Will Bob lose weight?

August 30th.
Yes, rabbit. Wouldn't buy it, shoot it, trap it, wring its neck or cook it but I would possibly eat it with Salvo Montalbana if I went out for a meal with him and I expect it would taste nothing like the rather pale thing that I imagine is the usual way it is prepared in this country- or perhaps not. Anyway, I'd give it a try.
Decided against the lamb last night and was going to have it tonight but instead the lamb must be cooked tomorrow and beef has been the main meal last night and again tonight. Lots of plums, fresh figs and apples are partly responsible for the failure to lose any weight. It does feel as though its very healthy to eat a lot of fruit and I forgive myself as the season is really very short.
There is no interesting food in the Robert Crais story I'm reading (Stalking the Angel).His detective, a private eye called Elvis Cole is too busy trying to be cool, rippling his musles and making witty one liners to be bothered much with food and when he's in a hurry he orders 'pastrami on rye' from a deli. He eats a couple of Japanese meals but its all in the course of work rather than eating for the simple pleasure of eating. Still you know that he will get the villain, usually with major loss of life and blood spillage. He usually gets the girl too.
Good news about the allotment. Quite excited about it and can't wait to get started. The work preparing the ground might lead to some weight loss. It is after all a long way from the kitchen.
Perhaps I'll gain weight and produce some rippling muscles of my own . Watch out you villains! Will I get the gal too?

August 29th.
I am now hopeful that I will get an allotment in a diffrent part of town from Fairyland which should put a stop to the remarks from StanandTel. It seems that there is an unused plot next to the very well tended and productive allotment of my former barber who is one of a group of Italian (mostly Sicilian) gardeners who would like me to take over this particular plot. The advantages are numerous; firstly they have a lot of experience and expertise; secondly they have a lot of plants between them to share out; thirdly, they would keep an eye on the allotment when I'm not around; fourthly they will be able to interpret the Italian recipes in Leon, Camilleri etc. and will possibly teach me Italian; and finally they all speak English rather like Chico Marx. I don't know how much influence they have with the authorities but I'm keen to start as there is quite a lot of work to be done to prepare the ground. For those of you who think that this blog is a bit food orientated, you are absolutely right; the aim of the allotment is entirely towards better and more fruit and veg.
There was quite a lot more meals in Norwegian wood.Page 235- Umeboshe in rice balls. Nori. Page244- Croquettes wuth cream sauce, potato salad,shredded cabbage, boiled vegetables, rice and miso soup. Page 252- Cucumber wrapped in Nori with soy sauce. Page 268- Hors d'oeuvres, soup, sea bass. Page 306- rice and miso soup, pickled vegetables and fried eggs. Page 342- rice, pickles,grilled fish and tempura and teriyaki chicken. Page 376- Sukiyaki-beef, eggs, vegetables and tofu with rice. I should point out that I did read the rest as well and it was quite fun but not as good as I had thought at first. I am sufficiently encouraged to try more of him.
Rounding the Mark was littered with descriptions of wonderful meals of which I will mention a small selection. Salted octopus, pasta in squid ink, mixed grill of mullet, sea bass and gilthead was one of the more substantial meals that Montalbana consumes. Squid ink also appeared in a dish of spaghetti, followed by crispy calamaretti. Pasta also appears with fresh ricotta followed by whitebait. Rabbit alla Cacciota was another main dish and on another occasion he starts with Ditalina in a salted ricotta sauce with pecorino and black pepper and goes on to Costi 'mbriachi ( drunken pork ribs). I have no idea what some of these are but I bet I'd like them. Maybe the Sicilians will tell what these dishes are like.
Well, its weigh day tomorrow and I feel that I've gained weight simply by reading about food and thinking about growing it. I have also eaten quite a lot and the plums sadly are almost over, as are the runners. An allotment will allow me to stagger the bean crops and also to grow the climbing French bean which was so successful last year but hopeless this year. Soon the pears will be ready and they can be really sweet and juicy. Although I am full of plans to take more exercise, I haven't done anything since last week. One positive thing - or rather a negative- I haven't had a drink either. Tonight there will be roast lamb for a change. I remember once being served hot baby beetroot as a vegetable - wonderful. I might have beetroot with the lamb but the ones I have been given are hardly Babies. When I have an allotment , or rather if I get the allotment I want , I'm sure that with the Italian advice I shalll be able to grow baby beetroot to be used as a hot vegetable. The ones I have in my garden have lots of leaves but hardly anything underground.

