Dbee Robinson Artist - The Fat Struggling Menopausal Artist

Just love this video. Make sure you turn the sound up and just enjoy being on the footplate. It was made by one of our volunteers on the Watercress line and it just shows how wonderful these magnificent steam trains really are. We are hoping to have one made for the countryman coaches. This is where I volunteer either behind the bar or waitressing, however we all do what ever is necessary or needed to keep everything running smoothly.  I wonder if my Fitbit will really register the distance travelled when working on the train. I may confuse the hell out of it by selecting 'map my walk' and seeing just how many miles I walk when waitressing on a Sunday lunch on the train whilst travelling up and down the track. Did you know all the food on the countryman dining is cooked in a tiny kitchen on the train? From the soup to the coffee it is all cooked in the tiniest of places. I must add the meat is roasted at the station canteen but finished off on the train, bu...

Was it wrong to watch a weight management video ( The Life Coach School )   while eating a banana and some chocolate? (yes thanks to my Dad I love to hate a bit of chocolate and a bite of banana at the same time.) Had to eat Hubbys salted dark chocolate as I cannot find my Dads favourite Old Jamaica chocolate.   Any one know where i can get this chocolate?? Needless to say I enjoyed the snack and my Leptin now tells me I am full LOL!! Love and Light peeps dbee x PS - Actually. Don't let me know where to get the chocolate as, like my other fave chocolate Peanut butter M&Ms I just cannot resist them!! Arrrrggghh

Hurrah!! After spending 2 hours looking for the recipe through my own On line recipe files, all my cook books (the pic is just a few of them) and of course On line itself,  I finally found the recipe I used for some great breakfast muffins. Thank goodness you can track your google history!! I knew the rough date as I was making them special for the guys at Daron Ford  garage on Hayling Island. I usually make them some cakes when on Hayling as they are simply the best, but as it was getting close to mince pie and sweetie over indulgence season I thought something savoury would hit the spot. They seemed to be a hit with them all too.    FYI - You don't just buy a car there you buy quality service from a great team. Thanks guys! Anyway.... I knew there was no courgette in them so dismissed any recipes with courgette, but stupidly I had forgotten I had swapped the courgette for apple. So now I can share these absolutely delicious breakfast muffins with you. ...

My art work is suffering as I try to return my body to a healthier state. I seem to spend more time meal planning and cooking than I used to, just trying to make healthier meals. Today Im not even really cooking I'm using up leftovers, yet still my art suffers as today its all about Best Before (BBF) & Use By (UB) dates The start of the New year I always check my freezer and cupboards to use up any food going out of date soon. This way the oldest possible date is 1 year, but if its best before I would still use it, making sure it was cooked well. Some how I found some opened semolina BBF dated sept 2015! How on earth did I miss that?? Needless to say it went in the bin as I thought 3 years past its BBF date was pushing it a bit. So this weeks food planning is using up whats in the freezer and cupboards. It's a bit like Iron Chef with the secret ingredient being what ever is in my freezer. Currently its cooked sliced beef, Chicken, ham and some yummy ham and ch...

This is a waterfall I painted using Chinese ink on rice paper for my Husbands birthday a few years ago. The picture above is a 'work in progress' and took many hours layering the ink in different shades to give the illusion of the mountains in the distance and the water crashing down not the rocks below.  We are all advised to drink more water, but it's easier said than done for some, especially for me and my menopausal fog. I simply forget to drink water until I am really dehydrated, and by then my hands and lips are dry so it's a bit too late. So this year I am finding ways to remind myself to stay hydrated, by choosing daily events which will prompt me to drink more. Firstly - Wake up call  In the morning as soon as I get up I drink a glass of water. It's an easy habit for me to get into as I always take a glass of water to bed, so it's there ready for me in the morning. Check! Secondly - Minty fresh  Drinking a glass each time I brush my te...

