Day 26 - written on day 27!!

Very long but enjoyable day yesterday & very difficult 'food-wise'.

I took Dom to Manchester to visit the university. Up very early (4am) - actually too early but couldn't get back to sleep!. We left home around 5:45 - Dom had cereal but I just had a big glass of squash & took a pear to eat on the train - it was just too early to get my jaws into gear! It probably was my big mistake because by the time we got onto the platform at Hatch End I was hungry & ate the pear before we got on our train. I really need to become one of those people who pack up food for themselves for journeys (note to self!).

Anyway, about 30 mins into our journey I went to the buffet car (was on a Virgin train) in the hope of finding something to eat - hopeless!! No fruit, ok I'll try the porridge - no good as it contained golden syrup & was a zillion calories. In the end I settled on a bottle of water & a nut/seed/apricot bar which was far too yummy to have been low sins but I had to eat something!

We met up with Dan (Dom's friend) & his dad (my friend!) on the train & in Manchester and decided to walk to the uni - Jeremy had been at Manchester & 'knew the way'. Men - need I say more - anyway a slight detour & then recovery care of the 'map-app' on my iPhone & we were there. Good exercise as I missed the gym :) Actually we did a lot of walking during the day between lecture halls & other than water there is no opportunity to stop & snack etc.

Then to lunch..........so difficult to find something that wasn't accompanied by chips, garlic bread, pastry or a bun! Eventually had jacket potato with ratatouille, mixed salad from salad bar, diet coke & an apple (£8.10 - not bad & a healthy option) - interestingly Dom had fish, chips & mushy peas (yuk) with a full fat coke for £2.95. No surprise then how many kids put on weight at uni!!

All the talks Dom wanted to attend were in the afternoon - stopped midway (Black coffee & a banana for me - choc muffin for him) but were on our way home by 5:15.
We had to change trains at Watford Junction & Dom & I had to run (yes I did say run) for the connecting train in the pouring rain (chucking it down here - nothing in Manchester). As you can imagine running & I are not close friends & it took me two stops to catch my breath - but I did catch the train and make my son laugh (anything to oblige!).

Got home around 7:30 but had forgotten to put anything on for dinner so finally ate lovely hot roast chicken at 9pm!!

The moral of this story continues to be preparation but I felt a real sense of achievement that I hadn't gone for the easy option of high cal snacks to keep going - I really didn't need them.