Day 112 - Oakville - 25th November We got the camera back today. It cost me nearly £100 to have it fixed. You really feel like dumping it and buying a new one. I have been without the camera for about 4 weeks now, as it unfortunately got pulled to the ground. It was sitting on a box when one of the boys pulled the hose out of the garage and in the process pulled the camera. These things do not bounce. I will post a picture of the tree at the end of the garden just to show it working again and show you what it looks like in the winter. We are doing well with our Mastercleanse detox diet (see Mastercleanse but only go there if you don't mind the gorry details). We both don't feel as bad as we thought we might. We have just finished the 4th day of no food! The biggest problem is the habit of eating. Hunger in itself is something that comes and goes quite quickly. Juggling at school has reached a plateau. I do not seem to be able to progress those who are unable to grasp it and the ones that have got it need a new challenge. This I guess is the skill of teaching. Keeping all the kids on line and engaged. Still it is such a blast seeing kids do something that you taught them. One of the girls (it's always girls isn't it?) is going to be better than me in the next few days. She can already do 100 throws without dropping them and is now learning tricks like under the legs and catching behind the back. It's just not fair. Julie has been preparing for the bake sale (another one) again and it's on tomorrow. They are concentrating on home baked bread this time and will be cooking up a load at school to sell. There are lots of arrangements being made for the next few weeks. There are tons of pre-Christmas and pre-end of term parties, events and functions going on. Some of which we are attending and others which we are helping at. Usual state of affairs but with a background of us leaving here on December 21st. Julie went to the osteopath again today and she walked out a new woman (again). I think she has ironed out all of the injury inflicted when she fell on the ice. This time the lady found a displaced rib and pushed it back into place (??!!). She said it was very painful but now feels heaps better. Funny thing about that ice skating incident. A friend I used to work with (Rosemary from Hugo Russell for those who know) was skating last weekend with a boyfriend. He fell over and broke his arm. Also another friend from home (Carole from church) was skating in London and saw a man fall over. He had to be taken away by stretcher as he was out cold. Take care folks; skating is a dangerous past time.

Heres's an excerpt from our Detox Blog. It's day 8:

Day 8 - Mastercleanse - 29th November Julie woke up this morning and immediately made us the laxative teas and lemonades! I thought it was over quite honestly. Although I would have been prepared to go on alone, it would have been difficult without her support. I knew we were going to be OK for the day when she told me not to forget to buy more lemons on the way home. We have now squeezed our way through 100 lemons. They recommend using the organic ones (well they would wouldn't they?) which cost £1 each over here, so perphaps the savings we made by not eating have already been used up? I woke up feeling on top of the world. Mentally bright, alert and sharp (that doesn't really sound like me in the morning does it?). Not felt like this since I can't remember. It's the sort of healthy buzzy feeling that I guess people who are really fit get after they've just completed a really good work out. I used to feel like this after I had done a couple of hours of karate and was in the pub afterwards having a pint and a fag. You know like you feel like you could do anything now. The day is ready to begin and I can handle anything you want to shove in my direction. The breakfast table discussions were very animated and full of deep insights and meaningful messages. Wow. About noon I had another run to the bathroom. Only the very smallest of movements now and not very pretty. As before (see yesterday). Yes, yes, yes, more, more cleaning, more, more detoxing. I want to be CLEAN. Actually I just want it to be over. But we survived again. Julie suffering more today than before. I think she is getting wearier. I am managing to sustain my energy levels but she is not. I do take serruptitious licks off the top of the maple syrup bottle when she is not looking but this is only to stop it dribbling down the bottle you understand. It is so messy if it does that. I think the extra syrup is helping me (?). My weight is down to 11 and half stone (about 163 pounds in local currency). This is the weight I was when I got married 13 years ago and what I had been for about 10 years previously. Since then I had put on a stone and was hovering around the 12 and half level. So I have lost just about 14 pounds in 8 days (actually it was day 7 when I last weighed myself). Some of the reasons for this may be that I have not had in that time: 24 slices of bacon (thin canadian stuff), 22 cups of coffee, 20 bottles of beer, 6 doughnuts, 12 bites of chocholate, 6 croissants (elevenses you know), guess about 2 packets of sweeties, 8 marshmallows and 14 slices of bread for my sandwiches at lunch time or any of the 24 square meals I might have had. I just went up to see what happened to Julie. She was putting Julian to bed and went up with him an hour ago. Julie was asleep and Julian was cuddled up to her reading a book. I woke her up but she said she was feeling pretty awful and needed to go to bed. This was at 9:00pm. I really think she won't make it through tomorrow. I will probably end tomorrow night too as we have weekend dining engagements that I would like to enjoy. Roll on, roll on please.