August 25th.
A blog yesterday was forgotten because of the unexpected presence of TWO girls. Salami, apples, cheese and plums did little to reduce their appetite(or mine) so it was soon followed by generous portions of cold roast beef, ham, cabbage, potatoes cooked in their jackets and yogurts. The previous night we had eaten the beef hot with all the things predicted in the last blog.. Work all day prevented me from taking exercise so I will probably grit my teeth and my eyeballs for 38 lengths later.
Polenta sounds horrible though I expect it cant be too bad. I shall not go out of my way to find it but will probably try it if the occasion arises. It is probably not really permitted to me on the present self imposed diet/restrictions and while the restrictions continue I will also avoid potatoes which I love. I have had a few in the last two days. I think I have to blame women for this and indeed for many other things.
Norwegian Wood has surprised in several ways. Firstly I am enjoying it and finding it very easy to read. Secondly there is mention of food. The first meal I have encountered is on page 65 -mushroom omelette and green pea salad, whilst someone else eats macaroni and cheese. Not really very exciting stuff or very Japanese. The next meal was much more substantial and sounds very Japanese; an amazing assortment of fried,pickled, boiled and roasted dishes using eggs, mackerel, fresh greens, aubergine, mushrooms, radishes and sesame seeds, all cooked in the delicate Kyoto style. No recipes given but I expect you all know Kyoto style so you can imagine the meal yourself. I've only read a third of the book so far so there are bound to be more meals. In anticipation of finishing the book soon , I'm carrying around 'Rounding the Mark' the next inspector Montalbano mystery (I nearly wrote 'recipe') and I see on the first page on the fourth line mention of octopus a strasciasali and sardines a beccafico which he eats the day before the start. I think I'll have to get an Italian Recipe/Food book before tackling any more Italian Detectives.
A bank holiday weekend approaches. Its hard to imagine it will pass without some beer and some interesting food.

August 23rd.
I did write a long blog on the 21st but having merely touched the wrong key it disappeared permanently and there was nothing I could do to retrieve it. It was mainly about shouting at the tele which I think is an entirely healthy thing to do and also about my anger and frustation with the garage dealing with a fairly minor fault. After being releived of £307 and still angry about the lost blog, I was too dispirited to do anything sensible and went early to bed.
On Tuesday I swam 36 lengths without goggles and everything then seemed rather hazy for an hour. The fish I ate last night was much less interesting than it should have been at that price though of course the beans were lovely, as were the plums. Today was weigh day - one kilo lost even before a game of squash. Tonight the girl from Ibiza has arrived so there is roast beef , roast parsnips, roast potatoes, runners, strawberries and cream and plums. Will I weaken and have potatoes? Yes.
To get back to rage caused by inanimate objects apart from the rage that lots of people feel when their computers misbehave, I would nominate particularly Clothes hangers that get entangled when you try and hang out the wash, and wires that get entangled for no reason, particularly the wires for the ear pieces of an i-pod or portable CD player. Are queues inanimate because that's another thing that makes me disproportionately upset?
Through a Glass Darkly, Donna Leon's latest fairly short Brunetti story mentions in some detail at least four meals he ate as well as numerous drinks and confections. There is one meal consisting of Fried Artichoke, Pork Ribs and Polenta. What is polenta ?,I wonder. I have read about it many times but have no clear idea what it is or looks like. The Oxford Dictionary says it is maize flour 'as used in Italian cookery' so I'm not much wiser. In another meal Brunetti eats Spaghetti with vongole (which aren't in the dictionary) followed by Grilled rombo(?) and Potate bollite. The first meal in the story is lamb in balsamic vinegar with green beans (in Spring time?) followed by chocolate mousse and cream. He has a meal on his own consisting of lasagne filled with ham slices and artichoke hearts and then goes out for a cake and coffee, poor chap. Its a wonder he can move after all this food but its comforting to think he's human. I cannot imagine how you cook lamb in balsamic vinegar. Does anyone know the recipe?
I know the gastronomic detectives will be saying 'alimentary my dear Watson' but what are they collectively known as? We do of course already have the Food Police but they are really enforcers not detectives and they tell really bad jokes.
After Leon and Jacobson, I move on to Norwegian Wood. Its been recommended so often that I even bought a second copy recently forgetting the I had already had one. Will there be food? Will it be Japanese? You will be the first to hear- unless you know already.

