Debs here is a salad dodger - Sticky Sausages and cheesy sweet potato and kale mash

So I have been going to slimming world for most of my adult life. One day I am hoping I will stick to it and lose a few dress sizes. In the meantime until real thinspiration finally sets in, I keep on trying. And it gets boring so I have to keep on trying out new recipes.

Today was taken from twochubbycubs.com. A blog I just discovered through a fellow slimming world dieter. These really funny blokes have a ton of recipes - head over there and have a gander. I decided to try a few out this week. Tonight it was sticky sausages and cheesy kale and sweet potato mash. Here:  http://twochubbycubs.com/2016/01/06/sticky-sausages/

I would love to say it was amazing. Not the guys faults, me being the worlds worst cook probably aided to the somewhat failure of this dish. First up no matter how you dress them up low fat sausages are still low fat sausages. No doubt about it. And cooking mine, they split in half and fell apart in places.

I burnt the onions  - classic debs. I made a mountain of mash - guess what I am having for tea tomorrow! And probably the rest of the week too.

And to top it off no matter what I did could I get that kale to wilt, could I chuff. Saying that though it ended up looking somewhat like the picture the lads have on their website. I don't think for a second it ended up tasting as good as what they can cook.

Anyway ..... at the total stress of fighting pans to clean onions and picking around crunchy kale .... this happened.

In other news the bad luck just keeps on coming. I have now developed Pityriasis Rosea. Completely out of the blue. I have NEVER had any skin issues before but am now in a hell of itchy rash and a world of creams and moisturisers. Warning TMI and hideous pics ahead ......

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This lovely ailment has no magic cure. No actual understood reason for it happening, although my doctor seems to think the infection I have just got over left my immune system really low and its come from a dormant virus all humans have inside them as a result of it.

IT IS HIDEOUS. I have never been so itchy. I have NEVER had so many blotchy red spots on my body. I feel like hell, can't sleep half the night and apparently it can last anything up to 10 weeks. That's the usual - anything from 2 - 10 weeks. However some really unlucky people have had it nearly 5 months. If that happens to me I think I may have to top myself. One week of it has been sheer torture already.

The Librarians

One of the things I enjoy the most is science fiction and I have written plenty about shows in the past. In my couple of weeks off work recovering, I power watched (power watched – this is now a thing ….. thanks to Sam. Who power watches everything  ...)

Anyway I power watched the Librarians. I had already seen season 1 but I have now watched the entirely of season 2. So I am going to review the show, like I did with Sinbad.

Now if you are unfamiliar with the greatness that is the Librarians let me give you a history …..

There have been many great heroes but none the greatest combination of comedy and heroics than Noah Wyle’s – the Librarian Flynn Carson. Flynn is a combination of Indiana Jones, James Bond, Mr Bean and let’s face it a dash of Han Solo rolled into one.

It has been running for over 10 years. The first movie in 2004 – The Librarian – the quest for the spear, 2^nd movie in 2006 – The Librarian – Return to King Solomon's mines and the 3^rd movie in 2008 – The Librarian – the Curse of the Judas Chalice.

Your basic story is Flynn, the Librarian looks after a secret library and hunts down magical artefacts keeping them safe there.

I randomly stumbled across these on a marathon day – thanks to the Sci-Fi Channel and was hooked. Even more bedazzled when I realised the person directing these was one “Jonathan Frakes”. Who by the way does cameo in the movies.

Talk went on for a while about the possibility of a series and in 2014 this finally got off the ground. And we were not disappointed. Well perhaps slightly with the lack of Noah but as I understand things he was heavily involved in another series. But they gave us Jake Stone to alleviate some of the missed Carsen hotness. So we can forgive that and we have to say a major thank you that they got him to cut his hair too.

Here’s the team:

Eve – The guardian played by Rebecca Romjin

Each Librarian is supposed to have a guardian. The muscle to their brains. Flynn’s one in the first film off camera left so when we get to the pilot he’s been on his own for quite awhile. Queue eve Barrett – Nato Worker who can hold her own. Eve has a hard time coming to terns with magic at first and is ever the solider. Love interest for our dashing librarian and she does have some pretty good one liners.

Cassandra – The Mathmagician played by Lindy Booth

It’s really a thing. Mathemagics Well she’s trying to make it. There’s some weird correlation between math and magic apparently. Cassie unfortunately has a “Brain grape” which allows her to see and sense things with some amazing cgi footage in the show but it is slowly killing her. Despite that though she managed to keep surprisingly upbeat.

