Friday's Fave Five - 20/12/24

Each week, even when she has a lot going on, Susanne reminds us to stop and think about the things we're grateful for.  Like minded bloggers join together here.

1)  A nice time with Granddaughter Ella on Tuesday.  I brought her back to my house and we played games and of course out came the Playdoh.

She loves to mix the colours, drives me nuts lol.

2)  Thankful for extra volunteers at the Foodbank on Thursday - we had a big delivery to put away, Christmas food to organise and lots of people turned up for food.  It was a good session though with lots of us in Christmas jumpers/hats etc.

Photo courtesy of FB

This was taken after we'd already sorted a lot of stuff.  Thankful for all the support given over the festive season.

3)  A catch up via a video call with my cousins yesterday.  It was a while since we'd spoken all together so lots to talk about.

4)  Thankful for online shopping, especially for food.  Most of my Christmas shopping is now organised but I'll still be going to the store over the weekend.  Some things you just need to choose in person.

5)  Grateful that we're in a position to do all this shopping etc. without having to worry about finances.

And of course thankful to Susanne for organising this link up every week and for the other bloggers who join in.  Wishing you all a good weekend, hoping it is not too hectic and, if I don't manage another post before it, a very peaceful and happy Christmas.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 18/12/24

Joyce prepares the questions, we provide the answers and then we share them here.

1. What's one thing you want to get done before the calendar flips to a new year?

I've being doing a book challenge this year (The 52 book club challenge) and I'm on book #52.  I want to get it finished. (Demon Copperhead)

2. What's something that brought a smile to your face this year?

Hard to pin down just one but probably catching up with the grands who are now in the US.

3. What do you like on a cracker? Do you have a favourite cracker variety? 

Cheese - extra matured cheddar with relish or pickle of some sort.  Not that fussy about a type of cracker as long as it's savoury.  Sometimes in an assortment box they throw in some sweet tasting crackers which I will avoid.

4. Do you have plans for ringing in the new year in a fun or special way? Are you typically awake at midnight on the last day of the year? 

No plans - we usually spend it quietly at home but we do often stay up till midnight.

5. What are three words that describe your 2024? 

Sad - we lost one of Hubby's sisters this year.

Change - one of our sons and his family moved across the pond.

Improvements - a work in progress!

6.  Insert your random though here:

Continuing on from #5, the work in progress I referred to is me.  Anxiety has not been my friend this year but we did make the trip to the USA and got back in one piece so that was a big achievement for me.  I've also challenged myself more with my reading, joined a keep fit group and continued to volunteer at the Foodbank and local events, so small steps in the right direction.

In the New Year we will be making improvements to our home - we have decorators booked to decorate our living room and hallway and stairs which are the only rooms that haven't been redone since we moved here.  This will also involve new sofas and units so a lot to be organised.  

But first we will be celebrating Christmas at home with our daughter and her family and then our eldest son and his family will join us on the 27th.  

We'll have a quiet New Year and then the fun will begin!

Merry Christmas to you all and a special shout out to Joyce for keeping us on our toes each week. Thank you.

A very late Friday's Fave Five! - 15/12/24

Better late than never.  Each week a group of us look back on the week and list the things we're grateful for.  Our host is Susanne who posts here.

1)  Firstly I'm grateful to Susanne for reminding us every week to take a pause and find the good things in our week.  Susanne's going through a difficult time just now but she still made sure the prompt and link were posted.  Thank you Susanne and look after yourself.

2)  An evening out with the knitting group.  Instead of meeting to knit and natter this week we went to a local pub for a Christmas meal.  10 of us attended and it was a lovely evening.  The company was good and the food was good too.  They had several choice including a turkey meal with all the trimmings but I personally opted for steak followed by a chocolate brownie.  Yum!

3)  So much local support for our Foodbank.  Last weekend volunteers were at our local big supermarket rattling buckets for donations and trying to encourage people to add one or two Christmas items to their shop to donate for the Christmas hampers we provide to our families at this time of year.  The response has been amazing.

4)  A new baby in the extended family.  Our nephew Tom and his wife Issie welcomed Atticus to their world yesterday.  He's their first baby so of course they are overjoyed right now - as they should be - he's beautiful.  This is the first baby in the extended family for almost 3 years and the first Grandchild for Hubby's brother Bernard and his wife Kathryn.  They are going to be great grandparents.  We also learned that another nephew and his wife are expecting their third baby in 2025.

