Getting my just desserts

Like Bridget Jones, I have been v. bad. During the past few days, I've put on about 4lbs (2 kilos). And it's all down to indulgence.

On Sunday last, M and I were out with friends. We went to a local pub and I had an enormous roast dinner. I shouldn't have been able to eat anything else, but when I saw there was chocolate mousse on the menu, I couldn't resist. Unlike chocolate icecream, this is truly chocolatey. Back to our friends for a cup of tea, but my friend, in the role of temptress, had got in a chocolate cake for tea. She did it because she knows I like chocolate, so I couldn't have refused it, though I would have quite happily resisted a fruit cake or similar. It was a mistake ever to confess to her my weakness.

That night I had great difficulty in getting off to sleep. A few years ago I developed an increased sensitivity to caffeine, which manifested itself in a condition - sinus tachycardia - which sounds worse than it is, but causes a fast and loud heartbeat and shakiness. I have sorted this to a great extent by generally having decaffeinated tea and no coffee. Certain types of nuts also contribute to the condition. At any rate, on this day, I had two cups of ordinary tea, which, combined with the chocolate, caused me to be wide awake at two in the morning.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I have been at the Guildford Institute restaurant with Irene, selling our Goldenford books. Naturally we had lunch there, and - I can hardly bear to confess it - I had a dessert on both Monday and Wednesday, to follow my vegetarian lunch. On Monday, it was their most delicious effort - a pecan based meringue with cream. (Pecans don't affect me.) On Wednesday, I should really not have had their Black Forest gateau, because half way through I realised it was too much for me. I had only had it because it was there. A very bad reason.

Now I'm home with my car in for service, so I will have a frugal lunch and hope for the best.

In the meantime, apart from our selling activities, it was a useful few days for networking. On Monday, I talked to someone who had heard a Goldenford talk some time back and wanted me to contribute to a workshop on Writing your Life Story, partly because she knew of my autobiographical book, The Fruit of the Tree. On Tuesday, I chatted with the tutor at the Creative Writing Workshop which takes place at the Institute about giving a presentation in one of the other areas where she runs classes. Yesterday, Irene and I called into both the Institute library to remind them to get in our most recent books, and the Guildford Library to suggest giving a talk at some time, as we are doing in East Horsley Library next week. We also suggested a similar talk to the Guildford Institute book club.

Now all I've got to do to make a good impression is to lose the weight I've put on this week.