Jake – The Cowboy played by the glorious Christian Kane

I love this guy. Possibly because the actor is a country boy and I’m lets face it a cowboy wannabe’s daughter. All those years of bluegrass growing up lol and possibly because he’s such an enigma. Jake has been hiding his IQ and talent for years as its not what people from where he’s free are. He’s fluent in tons of languages, pretty good at art history, lets face it easy on the eye and not bad in a bar fight either. Also some words of Byron from this man and any women will swoon.

Ezikiel – The Thief played by John Kim

Young and a master hacker. He’s actually pretty good with most technologies and a thief.  He relies on luck and is rather witty at times. He would however save his own skins first, or at least to begin with. He definitely grows on you.

And finally

Jenkins – The Caretaker played by John Larroquette

Works in the Libraries Annexe. Cantankerous and hilarious, I totally love this guy too. He’s seemingly immortal and knows a lot of secrets. None to fond of the newbies crashing his space at first but he softens up.

And we are back ....

So a lot has happened since I last posted.

I met the love of my life and we are now engaged. We bought a house.

It needs a bit of work but we will get there. Its lovely having so much more space now rather than living in a one bed flat.

Sadly we recently lost our first child at 13 weeks. We found out on 23rd December. Xmas this year has been a bit of a whirl. NYE was spent in hospital. The last few weeks I have been off work with the after affects of one of the worst procedures I have had to endure to date and if I am honest stuck in my own head.

I have cried and grieved. I have listened to this song a hell of a lot.



My partner has been the most amazing person in the world. I think I would have been crushed into oblivion without his support. I am just starting to see the sun again.

I realised I kind of lost myself a bit. I kind of knew in October when I realised I missed simming. I did something about that and joined one again. Now I realise I need to get back into blogging. Into writing. I used to love writing .... about tv shows, trying to diet (Which  I still trying .....)

A friend of mine came back from Taiwan where he's following his dreams. I caught up with him at my dads birthday party. There's no bigger message from the universe than that. So I am reopening this blog.

I hope, somewhere out there people might be reading and they might share comments.

Surpises

So I went to this clinic and did an allergy test. Its something I have wanted to do for years but never got around too or had the money.

Anyway, it was surprising as hell. Apparently I have intolerance issues with:

• Lamb
• Potatotoes
• Beetroot
• Cod fish
• Yeast
• Newspaper print
• Petrol
• Brussel Sprouts
• Mixed weed shrub - whatever the hell that is.

So I guess fish and chips are out. I am really going to struggle not having potatoes. I am trying to follow slimming world and I used to eat jacket potatoes a lot.

Also the lady wants me to cut diary down as it will help with my sinuses and although I am not allergic or struggle with Gluten, yeast is in a lot of bread. So Pizza is out too.

I have been prescribed 4 supplements. I am a little sceptical but I agreed to have a go for a month and see how I feel. I have Ecodophilus - good bacteria, Chromuim - which should help stablise my blood sugar cravings, nutro Adrenal extra - as she said my adrenal gland was not well and I get stressed a lot and Evening Primrose oil.

It was expensive, I won't lie to you to have the test and invest in all these. But like I said I'll give it a month. I have another appointment with her on the 9th August.

I have just had my first diary free porridge, made with almond milk and honestly it was alright.  Even Sam had a taste and he okayed it.

I think, however this is going to be really hard. I may have found a way round chips - Roasting butternut squash instead. I can but try it. At least its not cut forever. Apparently you re-introduce stuff after a while and your body has healed.

FESS

So the last year has been a bugger of a health one for me. My sister got diagnosed with a nasal polyp. She urged me to seek help from the doctor for my years of nasal issues and lack of breathing, which I did to discover I had a large polyp in my right nostril. Suddenly I was having an operation in November to remove this. Not fun.

Fast forward 6 months, still getting headaches. One CT scan and a nasal scope later and its not actually a polyp. No it was an inverted nasal papilla. And last week I had to have FESS surgery once more on the bastard that was apparently up behind my eye nerve and blocking one of my sinuses. 

The last week has been so horrible and these "things" the surgeon informed me right before they knocked me out, can reoccur. Now Ive managed a full day without crashing. Really been up and down the last week. And I think .... touch wood the swelling inside my right nostril is reducing. I can breath better. Still some pain, still coughing up blood but its much better than it was.