5)  It never ceases to amaze me that, despite the size of Hubby's extended family, how close everyone is and how supportive of one another.  We might not see each other as often as we used to but you know that there are people who rally round when needed.  Especially important at the moment - you may recall that Nick lost one of his sisters a few months ago, well sadly her ex-husband passed away a couple of weeks ago too so the children are now orphans.  Of course they're not really children as they are 18 and 20 but not of an age to cope with the loss of both parents in such a short space of time.  But the family are rallying round to make sure they're ok and to help out with all the practical, legal and financial stuff that needs doing.  I'm grateful to be a part of this family.

I usually finish these posts by wishing everyone a good weekend but this one is so late it's have a good week instead!

Book Review - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopaedic knowledge of animal behaviour and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea.

Well I can certainly see why there was such a lot of hype around this book and how it is a Man Booker Prize winner but I could not give it 5 stars.

At 319 pages it's not actually that long but it felt loooong. Stories that have depth to them usually impress me and there was a lot that impressed in this book. The insights into several religions for starters. The details about animal life, particularly in zoos. What you might find on a ship's lifeboat.

But.....there was too much detail at times. Graphic details.

I'd certainly recommend reading it but with caveats. I think it's a really good book but I can't quite say it's a great book.

View all my reviews

Friday's Fave Five - 6/12/24

I'm back!  I didn't take my laptop away with me so I've spent the afternoon today catching up on a lot of blog posts!  I didn't stop to make comments or I wouldn't be here to post my gratitude list and I have a lot to be grateful for right now.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Vermont! 

The antlers and glasses were in readiness for the parade leading up to the lighting of the town Christmas tree and lights which we were able to watch on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We visited the library.  I was impressed with the size of the children's area and the amount of books available.

The boys helped with juicing oranges for the homemade cranberry sauce.

This was our home for our time there - it's our DIL's parents house and Crystal and Paul were EXCELLENT hosts.  We've met them quite a few times now - they've stayed with us in London so we've become good friends and we get on so well.  Paul is retired but Crystal is still working until the New Year but she did have some days off over the holiday period.  Paul is an excellent cook - we were never hungry!

This is my Son and DIL's house.  It's not huge but it has everything they need and the in-laws worked so hard to get it ready for them before they moved over last summer.

We watched the kids decorate their tree which my son had cut down at a nearby tree farm - a new experience for him.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the home of our DIL's Aunt and Uncle which involved an hours drive after the first real snowfall in their area.  We were so impressed at how clear the roads were kept.  The amount of snow they had overnight would have brought London to a standstill lol.

We were 17 adults and 5 children there but it was very relaxed and sooo much food.  And the desserts......yum!

We got to visit our DIL's grandparents and Nick went out a couple of time with Paul and gatecrashed his music events - they both love playing guitar.

We took our hosts our for a meal and our kids took us out for a meal.  We spent several evenings just at home playing cards and it was just lovely to spend time with the Grandkids.  We had one day with just Rory at home as he had no school and another day with just Vinny.  I also got to meet Rory from the school bus a couple of times.  The boys seem to have settled well into American life.

But of course all too soon it was time to travel home.  I'm grateful that our travels that involved an hours drive to a coach stop, a 2-3 hour coach ride to Boston airport, an overnight flight and then a train ride home all went smoothly.

All in all I'm grateful for:

Safe travels

Time with the grandkids and our Son and DIL

Wonderful hosts 

The chance to experience Thanksgiving in the US again (we were there 6 years ago)

That our son and his family have settled in Vermont with both of them having found jobs and the kids enjoying Grade 1 and Kindergarten.

Have a good weekend all.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 13/11/24

Joyce sets the questions for the Hodgepodge each week.  Her blog is here where you can find out more and see who else is taking part.

1. What's something you think is under appreciated. Explain.  

Being flippant here - the amount of time everything takes.  Everything always seems to take longer to achieve that you anticipate.  Especially if it involves trying to contact a company on the phone and actually get to speak to a human rather than a machine!  I had to ring for help in a multi storey car park last week and initially I was confronted with the message "Your call is important to us.......you are currently being held in a queue"!  I needed a human.  I needed someone to make the exit barrier go up.  I needed help not an annoying recorded message.

