Interestingly, part of that is an increase in stride length, 4 miles used to be 10 000 steps, now 10 000 steps is nearer 4.5 miles; one of our 4 mile walking circuits was 10 000 steps and now is irritatingly just under.
Yes, I started walking 10, 000 steps when I was just in the obese category a couple of years ago and was much slower and covered a shorter distance. Once I was fitter (I lost 20% of my body weigh on a low carb diet plus walking) I had to cover a much wider area for my walk and would do a mile in about 18 minutes on a good day.
Week after next, I think I'm going to go back to the office. It's on a voluntary basis and my employer won't allow anyone to come in who needs to use public transport to get there. I think I'm going to ask to go in every other day - working from home is OK, but there are some tasks I could do much more efficiently from the office. I'll have to walk but that would get me some much needed exercise (4.5 km each way). Given how unfit I've become I don't fancy doing it every day though. I walked every day during the strikes and it got tiresome after a while.
According to Edinburgh Weather, it's 21° (it certainly felt jolly warm when I opened the door to the Amazon delivery bloke), so it's going to be a hot amble today! The trees across the road are rustling a bit, so there might be a bit of a breeze, but still ...
24C here, with a pleasant south-westerly breeze, so not quite so torrid as first anticipated. All portholes are open, so the Ark is being nicely ventilated, and the laundry is drying well outside.
Sossidges & Mash have been eaten, BEER has been drunken, and some more Paint will be applied to Rusty Bits on deck a little later on. It may well be that more BEER will be required subsequently...
Is anyone else finding it harder to be motivated to take a daily walk?
Absolutely!
I had been taking an early walk pretty well every day, but not for some weeks now.
I'm not quite sure when it stopped, but it possibly had something to do with the sunny spell we had early last month when I felt the impulse to do something about the garden, as my conscience told me I should get some veggies in this year - wicked to have a veggie garden lying idle at this time.
Ill health last year, meant that autumn didn't happen here, so there was a lot of garden tidying up to do first.
As I only have a limited amount if energy, and am usually flaked out by lunchtime I use my morning's supply to work in the garden, and walking just stopped, other than going a long way round to get our weekly shopping.
What is worse is that I am eating really badly at the moment, which is probably decreasing what energy I do/did have.
Am pretty sure I am a bit depressed, too, and walking would help with that.
The recent cold weather has slowed all my seedlings down, and the delivery of plants ordered online but maybe, once they are all planted ....
Now that such things are allowed, Mr Nen and I drove out to take a walk today. It was somewhere we hadn't been before and despite having a map, we got rather lost - we set off on the wrong path right at the beginning and it took us more than half the walk to get back on track. Consequently we ended up crossing some open fields and climbing some steep slopes during the very hottest part of the day, which I rather struggled with, but we did find a little spring bubbling up in one of the fields and that felt quite magical. The last part of the walk was along a ridge with spectacular views, high enough up for a breeze to be blowing, so that was lovely too.
We had drinks on our garden patio before tea, all extremely civilised.
I find it hard to motivate myself to walk, even though I feel better for it and it eases my sciatica. I don’t like walking on my own, though I feel perfectly safe walking around the local roads, but would not venture further afield on my own. Mr Puzzler does not walk much at all and absolutely not outside at the moment.
Whereas I have been walking with my daughter every day for 4 miles plus, yesterday was nearly 7, and she's getting quicker; she was taking 25 minutes to walk a mile on average at the beginning of this year and now it's nearer 22 minutes. That's taken eighteen months of trying to walk 10 000 steps a day. Last year she succeeded in walking 1,000 miles, an average of 2.83 miles a day, so not as much.
That's fantastic, Ck. I'm so happy for her.
I think with me it's more the emotional aspect that's draining my energy. Perhaps it would be different if I was walking with someone, so could be chatting with them. I am not even sure how to explain it - but in normal times, if I walk in the woods, I might walk to a destination, like a coffee shop, or the gym. And walking in the woods would be one thing I do, one place I go, out of many. But now it's the only place I go, and there's no destination, and it's started to feel a bit pointless and depressing. And seeing people walk with friends and family makes me feel more isolated, as I'm walking on my own, even though in non-pandemic times I love walking alone.
