tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36820784950205868022024-03-25T22:09:39.288+00:00Wendy's WaffleWelcome to my blog. It's mainly a log of my day to day life and things that interest me. Feel free to leave me constructive comments.Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.comBlogger1745125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-35475515741968490702024-03-08T20:49:00.002+00:002024-03-08T20:49:22.109+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 8/3/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNInwews7_hkXXhwQ7n5_ExkTYA9Epy6KLS-c7RqU_r5AZLiUtdN7LgFmRKgXuKLhgBIPhBj0g4G8URn7OtKAWzdTfxK8OV4avWxhBOHA7lN4kcTWEyIFvU-g3RCWL6Dc8Uttmh6QKmxCaPHvk_cdqaujAZAOfyWQtmnEEldhbzjB0MrMpYBZycj99Y1w/s1191/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1191" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNInwews7_hkXXhwQ7n5_ExkTYA9Epy6KLS-c7RqU_r5AZLiUtdN7LgFmRKgXuKLhgBIPhBj0g4G8URn7OtKAWzdTfxK8OV4avWxhBOHA7lN4kcTWEyIFvU-g3RCWL6Dc8Uttmh6QKmxCaPHvk_cdqaujAZAOfyWQtmnEEldhbzjB0MrMpYBZycj99Y1w/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Well it's been 2 weeks since I've been here so I should have lots to be grateful for. Susanne is the host for this weekly link up - you can find her <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/03/fridays-fave-five-776.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.</span></span></i><br /><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1. Getting back into the swing of things after the bout of Covid - I've been doing more walking and I've done 3 more sessions of the Couch to Fitness programme.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2. A brief visit with Hubby's sister and her husband who live in France. They were over last week and came to us on Friday afternoon. They'd spent their week trying to catch up with all the siblings here, no mean feat.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3. Wellies! We have had so much rain lately that the paths around the lake and the nearby golf course are like quagmires in places. Hubby and I managed a walk one afternoon when it wasn't raining but we absolutely needed our wellies.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4. A hubby that cooks. Something I often mention but it does make my life so much easier. (Although I do usually have to remind him to decide what to cook especially if it means getting something out of the freezer to defrost! lol)</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5. A few dryer days! We've even had decent spells of sunshine this week but it's been quite chilly. I did a walk ending up at the shops today to pick up a few bits and wished I'd worn a hat!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well nothing startling there - I did also have a Knit and Natter session last week and my regular sessions at the Foodbank. We also babysat Nathan and Ella last Saturday. We'll be seeing them on Sunday along with Rory and Vinny as we're all going out for a meal as it's Mother's Day here in the UK. It probably won't be very relaxing but I do love seeing them and they enjoy seeing each other too.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good weekend all.</span></span></i></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-80482661624791487752024-02-23T21:56:00.001+00:002024-02-23T21:56:27.327+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 23/2/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLa33fJW8k7_GPb8ZCDeRUTLgNbsFnWPoq5fB3Q1vRgHPF7RxtYVNpm-5HNV99MYYkRdZrJFQycTphdN9TcTdyVTci72f815bpExR4ENdMGWnvhPYfPiNf87C5wM61lfXgH6u83nx1dqGK-W9kwbyQOjDJOfugIZ52XPcGYIxL0DLI-CKkM_QRisTXZc/s1191/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1191" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLa33fJW8k7_GPb8ZCDeRUTLgNbsFnWPoq5fB3Q1vRgHPF7RxtYVNpm-5HNV99MYYkRdZrJFQycTphdN9TcTdyVTci72f815bpExR4ENdMGWnvhPYfPiNf87C5wM61lfXgH6u83nx1dqGK-W9kwbyQOjDJOfugIZ52XPcGYIxL0DLI-CKkM_QRisTXZc/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The last Friday of February already - time to look back on the week and find the blessings - Susanne is our host and blogs <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/02/fridays-fave-five-774.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) Thankful that I'm over this latest bout of Covid - tested negative yesterday and feeling much better.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2) Thankful for all the get well wishes and kind words from fellow bloggers - it's great to know you're not posting things into a void.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) Thankful to see Grandson Nathan yesterday - we didn't see him all of this past week because of Covid so it was good to be able to spend some time with him - we're catching up with Ella, Rory and Vinny tomorrow.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4) A Ladies Lunch today. It was Ana's turn to host and we had a lovely Italian style platter with cold meats and cheese for starters, followed by Lasagne and then raspberries and meringue for dessert. All of which were yummy but it's the company that's most important.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5) Thankful for my library and my TBR pile - I've done a lot of reading over the past week or so and ticked off quite a few books now on my 52 book challenge. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Also thankful that I can accept that my step count and walking for this month will be really low due to being ill. We've also had a LOT of rain so finding time to walk would have been a bit tricky. I did fit in a 30 minute exercise session though on a free app I found. It's called Couch to Fit and is similar to the Couch to 5K programme that I've done before so I'm hoping to stick to it. Watch this space!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good weekend all.</span></span></i><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-78674817874818091982024-02-21T20:44:00.004+00:002024-02-21T20:45:22.801+00:00Wednesday Hodgepodge - 21/2/24<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUO72ddHQ8XU3C2IbsV833zkBoi5ULmaXwAPE_o_1K5ke554d0dLEyrIdCYGqwKp-cfEOyYk-mQj6yz0pnd7AlQ1FDGZA1t9IXdv_qUoP4fDDPJ3amv_NFCDq0sOWuep4yey-D4-gZMpXU29UaaYIs8ktM5IJxyK5e2Du52l8zXKXGE_ww_fSONgR9Z3c/s273/hodgepodge-button.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUO72ddHQ8XU3C2IbsV833zkBoi5ULmaXwAPE_o_1K5ke554d0dLEyrIdCYGqwKp-cfEOyYk-mQj6yz0pnd7AlQ1FDGZA1t9IXdv_qUoP4fDDPJ3amv_NFCDq0sOWuep4yey-D4-gZMpXU29UaaYIs8ktM5IJxyK5e2Du52l8zXKXGE_ww_fSONgR9Z3c/s1600/hodgepodge-button.PNG" width="273" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The Hodgepodge is hosted by Joyce <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2024/02/the-view-from-my-hodgepodge.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Pop over to see who else is taking part and join in the fun.</i></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><div><br /></div>1. What kind of thinker are you-doer (concrete thinking) analyst (analytical and abstract thinking), orator (logical thinking) inventor (imaginative thinking) or original thinker (creative)? What makes you say so? You can try this little quiz <a href="https://psychologia.co/types-of-thinking/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">(link here)</a> to help with your answer. </i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well I did the quiz and I came out predominantly as a doer but also quite analytical and logical. My lowest score was in imaginative thinking. None of this was surprising lol. <br /></i></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>2. Do you own a crock pot, air fryer, and/or instapot? Do you leave said small appliance sitting out? How often do you use it/them? Favourite thing to make in one of these? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well I'm assuming a crock pot is what I know as a slow cooker. We do have one of those and it lives in a cupboard. We don't use it very often. Our newest appliance is an air fryer which lives on the worktop - it gets used most days. We (the Royal We as Hubby does most of the cooking in our house) cook bacon in it most mornings and it gets used for veg and fries particularly rather than using our main oven. We've cooked steaks and other meats in it too but I haven't made any cakes in it yet. We love it and I'm pleased that HelloFresh (a complete meal supplier that you cook at home) are starting to include air fryer directions on the recipe cards.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Hmm - there's a right and wrong way to put a toilet roll on a holder! (Tried to think of the silliest thing possible.)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>4. Describe the view from your window. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well it's evening here now in the UK so there is no view from the window - the blinds are closed. If I could see out it would be a rainy view.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>5. Do you have a favourite brand? Explain.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Marks and Spencer - a UK department store that nearly all my clothes come from and definitely all my footwear - they do half sizes. I can guarantee a particular size will fit and the quality will be good without being too expensive. They also have a good quality food range. For everyday clothing I rarely look elsewhere.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>6. Insert your own random thought here. </i></span></p><p><i><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Is it just me or is everyone else still mainly shopping online even though the pandemic is over?</span></span></i></p></div></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-3040379368309695662024-02-19T14:20:00.002+00:002024-02-19T14:20:29.379+00:00Books, books and more books! 