Yes Nolic, I thought you were watching the waistline too.

Still, what is the point of having an emotion such as regret if there were no such thing as sin.

Comrade, Mazza, there was little sin involved. 2 pints and a half glass of wine. No sweet plus cut down on the courses and ate the salad. But what has a man to do when evrything is paid for? Nolic

Oh...absolutely Nolic.

How much are you aiming to lose in the long run? Febby and I need to lose 10k a piece...more for aesthetics than health reasons. We try to make healthy choices, but need to cut the size of our serves more than anything. We walk when we can also...mostly on weekends. It is easier during summer months. I imagine it is tougher in the winter. (You have your Spring next week...and we start our Autumn)

The Black Sheep is now fully installed, so we got through half a gallon for our Starters. (£2.20 a pint)

The menu isn't fully up and running, so to speak, but I had vegetarian brie and cranberry wellington (the rubber bits got stuck in my teeth but the rest was delicious...)

My fellow researchers had rack of lamb, veggie lasagne and another wellington (probably the left one, as mine was all right).

There was the usual hideously fattening puds (eg chocolate fudge cake) which again I forced myself to eat in the interests of completing a full and scientific study.

It's early days - there was only one other couple ordering food - but when more people get used to the idea of the pub actually being open, I'm sure the atmosphere will improve. We really enjoyed the meal, which was about average price (£28 for 4 main courses and 3 puds). Not gourmet, but you wouldn't expect that in a pub like the Syke for those kind of prices.

Next Saturday (4 March) we'll be there with instruments etc from about 7.30pm. The more folk that turn up, the better it will be - so if you fancy a pint of decent ale, why not come and join us. If you sing and/or play, great! But if not, come along anyway and just enjoy the music and craic.

Sounds wonderful Cally. Would come...but low on petrol...

Nolic....that is a defeatest attitude. How can you need to lose a whole person? They are only pounds sweetie...don't raise their status. The worst part about trying to lose weight is 'feeling deprived'. I hate 'feeling deprived'. Some days I try harder than others....but I never feel like a complete failure when things go pear shaped (namely my backside!)

Oh no, this means I'm going to have to go into the pub again, and it would be rude of me not to have another pint of Black Sheep while I'm there...

Cally...what kind of music do you do? (You sing don't you?) Excuse my ignorance...everyone else probably knows.

I like a 60/40 mix myself, also I enjoy songs where I am able to hear the words. No head banging stuff. Don't mind country and western in small doses. (I like Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers). Also Tina Turner, Eagles, Smokie, Rod Stewart, Dr Hook, Beatles.....

the thatch & thistle on the bypass is excellent now its had a re-furb.the staff are pretty efficient and the food is top.the beer is great too, they have guest ales that change once a month.it is certainly worth a visit now.

Speaking of The Foster's Arms, we had a meal there again before the music night on Saturday. Ours was very good (veggie lasagne and roast beef etc) but friends had a bit of a problem with theirs being served cold in the middle. Apparently the microwave had malfunctioned so it looked hot on the outside but had failed to nuke the innards.

More friends arrived later and as they couldn't have a hot meal owing to lack of microwave, they asked for sandwiches. "Sorry, can't do sandwiches, we've got to put the kids to bed" was the reply. Hmmmm!

We'll give them a bit of leeway as they've only had the pub a week, but I hope things settle down soon.

So long as they keep serving Black Sheep they might get away with the odd whoopsie.

They have a young chef, Casey, who really does put on a good meal. It's definitely worth checking out. The menu doesn't have much for weirdos like me (ie veggie) but all you have to do is ask and he'll cook something specially for you. Last Saturday it was Quorn Risotto - excellent. We had a family/friends bash there last month and they rustled up a great spread of tater pie (veggie and non-veggie) which everyone enjoyed.

The rest of the menu has something to suit everyone, from lamb shank to giant Yorkshire pudding and so on.

They serve hand-pulled Black Sheep bitter, with a guest beer which has been Old Speckled Hen up to now. It's also very family-friendly, and kids are welcome in the lounge area.

At first the folks behind the bar wore a look of sheer terror and panic (this is apparently the first pub they've managed) but now they're getting into the swing of things and smiles are more plentiful.

The place has suffered from the uncertainty of recent months and is often quite empty, but I'm sure as things settle down people will start going there again.