It's very odd - often when I start my walks, I find I'm feeling really heavy-hearted. If I walk for long enough, eventually I cheer up, as I did today - I made myself go for a long walk. I always pick nettles and wild garlic, because that at least gives the walk some kind of purpose, stops it feeling totally pointless. I know going for a walk isn't really pointless, that it's good for both physical and mental health, but it has just reached a point where the thought of going yet again for the same walk (even though I vary the route, it still feels basically the same) feels so repetitive and dull.
Right now I'm thinking that I enjoyed my walk today, and I want to go for another one tomorrow, but I suspect it will be incredibly hard to motivate myself tomorrow.
We are varying routes and have three or four at around 4 miles to rotate between: local nature reserve, long distance path and a couple in woods, and other longer walks. We are also geocaching and because we know my daughter's med cycle will make the next few days less good, took longer walks to find caches that are further out yesterday and the day before.
Normally we are limited to the windows in her medications, but yesterday we took a picnic lunch* for what should have been an 11 mile walk, which I normally walk as a slightly different shorter circuit. That walk is still 8-9 miles, following the path of a Roman road, some is still a well defined tree-lined track, but there's a very broken up field that wrecks my daughter's joints, on the shortest way back, so we decided to try a different way. And got lost a few times, extending the walk to nearly 14 miles. Memo to self, start
Goodness me - I couldn't manage an 11 mile walk, nor even half that when all public loos are closed! Some days I can barely manage the trip to the supermarket and back!
We are varying routes and have three or four at around 4 miles to rotate between: local nature reserve, long distance path and a couple in woods, and other longer walks. We are also geocaching and because we know my daughter's med cycle will make the next few days less good, took longer walks to find caches that are further out yesterday and the day before.
Normally we are limited to the windows in her medications, but yesterday we took a picnic lunch* for what should have been an 11 mile walk, which I normally walk as a slightly different shorter circuit. That walk is still 8-9 miles, following the path of a Roman road, some is still a well defined tree-lined track, but there's a very broken up field that wrecks my daughter's joints on the shortest way back, so we decided to try a different way. And got lost a few times†, extending the walk to nearly 14 miles. Memo to self, start
Sorry posting on my phone and wasn't able to edit. That should have finished:
Memo to self, start the unknown section of the walk at the beginning.
It was fun - we didn't just walk the old Roman road, but what I suspect were two mediaeval roads that are now tracks, one of which is on a regular route.
* lunch goes with medication so a picnic meant we gave ourselves two windows together.
† one farmer not marking footpaths well, an area redeveloped combined with an old map not showing any of it (and an purportedly helpful local who wasn't - if he'd told us what we wanted to know, which was how to find the path we were looking for, that would have saved more than a mile), one badly marked wild area crisscrossed by paths.
It wasn't 11 miles in the end, but 13.8 miles - we reckon the 11 miles would be doable, starting the other way round and working from known sections, finishing on a route I know well. And maybe picking up three more geocaches that we didn't find/look for. (We found five, two were did not finds, one no find but was found in the last few days so we reckon that was our fault.)
The bits slightly twinging this morning are the muscles used to swing under bridges to act like a troll. That particular geocache setter has had me under bridges a few times, one time scaring a wee dog that was crossing the bridge while I was searching underneath and took fright at me appearing from nowhere. Next bridge on that walk that poor dog was not convinced it wanted to cross.
I've got lost a few times trying different routes - I have no sense of direction and am easily confused! Sometimes I find someone to ask, or else I either turn back or keep going until I find something familiar! I'm more adventurous if I go in the morning - in the evening I'm aware that I need to finish before it gets dark.
I might see if I can get myself to return to morning walks. Since lockdown rules have become less strict, there are now groups of teens going out in the evenings, and often they're not bothering with social distancing at all.
Today I am going on a rehabilitation walk. I’m going to take my shopping trolley and have a practice walk in the direction of Waitrose to see if a) I can manage the distance and stamina and b) I can think contemplate a shopping trip without getting anxious. If it goes well I might consider shopping for a few items early tomorrow morning.
Is anyone else finding it harder to be motivated to take a daily walk?
Absolutely!
I had been taking an early walk pretty well every day, but not for some weeks now.
<snip>
As I only have a limited amount if energy, and am usually flaked out by lunchtime I use my morning's supply to work in the garden, and walking just stopped, other than going a long way round to get our weekly shopping.
What is worse is that I am eating really badly at the moment, which is probably decreasing what energy I do/did have.