I have made an appointment with a local clinic this Saturday to have an allergy test. My aunt also suffers from sinus issues and cut dairy. Its supposed to help as is less gluten. Should be interesting to see what comes out of it. Not sure how good I will be at trying  to eat less bread.

Been awhile

Well my writing has been pap for the last .... erm what now. Half a year???

Big changes in the world of Debs. First up I met someone.Thats pretty serious now. So serious that he's moved in :) Star ships and all. Yes people I have nearly an entire welsh dresser full of star ships from Star trek. I will say some are really cool like the Enterprise etc and some not so amazing. Theres this butt ugly bright orange bajoran one I really am not fond of.

The crazy person who was living under me is gone. Yeah! Gangs of hoodies have calmed down and mostly gone. Yeah! I may of course have a new crazy neighbour as others are telling me there is another drug addict under me now. Excellent ..... why thank you Kirklees council.

Going on hols soon to Majorca. Should be the Binnsmeisters hen doo except shes pregnant now and the weddings been moved. Not to worry a holiday is still a holiday! Looking forward to it.

Lost 2 stone. Although probably won't have by the time Easter is over. Ahhh well.

Works letting me do a course in June - how to make e-learning packages. Very excited. Have been asking for 3 years to let me do that. Also had this incredibly cool Blend it session with Julie Wedgwood - http://www.juliewedgwood.co.uk/

Things seem to be taking off a little :)

Also my friend Yvonne is back in the UK for a couple of weeks soon from Canada. Can't wait to see her again and  catch up.

For Yvonne

So I know I have been terrible and not updated this in forever. One of my new years resolutions will be to get back into writing this blog. But for now ... some pics for one of my dearest friends who has emigrated. From her leaving do.

Yvonne - we miss you!

Starting to see some results

So since I got back from Germany I put on some pounds. Five and a half to be exact. I got two and half off last week. After what I have eaten Weds in York with my new chap and Sat taking Sophie out I will be happen to come in with a maintain this week. In fact I will probably be lucky too.

Anyway as we say in class, you draw a line under it and get back on the bus.

So this morning nice 20  mins rebounding in the bag already. I have to go up to grans in a bit so I think I will make myself walk a longer way round just to get that bit extra walking in. I did make myself walk from Waterloo to my brothers yesterday and I walked all the way home.

And I am starting to notice some results. 1 - I was not half as knackered going up Fleminghouse. 2 - This week I helped put one of the meeting rooms back together. Normally lugging 50 chairs round has me out of breathe but hardly this week. 3 - My mate Cheles given me some of her bigger clothes. I tried a black dress on last night and bust, hips and waist. I have bust, hips and waist woo hoo!

Just have to work on making my belly smaller now. Not sure how to target that. I hate sit ups but is it the only way to target it????

Anyway watched the Strictly opening show last night! Excellent line up this year. Two new male dancers. Hubba hubba hubba. Should be a good series :)

Two stone down

So the diet is going extremely well. In fact the positive thinking is going incredibly well. So far I have lost 2 stone, I have a holiday to Germany in 2 weeks with my sister and mum. And I have started seeing a really nice chap. Amazingly those three were the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year - lose some weight, have a holiday and meet a really nice man. Wooo!

Today my new re-bounder arrived. I have been wanting to get one for a while. Ever since my mate Nicky in Newcastle told me about them. She has one and she's lost tons of weight. So I found one that could take my weight and I have just had my first rebounding session. And boy was it fun. I just put some music on and bounced and ran on it.

With all the walking I have been doing I had started to tone up but now I can focus further, every day and indoors. So when its raining and miserable I have no excuse for some body magic!

Sunshine

The weather this week has been amazing. Summer finally landed in England. And boy did it land. Its as hot as places like Spain and Greece right now.

As a larger lady, the heat can be not so fun to navigate.

Lets be honest. We sweat. We all sweat. I was so hot and bothered coming home from town yesterday that it felt great to see a skinny person get off at his stop and be sweating out of his t-shirt.

But on the plus side, hot weather means I drink much more water and I don't seem to be as hungry.

This week was a cracking week at Fat club. I lost 3.5lb and I got slimmer of the week. It was a total shock actually. I had 3 meals out so was hoping to come in with at least half or a pound. But It seems making the right choices really helped.

