Firstly, a good night’s sleep has changed my mindset and on reflection I have decided not to tell you about the trials and tribulations of yesterday just yet. Think I’ll let the grass grow a bit before telling you the story of an injustice that has befallen a wonderful person who is very dear to me. In truth, the story is still in the making and highly likely to have a happy conclusion so it should be worth the wait.

Talking of grass growing, as you can see by today’s heading, I feel that I’m growing as a person (well I wouldn’t be growing as a cat!). Now usually, when I awake in the morning and glance at my naked reflection in the full-length mirror on my way to the chest of drawers, I think, “Oh my goodness, do I really look like that?” It is so disappointing to realise that my efforts at dieting, no matter how half-hearted, do not seem to be paying off. Of course, it isn’t a very nice mirror, not like the one at the end of the passage leading to the lounge-room (which cheers me up no end when I come upstairs from the bedroom!). Anyway, the reason I feel that I’m growing (in the good sense) is that when I saw my reflection today I didn’t experience the usual dismay, instead I surprised myself by thinking “You look firm and smooth”. It suddenly occurred to me that my skin had filled out rather pleasantly and that perhaps my body is now the size it should be and definitely wants to be.

Recently, I saw an interesting television programme, “The Men Who Made Us Thin”, which revealed that the concept of “ideal weights” was first conjured up by an American insurance assessor back in the Forties or Fifties (?). Apparently, overnight millions of normal-sized Americans became labelled as overweight and the fantastically lucrative diet industry was spawned. The idea spread across the Western World  and ever since we’ve been dieting, a circumstance which the body hates and as a result we yo-yo but end up getting fatter – well, most of us.

I feel so much better since I saw that programme. It’s a great relief, not only to shed the burden of guilt for feeling hungry, but also to consider that I may not be as overweight as I had suspected.

Lunchtime is approaching. Chris has gone down to the town. Before he left he asked me if I wanted anything “delicious and naughty?” brought back.  Naughty? “Shall I have some fish and chips?” I asked myself. No way, my new mantra (“The Dukan dinner makes you thinner….”) is now firmly embedded, surprisingly, as are the guilt feelings of a life-time. “No thanks,” I told Chris. After all, it appears that although I have grown I haven’t  grown quite as much as I had hoped – groan! Excuse me while I grab some salad from the fridge and admire my legs in the flattering mirror at the end of the passage.