The lure of a sick bug

Had a great meal out last night but can't profess to have been particularly good in diet terms - not especially bad either though. As I said yesterday, it was a pre-ordered meal and I had selected grilled sardines - healthy and fiddly to eat - and then thai style chicken which I ate (not all of it, amazingly) which was very nice and best not to think about the calories. I resisted a pud - sat next to a woman who had Valrhona chocolate pannacotta with vanilla ice cream and tried very hard not to physically drool over her plate - God it looked good. I had a black coffee. I had had two very large glasses of chilled rose wine though, so the halo wasn't all together intact.

During the course of the evening gossip was rife (there were 14 women at the table) and, at one stage, conversation turned to a bloke in the next village who is looking really ill. It turns out that he has lost loads of weight in the past two weeks through an unusual sickness and diarrhoea bug he has contracted. My ears pricked up at the "lost loads of weight" bit and, instead of offering sympathy, I found myself thinking "Hum, where is this man? Will he do a spot of french kissing?" - purely for the purpose of a good couple of weeks with no need whatsoever for syrup of figs or sugar free sweets containing sorbitol (dreadful stomach ache but usually works). Then I realised that it just wasn't a good time to be so laid up as I am really busy at work - I experienced momentary disappointment. What is becoming of me?!!! The sad fact is, I wasn't the only one with similarly appalling brain function!

Back to reality today. Beautiful day warranting lovely walk later. Making parsnip and celeriac soup for tea, but skipping the accompanying cream. Washing blowing on the line. Children on a bike ride. The papers await. Um, life is good....

Serious Subject Sunday tomorrow - "Do we ruin our relationships with low self esteem?" Comments welcome.

Happy dieting,
E xx