lovely comments to my blog post below, just simply made my evening. For anyone reading this (silently) I have pleasure to inform you that not one of the below is a friend (from outside of cyberspace) i.e. they are not mates going on giving me support. They are REAL fellow bloggers, on the same path with similar weight loss goals. True fellow blogger friends, shining a light of support. That light that makes this cyber space a lovely homely place to touch base with.

The comment that we have to ignore unsuccessful weeks, or days or months is so so so true. Each moment passes as we take each breath, and another new moment is there to be savoured, and honoured. Each new minute and each new day is an opportunity to BE the person you want to be. For anyone out there needing a pep talk, just read those comments on the post below - they are SUPER.

Anyway, thanks so so so so much.

Liska xxxxxx

Onwards and Upwards

I haven't weighed myself in ages, and haven't been on the Wii Fit in ages. I am definitely NO slimmer and NO lighter than I was beginning of January, so we can safely say I was not on track Jan and Feb, and haven't achieved my biggest New Year's resolution, so now MARCH is my month. I won't say much, until I have something to say. I need to start saying what I have done, rather than what I set out to do; that's the plan.

I am really really sorry for the break in transmission. I know when a frequent blogger stops blogging I do worry. This last week I was in Birmingham Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, but that only explains 3 days. My husband kept saying why aren't you blogging, and I said because I have nothing to say, nothing to be proud of, and he said why don't you go on and say THAT, but I couldn't bring myself to, but I think I needed this low to bounce back out of, but again, I am not discussing plans. I need to start doing!

Anyway, I have read read read for the last couple of hours so am fully up to speed with where you all are. Let's do this guys.

Welcome back to me. I will stay in touch this week, with good news :-)

Liska Life xxxxxx

Determined

I have to counteract yesterday's bad news blog post with some good news.

Well I already started last night, as I wrote a comment below the other kind comments (thanks Guys) where I confirmed that I was able to rescue the salad stuff in the fridge, even though the cherry tomatoes were very ripe, as were the avocados. So yesterday evening I wrote myself the following comment:

I went to the fridge with trepidation. The romaine lettuce was eddible, as were
the very very ripe cherry tomatoes, the organic cellery was still crunchy and
perfect, the avocado (inside) just had to have a couple of brown bits cut off,
carrots (because they were in fridge) were still perfect so I shredded two.....
so I just made myself an enormous salad, added two teaspoons of pesto sauce and
drizzled it all in avocado oil. Was a big plateful and incredibly filling, and I
feel super now. I am so glad that even though I bought the stuff a week ago
today, that it was all still, luckily, okay.......There was a whole iceberg
lettuce in there that did tonight go in the bin, but I don't know when I bought
that..... it's a sin what we throw away.Anyway, thank you so so so so much for
the comments above. I promise you I will stay on track this week. I plan on
making lots of healthy soups for lunch in my Vita Mix so I really hope I pull
that off. Also plan on going to aqua aerobics twice this coming week, and drinking lots of water.

Today I have weighed myself again on the Wii Fit.

To recap:

on 7th Feb it said 13 stone 3 pounds,

8th Feb it said 13 st 6 pounds,

on 13th Feb it said 13 st 11 pounds,

on 14th Feb: 13 st 9 pounds and

now today 13 stone 8 pounds.

Considering that I started this journey on 2nd January, on a weight of 13 stone 7 pounds, it is like the calendar of time is moving while my weight stays still (well if you class couple of pounds Up down Up down Up down as standing still).

Not acceptable considering I know how to do this. I lost 3 stone in 2001 when I was getting ready for my wedding. I started then in 2001 in February and had lost it all by June. I know what to eat and I know what to give up. When I give up bread, sugar, etc........ the weight falls off. I just need to do it again.

I was sad yesterday when I read this blog, as this lady is doing exactly what I want to do, a steady weight loss of 2 or 3 pounds a week, meaning she is now 12 pounds lighter than how she started the year. I want to duplicate that.

Anyway, I am going to keep my head down and really get on with it this week. Drink lots of Super Greens, eat lots of fresh VITAL food, no sugar, no bread, no muffins, lots of exercise, lots of walking (I aim to walk in lunch breaks) and 2 sessions of Aqua Aerobics.

I aim to have good news by this time next week. I wish you all the same, my blog friends.

Oh and on my blog I have completely ignored Valentine's day which is naughty of me, given that hubby bought me a beautiful bouquet, gave me breakfast in bed, and a beautiful card.

Liska xx

Bad news

I am not going to hide the bad news by calling it anything other than just that: bad!