2. As winter approaches how do you stay productive? 

I'm not sure that I actually do.  Of course I try to keep on top of the chores etc associated with running a home and I try to keep up my walking when the weather permits, but on bad weather days I tend to hunker down and be very unproductive.  Well I probably read more which is satisfying, especially when you're trying to complete challenges, but it's not really a productive hobby.

3. What's a popular food you don't like? 

Avocado.   We went from not really having them, except when in season, to being able to get them all year round and all the cafes including them on the menu.

4. What do you think is more interesting-art or history? Elaborate. 

I think I prefer History.  It can teach us so much, a lot of which is so important.  

Art is such a subjective subject.  I love seeing art where an artist clearly has talent and has captured something accurately, but modern art bemuses me.  I know that art is also about self expression but some modern art to me looks like a toddler could have painted it and the prices that some of these "masterpieces" fetch are just ridiculous.

5. What advice would you give to someone half your age? 

Make time for yourself and your family if you have one.  Don't strive for perfection, life is short.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This day next week I will be travelling to Vermont to visit my son and his family.  I can not wait!

 

Friday's Fave Five - 8/11/24

It's Friday again so time to look back on the week and find the things I'm most grateful for.  Susanne keeps us on our toes with this.  You can find her blog here and see who else is taking part.

1)  Lots of grandchildren time last weekend.  We babysat Nathan and Ella on Saturday evening while their Mummies went out for a meal and then we had them during the day on Sunday while their Mummies attended a Golden Wedding anniversary celebration.  We had pizza and birthday cake when they came to collect them as it was our DILs birthday.  But of course I forgot to take any photos!

2)  Keep fit class on Tuesday and then coffee with my "Ladies who Lunch" friends afterwards.  It's definitely a class for seniors (I'm one of the younger ones there) but I do enjoy the social interaction.

3)  Grateful I didn't get stuck in a lift on Wednesday.  I'd gone shopping to the nearby Westfield shopping centre which is huge.  I parked the car, got in the lift just as the doors were closing and pressed for the floor I needed and nothing happened.  I tried other floors but the lift just sat there.  I decided to press the "open doors" button and the doors started to open, but, after they got about four inches apart they closed again!  At this point I was beginning to feel a little uneasy as you can imagine.  This happened several times so I then decided to press the alarm button. The alarm was very loud!  I wasn't sure if I should hold the button or not but the noise was so loud I let it go and then the doors opened fully and I moved VERY quickly out of the lift.  Phew.    

I also had to seek help when leaving the car park as the barrier didn't go up - it's all supposed to be automatic, based on Number Plate recognition.  Fortunately, despite initially getting a message saying "your call is important to us but you are currently being held in a queue" I soon got through to a human and the barrier lifted and I was on my way!

4)  A catch up with my best friend Wednesday afternoon.  Neither of us had grandchildren duties so we were able to relax and have a good chat.

5)  The foodbank was able to reopen this week after a 2 week closure while the building was rewired.  I'm thankful that this was able to be done so we now have lighting and sockets that work properly and the heaters are working again so we're all set for the colder weather.  It's sad that the service is needed but I'm grateful to be able to help out with some great volunteers.

I'm off to a craft event tomorrow with a couple of others from the knit and natter group so I'm looking forward to that.

Have a good weekend all.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 6/11/24

Joyce provides the questions, we provide the answers and everything is shared here.

1. What is one good thing you often take for granted? 

Drinking water that is fit to drink.  (And gas and electricity come to that).  It's rare that our supply gets disrupted.  I can't even begin to imagine what it's like in a war zone.

2. What's the boldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe? 

Umm have you seen photos of me, actually probably not as I don't enjoy having my picture taken, but you would note that my wardrobe is pretty conservative.  I'm not sure that there is anything in my wardrobe that fits the description "bold"!

3. Do you think common interests or common values are the key to people getting along? Elaborate. 

I think common values are more important.  If you don't agree on the fundamentals it's hard to find middle ground.  Whereas I think it's healthy to have some common interests but also different ones, especially when you're both retired and spend a lot of time together.

4. November 6 is National Nacho Day...do you like nachos? How do you like yours? Do you make them at home or only order out? 

Not a big fan.  Definitely don't make them at home.

