I remember now, sitting cross legged, hair in plaits, smiling and laughing with my Mum and younger brother. We were taken to the kids area and put into what looked like pyjamas, white aikido robes and then my Dad tooks us to the dojo to do some practising. I couldn't understand why I had to learn to fall? I was brilliant at it. I could fall over my own feet on a regular basis, a sign of hypermobility and my flexible joints which was missed for many years.

At that age I couldn't run far as I always lost balance. Nowadays with supports in my running shoes I can run as far as my lungs and legs will let me :-)

I remember my Dad smiling and explaining that if you knew how to fall properly, you could land on the ground and not hurt yourself. This sounded great to a clumsy kid who was usually covered in sticking plasters. Bring it on, Dad ....

Dad and Marion (a lovely chap and one of the most talented martial artists I had seen before or since), sat us down and showed us basic 'falling' techniques. Thowing out your arms to break your fall, turning over in mid air to prevent broken arms and wrists, all very simple, but to me it was like magic. Some kind of dark art which had previously been hidden from view. For a while I remember practising, committing the various methods to memory and then 'filing them away' for a rainy day.

That rainy day arrived seven years ago, when Jake was around a year old. I was getting out of the car at a supermarket (I won't mention the name but if you take off the first and last letters of their slogan, it says 'very little help' which sums this up!). I fell on uneven ground and lurched forward with my infant son in my arms and would have fell on top of him - he could have been either killed or seriously injured. At least that's what would have happened. Had I not been a 'professional faller' extraordinaire!

My Ex's face was a picture as I instinctively twisted in mid air, handed my son into his Dad's waiting arms, turned onto my back (while still in the air) and threw out my arms to break my fall and lifted my head to avoid cracking my skull. The resulting landing was loud. I hit hard tarmac, no injuries, bit of a bruise on one arm, but otherwise unscathed. My son was fine, no distress or shock and was smiling happily in his Dad's arms. Ex, a man of few words, looked intrigued and had to admit that I had moved with the grace and professionalism that any stuntman would be proud of, high praise indeed.

I phoned my Dad later that day to say 'thank you for teaching me to fall', he laughed and commented that you never know when a skill like that will save you. It certainly saved Jake from a serious injury or even worse, so I'll always be grateful for a lesson learned.

As for the supermarket, they were utterly disinterested, still haven't repaired the uneven tarmac and really didn't care at all. I go to the one across town now, they're friendly, and up to now, I haven't had to show off my falling skills.

So, old men can jump and anyone can learn how to fall!

Each day we fight to get onto the Wii Fit thingy, rain or shine we're there. Exercising, competing, fighting to get better scores on the games (balance games such as tightrope walking, snowboarding etc), trying to out-do one another in the step class to see who gets a perfect score lol.

Quite a change from a few months ago where I'd have to be threatened at gunpoint to do exercise, other than my Leg Magic, and a bit of Hip Hop Abs. Now I look forward to my 20 mins of yoga, 30 mins of muscle exercise, 30 mins of aerobics (step, jogging, rhythm boxing) and I find I can run up stairs faster, or go farther than before without being out of breath. As our high scores increase, we try and better our previous scores, or to do more repetitions on exercises. Who'd have believed that two committed couch potatoes could change because of a kids computer game?

B/F thinks its 'dull' but then his Wii Fit Age was 70 and he's only 41 :-), I have got mine down to 31 at the moment, due to years of Pilates I think and having good posture which helps a lot. Though my balance could do with some help due to the hypermobility which means my foot bones move a lot so standing still is a bit of an effort sometimes ha ha ;-)

Jake was astounded at how easily I took to the snowboarding game, and got higher scores than him. He has no idea that Mum had a life prior to his existence, or that she used to waterski, go powerboat racing, was a real adrenalin junkie in her twenties lol. Kids eh?

Maybe one day I'll take him skiing for a winter break, then I can try skiing on snow for a change, I hope its fun, and I'll try not be jealous as the fearless eight year old whizzes past me like a professional after an hour on the nursery slopes.

Roasted spicy squash and sweet potato soup

Ingredients

2 onions finely chopped
1 T ghee, or compliant oil
1 large butternut squash (or compliant squash/pumpkin)
2 sweet potatoes (or white potatoes for those who can eat them!)
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste) optional, could use chilli flakes
2 tsp garlic paste (or grated garlic cloves)
2 tsp ginger paste (or grated ginger)
2 pts stock, I like chicken or turkey but use whatever you like

Heat the oven to 200c or 400f, split the squash lengthways and take out the seeds. Add the sweet potatoes and squash to a roasting tin and bake for 45 mins or until soft. Meanwhile, in a soup pan, sweat the onions in the ghee on a low heat, once softened but NOT coloured, add the garlic, ginger and dried spices. Stir on a low heat for a few minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Take the squash/potatoes out of the oven, scoop out the flesh and discard the skins. Add the flesh to the soup pan and warm through, mashing gently. Add a couple of pints of stock (or water) to get a soup that's the thickness you like, I like it thick and filling. Warm through then blend with a stick blender or food processor.

You could garnish the soup with either chopped nuts (compliant for you), dry fried cumin seeds, cream/quark (again check your type) or kefir, some chopped chives would be nice for colour. It would be lovely with blue cheese or feta if you can eat this ;-) I can't but wish I could ;-)

I love this soup with lots of garlic and my vegetable hating 8 year old son will eat this every day given the chance! Serve with hot crusty bread (compliant to your type, flax focaccia is lovely with it) and I admit I like to dip chicken breast pieces into the soup as I eat it. Got to get my protein :-)

I had resisted Wii Fit on the basis that it would probably be a bit of a gimic, soon to be covered up like the 'excellent condition' exercise bikes you see advertised in supermarkets and local papers. But maybe I was wrong?