19/2/24<div class="detailChallengeTabs" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 25px 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><div class="detailChallengeTabHeader" style="color: black; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px;">YOUR 2024 BOOKS</div></div><div class="js-dataTooltip" data-batch-size="20" data-ref-tag="x_gr_w_preview_rc_kcr" data-use-wtr-tooltip="true" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><ul class="yearChallengeCovers" style="clear: both; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="437129" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/437129.The_Kite_Runner" id="bookCover_437129" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603034966l/437129._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="58088510" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58088510-the-postscript-murders" id="bookCover_58088510" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621351614l/58088510._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="61918788" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61918788-my-other-husband" id="bookCover_61918788" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669119011l/61918788._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="29779223" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29779223-woman-in-cabin-10" id="bookCover_29779223" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479150022l/29779223._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="39080732" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39080732-a-spark-of-light" id="bookCover_39080732" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525895596l/39080732._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="41728472" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41728472-nine-perfect-strangers" id="bookCover_41728472" style="color: #00635d; 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position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25074850-the-girl-in-the-spider-s-web" id="bookCover_25074850" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427843648l/25074850._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="46017286" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46017286-the-stranger-diaries" id="bookCover_46017286" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558867424l/46017286._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" title="The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="69554803" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69554803-the-murders-at-fleat-house" id="bookCover_69554803" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671299856l/69554803._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" title="The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="59589479" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59589479-one-italian-summer" id="bookCover_59589479" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636597613l/59589479._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" title="One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle" /></a></div></li><li class="bookCoverContainer" style="float: left; height: 155px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-right: 25px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="{"display-user":51686742}" data-resource-id="2806057" data-resource-type="Book" style="display: inline-block; position: relative;"><a class="bookCoverTarget" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2806057-revelation" id="bookCover_2806057" style="color: #00635d; display: inline-block; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Revelation by C.J. Sansom" class="bookCover" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878835l/2806057._SX98_.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(204, 204, 204) 2px 2px 2px; max-height: 150px; vertical-align: top; width: 100px;" title="Revelation by C.J. Sansom" /></a></div></li></ul><div class="clear" style="clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px;"></div></div><div class="yearChallengeTips" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="missingBooksMessage" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); margin: 10px 25px 10px 0px; padding: 10px;"></div></div><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not a bad start my reading challenge for the year and one blessing of having Covid this past week - lots of reading time with no guilt attached.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you everyone for your good wishes. I haven't really felt too bad, just very tired and the first couple of days I was quite achy but nothing major.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon and will stop bombarding you with book reviews!</span></span></i></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-85304484101230402202024-02-19T14:04:00.006+00:002024-02-19T14:04:53.223+00:00Book Review - The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/437129.The_Kite_Runner" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Kite Runner" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1603034966l/437129._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/437129.The_Kite_Runner">The Kite Runner</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/569.Khaled_Hosseini">Khaled Hosseini</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6273059004">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1970s Afghanistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what would happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to an Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>
Hard to criticise an acclaimed book that's also been made into a film and I did love Hosseini's writing style. However, I could not take to the main character, Amir. As a boy he witnesses a terrible act against his friend, Hassan. But Hassan is not his friend, he is his servant. Wracked with guilt Amir compounds his problems by lying and causing Hassan and his father to leave.<br /><br />Years later, after Amir had fled Afghanistan and is living in America, he is given the opportunity to redeem himself but the following events stretched credibility too far in my opinion.<br /><br />I know it's not always possible to like all the characters in a book or their actions but, and it's hard to put my finger on exactly what felt wrong, this book just didn't have me wanting to keep turning the pages.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-89642150125644337352024-02-19T14:02:00.001+00:002024-02-19T14:02:16.378+00:00Book Review - The Postscript Murders - Elly Griffiths<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58088510-the-postscript-murders" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Postscript Murders" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621351614l/58088510._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58088510-the-postscript-murders">The Postscript Murders</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2541526.Elly_Griffiths">Elly Griffiths</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6268551733">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">PS: thanks for the murders.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should absolutely not be suspicious. DS Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing to concern her in carer Natalka's account of Peggy Smith's death.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">But when Natalka reveals that Peggy lied about her heart condition and that she had been sure someone was following her...<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />And that Peggy Smith had been a 'murder consultant' who plotted deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than anyone has any right to...<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" />And when clearing out Peggy's flat ends in Natalka being held at gunpoint by a masked figure...</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Well then DS Harbinder Kaur thinks that maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">From the sleepy seaside town of Shoreham, to the granite streets of Edinburgh and the shores of Lake Baikal, <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Postscript Murders</i> is a literary mystery for fans of Antony Horowitz, Agatha Christie and anyone who's ever wondered just <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">how</i> authors think up such realistic crimes...</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">PS: Trust no one.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>This was the second book in the series and it didn't disappoint. The main police character Harbinder Kaur is an interesting woman and although I'd probably class this as a "cosy" police crime thriller it was enjoyable.
</i></span><br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-72716494730748139542024-02-19T13:59:00.000+00:002024-02-19T13:59:02.786+00:00Book Review - Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29779223-woman-in-cabin-10" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Woman In Cabin 10" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479150022l/29779223._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29779223-woman-in-cabin-10">Woman In Cabin 10</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9013543.Ruth_Ware">Ruth Ware</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6267443586">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This was meant to be the perfect trip. The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">A chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Except things don't go as planned.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Woken in the night by screams, Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records show that no-one ever checked into that cabin, and no passengers are missing from the boat.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Exhausted and emotional, Lo has to face the fact that she may have made a mistake—either that, or she is now trapped on a boat with a murderer...</span></span><br /><br /><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I did enjoy this book but I found the number of characters confusing at times. Also some sections went into a lot of depth others did not. I also found some of the final section implausible but it was a good plot.
<br /></i></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>
<p><br /></p></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-65254765472013378512024-02-19T13:56:00.002+00:002024-02-19T13:56:20.892+00:00Book Review - My Other Husband - Dorothy Koomson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61918788-my-other-husband" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="My Other Husband" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669119011l/61918788._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61918788-my-other-husband">My Other Husband</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38651.Dorothy_Koomson">Dorothy Koomson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6264732691">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Cleo Forsum is a bestselling novelist turned scriptwriter whose TV series, 'The Baking Detective' is a huge success. Writing is all she's ever wanted to do, and baking and murder stories have proved a winning combination. But now she has decided to walk away from it all - including divorcing her husband, Wallace - before her past secrets catch up with her. As Cleo drafts the final ever episodes of the series, people she knows start getting hurt. And it's soon clear that someone is trying to frame her for murder. She thinks she knows why, but Cleo can't tell the police or prove her innocence. Because then she'd have to confess about her other husband . . . A series of terrifying murders. A set of complex lies. And a woman with no way to clear her name.</span></span><br /><div><br /></div><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Cleo Forsum is hiding secrets. When someone tries to frame her for murder she finds herself trying to unravel her life to keep those secrets safe, including her other husband.<br /><br />This was a real page turner for me and although it switches between various timelines it wasn't too hard to follow. There was nice twist towards the end, although not that surprising, but it still rated 5 stars for me.