I can relate to both of these. I think part of it is mental energy too for me, but definitely physical energy too, and I find the two impact on each other. There is so much I want to do, but I find my energy and focus is going into basic things like laundry and preparing food, as well as working from home. And going for walks in the woods, on the days when I go - I think more energy is required to get myself to go, to actually get ready and leave my home, than actually to do the walk.
And yes, my diet isn't the greatest at the moment. I've seen so many posts about gourmet-sounding meals that people are making, while I'm sitting eating Nice 'n' Spicy Nik Naks and a bag of midget gems! I'm making proper meals as well, but crisps and jelly sweets have becone part of my daily diet - mostly for the sensory aspect of them. They are comforting.
After an initial wobble my pulse settled down and the walk went well. I would even have popped in to pick up some nice things for lunch if the queue had not been round the car park in full sun (I’m currently very heat intolerant).
Resting now til lunch and then more writing beckons. Must water the garden at some point.
No rain here. By rights, we should have a storm soon, as the peonies have just come out.
Changing topic, I go out for my walk first thing-ish (not really very early, usually around 7.30). I’m not sure I’d go at all if I had to make myself go out later on.
Some of the pavements round here are a bit uneven, and while I was ambling yesterday I managed to trip over my own trotters and go my length, bruising my knee and my dignity. Luckily there was no-one about to witness my downfall, and there was no real harm done, but I did wake up this morning with aches in places I didn't know I had places ...
And before you ask, there was no GIN involved.
A batch of large boxes arrived from Am*z*n yesterday for S., which turned out to contain a sofa for the back garden, and we spent a very long time assembling it (well, she was doing the assembling; I was acting in a supporting role). Suffice it to say there was swearing, especially when we discovered that the number of washers (12) was quite insufficient for providing, as the diagram specified, two per bolt (of which there were also 12).
However, eventually it was all sorted, and is now in place, so I fully expect sn*w in the next day or two ...
We had a short, suitably-distanced visit from my niece and her husband this morning, and it was warm and sunny when we were talking to them in the front garden, so I think an amble should happen before the weather changes its mind.
I did similar the other week @piglet, and had a grazed knee worthy of a five year old. It's still a bit scabby. Other than that, like you no harm done. Hope the aches go away pronto.
We've been trying to go for a three/four mile walk most days, with occasional slightly longer one. We're very lucky in that we are in walking distance of two Royal Parks, plus another large one that fewer people know about. As well as those, we've been wandering around the local streets finding bits we didn't know about.
We also have a playing field five minutes away where we've been practicing our frisbee skills.
I am beginning to want to go further afield than three miles from my door step though.
Very hot here today (29°). We're expecting a storm later.
I'm feeling very productive. My wardrobe is very short on trousers - I have one pair of jeans but they need to be washed sometimes, and my other trousers are black so not suitable for hot weather. I had some off-white fabric in my stash and cut it out yesterday. Today I've done most of the sewing and gone to buy a zip. It's a public holiday but the mercer's was open because they've been closed for the last two months so I guess they didn't feel like any more days off. Hopefully I can get them finished by tomorrow. Total cost of new trousers: €2.50 for the zip.
For some reason I am finding it much easier to motivate myself for sewing than knitting or reading. Couldn't tell you why.
Very warm in Continental WesShire as well, as in LVER land. Next week should be somewhat cooler, down to 23°C, from what I see.
Confinement ending more and more over here. Restaurants and cafes open again, albeit with distancing rules between the guests, which makes reopening for some places impossible and economically unviable. From what I notice, certain people are so happy to go out once more that they're really slightly hysterical, and not abiding by the distancing rules any longer. Understandable, but possibly a bit silly.
Gov't has been heavily investing in all branches of society, left, right and centre, attempting to keep the economy afloat. And it might just work, at least in some areas. We'll take it as it comes. Unfortunately, what with the easing, the local louts are out and about once again with their boom boxes. Oh, how I have NOT missed them at all. Well, and indeed, as far as I'm concerned, they could stay confined indefinitely! - I shall put the cops on speed dial, just in case, as before.