August 20th.
StanandTel's point is well taken but without any reviews there would be no publicity for new work. Would Sun readers buy more modern novels if they had a book 'review' section each week? Actually they might have one for all I know but I never got beyond page three.
Were it not for the plug that Amazon gave to Manuel Vasquez Montalban I would never have read any of his books; nor would I have discovered Leonardo Padura. On the other hand I wouldn't have bought Gunter Ohnemus which was indifferent(The Russian Passenger). I have only read one of the two books by Niccolo Ammaniti praised by Michael Dibdin in the Grauniad and am yet to be as excited as he was. Having got through Kalooki Nights I am about to relax a bit more with the latest trip to Venice with Inspector Brunetti. I will be making a note of his meals as he is another member of the international detectives with a hearty appetite. Jokes, please on a postcard offering a name for this group. What has happened, I hear you cry, to Anna. Well, she has been shelved for a while as I'm not in the mood for her. What has happened too to the Graniud misprint department?
I did swim 32 lengths on Friday but I am not happy with the new goggles; I feel as though my left eyeball is being slowly sucked out of its socket. I think I am swimming a bit faster probably because I'm taking shorter breaks. I'll have to get a lot faster as the number of lengths increases or there wont be time in the day to finish. Since the last swim there has been far too much feasting and boozing to leave me with sufficient energy to swim again and virtually the only exercise I have had was to clear a tree blocking the narrow road on the way to to visit a potential allotment site. I have abandoned thoughts of that site- it seems to be in dense woodland with trees falling down in heavy rain. Unfortunately I was force fed a sea-food paella although I had planned to avoid rice which should be easy as I'm not really very fond of it anyway. But you have to be sociable . Will the Government try to stop us eating in groups in the same way they want to stop us buying rounds of drink?
The first picking of the spinach was a great success today. No great skill is required to grow spinach; you just put the seeds in the ground, water regularly and when they come up, pick and cook. The plums are really delicious and if you have a space where you can grow a small tree well worth growing your own. You just cannot buy plums in the usual shops and supermarkets as good as home grown plums eaten straight from the tree. You only need one tree if it is a Victoria as it is self fertile.

August 18th.
I didn't know I had any though I'm not entirely sure what it is. Cheese might have damaged it though I suspect the salami.
Isn't it odd how coincidences occur? Only the other day StanandTel were commenting on Drabble and her sister. Today Byatt gets a mention in the Grauniad championing a potential Booker winner called David Mitchell with comments about 'abundance of narrative structure' etc etc.. The usual drivel that has the immediate effect of putting me off rather than encouraging me to give him a chance and read his book.Drabble was in the same edition of the Graudian in which the lit. critics were given bad press cocerning their original praise for Colin Wilson. Perhaps they should be more cautious in dishing out their praise. I wonder whether the critics give good reviews because they expect the same in return when their own work appears? Or are they all pals together? Or are they simply no good. Unfortunately I do rely on them to some extent to discover writers that I wouldn't read otherwise though one of the ways I find new (to me) authors is by the process I call 'Amazon Buying'. When I order a book from Amazon- my main supplier these days; bookshops are almost redundant as far as I'm concerned- they often advertise a book of the same genre written by another author with the phrase 'people who bought such and such also purchased....' and sometimes I feel I'll give it a try and discover a rich seam.
A different girl turned up, not from Ibiza but from Liverpool, so I took no exercise at all.Today it is raining heavily so I predict I will get the pool to myself. Once I get there it isn't so bad though still rather boring. Its the thought of it from here, a nice warm room with a novel invitingly close that isn't so attractive. Perhaps I'll play squash instead- or even do both. I'm sure you will want to know. Don't worry, you will be told.

August 17th.
I have now got my name on two waitng lists for an allotment. I thought I would put Woody's name on the one I eventually get as it would upset me to think that my sudden death might leave a high productive allotment to a complete stranger or to be neglected. The most conveniently sited allotment is said to be in poor condition but worse, is surrounded by trees which is the problem I have at home. The secon site is in'Fairyland'! It amazes me that anyone would allow a part of the town to have such a name, but I don't care as long as they allocate an allotment to me. This is a good time of year to get an allocation as the year's rental runs from September to September and this is the time of year when people drop out. I am not sure how much one can plant at this time of year but it may need a lot of digging and weeding and preparing for next year. It would probably be worth getting raspberries in this autumn if a crop is to be had next year.
I definitely feel thinner today- clothes are looser, belly less bulgy, but I ate a huge amount of meat yesterday after squash.Alos some beans, an apple, cheese and a couple of yogurts. I may not restock the yogurts and the cheese when the present supply runs out. The return of a girl from Ibiza may necessitate some extra feasting soon and there is a plan for feasting and drinking tomorrow with colleagues from work. On Saturday there will be more in Cardiff I expect, so what are the chances of significant weight loss by next week? Slim is the word that springs to mind. The plums will be at their best in the next few days. There aren't enough raspberries to make an impact but what a treat they are! There will definitely be spinach this weekend. It looks as though I'll be doing 32 lengths later after work and I'll have to speed up, have fewer rests or I'll be there all night.