<br /></i></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-62317698177921402892024-02-17T09:28:00.002+00:002024-02-17T09:28:34.033+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 16/2/24 (A day late!)<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_LEduNmmEg-l24qYA1XWo-nP4NShChhM_xjhHGwNfyVaXbIvLsoEOrn2ozijpuCRuyuvlFXB9C5-ko9X1S7gDCc13aZNSSOLBZ62H5kqx1iAZtZL3y8JqSIyw05Buuk60OZrk3jN_KMUuDVDhZf0yIFiAdL1EzeXR-0wzDEDergZmT9Vsi-muhyMhyphenhyphenI/s300/FFF%20daisies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="198" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_LEduNmmEg-l24qYA1XWo-nP4NShChhM_xjhHGwNfyVaXbIvLsoEOrn2ozijpuCRuyuvlFXB9C5-ko9X1S7gDCc13aZNSSOLBZ62H5kqx1iAZtZL3y8JqSIyw05Buuk60OZrk3jN_KMUuDVDhZf0yIFiAdL1EzeXR-0wzDEDergZmT9Vsi-muhyMhyphenhyphenI/s1600/FFF%20daisies.jpg" width="198" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Well I'm a day late with no real excuse for that but here are my five faves of the last week. </span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) A visit from our eldest son and his family - they arrived on Saturday and stayed overnight. They then went off to France for a couple of days and were back with us again on Tuesday, returning home on Wednesday. Consequently we didn't have lots of time with them but it's always good to see them. Grandsons Noah and Miles always look so pleased to see us.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2) A catch up with one of Hubby's sisters last Friday. She's undergoing chemo again but she is always so upbeat and doesn't complain despite all she's going through. If I'm ever really ill I would need to take a leaf out of her book.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) Spare bedrooms and plenty of space in the house - this has enabled me to keep my distance from not only Hubby but also my daughter this week who has continued to work from our home despite me testing positive for Covid on Wednesday. I felt a bit under the weather on Tuesday and worse on Wednesday and as we had my son and family still here then I thought I would test just in case. The Foodbank are also keen for people to test if possible when unwell despite restrictions etc having been lifted a while back. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4) Lots and lots of reading time with no guilt attached lol. I haven't felt too rough from the Covid but definitely achy and tired so I've indulged in lots of reading the last few days. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5) A hubby that can cook and take care of me and doesn't complain. Makes all the difference when you're not feeling great to have meals and drinks appear at regular intervals. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hope you're all having a good weekend. Mine will be quiet. I'm hoping to get to my final session of the Diabetes Prevention course on Monday - hopefully I'll be clear of Covid by then.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to our host Susanne for reminding us to pause and think about the good things each week. You can find her blog and more info <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/02/fridays-fave-five-773.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-41467817868775617462024-02-14T15:01:00.005+00:002024-02-14T15:01:52.545+00:00Book Review - A Spark of Light - Jodi Picoult<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39080732-a-spark-of-light" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Spark of Light" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525895596l/39080732._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39080732-a-spark-of-light">A Spark of Light</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7128.Jodi_Picoult">Jodi Picoult</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6260638200">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.</span></span><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>
I usually enjoy books by Jodi Picoult but wasn't sure how this one would pan out given the subject matter - abortion - which is so emotive.<br /><br />I think Picoult has done a great job at doing her research and presenting both sides of the argument. However I really did not like the way the book was written in a reverse time frame which was quite confusing at times, especially given the number of characters involved. (I don't think I could have coped with that on an audio book at all!) Also, I know that she has tried to include as much information as possible but there is one section in the book that outlines the procedures of an abortion which was very graphic.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>
<p><br /></p></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-27261920783773925272024-02-14T14:28:00.000+00:002024-02-14T14:28:26.644+00:00Wednesday Hodgepodge - 14/2/24<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKqPEYR04_8aZy86_RnRqV9C9TCqfDOEM7433fvz_mZ1wMvkZKC685cTC295Fc5a_cewV8aJUDamv53g2ZUmjnLdeP7-Kt0CgkPLlUxnQCDD8gIioO5TnoirlBZlr6JRefq3bALsHEV36aaWeO5mhbt1dfPocsTa45ymF7UnzTDlaukKuM6qQWKZ3Q7I/s273/hodgepodge-button.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKqPEYR04_8aZy86_RnRqV9C9TCqfDOEM7433fvz_mZ1wMvkZKC685cTC295Fc5a_cewV8aJUDamv53g2ZUmjnLdeP7-Kt0CgkPLlUxnQCDD8gIioO5TnoirlBZlr6JRefq3bALsHEV36aaWeO5mhbt1dfPocsTa45ymF7UnzTDlaukKuM6qQWKZ3Q7I/s1600/hodgepodge-button.PNG" width="273" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>It's Wednesday so time to join in with the Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2024/02/be-my-hodgepodge-valentine.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>1. What does love mean to you? </i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Hard to put that into words but I think these words say it all:<br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMy1ic7ibvhdEoB52T2unMQUcezc-GHJat9x6hcJd9sNQovwnZEqjlF3r00fPnKTP6Lzp1ywMbhZBQk0ucbJM_y0WqdRt59T4iWPGTHx3i34aU9AlZUFusoMISUK63jRv36tnIoPVVRvyHjTCSskmOa6osIZiT4N5f4v-dP7Lm_ruHbKq2w984GswkU1o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMy1ic7ibvhdEoB52T2unMQUcezc-GHJat9x6hcJd9sNQovwnZEqjlF3r00fPnKTP6Lzp1ywMbhZBQk0ucbJM_y0WqdRt59T4iWPGTHx3i34aU9AlZUFusoMISUK63jRv36tnIoPVVRvyHjTCSskmOa6osIZiT4N5f4v-dP7Lm_ruHbKq2w984GswkU1o" width="180" /></a></div><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>2. Is love blind? </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm not sure it's love that's blind rather that we let love blind us to the faults in the ones we love.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well that's what I started to say but now I'm debating if that actually means love is blind lol.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Let's just say it's often complicated!</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>3. How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid? Do you have any special plans for the day this year? </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I can always remember that my Dad, although quite strict and maybe a bit staid was a bit of a romantic when it came to birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine's Day - he always got my Mum cards with lovely words and usually flowers of some sort.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>No plans for us - my Hubby is not particularly romantic and hates what he sees as the over commercialism of events like Valentine's Day etc. We did go out for a meal one year (ages ago now) but the restaurant had tried to capitalise on their space so much that although the tables were all for just 2 people they were so close together you could hear about 8 conversations going on. Not in the least romantic lol.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>4 Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'? What's your favourite (or one of your favourites)?</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I do love a good 'rom-com' and have lots of favourites so hard to pick one - Notting Hill, 4 Weddings and a Funeral, Sleepless in Seattle, While you were sleeping etc etc..........</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>5. What's something you recently put your heart into? </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm quite committed to the Foodbank I volunteer at and recently I put my name in the hat for a space on the management committee for a Volunteer Representative. A few people did the same so we had to have a brief "chat" (aka an interview) with 2 members of the committee. A bit nerve wracking when you've been out of the working world for 9 years. I wasn't successful, mainly because all the other candidates have had a lot more experience of volunteering at the Foodbank so I wasn't that surprised and certainly not too disappointed.</i></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>6. Insert your own random thought here. </i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wishing I was a year older then I would have had an additional Covid booster and might not have tested positive this morning after feeling a bit unwell since yesterday. Hopefully I haven't passed it on to anyone (my son and his family were here overnight) but Hubby has had the extra jab and tested negative. Fingers crossed!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thankfully I'm not feeling too bad but definitely a bit under the weather. A good excuse for reading, blogging and just watching TV though. Every cloud .....</span></span></i></p></div></div></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-86643994267641701222024-02-11T22:38:00.001+00:002024-02-11T22:38:12.286+00:00Book Review - Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41728472-nine-perfect-strangers" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Nine Perfect Strangers" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551263728l/41728472._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41728472-nine-perfect-strangers">Nine Perfect Strangers</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/322069.Liane_Moriarty">Liane Moriarty</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6244018469">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600;">One house. Nine strangers. </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600;">Ten days that will change everything . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The retreat at health-and-wellness resort Tranquillum House promises total transformation.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Nine stressed city dwellers are keen to drop their literal and mental baggage, and absorb the meditative ambience while enjoying their hot stone massages.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Miles from anywhere, without cars or phones, they have no way to reach the outside world. Just time to think about themselves, and get to know each other.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Watching over them is the resort's director, a woman on a mission. But quite a different one from any the guests might have imagined.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">For behind the retreat's glamorous facade lies a dark agenda.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">These nine perfect strangers have no idea what's about to hit them .</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> . .</span><br /><div><br /></div><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I did enjoy this book but I think it was a bit over hyped. The blurb states "9 strangers seeking perfection, and each discovering the perfect lie..."<br /><br />Well I'm not sure they were all seeking perfection of that the lies were perfect. I found it a bit slow at the start although it did pick up a bit but not until about 2/3 of the way through. There was no real startling twist. It was funny in parts but I wasn't really sure how to categorise it. It's not really a thriller - it wasn't suspenseful enough. I read it for a book challenge but it would make an ok holiday read.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>
