Friday's Fave Five - 15/5/26

I felt like posting the snowy picture this week - we've had a shower of hailstones twice this week and it's been decidedly chilly!  But there are always good things going on too and thanks to our host Susanne we are reminded each week to post about them and then link up here.

1)  Well my first one is actually from last week but I didn't include it then so I'm doing it now.  Last Wednesday our TV box (provided by Virgin TV) just seemed to die.  It suddenly stopped working.  I checked all the wires were plugged in, rebooted the system etc but no, it was dead.  Thankfully I was able to get an engineer booked in for the following day and the engineer was great.  He provided us with a new box but also checked all the cabling etc to make sure there wasn't anything else going on.  He was a really pleasant young man and we were pleased to be up and running again without too much delay.

2)  On Saturday I was on the rota for taking in a delivery at the Foodbank but I got a call about 8.30 from the manager to say the delivery would be arriving in about 15 minutes (way earlier than it usually is) but she would take care of it as she was already up and ready to jump in her car to get there in time.  I probably could have got there not too long after her but it was nice not to have to rush around and have the whole day to do as I pleased.

3)  Two meet ups this week - Knit and Natter on Tuesday evening.  We've switched to Tuesdays and are now meeting in an upstairs room of the local pub.  This means we have more space and we can enjoy a glass of wine etc while we chat.  (And knit of course.)  We're hoping to make this a weekly instead of fortnightly get together too as long as the room is available.

The second meet up was the afternoon book group which meets at the library.  I don't think many of us were impressed with Hotel du Lac!  Hopefully our next read of "Three things about Elsie" will be better.

4)  Another baby expected in our extended family.  There are now 3 expected, 1 in September, 1 in October and 1 in November.   Lots to look forward to.

5)  And finally I mentioned her in previous posts this week, my daughter Rebecca turned 40 on Wednesday.  She is definitely a blessing in my life.

Have a good weekend all.

Read then Write - 14/5/26

Well since last week I have finished Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. I did enjoy it but I found some of the historical parts of the book a little bit confusing to follow as they weren't always in a chronological order. However following Faith's recommendation I watched the film which I really enjoyed and it helped make more sense of the book.

I've now moved on to Penitence by Kristin Koval which is about what happens after teenager Nora shoots her brother dead.

Yes I know it sounds a bit grim but it was recommended in a magazine I read and yes, it ticks a 52 Book club prompt - the Kindle edition was released in 2026.

We had a good meet up with my afternoon book group yesterday where we discussed Hotel Du Lac. Most of us didn't enjoy it that much and found it quite slow. Good to be in the majority.

And now for something a bit different which I'm copying from Faith, who copied it from Barbara who got it from Paula at Between the Bookends.

1. Bookmarks or dog-ears?

Absolutely has to be Bookmarks. I have a lot of them. Quite a few are promotional ones from when I had a book club subscription and there aren't any really fancy ones but turning corners down is a big no for me.

2. Book accessories?

I have a reading light somewhere but I hardly use it. What I need to get is something my husband has that keeps the book open. His is a really simple version of this:

IF Charcoal Gimble Traveler hands free reading tool.,Urban grey,20 cm : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

(This one folds when not in use, my Husband's doesn't.

3. Are you a fast or slow reader?

I'm definitely not slow but I wouldn't say I'm exceptionally fast. And it depends on what's meant by this. As in do you read quite quickly when reading. Or do you get through books quickly because you're consistent with your reading? For me that would depend on how engaging the book is. Some books I might get through in a few days, others might take me a week or longer.

4. Have you ever written to an author?

Not exactly but I did follow an author's blog for a while and we'd exchange comments.

5. Have you ever met an author in person?

No

6. Do you have a favourite character who is not the main character?

It's too late in the day to think of an answer for that.

7. Do you have any bookish merchandise?

No - well apart from some bookends on my shelves.