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and hope you had a fab Christmas. I couldn't share my card with you all before, as not all my family and friends had opened their cards and I didn't want to spoil the surprise of my fun fishy design this year. Christmas is a time for family and friends, to warm loving bonds, reconnect with those you haven't seen for a while, and share the season of hope and goodwill, and perhaps make new friends that will last a lifetime.  Last year as a Christmas treat I took my grandchildren to the Watercress Line  which was such a hoot. I just love these old steam trains and I love that I am able to volunteer on these amazing trains to help keep them running for future generations. Always a great day out but so picturesque at Christmas time. This year I took my grandchildren to Marwell Zoo for Christmas which was a real fun afternoon of stories and activities with the promise of a visit to see the big man himself. I was truly overwhel...

Confucius say, "Girl who eat too much rubbish food get fat." How right he was. Its so difficult to stay eating healthy over Christmas, so many parties and goodies everywhere!! I have found something yummy and healthy though and it has no sugar or dairy but tastes naughty to wean me off those delicious delicacies that have been dancing in my mouth this christmas. There is a lovely Fairy Food Mother who ran a '7 day shift the sugar challenge' a while back and shared some tasty snacks. ( www.laurengayfer.co.uk ) She shares lots of great advice and recipes. My favourite is her PAELO Tray (no) bake energy balls. Even my son in law loves them and anyone can make it including children, however you will need a food processor. 9 Pitted dates 150g mixed nuts ( e.g.. cashew, almond, pecans etc) 1 tsp group cinnamon 2 tsp almond butter (or peanut butter) 2 tsp coconut oil 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (optional) 20g desiccated coconut (for rolling) - Blitz all ...

Feeling a bit lazy today and not very happy with myself. I have been quite busy painting a special  70th card for a friend and finishing a design for a new t-shirt, but I haven't managed to do 10,000 steps. In fact I haven't managed to do 10,000 steps for a few days now which isn't good when you are trying to not only loose weight, but reduce body fat and lower cholesterol.  I cooked a rich casserole using venison (Im sure it wasn't Rudolph lol) Its a low fat meat but needed slow cooking to ensure it was not only tender but not too dry. I added some lentils and beans as I believe they help lower cholesterol.  Found this website today HeartUK.org  which I am hoping will help me on my journey.  Looking back at what I have eaten in the past my weight only began to blossom while I was in Malaysia for 5 years. Everything was cooked with Palm Oil or included it as well as coconut oil. According to this site Palm Oil and Coconut Oil are both bad f...

Sometimes I paint peoples pets, favourite car, bike or church they got married in, I don't earn much   but it is something I enjoy. Recently I offered to create a personalised 70th birthday card for a lovely lady I know, Im hoping it will keep my mind occupied as I'm a little annoyed and confused at the moment.  Its been a couple of weeks since I started this 'Healthier Me' project so though I would jump on the scales to see if there has been any developments. I say JUMP but actually like most of us I tentatively crept onto the scales one toe at a time hoping if I did it gently enough it would be kind to me. NOT! I'm confused!!!! My weight has gone down by ..... drum roll ....... 200 grams, BIG DEAL! Not quite what I was expecting after all my efforts, in fact Im a little angry. I was hoping for a little more than that. And my fat percentage .... big drum roll ..... has gone up by 0.1% which is more than annoying, its worrying.  I was hoping t...

Feel Good Foods Its surprising how many delicious foods are actually good for you and help you feel good too. I think the eggs should only be eaten in moderation as the yolk is high in cholesterol, but its a great protein hit. Berries, Nuts, Legumes, Avocado its all easy to prepare food and so delicious to eat. This just may help me keep on track of my new healthier me project. Breakfasts are always difficult for me. I love jam on toast, especially my home made jam. But now my favourite is my breakfast of Avocado and Tomato on brown toast, sometimes with an egg on top.  I found this recipe  on line, but I prefer my own which is just chopped avocado and tomato with a spring onion if I have it, some lemon juice, salt and pepper just popped on top of some of my toasted home made brown bread which is usually full of nuts, seeds and sometimes sultanas. And of course a splash of Worcestershire sauce.....Delicious!! I mentioned in an earlier blog post I h...