Pizza hut last week, I have one of the under 500 cal pizza's and lots of good salad - cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers etc. Sunday - mum and I had a day in Meadow hell. We went to harvester. I had a grilled chicken breast, salad and a jacket potato. Then Tues we were out for my friend Helen's birthday so I chose steak, with peas and swapped the chips for new potatoes. I had no dessert.

I was satisfied and it paid off.

This weekend is going well. Yesterday I made magic pancakes with banana and strawberries. Delicious. I haven't had it for a couple of weeks so really enjoyed them. Lunch was a subway turkey salad bowl with light mayo. Delicious. And tea last night I had Yvonne and Debs round so made them SW KFC chicken and SW Chips. Which they loved! And I have 2 more pieces left to enjoy - 1 will be lunch today with salad and one for lunch at work tomorow with yes ... you have guessed it salad.

In a bid to mix things up a bit on the salad front I am going to make some couscous up, throw some raisens and stuff in. But different.

So its a total weight loss of 23 and half pounds since May. Today I managed to fix back in a pair of denuim shorts which 3 months ago I could not even get up my legs. Loving it.

Its 5 weeks until my Rhine Valley, Germany holiday. So I would love to see another 10lb off. Thats the plan - 2lb a week. If I'm lucky it will be more. If not I am completely on track!

Believe

Today's word is BELIEVE

So its not been the best time for me at the moment. It seems my neighbors are all CRAZY. I have alcoholics, drunks and a whole bunch of shitty kids hanging around. I'm not sleeping well. And the one thing you find with lack of sleep is bloody hell things seem awful.

However after yet another night of coming home and finding the people who live under me high as a kite and convinced a rich man with a big wad of money and a white Mercedes is stalking them at 10.45pm and no sleep I have got up this morning and endured to be positive!!!

I am valuing the flat. So first things first - find out how much its worth and decide if I put it up for sale. Or if I look into renting it back to the council. Either way, I have to move. I always said this place was a stop gap anyway. But it would be nice to find away to pay mortgage off and keep it as a retirement fund. Lets throw it out to the universe and see what comes back! I put my trust in it and BELIEVE someone will want to buy it.

The diet is going very well. I have lost 20lbs now. Losing weight is not easy for me but I am dedicated this year as I will be a bridesmaid at Xmas. And next summer. So I put my trust in me and BELIEVE I can do it.

I recently rejoined the online dating world. My mate Louise is now living with her partner she met online and my friend Debbie is madly in love with someone she just met. Anyway I am trying e-harmony. Its a bit more complex and you have to pay but I figure anyone who is paying is serious. And serious is what I am looking for. So I have decided  to BELIEVE love is possible. After all my sister and one of my oldest friends is getting married this year!

So I leave with a quote:

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Christian D. Larson

Sore muscles

So I did a lot of exercise last week. I walked for about 6 miles according to runkeeper and I  took my gran into town. Grans in a wheelchair so I pushed her around a lot. As a result I am quite sore this week.

The scales at fat club said 1lb loss. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping for 2 at least. Keep me on track for my sisters wedding. In group though I found out something interesting that's made me feel better about things.

Apparently when your muscles are sore they are repairing. Because Im not used to that amount of exercise, my body is currently panicking and in order to protect itself and repair it retains water.

Above is the science .....

So I may well have lost more its just not showing on the scales. The good news is it should calm down again and the water release. So I can keep exercising but not do as much and gradually build it up. I did go into walking overload last week and  I think  the 2 days of taking gran to hospital appointments pushed my body over the top. You don't realise how hard you are working pushing a wheelchair.

Anyway I have one meal out this week - meeting my geordies in York tomorrow. Haven't seen them in so long!!! Can't wait. Then Im hosting my annual eurovision party. Going to really have to try to be good. Im making SW mousaka. So I can fill up on that and avoid alcohol. Fingers crossed!!!

Week 2

So another 2.5lbs off this week, taking me to a total of 9lbs in 2 weeks. I got my first bit of bling this week, a shiny half a lb sticker on my book!

This week I tried the following recipes. Pulled pork, as already discussed in the last blog post, mexican bean soup. I bulked mine out with chicken and ate it as a stew rather than blitz it into a proper soup. And I made cowboy pie. Not 100% sold on that but I think I didn't like the cheese and onion flavoured smash.

Today I had magic pancakes. Which were delicious.

I now have some syn free red pepper soup cooking in my slow cooker. I found the recipe on a you tube video. Not sure how it will turn out but we'll see. You have to try these things. I will definitely blitz this and portion it up. Its freezable so I could freeze some. The plan is to have it for lunches next week.