5. Have you spent any time in Washington D.C.?  If so what did you think? If not, is that a place you'd like to visit? What do you think about politics as a career choice? 

Yes we spent a few days in Washington DC after my son's wedding in Vermont in 2014.  We did the touristy things but we liked it.

Unfortunately I think there are 2 kinds of politicians.  Those that actually want to represent the people of their local area and try to make a difference.  And if they manage to make their way up the ladder all well and good.  And then there are those who like the idea of power.  I'm glad that none of my kids have made it a career choice but if they decided to in the future I'd back them all the way.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm preparing this on Tuesday evening to a background noise of fireworks.  It turned colder today so I'm glad I'm not out watching a display.  Even on my walk to the library in the later part of the afternoon I felt I needed a hat on as my head felt cold!  And now the clocks have gone back it gets dark so early.  Time to snuggle up under a blanket with a good book I think.

Book Review - Tell me Everything - Elizabeth Strout

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With her remarkable insight into the human condition and silences that contain multitudes, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, and to her beloved cast of characters—Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and more—as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst, fall in love and yet choose to be apart, and grapple with the question, as Lucy Barton puts it, “What does anyone’s life mean?”

It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy Barton, who lives down the road in a house by the sea with her ex-husband, William. Together, Lucy and Bob go on walks and talk about their lives, their fears and regrets, and what might have been. Lucy, meanwhile, is finally introduced to the iconic Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known—“unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them—reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.

Brimming with empathy and pathos, Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.”

I just love the way Strout writes. I can't really identify why, but she just has a way of drawing you into the story, even when there isn't that much of a story. Maybe it's the characters - she really gets inside their heads. Maybe it's the descriptions of the places and the time of year. I find it really hard to pinpoint but I just know I've loved reading her books.

View all my reviews

#SoCS - 2/11/24 - Chill

 If you want to take part in SoCS head here.

Today's prompt is CHILL

For a long time I thought a chill was something you could actually catch.  Like a cold, or even flu.  I was constantly warned about catching a chill if I went out with wet hair or just went out when it was a bit cold without adequate clothing on.

Which is, of course, nonsense when you consider that "chill" in that context would have been referring to the cold "feeling" of the outside or, if like me, you grew up in a house without central heating, also referred to the bathroom, a downstairs room with two external walls and a roof.  It was freezing in there during the winter.  The little electric heat bar around the light did little to warm the room.  In fact when very young I can remember being bathed in a tin tub in front of the gas fire in one of the living rooms which was much more comfortable until I outgrew the tub.

But the possibility of actually catching a chill is even more unlikely than catching a unicorn.  (Don't tell any young children that.) 

Language is a funny thing and still evolving.  Chilling, to older people like me, means cooling something down.  Putting something in ice, or the fridge or just an old fashioned larder. 

To a younger generation* chilling means to relax.  That's what I'm currently doing.  Chilling in front of my laptop composing this post.  Later I might (that's probably a definite) chill with a book or in front of the TV.  I need to conserve my energy as I'm babysitting 2 of my grandkids this evening and they do not know the meaning of the word chill in ANY form!  I might need to chill a glass of Prosecco.

* It seems I'm part of that younger generation as using chill in that context started in the 1960's just after I was born.  I'll take that lol.

Book Review - David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

David Copperfield is the story of a young man's adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his brilliant, but ultimately unworthy school-friend James Steerforth; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble, yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora Spenlow; and the magnificently impecunious Wilkins Micawber, one of literature's great comic creations. In David Copperfield - the novel he described as his 'favourite child' - Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of the most exuberant and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure. This edition uses the text of the first volume publication of 1850, and includes updated suggestions for further reading, original illustrations by 'Phiz', a revised chronology and expanded notes. In his new introduction, Jeremy Tambling discusses the novel's autobiographical elements, and its central themes of memory and identity.

The only other book I've read by Dickens is A Christmas Carol. Which feels like a walk in the park compared to David Coppperfield. It's a tome of nearly 900 pages. I chose it because it's on the BBC 100 books list I've (very) gradually been working my way through but it also worked for one of the prompts for the 52 books 2024 challenge I'm trying to do this year.

There's no doubt that Dickens was a great writer of his time and I definitely want to have read some classics during my lifetime. My bookshelves are full of crime fiction and chick lit but there are a few classics on there, although not all have been read.

