Well the bad news is that the german sausages and all the bacon butties for breakfast while @ Bad Kissingen did not help. So a slip blip upwards there.
But the good news is that having practiced self denial (most of the time) I am now at the most weight loss point since Christmas. Now 109 kilos (17 stone 2lbs) which is a loss of 5kg. Course I have lost much more than that – I just keep putting it back on.
Tried on some old clothes and even the 5kg has made a noticeable difference.
When I was living in O’Sheas land just 3 years ago I was tipping over 127 kilos (20 stone). Ah but the beer was good (sob)
Went to a off road truck show in Germany. Abenteuer & Allrad. Held in Bad Kissingen.
Met up with two friends , Craig & Mirne, and we drove down there on the the Thursday. As Craig was towing a folding caravan the speed was around 85-90 kph which made it a nice gentle run. It was about 550 k so took up about seven hours with rest stops.
I had not been camping in Europe for over thirty years and the campsite at Bad Kissingen was a very pleasant introduction back. Pitches were good and not to close. Toilets/showers were exceptionally clean 24/7 (something close to every campers heart). The washing up area also was as clean as anyone’s kitchen.
Craig & Mirne have a folding caravan which is up in less than a minute. The big double bed makes camping a pleasure and when hooked up to the electricity means that even if the weather is cold they are not. I was however banished to a tent. This was an oz-tent lent to me by Craig & Mirne. These tents go up in about 10 seconds although a further 10 minutes is spent pegging it out and generally straightening things if you are staying more than one night.
As we knew we would be spending a lot of time driving that day we I had prepared my version of an Irish stew the night before. Must have been ok as we all had seconds. This was washed down with a bottle of wine to aid sleep.
The show itself was held in a forest and to cut down on the amount of traffic you had to get a shuttle bus. We walked down to the show camp siteto pick up the bus there. The camp site itself was interesting to look at as the vehicles there ranged from the usual Landrovers and Toyotas to the Uni –Mog and Mann trucks. Here the emphasis was not so much on off road but more on overland travel.
The top end of the market would be Mann sized trucks that were so big you could no longer drive them on a standard license. Even saw one with a small 4*4 in the back. Nearer my price range would be the conversions done on Toyotas and Landrovers. The addition of a pop up roof meant that a decent sized double bed could be placed in the roof space and a reasonable sitting cooking area laid out below.
Most of the time wandering around the show it rained but only lightly so it was not unpleasant to walk around. The rain stopped me taking lots of pictures but then most of them would be obscured by other show visitors so no great loss.
Second day at the show was just a repeat of day one. Still it rained but what the heck. Had dinner at the camp restaurant (Wiener Schnitzel of course) to the accompaniment of one chap playing the accordion and another the spoons.
Sunday was time to pack up so of course it rained getting all the gear wet. This meant after an easy run home we had to erect the tent again to get it dried out. Awning sides adorned the garden trellis.
As it was too late for Craig & Mirne to return to Amsterdam we just sat outside and enjoyed another braai partly composed of German sausage.
Photos of the trip here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/series_truck/sets/72157626951228605/
Well first weigh in ,which was on Saturday, told me that I had lost just over 3 kilos. Not so shoddy. So now 111.82 kilos. Target weight (first) still 98 which still gives me a BMI ranking of obese.
The weekend, where I actually ate more in the old style (as in a whole week ago), seemed to have made no difference as no weight gain found. German beer & sausage fest on the horizon so maybe problems ahead.
Started the year at just under 115 kilos. Upside is that in total I have lost 10 kilos so far. Downside is I have that all back on so this morning find myself back to a shaving under 115 kilos again. So once again the good intentions will be rolled out and I have sworn to cut back on all the things that make life pleasant.
Maybe this time – wish me success.
So courtesy of Ryanair (and a good chum (Frits) doing the taxi run to the airport) it was off to London Saturday evening to meet up with an old chum. As I said before I wanted to catch up with people I had not seen for ages. About three years in this case. Met at the airport (by Mark) and then a combination of stop go traffic for 4 miles before the Dartford Tunnel and then me screaming like a girl as said chum pushed his Porsche to the limit around roundabouts and narrow side streets.
An incredibly pleasant evening starting with drinks at home then the three of us ( now including Marks wife Maria) headed over for drinks at a local bar. I so miss proper beer (bitter). Despite the slight chilliness (after all it is only June) we sat outside which gave me plenty of opportunity to look over the local talent. A fair few looked like they had just come from the Slut Walk.
More beer and an Indian to follow.
Breakfast the following morning was devilled kidneys. Delicious. I am certainly going to add that to my breakfast repertoire. Said chum is heavily into DIY and has even built some of his own furniture. All of the work to a really nice standard.
Another old friend (Lee) joined us for lunch (along with his wife and getter so much bigger children). Maria had done a Paella which I washed down with what I an told was a very good red and a glass of whisky. A discussion on wines lead Lee to declare I had beer taste – I shall have to look that up to see if I was being insulted or not.
To soon time to head back. Chum taxi took me back to Stansted where heavy cloud prevented me from enjoying the scenery below for the plane back. Chum taxi two got me home.
Blood excellent weekend. Well fed and watered and had really top notch company.
Picture below Left to Right – Me , Mark, and Lee.