August 16th.
Sad to report no weight loss over the past week. Not really surprised when I think about it and consider all the meals but a bit disappointed considering all the exercise. The problem now is that the plums are almost perfect and I have no intention of denying myself the pleasure of eating them straight from the tree. Perhaps the cheese will have to go! That should stop StanandTel's worries.
My squash partner was delayed so after twenty minutes playing with myself yesterday, I gave up without breaking into a sweat. Later today I hope to get a game with Woody so I'm expecting to lose a few pounds. I cannot pretend that I look forward with pleasure at the thought of my next swim which will have to be 32 lengths, but I've bought the goggles.
Perhaps I should start cycling to work but the thought of arriving in an exhausted sweaty heap is not appealing.I had also negleced to mention that I had a few pints of bitter at the weekend. Again, I refuse to abandon my social life. I think that the tradition of drinking in rounds where all concerned take it turns to buy a round of drinks is an important part of being sociable and should be encouraged. I am suspicious of the solitary drinker.

August 15th.
The food police are notorious for their poor jokes. In this case I have missed the joke entirely. Was some part of it omitted to make it more difficult or is it genuinely funny and I just cannot see it?
I never read John Cowper Powys but perhaps I should at least try before dismissing him. I never read Margaret Drabble's books either but if StanandTel are to be trusted, maybe life is too short to bother to find out. Powys certainly was a bit odd.
I unexpecedly had to eat a second meal yesterday. After thirty lengths I ate ham and egg and cheese and a yogurt but later the arrival of a hungry son forced me to prepare another meal of beef carrots onions , leeks and baked potatoes and a peach and raspberries. Today, squash. Later, a modest meal. Tomorrow, weigh day.
Kalooki Nights for the Man Booker? It proves what I've always thought about literary prizes and further devalues this one.

August 14th.
I am not sure if StanandTel are/is really worried about the cheese consumption,but I'd like to reassure you that when my target weight is achieved I will be cutting back on the cheese and protein and re-introducing more carbohydrates.
I took no formal exercise on the 11th. but on the 12th. swam 28 lengths using a pair of loaned goggles which hurt my nose! I had found that after my previous swims my vision was a bit blurred for about an hour. I will puchase my own goggles when I get the chance. The swim certainly made me feel hungry and, like all sport, I feel good afterwards. There is also more than just a hint of feeling righteous. I wont go into details of the diet over the weekend but it included four of those jumbo sausages that are used for hot dogs, though of course I ate them without the bread rolls; with a couple of fried eggs actually.
A large portion of freshly picked runners with every main meal and lots of salad and beef and some rather interesting Italin Salami. When I have finished this report I shall be off to swim thirty lengths and do some gardening to finish some hedge cutting that was started yesterday.
I realise that there has been comment that there should be more snippets about my life. I feel that I have gradually inserted more comment about my life though for someone who doesn't know me, I should point out that I do go to work and do have a life beyond sport and food. Now that I come to think of it though, those two activities do play a major part in my life. Sport is both an acivity that takes up a considerable percentage of the day and also is an entertainment that I spend even more time watching. Even the gardening I do is orientated towards food production.(I forgot to mention that I ate the first of my plums yesterday). Most of the gardening seems to be just keeping things tidy- mowing the grass, cutting the hedges and sweeping the drive but as regular readers will know, I am planning to apply for an allotment as well.
I read in a review by Margaret Drabble that there was more tea consumed in the works of John Cowper Powys than anywhere else in English Literature. I wouldn't know about that, but although its not 'literature' perhaps I would like to offer John Harvey as a contender- especially the Ex Inspector Elder novels.
I am reading three books at the moment. The first is Kalooki Nights which I will struggle to read all the way through- its just too Jewish. Even the traditionally Jewish great writers such as Roth, Bellow, Heller, etc are never so pre-occupied with Jewishness as Jacobson. I think it would put off many potential readers. I am also reading the 'Natural History of Selborne' and a collection of interviews by Studs Terkel on the subject of death called 'Will the cicle be unbroken' which is of course background reading for my own major oeuvre. It is at times extremely moving as well as humorous.
So there you have it. Snippets about my life. It is of course a diary of my weght loss as well but I feel that those who wanted the private life should get in touch and tell me what they are up to- or post a comment.