It has been rather nice and quiet here in the last few weeks, which I have found very much enjoyable and utterly relaxing. I live in the country anyway, in a reasonably-sized village with most commodities, surrounded by fields, meadows and woods, so the whole thing has definitely been more bearable than what endured by big city dwellers. <votive>
Day off here today, Thursday, due to the Feast of Ascension, and apparently people aren't out and about, beyond measure; most of the habitual traffic jams at this time of year haven't happened, which is a good thing. Will be interesting to see what will have changed and what will have remained the same after all this. And churches are finally allowed to re-open by the end of the month of May, which will be good.
A productive day, another section of the doctoral assignment done and just one more short theme to do tomorrow, then the final section next week. At this rate I will submit it in about a week, which is only 2 weeks late; not bad as I was too unwell to study for over 6 weeks. Today’s theme was supporting students with mental health challenges, tomorrow is about empowering them.
We had mushroom and cheese omelettes for lunch and now other half is making pork mince fajitas.
He’s cooking far more in lockdown than he did before (I usually cook in the week and him at weekends). Because he has his own business he was usually worked late in the office but now he gets on and cooks something if I’m still working.
On a different topic, but can't think where else to post this ...
When we were fundraising for Scouts, the unit of currency was the Jumble Sale (about £250) or the May Fair (about £750) - so, any request for kit, or support for a Scout to go to a Jamboree, was measured in Jumble Sales or May Fairs.
Latterly, when assessing costs for The Dowager, the measure began as the Telly Aerial (£200 to get up on the roof and re-fix it) but transmuted into the Week's Care Home Fees (£1K) and now that is obsolete, is considered as one Deer Removal - as in, 'oh well, that's only quarter of a Deer *) . Does anyone else assess costs like this, are are we just weird?
Clearly, the well established unit of area is the football pitch, of length the London bus and of volume, the Olympic swimming pool. Height can be the Nelson’s Column or the Post Office Tower, and perhaps these days, the Shard.
The units of currency suggested above are a welcome addition, which I intend to pinch and plagiarise immediately.
Indeed, it has been suggested on both 'Have I Got News For You' and 'Charlie Brooker's Antiviral Wipe' that as a new measurement for the 2 metres required distance be introduced 'One Richard Osman'.
(Both programmes, together with Radio 4's News Quiz and TV's Mash Report, by the way, excellent aids to comedic and satirical survival of the so-inclined, and even more so in these virulent times!)
A cousin of mine who spent some years sheep shearing in Australia was taken clothes shopping by my mother when he came back. He costed everything in fleeces.
On a different topic, but can't think where else to post this ...
When we were fundraising for Scouts, the unit of currency was the Jumble Sale (about £250) or the May Fair (about £750) - so, any request for kit, or support for a Scout to go to a Jamboree, was measured in Jumble Sales or May Fairs.
Latterly, when assessing costs for The Dowager, the measure began as the Telly Aerial (£200 to get up on the roof and re-fix it) but transmuted into the Week's Care Home Fees (£1K) and now that is obsolete, is considered as one Deer Removal - as in, 'oh well, that's only quarter of a Deer *) . Does anyone else assess costs like this, are are we just weird?
* see TICTH thread
Mrs. S, genuinely interested
I measure small things in cups of coffee from my favourite coffee shop....so when returning home triumphantly because I got a top for £9 in the sale I announced to my husband "And it only cost me three cups of coffee!"
Comments
My runs are more like slow jogs and you start with 30 second bursts.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
Sossidges & Mash have been eaten, BEER has been drunken, and some more Paint will be applied to Rusty Bits on deck a little later on. It may well be that more BEER will be required subsequently...
I had been taking an early walk pretty well every day, but not for some weeks now.
I'm not quite sure when it stopped, but it possibly had something to do with the sunny spell we had early last month when I felt the impulse to do something about the garden, as my conscience told me I should get some veggies in this year - wicked to have a veggie garden lying idle at this time.
Ill health last year, meant that autumn didn't happen here, so there was a lot of garden tidying up to do first.
As I only have a limited amount if energy, and am usually flaked out by lunchtime I use my morning's supply to work in the garden, and walking just stopped, other than going a long way round to get our weekly shopping.
What is worse is that I am eating really badly at the moment, which is probably decreasing what energy I do/did have.
Am pretty sure I am a bit depressed, too, and walking would help with that.
The recent cold weather has slowed all my seedlings down, and the delivery of plants ordered online but maybe, once they are all planted ....
At the moment the Met Office is saying that we're 21, while the BBC says 24. I suppose I could hunt for the thermometer ...
We had drinks on our garden patio before tea, all extremely civilised.