<p><br /></p></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-69493148547410586582024-02-09T22:23:00.000+00:002024-02-09T22:23:33.060+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 9/2/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DPR7WwirTqdxKw1vc1L2unHoB310idazPsOhCgTwyQ2qMuCofY4nTXEbRU-7n60d5r_EQJqUUWYMDdlEvjIoL-mK8XXWcLoOH3CY_YRy9AEmZQipcKQWgVSFTdouY_-Xo9eZkksTx3GRbEO_eNkDImIJe5HR8S1-G9W6sayxLY8OhVdJNBNGyYcX8o4/s300/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DPR7WwirTqdxKw1vc1L2unHoB310idazPsOhCgTwyQ2qMuCofY4nTXEbRU-7n60d5r_EQJqUUWYMDdlEvjIoL-mK8XXWcLoOH3CY_YRy9AEmZQipcKQWgVSFTdouY_-Xo9eZkksTx3GRbEO_eNkDImIJe5HR8S1-G9W6sayxLY8OhVdJNBNGyYcX8o4/s1600/image.png" width="225" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />It's Friday so time to look back on the week and share the blessings. Like minded bloggers can be found <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/02/fridays-fave-five-772.html" target="_blank">here</a> on our host Susanne's blog.</span></span></i><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>1) It was our youngest son's birthday this week so we popped round to see him on the day with some banana and chocolate cupcakes I'd made. We didn't have a long visit as it was a school night and the grandsons (Rory and Vinny) needed to get to bed early but it was lovely to catch up with all of them and we always get a very warm welcome from the little ones.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>2) My health. We've been to 2 funerals this week. On Monday it was our neighbour Anne's funeral. We didn't really know Anne that well as she was in poor health when we moved here. She suffered with a lung condition that led to her becoming more and more dependant on oxygen and eventually morphine. She passed away on 1st January this year. The second funeral was today and that was someone we knew from where we used to live. Eileen was diagnosed with lung cancer in December and passed away in January. Anne was 72, Eileen only 62. Inevitably funerals make you aware of your own mortality so today I'm grateful I'm in good health.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>3) A well stocked freezer - there have been a couple of days this week when we've been able to make an easy dinner from something in the freezer.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>4) Lots of TV choice - sometimes almost too much lol but at least I can always find something to watch when I need to.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>5) Fun with Grandson Nathan after school yesterday. We usually get any homework he might have completed first but then we enjoyed a couple of games of snakes and ladders and then an improvised game of "The floor is lava". He loves having the total attention of Nanny and Grandpa!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Tomorrow we're looking forward to seeing our other son and his family and then we are dog-sitting their dog for a couple of days while they are on a trip.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Have a good weekend all.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-30763199268853831972024-02-07T19:54:00.001+00:002024-02-07T19:54:46.705+00:00Wednesday Hodgepodge - 7/2/24<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJI_UUztTbR-M4hw1Lvv9q_9VlP0foBvXD21WBDuUK-PLKRDu9HL0CIO5xT9qxpLMnxdPNsI1_o4XDlIILrCc-mbO-ObY6MoaX0gohWN-UTBQtSooCben0NClE-WMLALRZoortRaJ_c4XtgoGiL9A_gp62RLpD6394jv6Xvrhs8jKUI2NR6F3Ei0Sywws/s273/hodgepodge-button.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJI_UUztTbR-M4hw1Lvv9q_9VlP0foBvXD21WBDuUK-PLKRDu9HL0CIO5xT9qxpLMnxdPNsI1_o4XDlIILrCc-mbO-ObY6MoaX0gohWN-UTBQtSooCben0NClE-WMLALRZoortRaJ_c4XtgoGiL9A_gp62RLpD6394jv6Xvrhs8jKUI2NR6F3Ei0Sywws/s1600/hodgepodge-button.PNG" width="273" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I'm joining in with the Hodgepodge today - you can find out more <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2024/02/waiting-on-hodgepodge.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>1. Something you've waited for recently? </i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Books to arrive at the library. The service is really good in that I can request books from local and even not so local libraries but sometimes they do take a while to arrive. The last one I requested also went to the wrong library but it was close enough that I could get there without too much hassle. I love my library service.<br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>2. What's something you loved to do as a child? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Dance - I took lessons in ballet, tap and modern dancing. I did try ballroom but it wasn't my fave at the time.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>3. Something you learned from a grandparent? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Crochet. I can remember my maternal grandmother teaching me to crochet. She crocheted a lot - in particularly doilies with fine cotton yarns. Not sure who taught me to knit - probably her too.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpuMpZcwo8ljk_jJUrJbB0G0RFkBYdQq76Las6Rtanrle1XkBHj2mjJVeptK31LOPGdpNjRe0dzSXZyPVIt_sk9rjTrKMr1HZuyO0HK-4QrLrh_Ht_Kz_bVwq1DBoMrUT0Y3xgcgATVXDEMgelbnlYbMR-CHas5lXuGrk2X3SOvaMLknX02vhyjn0ZPM/s4032/IMG_7373.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpuMpZcwo8ljk_jJUrJbB0G0RFkBYdQq76Las6Rtanrle1XkBHj2mjJVeptK31LOPGdpNjRe0dzSXZyPVIt_sk9rjTrKMr1HZuyO0HK-4QrLrh_Ht_Kz_bVwq1DBoMrUT0Y3xgcgATVXDEMgelbnlYbMR-CHas5lXuGrk2X3SOvaMLknX02vhyjn0ZPM/s320/IMG_7373.JPEG" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><i>This is (one of my) WIP - I'm finally happy with the number of squares I've knitted so today I was working out how to put it all together. I've also started knitting an edging. Don't expect to see the completed work anytime soon lol</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>4. The most visited cities in the world last year <a href="https://www.traveloffpath.com/these-are-the-10-most-visited-cities-in-the-world-right-now/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">(according to this site)</a> were-Bangkok, Paris, London, Dubai, and Singapore. Have you been to any of the cities mentioned? Which would you most like to see? How do you feel about international travel in general these days? </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well I live in London and I've been to Paris. There is still so much of London I could explore and I'm ok with international travel although Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore are not on my must see list. I'd quite like to visit New Zealand but Hubby's not that keen and soon (hopefully) our son and his family will be living in Vermont so we'll be trekking "across the pond".</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>5. February is the perfect month to </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well I'm not sure what February is perfect for - we're not big celebrators of Valentines Day and it's quite often cold and wet in February. Maybe staying home and concentrating on hobbies?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>6. Insert your own random thought here. </i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've had 2 early starts yesterday and today, doing the school run with my grandson Nathan. Looking forward to a lie in tomorrow! I'm not a morning person lol</span></span></i></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-40006294540634703252024-02-06T16:27:00.001+00:002024-02-06T16:27:23.948+00:00Book Review - Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23363874-reasons-to-stay-alive" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Reasons to Stay Alive" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418674667l/23363874._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23363874-reasons-to-stay-alive">Reasons to Stay Alive</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/76360.Matt_Haig">Matt Haig</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5994814330">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I want life. I want to read it and write it and feel it and live it. I want, for as much of the time as possible in this blink-of-an-eye existence we have, to feel all that can be felt. I hate depression. I am scared of it. Terrified, in fact. But at the same time, it has made me who I am. And if - for me - it is the price of feeling life, it's a price always worth paying.</i><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Reasons to Stay Alive</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> is about making the most of your time on earth. In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn't, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It's also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how to live better, love better, read better and feel more.</span></span><br /><div><br /></div><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>There is nothing particularly startling in this book but it could be helpful for someone in the same position Matt was, or to give those who think it's ok to suggest "pull yourself together" to someone with depression an idea of what is helpful and what isn't.<br /><br />Matt was fortunate to have a very understanding partner (now his wife) and supportive family. Not everyone contemplating suicide can say the same.
<br /></i></span><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>
<p><br /></p></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-48408316059449024402024-02-04T13:54:00.004+00:002024-02-04T13:54:56.524+00:00Book Review - Headstrong 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World - Rachel Swaby<p><br /></p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22856166-headstrong" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416500509l/22856166._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22856166-headstrong">Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science-and the World</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8426243.Rachel_Swaby">Rachel Swaby</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6215424931">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Among the questions the obituary—and consequent outcry—prompted were, Who are the role models for today’s female scientists, and where can we find the stories that cast them in their true light? </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Headstrong delivers a powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby’s vibrant profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how each one’s ideas developed, from their first moment of scientific engagement through the research and discovery for which they’re best known. This fascinating tour reveals 52 women at their best—while encouraging and inspiring a new generation of girls to put on their lab coats.</span></span><br /><div><br /></div><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Well this isn't my usual sort of read so it took me 9 days to read - even though it's a relatively short book with a lot of pages of notes and bibliography that I obviously didn't wade through.<br /><br />I did find it interesting and there were many women in the book I hadn't heard of. The common thread running through many of these women's stories was how difficult it was for them to be accepted in their respective fields and how many of them had worked for nothing or a very small pittance. It's definitely better now but I think we are still some way from achieving true equality between men and women not just in science but many fields.<br /><br />As I said, it was interesting but the pieces on each woman were actually quite short. Sadly I'm not sure how much information I will have retained without having made notes!