August 11th.
Twenty six lengths in an almost empty pool on my way home to ham, runner beans,lettuce, cheese and two yogurts.
Television news of course dominated by commplete lack of facts but the usual wheeling out the boffins to speculate endlessly about what might have happened if it hadn't been for the vigilance etc etc.. 'Mass murder on an unprecedented scale', 'Our 9/11','Attack expected imminently'. Obviously maximum inconvenience all round , especially to those planning to fly on August 10th and the next few days. If they don't find evidence to support these claims this time, I won't be the only one to question the competence of the anti-terrorist squad and wonder whether the 'intelligence service ' is actually intelligent enough to cope- or to trust. I might offer my services to take charge of the whole business as long as I would not have to have dealings with the inexplicably unlikeable John Reid.
Another weekend beckons. I will not be flying anywhere. I might play squash later but after two thrashings this week Woody doesn't have much strength left for another and I'm not sure that I want to tackle 28 lengths today. However, as you will have noticed, more discipline has crept into my life lately, so maybe I should continue work on the unfinished and notorious book on dying. That would surprise a few of you!

August 10th.
After playing squash yesterday, I was treated to dinner at the Kingfisher in Crynant. One can't really go out and avoidmouth watering offerings, so after astarter of red mullet with prawns and other unrecognizable treats, I ate breast of duck served on red cabbage and a dark cherry sauce. Very delicious but why iws duck so often served with a sweet sauce? It seems to me that the natural flavour of many meats is lost by the addition of a sauce. If the meat is good enough, there is no need for a sauce. I know the foodies probably argue that a good sauce enhances the flavour but I maintain that they simply change the flavour and make a totally different dish. Washed down with a couple of pints of bitter and followed by a raspberry creme brule, I had anticipated a weight gain, especially as I had eaten cheese and ham before going out, but you will be relieved to hear that my weight is unchanged today.
I have been at work ALL day today and hear news of leaks from a gas pipe that is disrupting the traffic which will make it tiresome to leave for a while as I don't like queuing in traffic and it will be more difficult than usual to reach the pool. There will be no monsters in the pool as it dull and possibly even raining. I think the parents of the babies in the swimming lanes should have more consideration for people who not un-naturally want to go to a swimming pool to swim and keep their little horrors to one side. I pay plenty to belong to the club- more I am sure than the babies, if they pay at all. There is also talk of major terrorist plots to cause large scale murder by blowing up planes but with the history of the security forces shooting innocent Brazilians or Muslims, I shall only believe when I see the evidence. Where are the explosives first of all? Still, I would like to get home to watch the news and have a light diet of runner beans, cheese and ham. What happened to the salami? Did the Blog Monitor bin it?
On re-reading the blog to check for spelling mistakes, I wonder if there should be two e's in queuing.

August 9th.
Weight exactly the same as last week. Off to play squash now so I expect to be dehydrated by tonight when I go out for dinner. Will it be possible to dine out without breaking my own rather loose rules? We will see.

August 8th.
For some reason I have not had time to use the computer for the last few days. I have been occupied more than usual with work, exercise, sport and socialising. Weigh day is tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what effect these activities will have had. I feel that it is unlikely that there will be a loss of weight as I have consumed far too much beer and wine though the food intake has remained healthy though rather excessive. Guests meant that food I have been avoiding was available, particularly raspberries and strawberries.
Now swimming 24 lengths and it seems to take ages because of having to take frequent rest and take avoiding action. There are just too many babies with armbands bobbing about in the swimming lanes. The only way round this problem is to go swimming before work or perhaps late at night though of course it is much more pleasant to go in the afternoon sunshine.
There is a big crop of runner beans and it has reached a point now where it is difficult to keep eating them all before they get too big. This is a nice position to be in. If I had a bigger vegetable garden or an allotment it might be possible to grow a later crop to prolong the season. I must get on with my application. A good friend, squash opponent and bean enthusiast might share it with me. I suspect he envies my beans and thinks he will get a good share as a result of my know-
how in this matter but I feel it would be a lot of fun. Spinach from the garden will be ready soon, so you will be receiving futher boastful gardening reports before long.

