Month: October 2026

Beefeaters, Boats and a Brilliant Few Days Away

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Maintenance, Mounjaro, Travel, Travel & Holidays, Weightloss Medication, YouTube

We’ve had a lovely week, with lots of socialising!

After seeing Leo Sayer and having a late night last weekend, we were grateful for a nice, quiet Sunday before heading to London on Monday to spend two nights and three days with our friend Mary.

We took a different route to London than I’ve taken before. Instead of taking the usual 25-minute train from Reading to Paddington, we travelled from Reading to Waterloo, which takes around an hour and a half. The longer journey is because the train stops at about 24 stations. However, it was a very pleasant journey. The train was spacious, very accessible and, best of all, there were hardly any other passengers. Perfect! At Waterloo, it was a 15-minute walk to our hotel on the Embankment, where Mary was waiting patiently for us.

As the weather was looking good, we decided to make the most of it and visit the Tower of London, somewhere none of us had been for around 30 years. We made enquiries about the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses, one of which stopped right outside our hotel. Would it accommodate two powered wheelchairs? The answer was yes. So off we went, enjoying a tour of London with a recorded commentary explaining the landmarks we passed. It was a lovely way to travel, and it was interesting to hear about the buildings and places we passed.

At the Tower, we stopped for coffee and something to eat before going inside.

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We spent a good couple of hours exploring, watching the squirrels and the famous Tower ravens, and generally taking in the atmosphere of this extraordinary place.

Of course, we couldn’t visit without seeing the Crown Jewels. We made our way into the rather gloomy Jewel House, where the magnificent collection was on display. They really were incredible.

Back outside, we chatted with a Beefeater and other staff members before heading back to catch the sightseeing bus to our hotel.

By then, the sun was setting, the temperature had dropped considerably, and it was getting dark. We’d certainly made the most of our first day.

Unfortunately, the following morning brought a complete change in the weather. It was raining, grey and thoroughly miserable.

Undeterred, after a good breakfast, we set off on what turned out to be something of a nightmare journey to Greenwich Park.

None of us had been there before, and we particularly wanted to see the Royal Observatory and the famous Greenwich Meridian Line, from which Greenwich Mean Time takes its name.

Our journey involved travelling part of the way on the Jubilee Line, which was absolutely horrendous! It was noisy, extremely crowded and not an experience I’d be in any hurry to repeat. Thankfully, we only had to endure a few stops before getting off and transferring to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which was much more comfortable and enjoyable.

View from the Observatory

We changed trains twice, travelling on three different DLR trains before finally arriving in Greenwich. From there, it was another 20-minute walk up into the park. By then, the rain had really set in, and everything looked grim and dismal. We decided a cup of coffee in the park café was in order before taking a few photographs and admitting defeat. Rather than stay longer and get cold and wet, we headed back towards the centre of Greenwich and took refuge in the indoor market.

Our return journey, however, turned out to be a revelation. We discovered something called an Uber Boat, which I’d never seen or even heard of before. It was an absolutely brilliant way to travel, especially for wheelchair users.

Instead of battling our way back through the Underground and changing trains, we enjoyed a wonderfully straightforward, accessible journey along the River Thames from Greenwich to Westminster.

What a difference.

By the time we arrived back at the hotel, we were all thoroughly exhausted. Poor Mary was also suffering from a nasty cough and cold, which certainly hadn’t helped matters. We sent poor Mary off to bed early to nurse her cold, while Mike and I enjoyed a lovely meal out. We weren’t exactly party animals, though. We were both fast asleep before 9 pm!

On our final day in the capital, following another good breakfast, we crossed the Golden Jubilee Bridge towards Charing Cross. The wind was blowing a gale, and it was raining again!

I’d packed plenty of warm clothes but, unbelievably, nothing waterproof. In London. In October! So we bought a couple of disposable ponchos, which conveniently covered both us and our wheelchairs. Very fetching.

We continued to Covent Garden for a wander around the market and a coffee before heading to the Cambridge Theatre for the matinee performance of Matilda the Musical. What I hadn’t considered was that a midweek matinee of Matilda would be packed with schoolchildren. They were generally well-behaved, but there was inevitably plenty of fidgeting and sweet-packet rustling, making it hard to hear at times. Nevertheless, the performance was fantastic, particularly the incredibly talented young cast.