</i></span><br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51686742-wendy-jakob">View all my reviews</a>
</div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-56419309579321884352024-02-03T20:42:00.000+00:002024-02-03T20:42:22.531+00:00#SoCS - 3/2/24 - Watch<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBTDVi-ThyHGVdrVt_3HEH1V2RQKZ2hmvUs-soi-PrCBMYKiaMvEiJMz_HqouNIAjOlzv8PMgaXx0yegotMDr0n4qSy8V3N4C77oABl975BoFWSLNC4xQ9L-bJDRIvlwwwKDNv6pgAEQVJAkHCBrOsKZ58HzUxwa1whtc7lSP5Eg4xOVLKup4tCTUBiI/s300/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBTDVi-ThyHGVdrVt_3HEH1V2RQKZ2hmvUs-soi-PrCBMYKiaMvEiJMz_HqouNIAjOlzv8PMgaXx0yegotMDr0n4qSy8V3N4C77oABl975BoFWSLNC4xQ9L-bJDRIvlwwwKDNv6pgAEQVJAkHCBrOsKZ58HzUxwa1whtc7lSP5Eg4xOVLKup4tCTUBiI/w217-h217/image.png" width="217" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “watch.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun</span></span><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">!</span></span><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">#SoCS is hosted by Linda <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/02/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-3-2024/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have a dilemma. Which should I watch first:</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Stranger or </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fool Me Once</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both are on Netflix, both are based on books by Harlan Coben, both of which I have read. I do love Harlan Coben books - they're great at hooking you right at the start and then keeping you turning the pages.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well that's how they work for me.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll probably watch The Stranger as I've only just read that one so it's fresh in my mind. I'll be able to see what changes have been made. From comments I've seen it doesn't follow the book completely.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've just finished watching Safe which I enjoyed.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One thing I didn't enjoy watching this week though was 58 videos on Food Hygiene. The Foodbank I volunteer at were keen to have volunteers get a Food Hygiene certificate if possible as they'd secured funding for a number of course places. I'd done one before when I was working but they have to be renewed every 3 years so I thought it wouldn't be too difficult. It wasn't difficult at all really - lots of it is common sense but.... I did an in person course before. This one was online and as I said consisted of 58 videos featuring the same man every time going through the information you needed to take on board! Thankfully each video was only a few minutes long.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh wait I tell a lie - there was one video showing how to correctly wash your hands that was "borrowed" from the NHS so it was a different presenter. Anyway I did watch ALL of the videos although I did it in 2 halves - I was losing the will to live. And I passed! At the end you had to do an online test that was all multiple choice. Hopefully I won't have to watch any more training videos any time soon!</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Enjoy the rest of the weekend.</i></span></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-61845377079723421062024-02-02T19:46:00.000+00:002024-02-02T19:46:58.037+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 2/2/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wt87g08MgxRfSdlnv-1e2WdujWQ9yDvqyxmZdenoQbwHykerOEnNFEQ8Pjt04mo9fAFRLPmrqTGaDB0vIhTrcG29ZInAsHSYj4rq7CQEBQWzXEi5kd7Y7pp5pFNr174oHAYIkCG9IiWWAAYU4Df-l0_FrfQS1VU0_CTJeK2oU4a7hGw3_eOSDbjmXAE/s300/FFF%20feb..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="172" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wt87g08MgxRfSdlnv-1e2WdujWQ9yDvqyxmZdenoQbwHykerOEnNFEQ8Pjt04mo9fAFRLPmrqTGaDB0vIhTrcG29ZInAsHSYj4rq7CQEBQWzXEi5kd7Y7pp5pFNr174oHAYIkCG9IiWWAAYU4Df-l0_FrfQS1VU0_CTJeK2oU4a7hGw3_eOSDbjmXAE/s1600/FFF%20feb..jpg" width="172" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />And it's Friday again!</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Time to look back on the week and remember what I'm grateful for. Susanne is the driving force behind this and blogs <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/02/fridays-fave-five-771.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) A haircut! I can't remember the last time I had it cut but I think my hairdresser took about 4 inches off and it's still a reasonable length.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPI1qzymGEMFfOflNkVSj_W9OT1K4tpxbPItUoHkJ7JunuH1KOrW8zxHo9amXBjSYKK2bMu46ht32FvjNp6sCX7NGg61I4zvBhWSoi1KdT4Az4PCgz_NegiasEgGNuZxKZMFZggNEbyj-AVLA8AwrLU-v1Va1SiGezgSVcBrG5LsZ491hvDiFBDKqmIc/s3088/IMG_7368.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPI1qzymGEMFfOflNkVSj_W9OT1K4tpxbPItUoHkJ7JunuH1KOrW8zxHo9amXBjSYKK2bMu46ht32FvjNp6sCX7NGg61I4zvBhWSoi1KdT4Az4PCgz_NegiasEgGNuZxKZMFZggNEbyj-AVLA8AwrLU-v1Va1SiGezgSVcBrG5LsZ491hvDiFBDKqmIc/w181-h242/IMG_7368.JPEG" width="181" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />2) A very successful Yarn & Cake sale last Sunday organised by the knitting group. We raised nearly £900 for Macmillan Cancer Support. We had Macmillan nurses come to our home when both my Nan and my Dad were at the end stages of their battles with cancer and they were just brilliant so I was very happy to support this event.</span></span></i><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) Quite a bit of support to my daughter and her family this week with school runs and having Nathan after school yesterday - my DIL has what seemed like flu so I'm grateful that we're able to help out as much as we can and I know they appreciate it.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4) I am now the proud owner of a Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate. This was an online course I did funded through the Foodbank. I had done this in my past life when I worked in a school, but they have to be renewed every 3 years and mine had lapsed. </span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was a lot of information on the course which doesn't actually apply to the Foodbank but it was interesting to refresh my memory on certain things although a lot of it is really just common sense.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5) A good library service. I've mentioned doing a 52 week challenge this year that requires reading books which match 52 different prompts and although I've got a lot of books at home that I can use I'm also relying on the library for books. I'd been notified that 1 book I'd reserved was available but when I got there today there were actually 2 books waiting to be picked up. The turn around time is usually pretty good so hopefully I'll be able to get access to all the books I need over the year.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's also been a good week for walking - it's been mostly dry and a lot milder so I've been out every day. Some days like today, that's just been a walk down to the library but I've also done a few walks around the lake and golf course areas.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And....I also nearly managed to complete the Just Jot it January blogging challenge - I missed a couple of days but I definitely blogged more in January. Now I have to keep it up!</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good weekend all.</span></span></i></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><p></p></div>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-60047863675651705072024-02-01T21:40:00.001+00:002024-02-01T21:40:48.674+00:00And now it's February.......1/2/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41ZGvB1aejCJndVbm8iieSf59scDwwZKYfsAyZOGOAfp2ZSmuAY5zKMmye8RFaAP65pSTvPMwew2zQD8YshieNyjDxRM0_KI3SBjeBZJKiWEdGd-OigzPLvvtp-w0yidxzaG2NEE3AA08q80g0u1vxIZ3lUb36otpoeSlTyq2-Gf7y2UICS9i3jhGLiE/s348/jjj-24-10-years-partic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41ZGvB1aejCJndVbm8iieSf59scDwwZKYfsAyZOGOAfp2ZSmuAY5zKMmye8RFaAP65pSTvPMwew2zQD8YshieNyjDxRM0_KI3SBjeBZJKiWEdGd-OigzPLvvtp-w0yidxzaG2NEE3AA08q80g0u1vxIZ3lUb36otpoeSlTyq2-Gf7y2UICS9i3jhGLiE/w178-h176/jjj-24-10-years-partic.png" width="178" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Well yes I know it's February but that means it's time to do a round up of the Just Jot it January challenge.