Onion Budgie

Update on my blood pressure palaver: I did get one of those home monitor devices, and have been using it every few days. I've also been continuing with my increased potassium intake. Previously, I was only getting ~60% of my RDA, whereas this past week or so I've been choffing down bananas, avocados and coconut water, etc, to get me to the full daily 100%. Today, for the first time, my blood pressure lowered into the high-normal range (138), so I think I'm heading in the right direction. If I've cracked this, I'll be over the moon. Onward we go! *tooting of trumpets*

Finally finished Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls. I found the last third of the book to be too repetitive, and skimmed a good deal of it. 3 out of 5. Just now getting started on Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie. A little bit of banter, and a whole lotta whisky. What's not to like.

Welcome to the forum, Matt!

Numbers by Soft Cell is about the book of the same name by John Rechy.

Led Zeppelin referenced Tolkien in a few of their songs, Ramble On most particularly, which mentions Mordor and Gollum, and a long journey: And then there's Kate Bush with her Wuthering Heights. Everyone knows that one.

The new series of Robot Wars started last Sunday, so I watched that. It was great. I also caught one episode of Inside No. 9 (the one about the Sphinx), and quite enjoyed it. I barely watch TV, so when something good comes on I tend to miss it altogether and find out about it six months later!

That's great news, frankie!

Lentil & veggie bolognese, with spaghetti and a side of broccoli. The leftover batch of sauce will go towards making a delicious cottage pie on Sunday.

Hi Taylor, welcome to the forum! Looking forward to discussing books and authors with you.

Could you be thinking of the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell?

The most up to date I am with Nintendo is their DS Lite. I'm a fossil. I've been all about PC gaming lately, replaying some old point & click adventures: Secret Files: Tunguska, and its sequel, Puritas Cordis. The voice acting is tragic, but the puzzles are great, and the graphics are pretty good for games that are over 10 yrs old. My PS3 bit the dust months ago, and I'm sad about that, as it means I can't play Journey anymore. Repairing it would be expensive, and I can't really afford to upgrade to a PS4 right now, so I'm stuck. I miss gambolling around the sands and meeting up with other players!

Grey skies, rain, and high winds. Looking on the bright side, that's perfect book-reading weather!

Specs direct from the optician are always priced outrageously. Have you tried comparing them online? You can save yourself a fortune that way. I always use selectspecs.com for mine. I had an eye test myself earlier this week, funnily enough. Luckily my prescription hasn't changed all that much, so I don't need new specs this time around.

The rest of the veggie chilli, with a buttery baked potato, and some broccoli.

It's trying to be sunny, but there are heavy dark clouds overhead.

Still reading The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls. The two chapters in the middle about the Aztecs and the Mayans were interesting but heavy-going, and far too long.

That's a really good idea. I haven't been feeling consciously nervous about the testing, but I wouldn't put anything past my sub-conscious! If I had a testing unit at home, I could also keep a closer track of what's working and what isn't. Thanks, poppy!

Thanks! Yes, I'm being careful and logging my intake of everything on Cronometer.

Thanks, shirley. It certainly is. I hope the potassium does the trick.

Veggie chilli, with wild/white rice and a side of steamed kale & broccoli. Yum.

Rainy and cold here too, on the east coast. I rather enjoy walking in the rain, though, which is just as well, seeing how I got caught in a downpour...

Good going, everyone who's managing to successfully lose weight! I just got back from seeing the nurse at the doctor's office about my blood pressure. It's STILL a little high, even though I've cut down even further on salt and alcohol this past month. This is so aggravating! I have to go back again in two weeks. The nurse didn't seem to have much idea as to what other dietary measures I could try, so I've had to Google again. Apparently a diet rich in potassium can help to lower blood pressure, so I'm just about to add a ton of bananas and avocados to my shopping basket. Oh man. I can't see where else I'm going wrong, but I'm determined not to go on medication for this STOOPID condition.

Thanks! That's good to know.

Warm and sunny. I just walked to the postbox to post a letter, and didn't bother wearing a coat!

I haven't had a slump in a long while either, but if I did, I think I'd head straight for Agatha Christie and one of the Poirot novels that I haven't yet read. I have a whole stack of them!