Well its been over a week now and I have been logging my food, exercise (long walks) sleep patterns and how I feel. My weight hasn't really moved but I must say I feel so much better. This FitBit really has motivated me to watch what I eat and how much I move. Yesterday I did just over 22,000 steps. It included a long walk and finishing the garden. I slept well and this morning feel rested. Looking back at what I would normally eat, I was all to lazy and would reach for a biscuit when peckish but now I hold off and eat fruit. I would always have cake when I was out and about having a coffee, now I just have a coffee. I would all to easily reach for a bag of crisps in the evening, now I have a small handful of nuts and I don't deprive myself, I may even have a Port! I think the trick is not to diet, but to change your way of thinking. Im off to make breakfast, a healthy one and quite delicious!! Love and light peoples  dbee x

Hubby is taking some well earned holiday at the moment so we drove up to Salisbury to see The Terry Pratchett exhibition. I must say it was wonderful although I did feel quite sad Sir Terry is no longer  walking this Earth amongst us but, like the painting, is playing chess with DEATH and possibly winning? If you haven't visited the exhibition yet, do go if you can. Not only is it quite interesting on his life and work, its great art that is so detailed you can walk back past them more than once as I did and still see things you had missed. Oh to be as talented at Paul....one can only dream! The journey to Salisbury was, as always, bitter sweet. It brings back memories both happy and unpleasant. I spent some time in Odstock Hospital just outside Salisbury to rectify my cleft palate. Skin and bone grafts eventually gave me a face with a smile and a mouth able to take a new prototype brace. Thanks to my Dad I was lucky enough to have one of only 5 prototype braces in the U...

For me its very difficult to paint when feeling low, worried or in pain as I have been recently after facial surgery. An exhibition with my art group last month encouraged me to finish a few paintings to show and create this years christmas card, but other than that my creative MoJo has sort of Moved on, so I'm concentrating on Christmas. And Christmas is just around the corner (....oh my where did this year go) Im making a list and of course checking it twice, mustn't forget anyone. This year it is relatively easy as all the children are getting one of my Doodle T-shirts. After spending over a year sourcing a decent local printer I am please to finally announce I'm now selling my lovely designs on ETSY. Its very difficult to get started as with no previous customers I have no reviews to reassure potential buyers.  I have Original Paintings, Prints and my T-shirts but not many views and only one sale. Struggling yet again. Why not have a look and let me k...

So now I have this FitBit I am very conscious about what I eat and how much I move, (or don't move some days.) I'm even monitoring my sleep pattens to see if what I eat, how much I exercise I do or even when I go to bed affects my quality of sleep. To get a good rounded experiment it will take quite a few weeks but its been interesting so far. I am hoping it will help me understand how to get a good nights sleep so my body can recharge my immune system and fight off winter bugs! My Husband is mainly focusing on the amount of steps he takes and is constantly annoyed I am beating him with how many I take. Its not difficult considering he works at a desk, and even though I sit when I am painting etc, I am also doing housework, cooking and doing other little jobs around the house while he sits in his chair in the evening looking at photos he has taken, waiting for his food to arrive like a little bird in his nest waiting for the next juicy worm! When ever I was pass his chair...

According to some sources, the Full Moon for November is named after beavers because this is the time they become particularly active building their winter dams in preparation for the cold season. Other names for the November Full Moon are Frost Moon, Trading Moon, and Snow Moon or Oak Moon. Traditionally, the last Full Moon before the winter solstice has also been named Mourning Moon. What ever its name is, my Husband insisted it was called the Beaver moon and decided we would each get a present to celebrate this special event. In order to help my quest on loosing Fat and Pounds he surprised me with a Fitbit. I’m currently enjoying logging all I eat and drink and stepping my way to a healthier me…… well thats the idea. Watch this space and see, dbee x

Sitting painting doesn’t really burn the calories does it? It just helps spread the ….well, middle aged spread I guess. So having the grand kids is such a bonus. Not only are they great kids who are fun to be with, but the things they do or say can be hilarious. Running round after them burns quite a few calories, however I always fancy a drink after they’ve gone so any calories burned are soon added to. lol Anyone else feel like that? dbee x

Like many people I have a few struggles in life. Not only am I a struggling artist, but I’m also a struggling fatty. Some unwelcome fat seems to have attached itself to my lower half since the Menopause came visiting. So in order to help focus my attention on the two I thought I would keep a daily journal….. …..I say Daily in a loose sense of the word as I have never been very good at keeping a diary. But Hey Ho, one can but try! Feel free to join me on my journey of Paint, Plumpness and Perspiration. Love and Light dbee x