</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firstly a big shout out to <a href="https://lindaghill.com" target="_blank">Linda</a> for organising this for the 10th year!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I almost completed it and I did actually do 35 posts in January. I missed one day when I'd been out for the evening with hubby but I did double up on the next day covering both prompts. One post also just tipped over into the following day as I was working on it so late.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I missed one day completely. I think it was another busy day and the prompt "Despair" just wasn't doing it for me. Of course I could have posted something totally random but I didn't. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I'm pleased with how the month went. I also managed to read a few books and post reviews. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the momentum in February although I don't expect to be posting every day.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhelxJxS0HJNSjYeqm3AO2OCkC_w25GG85zoei3ISGhFIVYPFQfffvAZb4Aj_-LXZx0N5OjJEcXgP4diMfdTHAgArEv957hZQRv1T16vMfXoR0NiU8eBFL53q6Rx4vuIlZbUf3AER5L6Ak6nzaiJbsDmG7Nt33n4jeWA2dZBnYcluDwQGh0GDQfpC3WHMY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhelxJxS0HJNSjYeqm3AO2OCkC_w25GG85zoei3ISGhFIVYPFQfffvAZb4Aj_-LXZx0N5OjJEcXgP4diMfdTHAgArEv957hZQRv1T16vMfXoR0NiU8eBFL53q6Rx4vuIlZbUf3AER5L6Ak6nzaiJbsDmG7Nt33n4jeWA2dZBnYcluDwQGh0GDQfpC3WHMY" width="320" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span></i><p></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-14388239346890989522024-01-31T22:35:00.005+00:002024-01-31T22:35:57.936+00:00Just Jot it January / One Liner Wednesday 31/1/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8Fp9YbmCrJjn9Mmw461MBN0HNRO0G82QHN0xouiDWt8hefoZkDs25BZkj4UPF_kUjUaEcVLTFv2E2Fg83lMcXtU7ciuv-DwgwcW8YhboFPyCcAPMhfToYQRIOc03mQ45Yz0WcGMvbLscVYVKSaqjvJHWYkhgocVWaV8yN0U5dGCj4SROElDbJXT9vn0/s300/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8Fp9YbmCrJjn9Mmw461MBN0HNRO0G82QHN0xouiDWt8hefoZkDs25BZkj4UPF_kUjUaEcVLTFv2E2Fg83lMcXtU7ciuv-DwgwcW8YhboFPyCcAPMhfToYQRIOc03mQ45Yz0WcGMvbLscVYVKSaqjvJHWYkhgocVWaV8yN0U5dGCj4SROElDbJXT9vn0/s1600/image.png" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPT_ljl2DACDkvaSScGgK0DaUY4YV6DXS5YwlJuyxBcyGgIVdPpDOVa-myXFi8DTn7g-9RajT_xHOr7BtxQT12HAtrSqQjCVTfPHyYpb00bdVRss8RwK0dfWQiYOViabOF_driFtv4vxDP3WJSCG8KOhyphenhyphenSudh2O3TxohlIAO9Kah0rxqnZ3I3bmu2PYA/s348/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPT_ljl2DACDkvaSScGgK0DaUY4YV6DXS5YwlJuyxBcyGgIVdPpDOVa-myXFi8DTn7g-9RajT_xHOr7BtxQT12HAtrSqQjCVTfPHyYpb00bdVRss8RwK0dfWQiYOViabOF_driFtv4vxDP3WJSCG8KOhyphenhyphenSudh2O3TxohlIAO9Kah0rxqnZ3I3bmu2PYA/w297-h294/image.png" width="297" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop." ~ Lewis Carroll</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A big thank you to Linda for hosting this challenge through the month of January. Find out more <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/31/one-liner-wednesday-jusjojan24-the-31st-goals/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i></p><p><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-60186659945374393352024-01-30T23:26:00.003+00:002024-01-30T23:26:50.702+00:00Just Jot it January 2024 - 30/1/24 - Calendar<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yYlWCuvDmlW7V-GJ2aS1MxmJ7ExPUa4ie0S4LE6ZiX0B3RDtsS7NddyCqj0NXXh7fe7SaMTHyyB0B991tb8CxgCuwDy5Pj2mK4qjLgWn2Xqt7KNd-GyWRjpD3mpa-yjpGdmMR3I8-5dkgNtheZ4V59bzKXsmLD6t2ezFQRFEojqAqYo76t885dQBoeM/s348/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yYlWCuvDmlW7V-GJ2aS1MxmJ7ExPUa4ie0S4LE6ZiX0B3RDtsS7NddyCqj0NXXh7fe7SaMTHyyB0B991tb8CxgCuwDy5Pj2mK4qjLgWn2Xqt7KNd-GyWRjpD3mpa-yjpGdmMR3I8-5dkgNtheZ4V59bzKXsmLD6t2ezFQRFEojqAqYo76t885dQBoeM/w161-h159/image.png" width="161" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The penultimate day of the challenge! The prompt today is Calendar and it's provided by our host Linda who blogs <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/30/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-30th-2024/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I love a calendar. I have a couple up in my house. My cousin kindly sent me one with dogs on it - she and her hubby are very involved with a <a href="https://threecountiesdogrescue.org/" target="_blank">dog rescue centre</a> where they live and the calendar is a fundraiser for them. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also received one from my daughter and her family this year which has photos of them on each month.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0EtoC3HdoYkovLLSXkBkp_JBx0lZHu6LXiGhy6P4O_BGUVN0avqAiwekUt6MhY5G-O290wyHksEdKPp6cerpwQMCq9lNs_ATjU05LSbWYR8rKqJEjyESNRkoO_xdXhiNVVF-i6nj_-LlHyxTtxYgZv-49QmEU9-GizYlbucQOvJl9bZiGcB2uNInG_s/s4032/IMG_7305.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0EtoC3HdoYkovLLSXkBkp_JBx0lZHu6LXiGhy6P4O_BGUVN0avqAiwekUt6MhY5G-O290wyHksEdKPp6cerpwQMCq9lNs_ATjU05LSbWYR8rKqJEjyESNRkoO_xdXhiNVVF-i6nj_-LlHyxTtxYgZv-49QmEU9-GizYlbucQOvJl9bZiGcB2uNInG_s/s320/IMG_7305.JPEG" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Too cute!</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But of course I also use the calendar app on my phone. I'd be lost without it. I wrote yesterday about how many members there are in Hubby's extended family and all their birthday's are in my phone. We also have a family WhatsApp group and on a birthday (which sometimes feels like every day!) there are messages after messages after messages! Thankfully I worked out how to silence the "ping" every time a message arrives!</span></span></span></i></div><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Setting up the paper version takes a while at the start of the year but at least once things are in the phone calendar they automatically repeat.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It might seem mad to have a paper and electronic calendar but I always have this dread of the phone failing somehow and losing all that info. I know that's unlikely and, if the worst did happen, I could set it up from scratch.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh and I also have a journal type book that also contains calendars. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is all a bit time consuming and of course sometimes there are errors - like last week when I had lunch with one friend twice because I'd got the wrong date in my phone! I turned up a day early and she kindly gave me tea and a sandwich and then I returned the following day with the rest of our Ladies Lunch group and was fed again!</span></span></i></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-52682592020547269562024-01-29T23:45:00.002+00:002024-01-29T23:45:46.538+00:00Just Jot it January - 29/1/24 - Family<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXukJ8PhJbSC5VVtXyS8O9CQsQfGrlv3nESDPAHPIOYH_L1z0imM2rSqwO6mC7M8Sq8Sr0bNfUTuGUDhFQrCiuQR8liCyhHpBq7fp5iVgBFKjrGgZnT43sQrE9hHZuB5zuGchthrL472UHLWaH0mSCFUnQV6Lge8alG91NZXphroNSuUnrKJ_exws1gKg/s348/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXukJ8PhJbSC5VVtXyS8O9CQsQfGrlv3nESDPAHPIOYH_L1z0imM2rSqwO6mC7M8Sq8Sr0bNfUTuGUDhFQrCiuQR8liCyhHpBq7fp5iVgBFKjrGgZnT43sQrE9hHZuB5zuGchthrL472UHLWaH0mSCFUnQV6Lge8alG91NZXphroNSuUnrKJ_exws1gKg/w172-h170/image.png" width="172" /></a></span></i></div><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The prompt for JusJoJan January 29th, 2024</span><span style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> is “family.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!</span></i></span></p></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Today’s prompt is courtesy of Kim who blogs here <a href="https://inkonapage.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Kim’s blog</a>. For all the info on the challenge go <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/29/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-29th-2024/" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Regular readers here will know that I'm big on family. Make that huge.