Afterwards, we collected our bags from the hotel and made our way back to Waterloo for the train to Reading, followed by a bus home. We finally arrived around 8.30 pm, thoroughly exhausted and very pleased to be back in a warm, dry environment.

Since then, I’ve been recovering, catching up on laundry and getting back into my usual routine.

And what about my weight?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I’d actually lost a little weight during our London adventure.

I’d certainly eaten more than usual and moved considerably less, spending most of the three days in my powered wheelchair. However, I think sticking to a substantial breakfast and a sensible evening meal, without snacking in between, helped.

Proof that I can still enjoy eating out and going away without undoing all my hard work.

This week’s weigh-in

Weight this week: 55.75 kg (8 stone 11 lbs)
Weight last week: 55.25 kg (8 stone 9 lbs)

Weekly loss: 0.5 kg (1 lb 1.6 oz)

100% – 8 months, 13 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8 st 7 lb – 8 st 13 lbs)

And finally…

I’ve uploaded a new YouTube video sharing some of our London adventures, along with an update on my Mounjaro maintenance journey.

Why not pop over to my channel and take a look?

A Kiss from Leo Sayer? Well, That Was Unexpected!

flidfit Disability, Eating Out, Emotional well being, Maintenance, Mounjaro, Weightloss Medication

Well, it’s certainly been a busy week!

The week began with another changeover of Mum’s live-in carers, which involved not only organising everything behind the scenes but also providing a taxi service to transport the outgoing and incoming carers to and from the railway station.

My sister Yvette also came over for a day to work for me, and we (well, she…) got an incredible amount done! We tackled the garage, sorted through things, rearranged everything, and generally had a good clear-out. By the end of the day, we’d taken two carloads of unwanted items to the recycling centre. Very satisfying indeed!

One evening last week, we were out with friends for a fundraising quiz night at a brewery.  We didn’t score particularly well, but it was great fun, and it was lovely catching up with our friends.

Then came the highlight of the week!

My friend Mary is visiting from Melbourne, Australia, before travelling on to the Netherlands. We spent the day together, giving her a tour of Reading. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful, with glorious sunshine, although it was bitterly cold.


Later that evening, we headed off to The Anvil in Basingstoke to see Leo Sayer in concert.

Now, Mary is a HUGE Leo Sayer fan. She’s seen him perform numerous times in Australia and has even met him on several occasions. When she found out he was touring the UK while she was here, she told me we simply HAD to get tickets. So, being the dutiful friend that I am, I managed to get some!

I must admit, I went with few expectations. I mean, Leo Sayer’s music is a bit like ABBA’s, isn’t it? Pleasant enough, inoffensive, and you know most of the songs.

Well, how wrong could I have been?

He was incredible!

At 78, Leo Sayer still has an extraordinary voice, bags of energy, and a wonderful ability to engage his audience. He gave the performance absolutely everything, and by the end, the whole theatre was on its feet.

He completely blew my expectations out of the water!

Afterwards, Mary was determined to wait at the stage door to meet him. Having done this several times before, she knew the drill.

Now, I was happy to go along with this plan, except for one small problem.

It was FREEZING!

About 30 people were waiting when we first arrived. An hour later, the queue had dwindled to around 15, and there we were, still at the back…

But it was absolutely worth the wait.

Leo was such a lovely man. He took time to speak to everyone, showed a genuine interest in what we had to say and didn’t make anyone feel rushed.

And I even got a kiss from him! Although, rather unexpectedly, it landed on my lips… I’m still not entirely sure how that happened. I think we both turned our heads in the wrong direction at the exact same moment! Anyway, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

And what about my weight?

Considering how busy the week has been, I think I’ve done reasonably well.

The pub quiz was in a brewery and involved approximately two pints of beer, one of which was rather strong! Interestingly, I didn’t feel particularly affected by the alcohol at the time, but when Friday morning arrived, I felt decidedly hungover. I rarely drink alcohol these days, so when I do, the effects can be quite startling. Clearly, my tolerance isn’t what it used to be, I was extremely grateful I had a quiet day planned the following day and didn’t need to go anywhere!

As for my Mounjaro, I think I’ve finally found the right balance.

