Four weeks into Lent

Twenty eight days gone, 18 to go... Lost another pound, so I'm down to 11 st 6lbs/72.8kg. Finally worked out how to make tasty soya burgers (fry two at a time on sunflower oil, lots of onion, chilli pepper, one clove of garlic, serve between three slices of fried bread cut to a round shape in the style of a Big Mac.) The sugary dried cranberries have been replaced by naturally sweet dried cherries (which the whole office is going mad for). Seedless white grapes are in season at the moment, so I'm devouring kilos of them. Sit-ups increased to 100 per day (two lots of 50). Generally feeling in good form with two and half weeks to go.

Got thinking about Ramadan - 28 days of not eating or drinking during daylight hours. I would not like to do that. Going without water for so long is unhealthy. And given that Muslims use a lunar calendar, Ramadan is a very movable feast. The month of fasting moves forward by 11 days every year. Bearable in midwinter in the northern hemisphere, when there's eight hours of daylight or less, Ramadan would be difficult to observe in midsummer north of the Arctic Circle!