Moorland walk and a culinary invention.

 Happy Sunday everyone!

This morning, we went for a brisk walk around Siblyback Lake (click on the link to see more about the place; if you're ever in this part of the world on holiday, it's a great place for an active day out). It was perfect walking weather, a fresh breeze and warm enough not to need a coat. The lake is in the middle of Bodmin Moor and I know I keep boasting about it, but it's ten minutes from my home. It's in a natural dip in the moor and so the perfect place to create a resevoir. The lake is surrounded with farms and woodland.

 The shaggy long horned cattle were very photogenic. The signpost.....well, direct and to the point.

 The woods themselves had a lovely eeriness to them. The trunks, the ground and the stacked logs were all covered in a deep green lichen or moss and it was spongy underfoot. It provided welcome respite from the wind............I'm glad I didn't wear a hat..........I would have lost it.

 The lake itself is used for water sports and I was really impressed with some very small children hauling windsurfer sails out of the water, in what looked like beginners lessons. It looked really difficult to learn to do. Experts wizzed past us at phenomenal speed and I can imagine why it's so popular as they bounced over the choppy water.

Half way round, you cross a dam and the views into the valley below are delightful with the light bouncing off the sparkling yellow gorse blossom and the smell was heady and powerful. The walk itself is three and a half miles long but it seemed longer as we walked into the wind.

Oh, I must tell you about my culinary invention. Lunch was salad, just Romaine lettuce (2 for £1) a sliced yellow pepper and some cherry tomatoes. I'm also trying a range of fat free, almost carb free dressings from Asda and can recommend the mint and yoghurt dressing. Today, I tossed a bag of diced Quorn in two tablespoons of Pesto, I did so because I didn't have any oil and I wanted to 'flash fry' the Quorn. The end result of cooking the Pesto covered Quorn in a dry frying pan is a garlicky/herby Quorn Crouton. We sprinkled those over our salad and it was fantastic! There you are, Quorn Croutons; remember, you heard of them here first.

Thanks to all the diet advice everybody; I am sticking to a low fat, high protein and minimal carbohydrate diet. I've ordered the Dukan Diet book from the library and will have a read of the advice and I've also read everything that's available online. I'm walking every day, at least twenty minutes and up to an hour if I can fit it in, but it's very brisk, almost to the point of puffing. Don't suggest running what ever you do, the only jogging I like is horizontal. Tomorrow, there's another car boot sale and I shall keep my eyes open for an interesting piece of exercise equipment so I can wobble my fat bits round in private.

Until tomorrow,

Froogs xxxxx