August 4th.
Thank you for the recipes. M's pate was definitely the best. She should make strenuous efforts to hunt it down. How can you lose a mincer though? One minute it was on the table and the next moment it was gone? I haven't got any sort of mincer (or blender or mixer or mouli is that what they're called?) but the old fashioned mincer was my favourite. Maybe I'll go to one of those cooks toyshops and buy one or can you hire them for the day? Make stacks of pate and freeze and hire it again in a year or two.
I'm not sure about the cheesecake as it rather a sugary dish. I'm sure it can be made without the base which so often lets the whole thing down badly by being far too crumbly. Perhaps without the sugar it could be a savoury but then you wonder 'whats the point of this dish?). Earlier this evening ,on returning from work and hoping for test match highlights which I missed, I was lucky or unlucky enough to see one of those celebrity chefs talking about, and demonstrating, the use of rose petals. I'm afraid that this sort of pretentious arty farty cooking may be O.K for the Japanese or the residents of Islington , but it is not for red blooded old fat grumps like me and I gave him a piece of my mind. More and more as I get older, I'm shouting at the tele.
I never got the feeling that either Pepe Carvalho or Salvo Montalbana were slim; quite the opposite actually. Someone is reading Montalbano in Ibiza- does she mean Camilleri or Montalban? I plan to keep a note of fictional meals but so far Jacobson hasn't eaten a thing in Kalooki Nights.
After a hard midday game of squash in which the usual thrashing was handed out , I had a sneak preview of my weight yesterday on return to work; down by a whole kilogramme. I don't suppose it will last as I'm sure I was dehydrated. A huge plate of runner beans with ham and chorizo and garlic sausage was the main meal, with one peach, one yogurt and some cheese. I don't know why I say 'main' meal- it was the only meal. Tonight, after a long day at work with no time for sport, a hungry boy came to eat so while he ate one and a half baked potatoes, I had the remaining half with fresh runner beans and ham. One nectarine and probably a yogurt later. Tomorrow is Saturday and I have to work but I'll have a swim on the way home and will have a few beers tomorrow night. Will my weight be less next Wednesday? Any bets?

August 3rd.
I had the outdoor swimming pool almost to myself last night and probably swam about twenty lengths. Its possible I swam two more or even two less. Its really so boring that I lost count. The plan is to swim two more lengths each time I go swimming, so by the end of the year I will be swimming miles which will take all day and I'll have to give up work altogether and there won't be time to eat anyway. So perhaps I'll scrap that plan. I suspect that there are those of you out there that think my weight loss is rather slowing down and bearing in mind the diet that contains a lot of cheese and yogurts and fruit, that I will never achieve my target by the end of the year. I would like to remind you doubters that losing even only half a kilogramme each week until the end of the year,I will have exceeded my target and at that rate will weigh nothing within three years!
I finished the last salmon steak and the so called crevettes last night. One very cold nectarine which was stored in the wrong part of the fridge was more like an icecream or a sorbet but was quite intersting and tasty. Also some cheese and tomatoes and only one yogurt. Do not worry that Fatman is wasting away too quickly or is suffering any deficiency syndrome-I will survive.
I had meant to ask StanandTel why Chinese leaves were ideologically unsound so perhaps he or they could tell me. The use of yogurt may change of course when the weather get much cooler. I will almost certainly coat my skin with yogurt when I go swimming like those cross channel swimmers covered in layers of grease. Are they Francophiles, by the way, who can't afford the boat trip?
This is an addition to the blog I just had published, a sort of P.S. but I realize that it has to go out a second time. Can I alter the previous blog? Anyway you may be wondering about the choppy waters. O strong wind whipped up the outdoor pool with huge waves last night. Perhaps I would have swum further if weather conditions had been calmer.