I went on the Wii Fit last night and it told me I hadn't been on it for 5 days........ (first alarm bell as from 1st to 8th Feb I had only missed one day, and had thought I would carry on like that).

Then it told me my weight was back up to being classified as OBESE, and that I had put on 6 pounds since it last saw me / weighed me.

I started my "time of the month" on Tuesday, and ate like an absolute pig every day. Yesterday I bought a 6 pack of Mr Kipling lemon slices and ate 4 of them.

It is crazy because when I eat rubbish I feel rubbish and I feel super when I eat healthy. Some people feel like a rabbit when they eat salad, but not me. I love fresh food, I love cellery, so why oh why oh why don't I eat more of it.......?

The way I was going (losing 5 pounds last week) I thought I would soon be 12 stone something rather than 13 stone something, but that right now seems like life-years away.

Crazy, as I went food shopping last Saturday and only bought healthy food, so I had a healthy lunch Saturday, followed by a healthy dinner and same again Sunday. It seemed to all go out the window on the weekdays (work days).

I am dredding going to look in the fridge now, as I am scared that there is healthy food in there that I have allowed to go off, uneaten. I know there are 4 avocados in there and I just pray they are still okay, because they were the ones that are ripe when you buy them (dearer for it too). I know I had a bag of rocket in there tooooooooooooooooooo.

I used to be so good at detoxing, I don't know what's wrong with me. Beginning of January, I thought I'd lose all the weight by April, and here I am now, nearly mid-February.

Well this week will have to be a good one - that's all I can say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye for now, cross your fingers and toes for me. My favourite bloggers all seem to be doing very well, so I guess I just need to catch up with all of them, and be inspired, and BE the change I want to see :-)

Liska xxxxxxxxx

Victoria - prayers needed.

I have been following what is happening in Victoria, and it is devastating. If you read this times online article, the comments at the bottom have a heart beyond the mere article itself.

Victoria is nearly as large as the UK.

Please if you are reading, spare a thought for those people. I will not say anymore as words can't express how I feel right now.

Liska Life xxxxxxxxx

You just have to read it - trust me - no quick fix

This is just a post to recommend another post.

It is so good you just HAVE to read it.

Enough said!

Liska Life
x

Don't get caught out as Ryanair try to get another 30 pounds / euros out of you at the departure gate

Read here about how Ryanair are now charging if your duty free does not fit in your hand luggage, which let's face it, it does not normally...

Passengers unable to place items into 1 bag and who refuse to make the additional payment at the departure gate will not be allowed to travel.

Yet another charge from the company that finds new and ingenious ways to make revenue out of us.


The Guardian here says:

It could be the most expensive bottle of asti spumante you'll ever buy. Ryanair has confirmed passengers will be charged £30 if they cannot fit their duty free purchases into their single piece of hand luggage............... Under the hand luggage rules, any passenger who attempts to board with more than one piece of hand lugage will be charged £30 at the departure gate. If they refuse to pay the extra fee, they have the option of dumping their purchases at the gate or missing their
flight.

Back to me again: When Ryanair agrees to fly out of an airport, it often gets the airport to subsidise this. The only way they can afford to is due to the profit they make in their stores. People won't buy if they have to pay further for the pleasure, so the airport suffers. When Knock airport on the West Coast of Ireland started to lose revenue when duty free started to only apply when travelling outside Europe, they had to introduce a departure fee of 10 euros per person payable to the airport itself. They really rely on revenue from their shops, and Ryanair made sure they really relied on THEM, which is why for years and years there was no other airline flying out of Knock. When an airport is brand new and small, Ryanair hold the bargaining chips.......

The Irish World dot com says:

"Ryanair operates a policy where passengers can only carry one item of cabin
baggage on board. Previously, passengers adhered to the rule while checking in
and going through security, but often accumulated other bags with
last-minute duty-free purchases. Now it appears that even a humble box of duty free chocolates could cost passengers €30 if it will not fit inside the one item of permitted carry-on luggage".