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>I only have 2 brothers myself who are both married and have 2 kids each and I have a niece and 2 nephews.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>On Hubby's side there are:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>7 siblings </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>between us we have 7 partners so 15 in Hubby's generation</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>We have produced between us 23 children.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Of those 23, I think (hard to keep track of this) 16 have long term partners.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>So that's 39 in that generation</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>And then there are also 18 little ones (well I say little ones, the eldest in that generation turned 15 this week!)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Bringing the grand total to 72. Family gatherings now require a large outdoor space or a village hall! But they're a lot of fun.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>These are my family favourites:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kn4MFc0dCt_YQes_7oa34HrXYhhgIZCALhjx8UcM-86iBlDvYqpeG1NbP3B_7eF_Z5CPD-EzPl_8m3TlMN97BQsTkcn2iw0L-Ap9aM5Zrkl7habFRtFoVRdiWjUtSY69ne7g57QgjYTkYvVSsUIER6L5UUmSlMigeI0GWz2wTnk331jBdoVRHByO5oo/s2000/39fc557e-7ca7-4e44-8c89-db0afed5283b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kn4MFc0dCt_YQes_7oa34HrXYhhgIZCALhjx8UcM-86iBlDvYqpeG1NbP3B_7eF_Z5CPD-EzPl_8m3TlMN97BQsTkcn2iw0L-Ap9aM5Zrkl7habFRtFoVRdiWjUtSY69ne7g57QgjYTkYvVSsUIER6L5UUmSlMigeI0GWz2wTnk331jBdoVRHByO5oo/s320/39fc557e-7ca7-4e44-8c89-db0afed5283b.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-72680624264432587802024-01-28T21:44:00.002+00:002024-01-28T21:44:45.632+00:00Just Jot it January - 28/1/24 - Congregate<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgY-LJT_Z4HoRhKSilFp-j3UokqNXW4NXLl-MQfy1Sl7Pyo9iUa_U17GkoiLX3rV8pg6SbQ2aX6lceNy3VaM8JVn1sqS1LoolexwbsDqX0YldRjqOJYmh2RkRNzELv7s8Jl8AqNDpNLRFCQjoGoY3VpJzikQ94mBIk4iqjn0GqHUxlexS48u4k5uhaCfg/s348/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgY-LJT_Z4HoRhKSilFp-j3UokqNXW4NXLl-MQfy1Sl7Pyo9iUa_U17GkoiLX3rV8pg6SbQ2aX6lceNy3VaM8JVn1sqS1LoolexwbsDqX0YldRjqOJYmh2RkRNzELv7s8Jl8AqNDpNLRFCQjoGoY3VpJzikQ94mBIk4iqjn0GqHUxlexS48u4k5uhaCfg/w176-h174/image.png" width="176" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3e4865;">Today's Just Jot it January 2024 prompt comes to us from Fandango who blogs here </span><a href="https://fivedotoh.com/" rel="noopener" style="border: 0px; color: #389dd0; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Fandango’s blog</a>.</i></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e4865;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>The prompt is "Congregate"</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e4865;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>To find out more about the challenge, rules etc go <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/28/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-28th-2024/" target="_blank">here</a> to host Linda's site.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>One of the things I've done since we moved to the new area we're in is to join a knitting group. The organiser has actually set up 3 groups. 2 of these meet during the day but I attend a small group that meets in the evening. It's a small group but everyone is very friendly.</i></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well today we congregated for our Yarn & Cake sale. It was supposed to have been last Sunday but Storm Isha was threatening to dump a lot of rain and come through with very high winds. It actually wasn't as bad as that here in London but today was a much better day. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was quite chilly but it was sunny!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our organiser had done a great job at gathering donations of yarn and getting people from all the groups to make cakes (myself included). There had been several prep sessions including yesterday and the big event was today.</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>Despite having changed the date we had lots of people turn up - there was a queue waiting for the doors to open:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIbWagOr1CyRyfW15u5ZsHmL9HOVjItpB4os9VUdGsVYcze_7_wvTvxiaI0INNXmYnnRLpdXs75jciPcNot8MhyNgvDy0CCYJkFTCVnD6bK8CYT81cdyhJeZDyHSGU4xw6nc_U8wP0ThqlkTBWo1AYRphIX4SbT3zIFWtSS-EP4JZ99KtqNlEIPK2WVQ/s1600/16bc379d-1709-41c5-90d7-01be6e4edce4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIbWagOr1CyRyfW15u5ZsHmL9HOVjItpB4os9VUdGsVYcze_7_wvTvxiaI0INNXmYnnRLpdXs75jciPcNot8MhyNgvDy0CCYJkFTCVnD6bK8CYT81cdyhJeZDyHSGU4xw6nc_U8wP0ThqlkTBWo1AYRphIX4SbT3zIFWtSS-EP4JZ99KtqNlEIPK2WVQ/s320/16bc379d-1709-41c5-90d7-01be6e4edce4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><i>I spent most of the session on the the cake stall:</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCOTFtHaD1xmcALsIy0A6X2ZK2765MMlwdrYP6Wm3yu6lZ4iEV9VQGqNwAZcgzfIN1qjWUqnz3H-KpkZmGRmc1smF77SYS5JEPCL4NyGtUUa1qTxCCvTsI7DF7ZVIyMFqwpvIDOmwLrTPevu0l5K0eePKBs6z8sBxSSDWEEXo0R0Ljua5IJNJEjuvD7Y/s2048/f7fb477f-0fe8-458d-9330-ecfe980c3662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCOTFtHaD1xmcALsIy0A6X2ZK2765MMlwdrYP6Wm3yu6lZ4iEV9VQGqNwAZcgzfIN1qjWUqnz3H-KpkZmGRmc1smF77SYS5JEPCL4NyGtUUa1qTxCCvTsI7DF7ZVIyMFqwpvIDOmwLrTPevu0l5K0eePKBs6z8sBxSSDWEEXo0R0Ljua5IJNJEjuvD7Y/s320/f7fb477f-0fe8-458d-9330-ecfe980c3662.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /><i>It was a fun event and we raised over £800 for Macmillan Cancer Support.</i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>(And yes I did buy some wool even though I already have loads!)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-84742781974992875062024-01-27T21:50:00.000+00:002024-01-27T21:50:41.559+00:00#SoCS/Just Jot it January - 27/1/24 - Make the call<p><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B36-vrojNsNAkG0WAVCKfwavjTXH84-BeubC_kmLEIfO6H5u1SutQzzZM5wT0DCY9ZN0Bl8DqJwZedoMb2DQSJWozYm3k5weWzMWeNot49U05YAt8p8hKfHctQK1j8YRW0siI9mY42BCZmMbnKt4JgDwCratWA6y_Bj7uJrWUb30e1UMd-2Rl9G5WS4/s300/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B36-vrojNsNAkG0WAVCKfwavjTXH84-BeubC_kmLEIfO6H5u1SutQzzZM5wT0DCY9ZN0Bl8DqJwZedoMb2DQSJWozYm3k5weWzMWeNot49U05YAt8p8hKfHctQK1j8YRW0siI9mY42BCZmMbnKt4JgDwCratWA6y_Bj7uJrWUb30e1UMd-2Rl9G5WS4/w167-h167/image.png" width="167" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjZn_BtJiftVD37BLxkuRPrA3uThOo0WTft320wLM6yB8vu8x2f56lIcKoP2EwreKyIme-jUrYw29ZkWQI4C7RRMsPhIUOVguFkBobXMd6hN8k7HihZImCNh12HeCWtrDcCOOrW7CUaAvXl3n8e8tsjA2RYmtWQBriNdLNBSyVW3GLs3aAVBYc0FN7NA/s348/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 15.2px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="348" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjZn_BtJiftVD37BLxkuRPrA3uThOo0WTft320wLM6yB8vu8x2f56lIcKoP2EwreKyIme-jUrYw29ZkWQI4C7RRMsPhIUOVguFkBobXMd6hN8k7HihZImCNh12HeCWtrDcCOOrW7CUaAvXl3n8e8tsjA2RYmtWQBriNdLNBSyVW3GLs3aAVBYc0FN7NA/w168-h166/image.png" width="168" /></a></div><br /><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Day 27 today so we're nearly done. I've missed a couple of days but I've definitely upped my blogging level.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Today being a Saturday Just Jot it January is combined with Stream of Consciousness Saturday, both of which are hosted by Linda <a href="https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/26/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2024-daily-prompt-jan-27th/" target="_blank">here</a>. Check out her site for all the rules and more.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The prompt for #JusJoJan the 27th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “make the call.” Use it as an idiom or use it literally. Have fun</span></span><span style="background-color: #f9f4f4; border: 0px; color: #3e4865; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: teal; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 15.2px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">!