I’m now taking 7.5 mg every seven days, and at long last I’m experiencing some decent appetite suppression. It took quite a bit of experimenting to get here, but I’m pleased with how things are going, and I intend to stick with this schedule for now.

This week’s weigh-in

Weight this week: 55.25 kg (8 stone 9 lbs)
Weight last week: 55.35 kg (8 stone 9 lbs)

Weekly loss: 0.10 kg (3½ ozs)

100% – 8 months, 6 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

All in all, a productive, sociable, and thoroughly enjoyable week, and there’s more to come! We’re off to London tomorrow to meet up with Mary again to make more happy memories together.

And I certainly didn’t expect to finish it having been kissed by Leo Sayer! 😂

An Expensive Search for a Good Night’s Sleep

flidfit Maintenance, Mounjaro, Pain, Travel, Weightloss Medication

Another quiet week. Again, I still don’t feel 100%. Whatever this virus is, I continue to feel exhausted with even minimal exertion. But life goes on. The good thing is that I’ve been sleeping well at night.

Speaking of sleeping well, on Monday, after my visit to Sweden, where I slept in possibly the most comfortable bed ever, we went off in search of a new bed.

I dread to think how much I’ve spent on beds and mattresses over the past ten or fifteen years. Let’s just say there have been quite a few changes! It’s all been about trying to find something that leaves me pain-free at night. I routinely get pain in my left hip, but lying on my right side isn’t particularly comfortable either, so I often end up taking some sort of painkiller in the middle of the night just to get me through.

However, the bed in Sweden was so comfortable that when I got home, I started doing a lot of research into why. One thing I discovered, which I’d never really thought about before, is that a lighter person generally needs a softer mattress. Which, when you think about it, makes absolute sense. At my weight, the recommendation seems to be for a soft mattress.

Apparently, there is also a cultural preference here in the UK for believing a firmer mattress is better for you. Whilst I wouldn’t describe our current mattress as particularly firm, it is firmer than the one I’d been sleeping on in Sweden – and that had given me some wonderfully comfortable nights.

We chose a very exclusive bed shop, rather than your typical high-street store, so I wasn’t expecting this to be a cheap purchase!

There were also a few practical things to consider. The bed height is particularly important when you’re only four foot eight, and almost as soon as we walked into the shop, I could see that might be a problem. We stopped beside what was probably the lowest bed in the entire shop and started chatting to the manager about what I needed—and what Mike needed too, because he prefers a firmer mattress and hadn’t found the beds in Sweden nearly as comfortable as I had.

As luck would have it, the bed we’d stopped beside—the one low enough for me to get on and off—had a mattress that could be made with different firmness levels on each side. One side was soft and the other medium. Better still, the soft side was on the side of the bed I normally sleep on.

On we hopped.

And I have to say, it was very, very comfortable. In fact, I kept chatting about my requirements while lying there, happily enjoying the luxury!

Then we moved on to the slightly less comfortable subject of price.

Naturally, I’d been careful to give the manager a ceiling budget considerably lower than what I might have been prepared to spend.

He then explained that the mattress I’d just been luxuriating on – without the bed – already cost more than my entire stated budget.

Oops.

He moved a few mattresses around and had me try an alternative that was more comfortable than the mattress we have at home, but nowhere near the comfort I’d just been enjoying on the very expensive one.

Hey ho.

He said he’d go away, crunch a few numbers and see what sort of deal he could come up with for us.

I suspect my carefully understated ceiling budget may be in some danger!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I ended up buying the very expensive mattress—and the base it was sitting on!

The important thing about this base wasn’t just its height, though that obviously mattered to me. It was also a sprung base rather than a solid one, so effectively there’s another layer of cushioning underneath the mattress, adding to the overall comfort.

The new bed should arrive in about three weeks, and then we’ll find out whether it gives me the luxurious, pain-free night’s sleep I’m so longing for.

It certainly should do for the price I paid!

Thankfully, I can exchange the mattress if I’m not entirely happy with it within the first 100 days after delivery. So I’ll have plenty of time to decide whether all that luxury was really worth the money.

I’m keeping everything crossed that it is!

And that was about the extent of this week’s excitement!

Oh, apart from Sam returning to work after having two weeks off. It was really lovely to have her back, and we both admitted how much we’d missed each other. Normal service has resumed!

So, on to Mounjaro and my weight.

