Wow!

Monday morning and just back from swimming.

I checked my weight, thinking, maybe 88kg now

No way!

87.8kg

Awesome

Recipes

Ok.

Here is our basic Mean Green recipe.

1. Kale. The is the most important ingredient.
2. Cucumber. A base with lots of water.
4. Celery. Another base.
5. Lime.
6. Ginger.
7. Parsley. Apparently parsley and coriander are very important anti-toxin agents.

Here is one I want to try tomorrow.

1. Carrot.
2. Apple.
3. Celery.
4. Parsley.


Here are just some of the many documented nutritional benefits of juicing:




Boosts the number of fruit/vegetable servings you can ingest in a day

Breaks the cycle of unhealthy eating

Retrains your brain to crave fruits and vegetables

Manages your weight

Promotes a lifestyle that will lower risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, macular degeneration, cognitive decline and mental illness including depression

Promotes longevity

Decreases aches and pains in joints and muscles

Improves your immunity

Promotes increased energy levels

Promotes healthy skin, nails and hair

Gains greater access to digestive enzymes locked away in whole produce through juicing


Happy juicing...

Falling Away

Sunday and the results from the juicing are amazing. Really amazing. The weight is falling off. It should be noted that I am not eating any meat or dairy products either, which are fat producing.

Actually, I have been making a wicked Chili Con Carne with peppers and beans which tastes so yummy.

In addition, when I have done some work, like walking or pumping up the swimming pool I don't sweat anymore. The feeling of being lighter is fantastic. It makes such a difference. Anyone thinking about doing this should definitely give it a go because it really works, and it works quickly. And the more you do it, the more you want to do it. As you pour the mean green down your throat, you can feel the goodness seeping into your blood stream, and if you didn't know, this stuff peels away the fat that clogs your arteries.


btw, last Friday I jumped back on the scales. 88.2 kg. That's a loss of 0.3 kg in 2 days.
The experiment continues....

Weight

Just back from my morning swim that I do after I drop Grace off at nursery. I remembered they had a pretty cool set of scales (interesting group term) so popped into check myself. I weigh 88.5 kilos. When I had the back problems back around Christmas time, I was 93 kilos when they checked me at the hospital. So, that's a great improvement and I'm still only at the start of this project.

Every day I take a scenic back road ride to Makro, a cash and carry type supermarket, and stock up on ingredients for the mean green juice. I am also very keen to keep costs to a complete minimum. Believe me, if I could juice the stuff I find growing in the jungle, I would. Alas Oi informed me that it is not edible, however I am pushing Oi, who has been a great support on this project, to start growing Kale in the garden. Damn it, what's the point in growing flowers when we can grow vegetables to juice? Actually the soil here is awful clay which is no good for anything, and Hat Yai is just an ever growing building site. Just on my ride into town I pass about 5 or 6 major construction sites. So sad. I am putting a plan together to move to Chum Pon next March and get back to Nature.

Lordy, I was idly reading Stephen Fry's tweets yesterday. Jeepers, talk about raging jealousy. Flying back to London from the tearful farewell party of the filming of The Hobbit. Then straight on to New York for something else. I don't envy the flying part though. Hoping he has some cool new shows to watch coming out soon. I liked his docu on words the other month.

Patrick is going stir crazy in his little flat in town. Tom is in the Phillipines. Don is back up North.

Grace is very happy and wants to go swimming every day. Actually last night, and for the first time, she was watching "Pingu" on Utube and was laughing at the show by herself. We both noticed. Oi is fine and things here have been very peaceful and calm.

I don't actually have a job at the moment, as I am refusing to go back to Thida next term and they haven't offered me anything else yet. It ain't that long to go (cripes!), so I hope to hear something soon, or else we could be moving to Chum Pon sooner than I thought.

Talking of Chum Pon, if and when we do get there we have a wonderful choice of both coasts to visit, as it lies at the thinnest point of the country. Koh Chang in Ranong on one side and Koh Phang Nang on the other. And some great mountains, lakes and jungle inbetween.

Gamewise, it's Stronghold Kingdoms and Wolrd of Tanks, both free online games and great fun.

Not much TV or movies. Game of Thrones season 2 remains unwatched, and a bit of a dry patch for movies.

Had a little Guinness and some King Robert II whiskey (290 baht for a litre!). Hot toddies at night and some blasting in my IS-3 Russian tank.

My Favourite Tank - The S-51

As readers may recognize, this is not strictly a tank, but an artillery piece. Virtually no armour means one hit and your out. Can pack a punch sometimes.

All in all, a rather disapointing tank this episode.

