June 2011

I’ve lost nearly 1.5 stones in the last 4 months, since we’ve been on the road. This is due to a combination of eating healthily and lots of exercise.

The healthy eating is the result of something that I still find a bit strange. Paul McKenna. Paul McKenna is best known for being a hypnotist, on UK television. He’s very impressive, but his TV appearances seem a bit old fashioned.
However, it seems Paul has been making books, telling people how to achieve certain things, for some time. His best sellers is “I Can Make You Thin”.
I’ve seen this book in the window of the book store. I was very dubious of it, despite it being in the window, which I should have taken as a sign of its success.

Paul’s system works by highlighting how most of us eat when we’re not hungry, and we often clear our plate, even if we’re full midway through the meal. All of these things results in us consuming extra calories, which is where weight gain comes from.

Instead now, Abs and I, eat smaller meals, often leave some, stop when we’re full, and only eat when we’re hungry. We buy fewer groceries, often have a tiny evening meal, and we’ve lost a good deal of weight.

It’s a great system, based on simple proper eating. No magic involved. It does come with a CD, which Abs finds makes here feel good. I listen to the CD sometimes.

The exercise is mainly coming from cycling. We do at least 4 miles most days. Sometimes 10 miles, and yesterday 20 miles.

We also do a lot of walking.

I get to surf sometimes. A few times this week, but not much before as we’ve been on the Mediterranean coast.

“Every time I go into that shop they annoy me”

That’s the phrase I overhead a neighbour at the campsite here in France say this morning.

I’m a little confused. The shop is lovely. It sells lovely French things, in the French way. There is almost always fresh baguettes available to buy. In the morning there are piles of fresh croissants and pastries to buy. The staff are always bubbly, friendly and lovely.

Every time I go into this shop I feel great. I find it hard to imagine how it would’t lift ones sprits.

So why is this man annoyed when he goes in? I don’t know. But by studying him occasionally over the past few days, it’s clear he is a man with a cloudy outlook on life. He seems frustrated and annoyed by most things.

Life is too short to get upset by everything. Life is too short to not be doing what you really want to do.

McDonalds (the fast food chain) has become an important part of my life. As they offer free WiFi, which is a solution to my internet access problem.

I’ve never really liked McDonalds food. I grew up in Cornwall in England, and I can’t remember the first time I saw a McDonalds, or ate at one. But it was in my late teens or early twenties.

Until a few years ago I would never normally eat there, maybe a McFlurry a few times a year. Almost never a burger.

Then, a few years ago whilst traveling in Southeast Asia I started to eat at McDonalds more. Every so often I would find myself in a big city, like Kuala Lumpur, and the only local restaurants I could find weren’t appealing, so I would have a McDonalds. To be honest I always seem to prefer a Burger King or even a KFC, but occasionally McDonalds will do.

I don’t particular like their food, and I don’t like their business practice (e.g. appealing to kids, whose parents can’t say no), but I don’t hate them. Business is business, kids are kids, and parents should be parents.

On the last few months of this trip I have been using my iPhone as a 3G modem to get internet access on the go. It’s been great whilst in places like Portugal and Spain, where finding a cafe with WiFi can be difficult.

But now we’re France, and 3G access via a phone costs a lot of money. Finding Wifi enabled cafes and campsites is easier in France, and generally easier and cheaper than the cost and hassle of 3G via the French phone providers.

Now enter McDonalds. Almost every McDonalds, worldwide, has free WiFi. So all one needs to do is to buy something, anything (a coffee is about €1.50) and enjoy the wifi. Some of their restaurants (their word, not mine) have unsecured Wifi that reaches a long way, perhaps into the car park. So some people might sit in their vehicles and access the WiFi without even paying. I don’t recommend this as it might be illegal. But I don’t think their business will suffer financially for it.

Still, nothing beets having great WiFi in a great campsite. We’ve just spent 2 weeks at Camping Sitges, and had just that. So we’re missing it a bit, but like everything in out travels, we adjust very quickly.