I did enjoy reading Copperfield but Dickens' writing is so flowery, especially during some of the speeches given and the letters written in the book that I did find myself skim reading a little at times. It was interesting to get a view of how the world was at the time and I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded and then what became of the various characters. Soooo many characters to keep track of. I did start making notes of what happened in each chapter in an effort to keep things clear in my head but gave up halfway through as I was falling behind on my reading schedule - I had given myself a month to read the book and it took me that length of time.

Will I read more books by Dickens? Probably, but not just yet!

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Friday's Fave Five - 1/11/24

It's Friday and time to look back on the week and to find the 5 best things.  To join in or find out more visit Susanne's blog here.

1)  My eldest brother seems to be doing a bit better.  He's had a couple of spells in hospital recently mainly due to issues with his medications (he's on chemo treatment for cancer on his bones but he also needs insulin and blood thinners and of course pain relief).  He's home again now  but they seem to have got his medications balanced and he's back on his chemo regime.

2)  A visit to my other brother and SIL on Monday.  We haven't seen them for a while so it was good to have a nice lunch and a catch up.

3)  A get together with Hubby's family, also on Monday.  His sister who passed away recently would have been 60 on Monday so we got together to raise a glass in her memory.  We met in a big pub and lots of her friends came too.  

4)  

I finished it!  Yesterday - so just within the month which I'd allocated for it.  I managed 2 other books in October which leaves me 8 left to read in the 52 book challenge for the year.  I have them sorted - just waiting for one from the library.  A couple are fairly short but there's still a couple that I think might be a bit hard going.  

5)  An easy day at the Foodbank yesterday - we were actually closed as the church has been having electrical work done so we were just giving out emergency bags to people plus a few extras so my shift was only for 45 minutes.  It gave me time to get some gardening done - it was a lovely sunny autumn day so I managed to cut back all my lavender, something I've been meaning to do for quite a while.

We have a busy weekend ahead with grandkids - we're babysitting Nathan and Ella tomorrow evening - it's my DIL's birthday on Sunday so my daughter and DIL are out for a meal tomorrow evening and then they're out to lunch on Sunday with DIL's family so we'll have the kids again during the day.

We also had them on Wednesday as my daughter and DIL were at a wedding.  

Thankfully there's nothing in the diary for Monday!

Have a good weekend all.

SoCS# - 26/10/24 - Mugs!

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda.  You can find all the details on how to take part here.  Today's prompt is Mug.

Well I haven't done one of these posts for a while and I'm probably breaking a few rules because there's been a teeny bit (yeah ok quite a big bit) of planning in my post.  But, as my blogging has been a bit sporadic over the last few months a blog post that doesn't quite toe the line is better than no blog post at all.

Especially when that's what I usually look like in the morning before my first cup of tea.  Although I'm actually writing this in the evening, taking advantage of the fact that we get an extra hour of sleep tonight as our clocks go back to mark the end of British Summer Time.  Of course you only get that extra hour of sleep if you're tucked up in bed sleeping which clearly I am not.

But back to the morning.  I'm not a morning person and certainly not before my first cup of tea.  Or to be more precise my first mug of tea.  I don't drink cups.  Cups require saucers and cause twice the washing up.  In fact they cause washing up because often nice, pretty cups and saucers don't do well in the dishwasher.

Once you own a dishwasher you should only buy items that can be dishwashed.  

Unless they're mugs like these:

I love receiving mugs with pics of the grandkids on them, and I do use them BUT they are NOT dishwasher safe.  Don't believe the labels.  The dishwasher will eat the pictures and a grandchild minus their head is not a sight you want to see.  Actually it also says Mr Grumpy can go in the dishwasher.  Not sure Mr Grumpy would agree.  He was bought for my Hubby and he's actually hardly been used.  Hubby likes a china mug.  He also likes a mug that keeps the liquid reasonably hot.  Mr Grumpy fails on both counts.

My favourite mug is probably this one: (or one of the other 3 that came with it as a set of four and yes I can tell the difference - the other 3 are different colours and have different patterns on them but essentially they're the same.)