It's funny my mum told me 60 euros, and she heard about it on the radio. I then go online and it turns out to be £30, now I am reading £28.50, below. I guess until I next travel I will never know for definite. The following sounds a bit more accurate, and is from the Telegraph:

"Under the new arrangements, which came into force at the start of the year,
passengers must fit whatever they buy at an airport duty free shop into their
one piece of hand baggage. They also have to be able to close the bag with
the duty free items inside the bag which can weigh no more than 22lbs (10kg) and
be no bigger than 21.6 x 15.8 x 7.9 inches. The policy is enforced by Ryanair's staff as they check boarding passes at the gate.
Anyone found to have an extra bag – perhaps containing a box of chocolates or bottle of wine – will be given a choice if they cannot cram it into their carry-on bag. They can either leave it at the airport or alternatively they can have their existing piece of cabin luggage put into the hold, and take the duty free on board.
For this they would have to pay the £28.50 Ryanair charges for checking in a piece of luggage at the airport. According to an airline spokesman only a few passengers have been forced to surrender duty-free so far".

The Telegraph also shows how the charges have steeply gone up over the years:

Ryanair's rising extras
Check in one bag £5 2006 yet £30 2008
Paying by card £3.50 2006 yet £10 2008
Sport/music equipment £31 2006 yet £60 2008
Excess baggage per kilo £5.50 2006 and now £15 2008
Flight changes £30 2006 and then £50 2008
Name changes £70 and then £100 2008

Don't get caught out. Make sure you only have one piece of hand luggage or be prepared to dig deep in your pockets.

I wish I'd found this before I wrote all of the above. Ryanair put a news release on THEIR website on 20th Jan 2009. I don't know why it's only become common knowledge early Feb, with alot of the links above being Feb and my mum only having just heard about it on the radio. Anyhow, to save all of the interpretations just read the official news release.

Liska Life xx

Wii Fit - how long will it last?

Given that I am loving my Wii Fit, I thought I'd Google "Wii fit + weight loss" and this article came up, and it seems it was written on 30th January 2009.

Says that people normally give up on it after a month.

Well, given that my thighs are weak, and it gives them SUCH a good workout I am going to try and stick at it. When I was on it Sunday 1st Feb for whole day, I could hardly walk on Tuesday and Wednesday. I guess it's that that makes people shirk it. It is a game but it is WORK.

Given that I had an old fashioned weighing scales with a needle (analogue I think they call them) it is very refreshing for me to have the digital weight I get from Wii Fit. Love the graph it produces too. It is superb for tracking, and even tracks BMI.

It's funny, but the games that are hardest on my thighs are also the ones I am determined to beat to get a better score, i.e. the bubble down the stream one, and the Ski Slalom... So my addictive personality is helping me get fit for once :-) They are actually my favourites, despite the aches. I also absolutely love the step game, although I can imagine it will eventually get boring.

What I am absolutely amazed by is that there is a delayed reaction between your brain wanting your balance to shift on the board, and it actually happening, but I read in Dr Robert O Young's book today that bouncing on a rebounder for 15 minutes a day helps with that. Only trouble is, although that gives you the gift, what tells people that they are lacking it in the first place, before it is too late???? Well the Wii Fit certainly does, along with the age it gives you. I have varied from 30 to 60 years of age on it .............

Given that I am guilty of playing with things for a couple of months till the novelty wears off (haven't used my Vita Mix nor my IPOD in ages) it will be interesting to see how long the wii fit lasts. Victor always tells me off for buying gadgets I don't use for long.

Anyway I am signing off now, as I have an urge to............ play with my Wii Fit :-)

Liska Life x

Happy with the scales and the Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Hi, I weighed myself on the Wii Fit at 11:39 and was delighted to find that I was 13 st 3 pounds, so I am down to 185 pounds, which is 84.09 kg.

It gave me some high readings last week as there was two days in a row when I had late take-a-way dinners and weighed myself an hour or two after - silly me! That was 3rd and 4th February, and mainly because of birthday........ by 5th it had me back down to 190 pounds but now today 185, which I think is a true reading.

I have been to aqua aerobics twice this week and they were both punishing fab workouts. It is not your typical gentle aqua, as there are all these props that she uses, it is like doing a weights workout but in water - love it.

Anyway, being heavy wasn't spurring me on, but seeing this weight loss is! I think reverse psychology works on me :-)

The other thing that's making me mega happy is that up till now the Wii's been measuring me as OBESE, but for the first time today it said simply OVERWEIGHT, yyyyyyeeeeaaaaah!

So the amount of weight left to lose is now below 40 pounds (gone from 42 to 38) on my weight loss ticker. The BMI has gone below 30 which now means overweight instead of obese, and I am getting much closer to 13 stone. My next milestone is to be 12 stone something....... Very happy today.

Anyway, going food shopping now for some healthy bits and pieces so bye bye.

Liska Life
xx

Weight loss Summary, Yo Yo, and time to get real

On 20th October 2008 when I wrote this post, I was "two fat ladies" (bingo) 88 KG. I have just calculated that is 193.6 pounds.