That's fantastic, Ck. I'm so happy for her.
I think with me it's more the emotional aspect that's draining my energy. Perhaps it would be different if I was walking with someone, so could be chatting with them. I am not even sure how to explain it - but in normal times, if I walk in the woods, I might walk to a destination, like a coffee shop, or the gym. And walking in the woods would be one thing I do, one place I go, out of many. But now it's the only place I go, and there's no destination, and it's started to feel a bit pointless and depressing. And seeing people walk with friends and family makes me feel more isolated, as I'm walking on my own, even though in non-pandemic times I love walking alone.
It's very odd - often when I start my walks, I find I'm feeling really heavy-hearted. If I walk for long enough, eventually I cheer up, as I did today - I made myself go for a long walk. I always pick nettles and wild garlic, because that at least gives the walk some kind of purpose, stops it feeling totally pointless. I know going for a walk isn't really pointless, that it's good for both physical and mental health, but it has just reached a point where the thought of going yet again for the same walk (even though I vary the route, it still feels basically the same) feels so repetitive and dull.
Right now I'm thinking that I enjoyed my walk today, and I want to go for another one tomorrow, but I suspect it will be incredibly hard to motivate myself tomorrow.
Normally we are limited to the windows in her medications, but yesterday we took a picnic lunch* for what should have been an 11 mile walk, which I normally walk as a slightly different shorter circuit. That walk is still 8-9 miles, following the path of a Roman road, some is still a well defined tree-lined track, but there's a very broken up field that wrecks my daughter's joints, on the shortest way back, so we decided to try a different way. And got lost a few times, extending the walk to nearly 14 miles. Memo to self, start
It RAINED in the night!
I"ve tried that - it doesn't work for me - it still won't rain
Sorry posting on my phone and wasn't able to edit. That should have finished:
Memo to self, start the unknown section of the walk at the beginning.
It was fun - we didn't just walk the old Roman road, but what I suspect were two mediaeval roads that are now tracks, one of which is on a regular route.
* lunch goes with medication so a picnic meant we gave ourselves two windows together.
† one farmer not marking footpaths well, an area redeveloped combined with an old map not showing any of it (and an purportedly helpful local who wasn't - if he'd told us what we wanted to know, which was how to find the path we were looking for, that would have saved more than a mile), one badly marked wild area crisscrossed by paths.
The bits slightly twinging this morning are the muscles used to swing under bridges to act like a troll. That particular geocache setter has had me under bridges a few times, one time scaring a wee dog that was crossing the bridge while I was searching underneath and took fright at me appearing from nowhere. Next bridge on that walk that poor dog was not convinced it wanted to cross.
I might see if I can get myself to return to morning walks. Since lockdown rules have become less strict, there are now groups of teens going out in the evenings, and often they're not bothering with social distancing at all.
I can relate to both of these. I think part of it is mental energy too for me, but definitely physical energy too, and I find the two impact on each other. There is so much I want to do, but I find my energy and focus is going into basic things like laundry and preparing food, as well as working from home. And going for walks in the woods, on the days when I go - I think more energy is required to get myself to go, to actually get ready and leave my home, than actually to do the walk.
And yes, my diet isn't the greatest at the moment. I've seen so many posts about gourmet-sounding meals that people are making, while I'm sitting eating Nice 'n' Spicy Nik Naks and a bag of midget gems! I'm making proper meals as well, but crisps and jelly sweets have becone part of my daily diet - mostly for the sensory aspect of them. They are comforting.
Resting now til lunch and then more writing beckons. Must water the garden at some point.
Changing topic, I go out for my walk first thing-ish (not really very early, usually around 7.30). I’m not sure I’d go at all if I had to make myself go out later on.
MMM
And before you ask, there was no GIN involved.
A batch of large boxes arrived from Am*z*n yesterday for S., which turned out to contain a sofa for the back garden, and we spent a very long time assembling it (well, she was doing the assembling; I was acting in a supporting role). Suffice it to say there was swearing, especially when we discovered that the number of washers (12) was quite insufficient for providing, as the diagram specified, two per bolt (of which there were also 12).
However, eventually it was all sorted, and is now in place, so I fully expect sn*w in the next day or two ...
We had a short, suitably-distanced visit from my niece and her husband this morning, and it was warm and sunny when we were talking to them in the front garden, so I think an amble should happen before the weather changes its mind.