Music - Kathleen Edwards

It's not often an artist comes along with an album I want to get these days, I don't even follow Nanci Griffith anymore, but I always kept track of this lady. Kathleen Edwards. Just awesome. She's got a new one out.



AS previously mentioned I am strangely addicted to Kate Bush's Ariel, and I have even been listening to a bit of Ozric Tentacles, namely, Jurassic Shift.

The Mean Green

Here's todays Mean Green; kale, cucumber, parsley, celery, ginger, 4 limes. Packed with goodness, it's like a massive power up for the body. Drink it every day and you'll be bursting with life. It should be pointed out that this stuff can actually cure you of a ton of ailments. You can cure yourself with this stuff and feel great, just by drinking it.



Don

Home

Peace at Last

Don has gone home after a little longer than expected visit. It was fun, but we are relishing the house to ourselves again. Strange he didn't want to stay in Tom's free apartment in town, but I guess it was more comfortable at our place.

So now my holiday begins. Nothing on the agenda except relaxing at home, drinking juice, listening to music and tending my village.

Grace is back at nursery after 4 days off. It's fun, but a full time job keeping a little one amused. She is super sweet right now and her personality and astuteness reaching dangerous proportions. I noticed I have only said some words to her once and they've become part of her vocabulary. Spooky.

We bought a mini-swimming pool which is great and an excellent diversion for Gracie's attention. That can add to the things to wear her out, like riding her bike and visiting the old man across the road, or a visit to the shop to by some Ovaltine.

Game of Thrones is boring in season 2. The sets are smalls and scenes for of endless dialogue. It has left me colder that a Winter beyond the Wall.

I'm back listening to the radio (Radio 4 anyway) late at night. I can receive it on my Samsung Galaxy Mini (I believe its called) and the speaker is quite small, thus I can position the device on my pillow near my ear and listen to something quite inaudible elsewhere in the room.

Kate Bush's Ariel is quite brilliant. And her bush isn't bad either. Or wasn't some time ago.

Beyond the garden wall? A mad world, full of mad people doing mad things and not worth bothering about really. If you want to live peaceably.

Swimming Pool

Holidays

Don

Don is here for a visit as he travels around Thailand in the school holidays. He is very well and we are sharing our health issue ideas. Don had polio as a kid, and as a result, has to be very careful about his body. We have been juicing and eating lots of fruit and veg.

Of course, tied into this is the horror story of the corporations who promote processed foods and medicine and diminuish fresh food. Yes, it's all related, I'm afraid, with a population addicted to fast food and paying out huge monthly costs for prescribed medicines, which under a healthy diet are completely unnecessary. The story is just awful.

So along with everything else about getting away from the system that governs us all, food is a key player. ANd if you want to be smart, get away from anything packaged or processed, meat and dairy (as an adult). You don't need it and it ain't good for you.

More and more I am wanting to move up to Chumpon to Oi's family. It's a massive undertaking but one we should do. Hat Yai is looking like Bangkok more and more and with renewed bombings (very sucessfully belittled by the Press), it ain't no place to live, especially with a kid. Let's hope we make the jump soon.

Aftermath

Gracie has 4 days off school so we are trying to keep her amused. I took her swimming this morning and we went to a new restaurant near the house which is great.

Patrick came over last night with some Guinness which we drank and watched music vids on Utube.

We are busy juicing all the time now and this is going great guns. I'm practically vegan. A shame I have had a few beers this week, but that will probably stop now for a bit and let my body feel the benefits of all this goodness I am pumping into it.

Gracie Lately....

Juiced

Today I bought a juicer. At 6,500baht quite a good one at that. I am yet to try it as riding back to town to put something in it seemed to much of a drag. But tomorrow I shall find some stuff to juice. It should be fun and I hope to become a regular juicer.

Been listening to Kate Bush's Ariel album which is great and Tanita Tikaram as I revert back to every so often.

Private classes are winding down to give me a proper rest. It's been fun but I am glad for a space.

I'm almost a vegan. Oi is really on board with this and makes wonderful veggie soups and broths. The weight I falling off, I hope.

No dairy, no meat. Quite easy actually. Coffee is a little bit harder to kick, and of late, I keep hearing Jonathan Snowdon saying, "I always have a strong cup of coffee last thing at night." It sticks.

Game of Thrones season 2 has kicked off and it looked a bit forced, I thought.

Season 2 of Breaking Bad still waits to be watched.

Hours are spent tending my village in the onliner Stronghold Kingdoms (free) and great fun.

Pat is on a juice diet as we speak and is off the social calender for the duration.

Watched Paxman's Empire series which is terrific.

Been going to a local market that does juices and spuds (baked on the fire at home) which is lots of fun.