I’m still taking 7.5 mg of Mounjaro every seven days and, to be honest, I am beginning to notice some appetite suppression. Weirdly, though, unlike the last time I was taking Mounjaro, my chocolate cravings don’t seem to have disappeared – which is rather disappointing!

I’ll just have to resort to the tried-and-tested method of keeping it out of the house. If it’s not there, I can’t eat it!

So, my weight update for this week is as follows:

Weight this week: 55.35 kg (8 stone 9 lbs)
Weight last week: 55.50 kg (8 stone 9¼ lbs)
Weekly loss: 0.15 kg (⅓ lb)

100% – 7 months, 30 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)

The Great House Clear-Out, From House Clearing to Hibernating

flidfit Disability, Maintenance, Mounjaro, Weightloss Medication

How’s this week been? Well, I can safely say that my week has been very, very quiet – and that was very welcome!

Last weekend, I helped my sister and brother-in-law empty a house they’d been renting out locally. Their tenant had moved out after almost 20 years and, although he’d left the place in good condition, he’d also left it full of things. We had just two days to get the house completely empty and dispose of everything.

At the start of Saturday, my sister admitted that she really didn’t think we were going to manage it. She’s still recovering from knee replacement surgery; I have a disability which impacts my ability to do much lifting and carrying, and there was no way my brother-in-law could do all the lifting and shifting on his own.

But this organiser was on the case!

I started by searching a local neighbourhood site for an extra pair of hands, while also booking several trips to our recycling centre over the weekend. Since Covid, visits have had to be pre-booked into timed slots. It serves a very large area and is extremely well run, but when you’re trying to empty an entire house in two days, it does require a certain amount of military planning!

The first person who responded to my plea for help turned out to be brilliant. We were, of course, offering him a decent hourly rate, but he certainly proved his worth.

This man was like a machine.

He was practical, didn’t hang about, came up with lots of useful suggestions and, most importantly, accompanied me on all six of my tip runs over the weekend. He loaded my car, then unloaded everything single-handedly at the recycling centre, taking enormous care throughout to make sure my car didn’t get damaged.

He was reliable, punctual and just didn’t stop. A human machine really is the only way to describe him!

Since then, I’ve left him a glowing review on the neighbourhood site and apparently, he’s been inundated with more offers of work. I’m delighted for him because it’s entirely down to his own hard work and reliability.

I could perhaps have done without quite such an energetic weekend, though. Ever since we got back from Sweden, I’ve been trying to shake off a cough and cold which has aggravated my breathing. When I weighed four and a half stone more than I do now, asthma was a regular feature of my life. Since losing the weight, it rarely bothers me, but a cough or cold can still trigger it, and that’s when I need to start using my inhaler again.

This bug has also left me feeling completely exhausted and drained, so two days of house clearing probably wasn’t ideal. But hey ho – we got the job done!

The wonderful Sam has been on holiday herself for the past fortnight, which has helped because it has given me an excuse to take things easy. She’s back next week, so my week will be “back to normal”.

In fact, my only organised activity this week was giving a talk on behalf of the charity I’m a trustee for. The charity supports volunteering in Reading, as well as the voluntary sector more generally, providing training, advice and support and helping organisations find volunteers.  The event was the annual “Older Persons’ Day” and was hosted within a local shopping centre.

My talk was all about my experience of volunteering. Unfortunately, my slot coincided with a choir performing elsewhere, so my audience was just four people! Nevertheless, the talk went down well, and I really didn’t mind popping into town to do something that required very little effort from me.

And, after last weekend, “very little effort” was exactly what I needed!

As for my weight, although I’ve continued to log everything I eat, I’ve struggled a bit this week with staying within my calorie allowance. There’s no reason for it and, if I’m honest, no real excuse either! I’ve simply eaten more than I intended to on several days.

The logging is still happening, though, which is important. I can see exactly where I’ve gone over rather than kidding myself that I haven’t. And, despite all that, I’ve actually managed a small loss this week – so I’ll certainly take that!

Weight this week: 55.50 kg (8 stone 9¼ lbs)
Weight last week: 55.65 kg (8 stone 10½ lbs)
Weekly loss: 0.15 kg (⅓ lb)

So, no excuses – I just need to rein things back in again.

100% – 201 days in weight maintenance range (54 – 57kg or 8st 7lb – 8st 13lbs)