Tonight the plan was to try the KFC chicken but as I couldn't find any chicken borvill anywhere, it will just be chicken (skin off) and SW chips. I have gammon and veg for monday and tues. And I bought some chicken breasts which I intend to try the chicken breast pizza's out.

I also downloaded the Iphone runkeeper app. I went for a walk down to Lidl this morning thinking I could get cheaper red peppers. I couldn't lol they were still 80p each like sainsburies but anyway. I forced myself to walk up the hill via grans and round. Logged it on runkeeper, 2.4 miles. And according to that with my weight I burnt 400 calories.  Awesome!!!!

SW Pulled pork

OMG Amazing ....

So I got up and cooked. Put the pork in and then made the mexican bean soup. Bulked it out with some chicken breast. All nicely portioned up for next couple of days lunches at work. All syn free.

In on plan today but I have eaten some syns. I had a hi-fi bar, chocolate weetabix and decided to have the pulled pork in a sandwich for tea rather than with veg. I had a massive salad for lunch so I have got plenty of superfree foods in me today.

So 2 slices of 400g wholemeal bread - syned. Just had a pudding of fresh pineapple and Muller light. So I have come in on 11 syns today. Which is okay. I get 15.

Slimming world week 1

Well it went really well. With the exception of Monday where I could have quite happily gnawed my own arm off in hunger, the hunger itself hasn't been too bad. I can happily say that works been nice and busy so thats probably taken my mind away from it and I have been drinking masses of water.

The scales showed a nice loss of 6 and a half pounds this week. I was very happy with that. Would have been better if it had been 7lbs as I would have got my first bit of bling! Oh well, I will definitely get it this week!!!

I had a bad day friday in which me and my sister and mum went to meadowhell. I ended up eating out twice. Chargrilled chicken salad in a pita with chips for lunch. I ate all the chips! And for tea I tried to be better. Gammon, with fresh pineapple, peas and new potatoes. But for some reason I was hungrey I ended  up sneaking an egg sandwich and 3 hifi bars when I got home. Thats not good!!!!

Anyway I walked to town yesterday and I had no syns. So hopefully with a nice syn free day and some body magic I'll combat some of it and be back on track.

I have done my meal plan for this week. I will be attempting slimming world pulled pork tomorow. So that's tea Monday and Tuesday. Grans on wednesday then I planned to try slimming world cowboy pie thurs and friday. But so far I have not managed to find any cheese and onion smash. So it may end up being SW cowboy cottage pie lol.

I also have a soup I want to have a go at for lunches. But all in all. Going well. Jeans are loose. Work trousers - I think I will be in the next size down soon. Also my face has cleared up alot. Could be the fresh fruit, veg and water or could be the steroids I'm having to take for a week for a sinus infection. Or both? Either way its nice though not to have spots !!!

Day 2

Well I don't think I am doing too bad. Certainly feeling okay about stuff. Jeans seem looser but not sure if that wishful thinking ...

Breakfast - 2 hifi bars and some melon and grapes

Lunch - was a tricky one as me and my sis took gran to morrisons and she likes to have her lunch out. I couldn't face a baked potato which would have been the genuis option. So I plumped for a healthier breakfast. Bacon (done in  the oven so the women on the till informed me. I took all the fat off), scrambled eggs, baked beans and wholemeal toast - syned up with some flora. 10syns. I suppose not a very cheap lunch synwise but ... I'm on for syn free for tea. That in mind not too bad. I didn't eat all my syns yest so nicely carrying some over for whatever mum cooks for tea tomorrow which will no doubt NOT be SW complaint.

Tea - have slow roasted my gammon joint in pepsi max. Just pulled it all to pieces and removed any further fat I could find. Going to cook some veggies now - carrots, broccoli, sugersnaps and green beans. Yum. And I have a tropical fruit platter in the fridge. Going  to have some of them for pudding. 

Forgot to post my pics to twitter today so my mates been telling me off for the lack of superfoods. Hopefully tea's okay....

Drinks - 2 cups of tea with milk from allowance, diet lemonade and I had a bottle of water at the supermarket.

Exercise - pushed Gran round Morrison's for an hour and a bit and a quick walk around town this morning.