</span></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well I'm all into prompts at the moment. I've signed up for a reading challenge this year known as the 52 book challenge - read 52 books over the year and match them with 52 prompts.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With me so far? Good. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's well organised - there is a great website that explains EVERYTHING and gives detailed guidance on how to use the prompts and, very helpfully, links to Goodreads for lists of books that might meet the prompts.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I thought I'd give it a go and managed to match up quite a few books on my TBR pile to various prompts.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And of course, as there is for most things, there is a Facebook group. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, I think I'm either going to have to leave the group or at least snooze it for a while. There are so many posts on there each day. It's exhausting. But... what really frustrates me is the number of posts questioning whether a book meets a particular prompt or not.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now the organisers of the challenge are very clear. It's your challenge, there are no rules. If you determine a book fits a particular prompt then it does. End of. No need for debate. It shouldn't be up for discussion. </span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Can you tell I'm losing the will to live? And.... when do these people even find time to read when they're spending so much time on FB? Well some of them must have brilliant brains because they're reading loads. Even listening to audio books at faster than the normal speed. I can't get through an audio book without falling asleep and losing my place. Yes it's probably not a good idea to listen in bed but I don't think listening in the car would be great or while trying to prepare dinner for example. Could lead to all sorts of disasters.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the debates over the prompts are driving me nuts. It's very clear so people don't keep dithering over books and prompts, just make the call and get on with reading the book!</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to Linda for keeping us on track here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.</span></span></i><br /></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3682078495020586802.post-45664172898707743712024-01-26T23:43:00.002+00:002024-01-26T23:43:52.101+00:00Friday's Fave Five - 26/1/24<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksgPQ7J7qwcHDv4nnbou79EfkruVaPq2g33lG8xknsP_DaRd-Cu7o1AMdo-kMECDRwxx6-Ow8QSJ31MS2mk4AymJABRD_KhRRmpSJm2wOC7HQOWYmRAZLoLRGJjf0tXnJ74zNG5nxHXoDwUmp037vZWaUDBbbkBLbsm1Vznuq4pzF7QsdQXzpkhQkjL8/s244/FFF%20snowflakes%20darker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="244" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksgPQ7J7qwcHDv4nnbou79EfkruVaPq2g33lG8xknsP_DaRd-Cu7o1AMdo-kMECDRwxx6-Ow8QSJ31MS2mk4AymJABRD_KhRRmpSJm2wOC7HQOWYmRAZLoLRGJjf0tXnJ74zNG5nxHXoDwUmp037vZWaUDBbbkBLbsm1Vznuq4pzF7QsdQXzpkhQkjL8/s1600/FFF%20snowflakes%20darker.jpg" width="244" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />It's Friday so time to look back on the week and remember the good things. Like minded bloggers can be found <a href="https://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2024/01/fridays-fave-five-770.html" target="_blank">here</a> on host Susanne's site.</span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1) Saturday was a quiet day but on Sunday we had my daughter and her family here for lunch. Always good to have family time.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">2) Tuesday was a topsy turvy day - I had to be up early to take Grandson Nathan to school and then I thought I was having lunch with friends but I mixed my days up - it was actually arranged for Wednesday but our host Catherine was very kind and asked me still to go for a cup of tea and a sandwich. I was grateful for that because I was quite hungry by the time I got to her flat lol.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">3) A ladies lunch on <b><u>Wednesday</u></b>! (Not sure how I'd mixed up the days but I returned to Catherine's again on Wednesday lol.) We hadn't been together for a while so it was good to catch up with them. Catherine made a lovely Tuscan chicken dish and then, because it had been Mary's birthday at the weekend we had birthday cake for dessert.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">4) A good day at the Food Bank on Thursday - we had a Food Hygiene inspection visit from the local authority and we passed with flying colours - we got the highest rating which is 5 and we all breathed a sigh of relief! And the certificate is already on display. (Any premises providing food has to display their certificate whatever their rating is.)</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vP0CzkSAQPeDLceFkPHkTuEG1n-UFBET9RL0BaFhj4kSpm_xeq_DfS21VEXpDO5_vYemipmro7IXkXYMUoN_BNenhhjPwkD0-v4v2EnDodqO1AEGoZqHB1E3_f_KWa5b2Sm1bThvCLCyC4YFGvJA60B37_qN2SsDbJmirXyOjeOVVeWriLSzXjB8XOY/s1600/79ddbb5f-39c1-4b62-917f-0f9542cbd130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vP0CzkSAQPeDLceFkPHkTuEG1n-UFBET9RL0BaFhj4kSpm_xeq_DfS21VEXpDO5_vYemipmro7IXkXYMUoN_BNenhhjPwkD0-v4v2EnDodqO1AEGoZqHB1E3_f_KWa5b2Sm1bThvCLCyC4YFGvJA60B37_qN2SsDbJmirXyOjeOVVeWriLSzXjB8XOY/s320/79ddbb5f-39c1-4b62-917f-0f9542cbd130.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">5) I'm thankful for the ease in which we can communicate with one another so easily with social media, WhatsApp etc, especially with my son and his family who do not live that close to us. They sent us this picture this week of a very proud Miles who had been tracing the letter of his name at nursery. You can't see the smile but we know it's there lol.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASO2_Jm51zW3oQKdZl-pq8xmKJNRJOypnQtXOdQ24pvcey233TWzlGP97SYtUAIJRa0AXb4UZZjEHl001ASLDv-RWGMo7KGeaoIbnG3uG5R-iYi3ZExFRYRzbN7KBV2l-e79uEUloL-YjQ6kQOftiTVn7C5hQ19LBfEgFUiTnTvtOfBN5P2lMyOF4h0c/s2016/65440f2f-77e8-4087-9357-4e517452b0e5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASO2_Jm51zW3oQKdZl-pq8xmKJNRJOypnQtXOdQ24pvcey233TWzlGP97SYtUAIJRa0AXb4UZZjEHl001ASLDv-RWGMo7KGeaoIbnG3uG5R-iYi3ZExFRYRzbN7KBV2l-e79uEUloL-YjQ6kQOftiTVn7C5hQ19LBfEgFUiTnTvtOfBN5P2lMyOF4h0c/s320/65440f2f-77e8-4087-9357-4e517452b0e5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So that sums up my week. We managed to get through both storm Isha and Jocylyn this week too. Other parts of the country were worst hit by these and it was quite wet and windy here but nothing too worrying. However, following the very cold spell we had and then a much warmer week, there have been a few problems with burst water pipes and holes appearing in the roads locally. This was in one road before it was repaired. It's been dug out quite a bit so they could get to the water main but before they started the repairs one poor lady ended up with her car wheel stuck in the original pot hole. It caused chaos for a couple of days as the road had to be closed while the repair works were undertaken.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zOIAEt2rlPtoeh7bRR3IC_0hAjsEnTbtKP8si2blzOEmKs13ht2GV7cPsZwCOwtBHniUOqenlcO885QecFQQYh9twtfe13Vl_RA3qVrvrbcNsJetZDJs6czAa6Sz0GfM5IbupY1GpsoFTDg4ii00NOcgL2IgUP1jCqnr2R_NCbIF9xtq0vEenNpgOQk/s2048/IMG_7357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zOIAEt2rlPtoeh7bRR3IC_0hAjsEnTbtKP8si2blzOEmKs13ht2GV7cPsZwCOwtBHniUOqenlcO885QecFQQYh9twtfe13Vl_RA3qVrvrbcNsJetZDJs6czAa6Sz0GfM5IbupY1GpsoFTDg4ii00NOcgL2IgUP1jCqnr2R_NCbIF9xtq0vEenNpgOQk/s320/IMG_7357.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></i></div><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was another hole like this on one of the main roads which caused the buses to be diverted!</span></span></i></p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have a good weekend all.</span></span></i><p></p>Wendyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103884780854638066noreply@blogger.com6