It was installed on Monday, we're now on Thursday and every member of my immediate family (including my pensioner parents who also bought one) has been weighed, had their height measured, input their age, had a 'humourous' Mii character created and has completed at least 30 mins (sometimes more) exercise a day - all this from a family of dyed in the wool couch potatoes?

We're even getting competitive, trying to achieve a younger fitness age, mine is 34 which given that I'm actually 40 was a lovely ego boost! Although it did say I was also obese and made a little fat Mii character with my trademark blonde, glasses and smile :-)

My son, Jake, can't wait to unlock a new exercise. He is eight, and his fitness age started at 27! OUCH, a sharp call to action, with practise and time he's got that down to 11 and is delighted with his progress. I've never seen him so active and actually wanting to play sports, go jogging and do exercise at anything other than gunpoint lol.

So I have to admit it folks, I'm a convert! I have enjoyed it, it's fun, easy to learn, you get instant feedback and no gym fees! Or having to sit next to narcissistic bodybuilders while I sweat and feel like dying on the exercise bike.

Have you tried one, what did you think?

Although the weather here in the UK hasn't been very sunny, it is courgette season, lovely fresh tasting veggies which always make me feel like summer has arrived. Here's a quick recipe for stuff courgette/zuchini and I like use the yellow courgettes, but you can use either. You could also garnish them with the flowers from the veggies, they add colour, interest and texture to a dish and use to amaze my son that we could eat them. :-)

Ingredients:
1 courgette, sliced in half, lengthways
1 tbsp olive oil, ghee or compliant oil for your BT/GT
½ onion, finely diced
4 cherry tomatoes, halved (or peppers finely chopped, or fennel would be nice)
salt and freshly ground black pepper (if you can eat it)
55g/2oz cottage cheese or parmesan (finely grated) or farmer cheese might do

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. With a clean teaspoon, scoop out the centre of one half of the courgette and chop the remaining half of courgette finely.
3. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Sauté the onion until soft but not coloured.
4. Add the chopped courgette and cherry tomatoes (or peppers/fennel etc) to the frying pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional).
5. Sauté the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until soft, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
6. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and mix in the cottage cheese (or alternative for your BT/GT, manchego might be nice too) until evenly combined. Fill the cavity of the courgette half with the cheese and vegetable mixture.
7. Place the courgette on a non-stick baking tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the courgette is tender.
8. Serve hot or cold.

This is adapted to BTD or GTD from an original recipe by an English chef Brian Turner, he's a lovely chap, very down to earth, straight talking man from Yorkshire and when you look at him you just know he loves his food. I made this with yellow courgette (zuchini) but it's nice with the green ones, or the round ones too and they are so easy to grow at home.

Here's a link to Brian's website for those who'd like to try some more of his recipes. He's quite a character.

http://www.brianturneronline.co.uk/Home.aspx

Courgette & Red Peppers

6 small zucchini/courgettes sliced
1/2 red pepper chopped
3 T butter or ghee
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tsp lemon peel grated
1 T lemon juice
2 T parsley chopped (or coriander)
2 T stock (chicken, vegetable, beef etc)

Combine all igredients and cook (covered) in a frying pan for three to five minutes over a medium heat. Remove the lid, cook until veggies are tender but still keep their shape, stir occasionally. Most of the liquid should have absorbed, takes approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with the parsley. You could add garlic, chilli flakes, turmeric and cumin to spice it up a bit.

Asparagus with 'vinaigrette'

salt to taste
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
5 tsp apple cider vinegar OR 5 tsp lemon/lime juice
2 T walnut oil or olive oil
2 tsp grated lemon peel (or other citrus)
2 T chopped walnuts, pinenuts or other compliant nuts (toasted for flavour)

Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until tender, approx 4 to 10 mins depending on the thickness. Drain and run under cold water to retain the colour. Lay in kitchen paper and pat dry. Move to a serving plate.

Whisk the other ingredients together and spoon over the top of asparagus and serve.

I spent last night poring over recipe books, searching for something inspiring for breakfast. Today was taken care of, scrambled eggs at a meeting, which I now think had some milk in the mix . But what about the rest of the week? I love eggs, leftover meat with green veggies, occasionly I do feel like I could kill for a piece of crisp white toast, but hey it's so not on my food list and I want to be compliant.

Tomorrow I am going to make Quinoa, a bit dull? Well maybe.... maybe not.

2.5 cup water, or nut milk, rice milk or for the lucky amongst us... dairy
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well until the water runs clear
1/4 cup chopped dates (or figs, apricots, cranberries... up to you!)
2 Tbsp butter (I prefer ghee)
1/8 tsp gound cardamom
1/8 tsp ground fennel seeds
a few drops of veggie glycerine/agave or compliant sweetener
1/4 cup toasted, chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but pinenuts, almonds etc would be fab)

Combine all ingredients except the dates/butter/nuts in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the liquid has evaporated and the grains are tender but still have a bit of bite (It took me approximately 15 mins).

Stir in the dates and butter (or ghee) then top with the chopped nuts. Can be eaten hot or cold, but I like it hot!

I'll experiment with other spices and I might try a savoury version with onions, turmeric, cumin, cilantro, fennel seed and maybe even some chilli. Yummy.

Hope you like it.

Loraine