I've got lost on the days now so we'll give up on that!

15st 0lb. Well, they can certainly bake in Swaledale! I had to judge cheese, butter, brown and white bread, sponges, gingerbread, carrot cake, swiss roll, chocolate cake, queen cakes, fatless sponges - all multiplied by 10 or even 16! Unfortunately (for my diet) it is necessary to taste it all - admittedly a very small taster (although I could have eaten most of the winning carrot cake - what a cake!). Anyway, the upshot of the day was that it wasn't great for my diet but it was a fabulous day for the great British village show and the very best of country farming, craft and cookery. It really was a joy to see every age from the very tiniest baby dressed as a cow to support his slightly bigger brother in the fancy dress, to a wonderful old man judging the vintage tractors with genuine enthusiasm and love for the vehicles. The show perfectly illustrated the diversity and quality of skills still very much in evidence in the countryside today. Well done Muker.

So, all in all, a lovely day. If it means I have gone back up to 15st 1lb tomorrow I shall not be pleased but for the meantime I am quite content.

Now I've been nice, I'm going to have a little rant. Yesterday in the Daily Mail (I know,
I should know better) the headline was about how 40% of breast cancer could be prevented through living a better lifestyle. Apparently 40% of breast cancer sufferers have consumed too much alcohol, eaten too much food and not done enough exercise - I think that's more like 95% of the population. Yes, we are all aware that we could be living a healthier life (why am I doing this?), but, is it honestly helpful to add guilt that you could have done things differently to the distress, discomfort and uncertainty inflicted by this cruel disease? I hardly think so and hope that anyone enduring treatment now will not give what they have done in the past a second thought and just concentrate on looking to a long and healthy future to come. Rant over.

E xx

PS Thanks for all the encouraging comments - my progress may seem slow but chipping away slowly gets you through the tunnel! (I was watching Shawshank Redemption recently!)