8. Favourite book from childhood?

Little Women, the What Katy Did series, lots by Enid Blyton.

9. Do you read one book at a time, or several?

One at a time usually.

10. Favourite genre?

Crime Thrillers

11. Genres you don’t care for?

Gothic, Science Fiction, Westerns

12. Best movie based on a book? Worst?

It took me a long time to get through Lord of the Rings and then I binge watched the films which I loved. I've enjoyed all the Harry Potter films too.

I can't remember watching a film and thinking it wasn't as good as the book or that the film didn't follow the book.

What are you currently reading?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - on Thursday 14/5/26

Joyce asks the questions, we post our answers and then the link up is here.

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate? 

It's ok to change your mind about your future plans or just to take a break before rushing in to anything.

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain. 

Courage I think.  There are still a lot of things I put off doing at times.

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

Probably every time we're away or busy babysitting the grandkids and then we come home to a quiet peaceful house.

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favourite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

No we do not currently own a grill.  Haven't done for some time.   We'd need a covered outside area to be able to regularly grill here in the UK.  The weather doesn't always co-operate.  Today for example we had a hail storm just as we were picking up grandkids from school.  And the weather forecast mentioned the possibility of frost overnight in some areas.  It's May!

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

Don't have one in particular but it's bound to be something to do with my kids when they were young or the grandkids.  I can usually find something to remind me/bring a smile to my face if I scroll through photos on my phone.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Well I'm a day late to this week's party - we were out celebrating our daughter's 40th birthday yesterday.

The restaurant surprised her with a little cake

And we did proper cake back at my house.

And this was taken at a party she had recently - with more cake!

Daughter Rebecca on left with her wife Vicky.

In the news this week - 12/5/26

Well our National news has been dominated by the results of the local elections last week and whether the Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer will resign. 

Locally, our council which has been Labour run for a long time is now controlled by the Green Party.  Our own ward still has 2 Conservative councillors and there are still some Labour councillors but the Greens have the majority.  Even in our former area, Newham, there were massive changes with Labour still having the most seats but with no overall control, although they did elect a Labour Mayor.

The number of Reform candidates that managed to secure wins is slightly alarming.  But already there have been cases of candidates resigning or being expelled from the party.  One candidate had even resigned before the election took place but was still on the ballot paper and was elected!  I wasn't sure what happened in those circumstances so of course I googled it to find that a by-election will be held "if requested by local registered electors".

There has also been a story today about the leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski who may not have paid the council tax due on the houseboat he was living on.  There seems to be a lot of people who will call themselves something else but basically they're just dirt diggers.

The International News has focussed on the outbreak of hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius.  It seems that passengers have disembarked and travelled on to various locations during its travels and this must be making it difficult to trace all those who may have come into contact with the virus.  The long incubation period (up to 6 weeks in some cases) means monitoring will be going on for a while.  Hopefully there will be no further deaths.

In Sports the two big London clubs, West Ham and Spurs continue to try and hang on to a place in the Football Premier League.  West Ham will be bemoaning a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) decision that cost them a late equalizing goal and denied them a point in their match against Arsenal at the weekend.  The decision to disallow their goal took 4 minutes.  It looks like who goes down will not be decided until the last game of the season on 24th May.  The winners of the Premiership title might not be decided until then either although Arsenal look more likely than Manchester City.  All the teams play their final games on that Sunday with the same kick off time of 4 pm.  There will be a lot of nail biting going on.  And probably some shouting at the TV.

Entertainment news continues to give us hints as to who the new presenters of Strictly Come Dancing will be but no actual information has been forthcoming from the BBC.  I wish they would just get on with it!

At least we know who the next celebrities taking part in Traitors will be.  Another good line up. (See here for more info.) Can't wait.

And finally under Miscellaneous, the Japanese snack giant Calbee has switched its packaging to black and white due to problems with ink supplies due to the Iran war.  Somehow they don't look as appetising!  See more including pictures here.