On 2nd January 2009, when I wrote this post I was 189 pounds (85.91 KG).

On 14th January, when I wrote this post, I was 186 pounds and over the moon (84.55 KG). That was because I had been on Super Greens (by Innerlight) on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

On 25th Jan, back up to 189 pounds when I wrote this post.

These last couple of weeks, I have been nowhere near what you would call a detox, and my new Wii Fit nicely tells me I am OBESE :-) I am going to turn it on right now to see what weight it thinks I am today :-)

Today, 5th February 2009, the Wii Fit reckons I am 190 pounds (which is 3 pounds less than what it said yesterday). I have to find a time, that is the same time, that I weigh myself every day. Although both of those, yesterday and today were both evening; yesterday 20:35 and today 18:22. I have weighed myself every day (1st to 5th Feb) on the Wii Fit and it is hilarious the way it goes up and down, so it is advisable to weigh weekly, otherwise you'd drive yourself mad.... I am going to weigh on it daily though, as I think I need it as a kick up the bum at the moment and I am addicted to my Wiiiiiii at present.

I am gonna get serious with this whole weight loss thing now. Gloves are off, Spring is coming and birthday is behind me. I wanna look trim when I receive those red roses on Valentine's Day :-)

Yo yo dieting really contributes to the above up and down, so I need to get real now and stick to the program (ideally being alkaline).

Liska Life xx

London - functions in Blitz, but snow too much to deal with! Obvioulsy ran out of salt too!

As you can see from the photo London had some pretty deep snow, starting Sunday 1st Feb (my birthday) and really picking up Sunday night to cause a transport disaster for millions on Monday morning. The headline in a lot of the papers is that London can cope with the Blitz at wartime, yet cannot cope with snow....... the excuse being thrown around is that we haven't had snow in these volumes in 18 years!!! I can understand if buses (yep the great RED London bus we all know and love) were not running in certain areas but NO! a central decision was made to have NO buses in the whole of London yesterday......... At least a lot of snowmen were made and kids had two days off school (pros and cons to that) and there were a lot of fun snowball fights....... but really........ how embarassing that London came to a standstill like that.

Even though most people couldn't get into work yesterday, my route was unaffected so I was at work by 830. Some transport resumed today (like the buses) BUT as the snow became compacted from people walking on it, and grit still wasn't being put down ... and temperatures were still low, the pavements which were lovely and crunchy and picturesque yesterday, were like ice rinks today.

I watch Dancing on Ice on a Sunday, I don't practice it to and from work thank you :-)

I slipped 4 times, but lucky did not fall.......... But gosh when I was younger London DID used to cope with snow and you would see salt everywhere. They didn't even bother to put any on my station platform....Salt was obviously in short supply yesterday and today. They obviously some years ago sold our snow ploughs to the highest bidder... are you telling me they sold our salt tooooooooooo??? And that was probably the action of some bright spark trying to make their excel budget look good...........

Across London more than 1,000 colleges, nurseries, primary and seconday schools closed for a 2nd day today. Ice on the roads (you know the ones WITHOUT salt) made the school run dangerous...........

It's like someone did an order at a dehli and said:
Heavy on the snow and hold the salt!

I love what I read in the london paper tonight:
"Boris is happy to take the credit when things go right; he should show some leadership and take some responsibility when they go wrong".

As I said in the subject heading the buses did not even stop in the BLITZ! The entire bus fleet was suspended yesterday - a measure not even taken during the blitz. 10 out of 11 tube lines were either completely or partially suspended.

And back to Boris (oh Mayor of London - bring back Ken Livinstone!) he was photographed on the london paper tonight jogging and cycling this morning....... oh how VERY dare he! He is jogging ON THE ROAD, on the black bits where the tires clear.......... a clear admission that the pavements were like ice rinks! What message does that send..........? London take to the streets..... stay healthy and keep up your daily run, but do it on the road where you can get knocked over....... or be hit by a car skidding on black ice (there was LOTS of that this morning).. But no....... his road was clear as it was probably covered in camera men! How very contrived and fake and not the least bit endearing.

Boris I would have preferred to see you with a shovel in your hand, talking to workers struggling to get to their offices....... Also the caption under his photo had the audacity to say "true grit" when the WHOLE problem with London is we have not seen one bit of grit...........

And how embarassing that it made International News, so that the whole world now knows we can't cope with 8 inches of snow........

There endeth my rant......... for now.......... Oh and in the photo, I am the one on the left.