August 3rd.
I had the outdoor swimming pool almost to myself last night and probably swam about twenty lengths. Its possible I swam two more or even two less. Its really so boring that I lost count. The plan is to swim two more lengths each time I go swimming, so by the end of the year I will be swimming miles which will take all day and I'll have to give up work altogether and there won't be time to eat anyway. So perhaps I'll scrap that plan. I suspect that there are those of you out there that think my weight loss is rather slowing down and bearing in mind the diet that contains a lot of cheese and yogurts and fruit, that I will never achieve my target by the end of the year. I would like to remind you doubters that losing even only half a kilogramme each week until the end of the year,I will have exceeded my target and at that rate will weigh nothing within three years!
I finished the last salmon steak and the so called crevettes last night. One very cold nectarine which was stored in the wrong part of the fridge was more like an icecream or a sorbet but was quite intersting and tasty. Also some cheese and tomatoes and only one yogurt. Do not worry that Fatman is wasting away too quickly or is suffering any deficiency syndrome-I will survive.
I had meant to ask StanandTel why Chinese leaves were ideologically unsound so perhaps he or they could tell me. The use of yogurt may change of course when the weather get much cooler. I will almost certainly coat my skin with yogurt when I go swimming like those cross channel swimmers covered in layers of grease. Are they Francophiles, by the way, who can't afford the boat trip?

August 2nd.
I think I am working too hard. All day yesterday and again today. No time for squash or swimming. Perhaps I'll go for a swim when I have finished this.
Yesterday I ate salmon steak cooked in foil in the oven with a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon with cabbage, avoiding the potatoes cooked for the others. I had thought that crevettes would be interesting but the most interesting thing about them was the price, about 56 pence each. How they can justify that price for something which is after all only a largeish prawn is a mystery. At the risk of upsetting StanandTel, I should say that this was not like the 'crevettes' of yesteryear eaten in France, which were very much larger and a lot cheaper. I confess to being very Francophile when it comes to food.
I have wondered about the cholesterol levels but haven't worried about it. Since I have given up bread and potatoes the cholesterol intake in the form of butter has dramatically dropped; no sandwiches, no chips, crisps, roast potatoes, or mashed potatoes to which I always used to add liberal amounts of butter.I agree that cheese intake has increased but probably no increase in the amount of meat consumed.
I forgot to mention that I also consumed two yogurts,one peach, some salad, and three crevettes without which, perhaps ,the weight loss would have been more impressive. 0.5 kilogramme only. At least its no worse. Its quite odd that I feel thinner so perhaps the fat has just moved somewhere else.

August 2nd.
I think I am working too hard. All day yesterday and again today. No time for squash or swimming. Perhaps I'll go for a swim when I have finished this.
Yesterday I ate salmon steak cooked in foil in the oven with a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon with cabbage, avoiding the potatoes cooked for the others. I had thought that crevettes would be interesting but the most interesting thing about them was the price, about 56 pence each. How they can justify that price for something which is after all only a largeish prawn is a mystery. At the risk of upsetting StanandTel, I should say that this was not like the 'crevettes' of yesteryear eaten in France, which were very much larger and a lot cheaper. I confess to being very Francophile when it comes to food.
I have wondered about the cholesterol levels but haven't worried about it. Since I have given up bread and potatoes the cholesterol intake in the form of butter has dramatically dropped; no sandwiches, no chips, crisps, roast potatoes, or mashed potatoes to which I always used to add liberal amounts of butter.I agree that cheese intake has increased but probably no increase in the amount of meat consumed.
I forgot to mention that I also consumed two yogurts,one peach, some salad, and three crevettes without which, perhaps ,the weight loss would have been more impressive. 0.5 kilogramme only. At least its no worse. Its quite odd that I feel thinner so perhaps the fat has just moved somewhere else.

August 1st.
I had missed the three earlier comments on my blog - apologies all round. I have identified The Food Police who unexpectedly pay you a visit if you fail to finish the food on your plate. StanandTel has (or have- are there two of them?) unusual gastronomic experience. I think if I had to eat bat I would prefer it roast. I could eat it with the remains of the ratatouille which I will need to finish soon or the Food Police will be coming round. There is no chance at the moment of consuming gone off icecream or anything else past its sell by date as the Blog Monitor has thrown everything iffy away--and a lot of other things as well.
I must call a halt to this as I feel you are not taking things seriously.
Squash yesterday. Lots of meat, salads, two eggs, four rashers, five pints. Help! I'll be wastinmg away. Oh! I forgot to mention the peach and two yogurts. Weigh day is tomorrow but I can tell you the trousers are definitely looser or perhaps they have stretched.
More letters in the Guardian concerning beans and tomatoes. There is no doubt that home grown beans are miles better than the ones you buy, and this year's crop is pretty good. They were watered every day during the recent heat wave and I suspect this the most important factor.