Especially when it contains a nice fresh cup of tea.  Fairly strong, not too much milk and 2 sugars  although no sugar since I was diagnosed as pre diabetic, sweeteners all the way now.  I can drink it black if I have to but it does have to be sweet.  It wasn't that surprising that I edged up into the pre diabetic range but thankfully I've worked my way back into the normal range but sugar is still avoided wherever possible.  So hard when a mug of tea just shouts out for a biscuit.  I compromise by having digestive biscuits with chocolate chips in them.  Got to be better than ones coated in chocolate right?

Now you'd think that I'd like a tea bag that's called cholate digestive wouldn't you?  Not at all.  It was horrible.  No fruit flavoured teas for me either, or camomile or anything that isn't just a Builder's tea as we would say here in the UK.

Oh and for anyone wondering, I don't do coffee.  Not in any shape or form.  Actually that's not true as regular readers are probably shouting "what about chocolates?" at their screens right now.  Yes I am partial to coffee flavoured food items, sweets, cakes, desserts etc just don't put coffee in my mug.  And do not commit the sin of stirring my tea with the spoon you used to stir your coffee.  I WILL KNOW!

Friday's Fave Five - 25/10/24

It's Friday so time to look back on the week and note the things I'm grateful for this past week.  Susanne reminds us each week to do this and then we join in here.

A relatively quiet week for me but these are the highlights:

1)  Time with grandkids Nathan and Ella.  They are on half term break so there was a bit of dropping off and picking up to be done.  We also had them for a big part of Saturday as Mummies were out with their cousins.  We had them here during the day but then took them home and put them to bed.  Thankfully they both went to bed fairly easily.  I also had Ella here today.  She's quite good at playing on her own but she loves to play with Playdoh and that definitely needs supervising lol.

2)  No Foodbank duties this week as the electrics are being replaced in the Church but yesterday was a glorious autumn day - not too cold and not a cloud in the sky so I took a walk through the park and down to the lake.

So many coots.

The cygnets are getting so big.  There are 8 of them this year.

3) 

Picked this book up from the library today.  It's the next in the series I've been reading by Strout.  I love our library service.

4)  I also treated myself to this one this week:

I love Nancy - she was a winner on the Great British Bake Off show a few years back and she is on a mission to try and be more green.  She makes her own cleaning mixtures and has so many tips for cleaning, cooking, gardening and so on.  Her Instagram is great and what I love about her is that, although she's so well known now she is so down to earth and has no airs and graces whatsoever.

This book is a reissue of a book she originally self published but the recipes come with a QR code that links to a demonstration of how to carry out the recipe.  There was also a code on her Instagram account to get it half price if pre-ordered.

I'm not one for doing a lot of baking but I'm hoping this book might inspire me to do more.  Although I did bake a banana loaf this week - I often have overripe bananas that need to be put to good use.  It got the seal of approval from Granddaughter Ella.  High praise indeed lol.

5) I've definitely had some "me" time this week, watching some TV shows, knitting some more squares for the homeless project, catching up with knitting friends on Wednesday and finding some time to read a bit more of David Copperfield.  I'm grateful to be retired and able to do these things.  I even went to the exercise class that my "Ladies Lunch" group introduced me to a couple of weeks ago, even though they were all away.  It's not a very difficult class - it's definitely aimed at older people (I'm one of the younger ones there lol) and it's working on keeping active and improving balance etc but it's quite social and having done no real exercise apart from walking recently it's definitely not too strenuous.

Have a good weekend all.

Friday's Fave Five - 18/10/24

It's Friday so time to look back on the week and find the things to be grateful for.  Susanne keeps us on our toes with this and her blog with all the info and linky list is here.

1)  Family time last weekend - my eldest son and his family were here.  We didn't see much of them on Saturday as they were meeting up with friends to celebrate a 40th birthday but on Sunday we had a nice lunch out with them, my daughter and her family plus one of Hubby's sisters and a several nieces and nephews.

2)  Got my Covid booster on Monday so I just need my 2nd shingles jab and I'm winter ready!

3)  Blood test results showing I'm still out of the pre-diabetic range.  The level had crept up slightly but I wasn't too surprised about that - I haven't been keeping to good habits recently but I'm trying not to get complacent - I didn't add any chocolate to the shopping list this week!

4)  Some sunshine during the week which meant I got some walking done.  Just around our local lake and it's Wellie season again now thanks to all the rain we've had, but it still feels good to get out in the fresh air.

