Well, I am definitely not overly fat, but underneath my clothes I do show serious signs of middle age, normal for my age, the lack of toning exercises, and the amount I eat. My GP has been suggesting for years I do some cardiac exercise, and simply rolls his eyes when I say, but I read a lot, isn’t that enough! He is interested in my heath, not the way I look, so I guess I should occasionally agree with him just to make him feel like he is doing his job. These days, mine is the body which the Laser, Restalyne, Botox and Liposuction clinic could literally go to town on. But I occasionally ask myself, will I ever head down that path? No, never… even though I am reminded never say never. Why not, some may ask. Well, I am happy with whom I am, and happy enough with how my ageing body looks, and I do not wish to look like some of the celebrities, who look mildly expressionless as their foreheads, mouths and cheeks are so taught they don’t move. So I am not perfect by some standards, but perfect for me, paid for, and absolutely 100% all mine! Also, I think I was born to be fat (or maybe just 6’ 2” tall). Skinny and me were just not meant to go together, not even in the same sentence. Well, almost never. I think I really was born to be much fatter than I am. I love cooking. I love food. I love writing about food. I love thinking about food. I love reading recipe books. I love eating. Many people make disparaging remarks about people who are overweight, behind their backs of course, which simply says far more about them than what being overweight says about the person who is overweight. My father used to make negative comments about us getting fat. I was once married to someone who always commented on any small amount of over-weight showing it’s ugly self. Food is at the centre of our lives, and you know I have called it the glue that keeps families and loved ones together. I believe this wholeheartedly, and the only thing that keeps me from getting too fat is quite possibly my desire to remain as healthy as possible, especially now I am living with dementia, a disease that much of the research is starting to say a healthy diet and lifestyle is imperative to brain health. On this trip, the notion of being born to be fat has raised itself as a topic to think more about, as everywhere we go, there is a Cornish Pasty shop, and a Cornish pasty is inherently nostalgic for me as it reminds me of my Nan. In all honesty, how could I possibly not eat one in honour of her memory? And I guess I’d better find a recipe for a Cornish pasty while I’m here too!