The Wanderer Returns!

Ola!!!

I have returned!

(If you even noticed I'd disappeared, that is.)

I've just got back from 6 gloriously sunny days in peaceful Alcudia, on the north of Majorca, and it was blissful.

A perfect interval of total downtime with my girls, Jo and Lissa - a time-out from life to R & R ourselves and catch up on each other. Since we go way back to age 11, it's a great partnership.

I have to confess that in all the relaxing, and the fully-inclusive nature of our holiday, my thoughts for tracking went somewhat out the window and I just had what I wanted, so I wasn't overly enthusiastic about getting on the scales this morning. I expected a good 4 or 5lb gain, because although I haven't been awful and I haven't been great either.

Bugger me backwards then that the scales showed not only no gain but what looked suspiciously like a loss. Especially compared to where I was on Sunday morning before I left! Back to 13st 2lbs and more than content with that!!

Just in case that was some kind of crazy fluke, I've jumped straight back on the tracking wagon this morning. The only thing I can think is that the work I put in just before I left tided me over, even though I didn't see it on the scales before I went, and that 5 days hasn't undone it. I guess I also drank considerably less than the girls too, only having a beer or sangria when I really wanted it, and defaulting back to diet coke in between. And although meals were big (2 courses for breakfast and usually 2 or 3 for lunch and dinner), there was a fair amount of fresh fruit, veg, grilled meat or fish, and soup. Maybe that offset the bits of cake or chips that snuck in. Anyhoo - I got off lightly!

This holiday was definitely the most body confident I've felt, despite not currently being at my lowest weight. I quite happily paraded round in my 3 bikinis, which as Lissa commented, seem to be getting more revealing over time. Ah well - I felt pretty good about myself - probably helped by the fact that our hotel was quiet and lacking in too many other people our age, being rowdy or flirty.

I think this recent upturn in confidence largely stems from my surfing. When you've spent all winter getting changed in and out of wetsuits and swimwear on the side of various windswept roads and bleak carparks, with only a towel to protect your modestly and only the most hardcore of surf boys and girls out there you start to forget your issues. I also think my rather liberated gym changing room is wearing off on me, where the women are friendly and just, practically and openly, get on with the business of getting ready for the gym or work whilst chatting away merrily. Finally, I think the circuits class as left me more at peace with my body. Not because I'm so much fitter or more sculpted, but because as an imperfect amongst so many honed and super fit bods, but never judged and always encouraged in friendly fashion, you learn to appreciate your body a bit more for what it can do, not what it can't.

Which is fine by me, when I'll proudly tote my virtual-bikini tan in there tomorrow.

In other news, nothing is really resolved with the boy - I still don't quite know where we stand or what he thinks, and as per usual my life is busy and his is chaos, so I guess it will or won't resolve itself at some point. When we have time.

In the meantime, I'm busy helping to plan my next holiday to the Loire and Paris in August, going to the theatre on Thursday to see Phantom of the Opera, and starting to think about the rather large housewarming we're hosting in two weekends time. Then there's surfing and biking to be slotted in, a christening in Cambridge next weekend with lots of my Malvern friends, ooooh, and some crazy deadlines at work!

Back to reality already!

- Posted from my iPhone