its winter

It's 6.09pm and it's dark.

Winter has arrived.

That means roast dinners, stews and root veges.

I'm not a fan of winter

but one thing I like about winter is the long conversations

that result from the earlier darkness.

That's means random, reminiscing, rambling conversations

and lots of laughter

about things like the best biscuits you remember.

I remember these biscuits that had cartoon faces cut out of them

and filled with white cream.

Oh they were so yummy and special.

That was back in the day when shop bought biscuits

were such a treat.

Or white bread with golden syrup that for some reason made the bread crispy.

Or golden syrup or honey on wheatbix halves.

Or cold milk and too much milo.

Or pink waffer biscuits, cameo cremes, the old toffee pops.

Why is it that food remembered tastes so wonderful

and flavoursome?

I remember a chicken meal at the Brisbane, QLD Hilton

that melted in my mouth.

Then the silkiness of chicken livers sauteed in chili peppers and whiskey

every Thursday night in Los Gatos, CA.

Or the fresh, tanginess of a beef salad in Feilding, NZ.

And the refreshing, coolness of lime sorbet at the Octagon in Christchurch.

A while ago I mentioned that I had started a diet.

I've kept going and have slowly lost 15kgs (33lbs)

mostly from taking sugar and processed food out of my diet.

I started following the Dukan diet but that wasn't sustainable

so I kept trucking along without processed food

though struggled wtih NO chocolate.

Then I got onto the Cohen Clinic diet and that has made all the difference.

It's all fresh veges, a little meat and some fruit.

My stomach has shrunk and a fist size of food is more than enough.

That and reading David Gillespie's Big Fat Lies book.

Gillespie's thing is that sugar is poison

and I'm inclined to believe him.

Chocolate now goes straight through me.

It's tastes super sweet and tacky.

I dream of chocolate but know that it won't taste like I want it to.

When I have had chocolate I have been ill.

Just ill.

Sick to my stomach.

Crampy and sore.

I think I learn my lesson but in my humanness,

I struggle.

I'll get there.