We've been trying to go for a three/four mile walk most days, with occasional slightly longer one. We're very lucky in that we are in walking distance of two Royal Parks, plus another large one that fewer people know about. As well as those, we've been wandering around the local streets finding bits we didn't know about.
We also have a playing field five minutes away where we've been practicing our frisbee skills.
I am beginning to want to go further afield than three miles from my door step though.
Very hot here today (29°). We're expecting a storm later.
I'm feeling very productive. My wardrobe is very short on trousers - I have one pair of jeans but they need to be washed sometimes, and my other trousers are black so not suitable for hot weather. I had some off-white fabric in my stash and cut it out yesterday. Today I've done most of the sewing and gone to buy a zip. It's a public holiday but the mercer's was open because they've been closed for the last two months so I guess they didn't feel like any more days off. Hopefully I can get them finished by tomorrow. Total cost of new trousers: €2.50 for the zip.
For some reason I am finding it much easier to motivate myself for sewing than knitting or reading. Couldn't tell you why.
I bet that's what God said to Jesus before the latter's stint on Planet Earth.
O! O! O!
I smell Heresy! Is probably Outrage!
Confinement ending more and more over here. Restaurants and cafes open again, albeit with distancing rules between the guests, which makes reopening for some places impossible and economically unviable. From what I notice, certain people are so happy to go out once more that they're really slightly hysterical, and not abiding by the distancing rules any longer. Understandable, but possibly a bit silly.
Gov't has been heavily investing in all branches of society, left, right and centre, attempting to keep the economy afloat. And it might just work, at least in some areas. We'll take it as it comes. Unfortunately, what with the easing, the local louts are out and about once again with their boom boxes. Oh, how I have NOT missed them at all. Well, and indeed, as far as I'm concerned, they could stay confined indefinitely! - I shall put the cops on speed dial, just in case, as before.
It has been rather nice and quiet here in the last few weeks, which I have found very much enjoyable and utterly relaxing. I live in the country anyway, in a reasonably-sized village with most commodities, surrounded by fields, meadows and woods, so the whole thing has definitely been more bearable than what endured by big city dwellers. <votive>
Day off here today, Thursday, due to the Feast of Ascension, and apparently people aren't out and about, beyond measure; most of the habitual traffic jams at this time of year haven't happened, which is a good thing. Will be interesting to see what will have changed and what will have remained the same after all this. And churches are finally allowed to re-open by the end of the month of May, which will be good.
I know! Three and yet One. I'll let you solve that riddle. You're a pro, after all.
Fancy a stake?
(So could our garden!)
We had mushroom and cheese omelettes for lunch and now other half is making pork mince fajitas.
You reckon the whole Maid of Orléans fry-up was a big misunderstanding, and she only went because she thought she'd get some really nice food?
I bet he doesn't mince his words either about a thing or two. Sounds like a great chap.
Which, as some wit has pointed out, marks the day that Jesus started working from home.
I've had a very nice but very Zoomy day and am currently diving in and out of a large meeting where I won't be missed.
sounds balanced to me !
When we were fundraising for Scouts, the unit of currency was the Jumble Sale (about £250) or the May Fair (about £750) - so, any request for kit, or support for a Scout to go to a Jamboree, was measured in Jumble Sales or May Fairs.
Latterly, when assessing costs for The Dowager, the measure began as the Telly Aerial (£200 to get up on the roof and re-fix it) but transmuted into the Week's Care Home Fees (£1K) and now that is obsolete, is considered as one Deer Removal - as in, 'oh well, that's only quarter of a Deer *) . Does anyone else assess costs like this, are are we just weird?
* see TICTH thread
Mrs. S, genuinely interested
The units of currency suggested above are a welcome addition, which I intend to pinch and plagiarise immediately.
MMM
(Both programmes, together with Radio 4's News Quiz and TV's Mash Report, by the way, excellent aids to comedic and satirical survival of the so-inclined, and even more so in these virulent times!)
IOW, if something is said to weigh one kilo, I think 'Ah! Half a Bag of Sugar!' (yes, I know it's not quite right, but it helps...).
Those of you who are bakers may think in terms of Bags of Flour, I guess.
I measure small things in cups of coffee from my favourite coffee shop....so when returning home triumphantly because I got a top for £9 in the sale I announced to my husband "And it only cost me three cups of coffee!"