Slimming world

So I got my big fat arse back to Slimming world tonight and joined the Thursday night class after work. It was a major shock to the system. I thought I had managed to lose about a stone myself at home but m scales must be wrong. They don't match Sue's at class. So my number was a lot higher than I thought.

But as my mate Chele and the lady doing the weighing says, I will not see that number again. I sincerely hope so.

It dawns on me that the only way I can make this work is to plan, plan, plan. I need to start cooking properly. Make a meal plan each week and stick too it. So I have been scouring over some recipes and this is what I am going to try this week:

Tomorrows plan is:

Breakfast - Cheerio's at work. Weighed out. Skim milk (Blurgh but a necessity) and a banana
Lunch - Sliced ham, 2 slices 400 g bread made into a sandwich. Ideally some salad would be nice too. If I have time in the morning before work I'll grab some.
Tea - SW chips with my fav nando's chip salt, and baked beans or mushy pea's
Snacks - Strawberries and oranges, lots of water

I will have to syn up the cereal and use the bread as my healthy extra. Also syn up some butter as, as hard as I try I can never give that up. I'll buy some weetabix so I have better cereal for work but at the moment I have a box of Cheerios needs eating up.

Tomorrow is my supermarket shop day so I have written a list. I plan to attempt SW Katsu curry and rice and make some SW chilli this week so I can freeze some portions. I also have a gammon joint which I think I will throw in the slow-cooker on Saturday with some pepsi max and have that with lots of veg.

As I said on Twitter #notbeafatbridesmaid

Don't want to be a fat bridesmaid ...

So I get to be a bridesmaid not once but twice in the next 16 months. As such I am going to rejoin fat club this Thursday. And also plastered the below little ditty around my desk  at work and at home too.

Thats the thinnest Ive ever been ..... LOL okay a little fat girl humour there. No seriously my head looks like a lollipop.

Anyway I am going to try post more. Today I even managed to get my fat arse moving and did 15 mins on my mini stepper and some weights. Go me!

Worst line EVER

So its been a while since a bloke kinda liked me so it was a fairly nice surprise last night when one at the Dog races we were at came over, started talking to me and giving me a bit of attention.

It quickly realised he had enjoyed a few bevies but for the most part he was quite nice. A couple of his friends joined him, me and my friends. All was going quite well until he starts telling me his mum died of Cancer and then he got really sad.

So we got the talking about my aunt having it and Danny a few years back. I even told him about Gavins book Waiting in the Wings. Our conversation navigated to the idea of an afterlife - a conversation area I must admit from my experiences made me more confident to talk.

Anyway then he looks like he was going to start crying and he disappeared to the toilets. I'm thinking oh shit. I've really upset him, Ive wrecked everything. He disappears there for quite a while so I mention it to one of his friends, tell them he told me about his mother and maybe they should check on him.

They tell me his mother is alive and well. None of them know nothing about this. Seriously.

Then he comes back and puts his arm round me, whispering thank you and I needed to talk and your lovely before grabbing my head and trying to stick his tongue down my throat.

WHY????? WHY WHY WHY do some men do things like that???? It was all a line to make me sympathetic to him so he could move in for whatever he could get.

It just made me feel so stupid and disgusted. Cancer is SERIOUS. People die, people suffer. You don't use it to manipulate other people. What a creep :(

And once more my confidence and faith in there being any nice blokes out there takes a dent AGAIN.

Oz the great and powerful review

So I have just got back from viewing this movie with  my friend Yvonne. I was a little dubious at first as its a prequel. A prequel to the Wizard of Oz which is one of my favourite movies ever made. Return to oz as a sequel always kind of freaked me out - come on that witch with the interchangable heads and the wheelers ..... Im 32 and I still shudder thinking about those things.

Anyway I was happily surprised to see actually it was pretty good. James Franco did a fine job as the wizard. Zack Braffs monkey was spot on. I think the most interesting part though was delving into the history of the witches Mila Kunis's Theodora, Rachel Weisz's Evanora and Michelle Williams Glinda.

Disney stayed true to the original and had the start of the film in black and white only going to colour once the Wizard landed in Oz. It was a spectacular scene of marvelous flowers and butterfly's, waterfalls, the yellow brick wall. In fact you almost wanted to step right through the screen and be there with Franco, until the water fairies appeared LOL

Anyway it was a feel good movie. The wizard starts out his moral compass a little loose shall we say but by the end of the journey he saves the land from the wicked witches and you see how he becomes the disemboweled head Dorothy visits in the original movie.