Great Sampford, Thaxted, Great Easton, Great Dunmow

Our Diets are going well I think, Pat seems to do better at keeping within his calories per day where as I struggle.  I try to eat around 1200 Kcals per day but often go over that because I find I start to get bad tempered at work and normally snack on fruit and veg and now have some weight watchers hot chocolate at work to drink when I feel stressed at work or tired.  I am certainly loosing weight and at a nice slow rate and feel better for it.  Pat and I have been enjoying weekend walks around Essex and have slowly been building up in distance as we go along.  We are following a book called Footpaths for Fitness - Essex by Laurie Page.  It is a book of walks that start at around 1 and a half miles and mostly easy flat walks and getting more and more difficult as they go along.  We are now doing around 3 miles with some hills in.  Pat is doing a great job of doing the navigating while walking.

The most interesting route we have taken to our walks is from Bretwood through Ongar, Great Roding, Great Dunmow, Thaxted, Great Easton, and Great Sampford.

Thaxted reminded me of a time William Shakespeare would have lived in.



Just behind the Thaxted Town hall which is the white building, there is a house for sale called the Dick Turpin's cottage and looks like a very interesting place to live.

Just after Thaxted is Great Eastern where there was a Rolls Royce Dealership with a beautiful a wooden frontage.



I can't afford to Rolls Royce but the window shopping was pleasant.



Yesterdays walk in Great Sampford was the most interesting since it took us through woods, cottages, fields with hourses in, churches and up hills.  The rain managed to hold off long enough for us to finish our walk and have a drink in the local pub before heading home.

It is lovely to discover Essex after living here for 3 years.

Casper Gizmo and Pris

Wow I can't belive that the last time I posted was in November last year and about the time we got Casper and Gizmo.

They are well and truely settled in and now have a little sister called Pris which we got from a friend of a friend.

See below some photos of how they are settling in :-).

This is Gizmo from a few weeks ago.  I took a photo of him on the bed with my iphone and the flash went off and this is the effect I got. 



This was when Pris arrived in our family.

And this is Pris now.  :-)

She has really settled in and looks relaxed.

Gizmo here was hiding under the flowers that we vowed never to have in the house again when we found out they are poisen to cats.



More Gizmo and Castper photos :-)



Casper and Gizmo looked through the glass door at the mysterious new visitor in the house Pris.  You can see Gizmo hissing behind the glass.



Pris Sits on my pillow.  She is in a I won't be moved mood even though I need the pillow to sleep on lol.



Casper and Gizmo sleeping with their new friend who they saved from the Claw.



Fish for the three wonderful cats.



They sit in cat nip heaven not sure what to play with first.  :-)



They pray to the god of Cheese on the kitchen counter in the hope the god will offer them some cheese in reward for their preyers.



Pris hangs out with the Japanese books trying to learn the language by being near the books.

No more photos of cats for a while.  I promise.