5)  Made time for some reading - I'm making progress with David Copperfield and I have all the books lined up for the remaining prompts on the challenge I'm doing.  One of them is reserved at the library so I hope I don't have to wait too long for that or I might need to rethink that one.  Thanks to Deb for the suggestion.

I've also done a bit of Grandsitting with Nathan and Ella during the week too.  

Have a good weekend all.

Book Review - Lucy by the Sea - Elizabeth Stroud

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In March 2020 Lucy's ex-husband William pleads with her to leave New York and escape to a coastal house he has rented in Maine. Lucy reluctantly agrees, leaving the washing-up in the sink, expecting to be back in a week or two. Weeks turn into months, and it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the sea.

Rich with empathy and a searing clarity, Lucy by the Sea evokes the fragility and uncertainty of the recent past, as well as the possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this miraculous novel are the deep human connections that sustain us, even as the world seems to be falling apart.

Another book by Elizabeth Strout that I have enjoyed. Following on from Lucy Barton becoming a widow and her ex-husband William becoming single again this takes place during the pandemic when William persuades Lucy to isolate with him in Maine.

Strout captures the stresses caused by the pandemic well and how Lucy and her family cope with being in lock-down. Lucy is a complicated character, annoying at times but I just love the way Strout writes.

View all my reviews

Monday Mutterings - 14/10/24

I definitely need that first cup of tea in the morning lol.

No early start required today though but we had a busy weekend with my eldest son and his family here.  They arrived late on Friday but grandsons Noah and Miles were still up early on Saturday.

Our day was fairly quiet though as they were here to visit friends for a 40th birthday so we didn't see too much of them and when they got back Miles was sound asleep and Noah went straight to bed too.

On Sunday we met up with my daughter and her family and a few nieces and nephews for Sunday lunch at a local carvery.  It wasn't the most relaxing lunch with our 4 little ones, and because the carvery is very popular and we booked at short notice our tables weren't together but we managed and the food was really good AND.....I didn't have to cook!

Of course today there has been lots of washing to do - bedding, towels etc but I'm so glad we have so much space for the kids to be able to come and stay.

I've also had my Covid booster jab today so that's another jab ticked off the list.  I just need my second shingles jab now and I'll have the full winter set.

I managed a few more chapters of David Copperfield today.  The language is a bit flowery at times and there are soooo many characters to keep track of but it's actually quite easy to read because I'm finding it engaging.

I've also got all but one of the outstanding prompts in the 52 book challenge  sorted and I've only had to buy one book for those, the rest were books already in the house.

The prompt I have left is "set during a holiday you don't celebrate" which might take a bit of research.  I'm thinking Halloween or maybe a New Year in a different culture.  Or maybe I'll find a book that has a 4th July celebration in it.  All suggestions welcome.  

Have a good week.

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 9/10/24

Wednesday again so time to take part in the Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce here.

1. Thursday is National Walk To A Park Day. I know these celebratory days are mostly made up, but some are fun to think about. Do you live close enough to a park to walk to one on Thursday? Will you? The most famous park in the world is Central Park located in NYC. Have you ever been to Central Park? What did you think? If you haven't been is this a place you'd like to see? 

I often talk of walking around the lake near me but just beyond that is Highams Park so yes they're both near enough to walk.  I won't walk there tomorrow as it's the day I volunteer at the local food bank.  I have been to Central Park.  We didn't cover much of it - it's so huge!

2. Something you've done recently that turned out to be a 'walk in the park'? 

We walked a local Arts trail at the weekend.  It wasn't in a park but it was a nice easy way to pass an afternoon.

3. Can you parallel park? Do you have to do this often where you live? 

I absolutely can parallel park.  Ahem, I live in London.  

4. The colours of fall...red, brown, russet, golden bronze, golden yellow, purplish red, light tan, crimson, orange red, and scarlet. Are these colours you like to wear? Is this your season in terms of colour? What about your home? Would we see these tones in your home decorating?  

They're not colours that feature a lot in my wardrobe or in my home although I do have red accessories in one of our bedrooms.

5. What part of history do you find most interesting? Elaborate. 

I'm not great at history if I'm honest but I do love watching historical dramas such as Downton Abbey or the series on Queen Victoria.    I've also found a book series set in the time of Henry VIII very interesting.  (by C J Sansom).

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Well firstly I hope that anyone in the path of Milton stays safe.

Secondly, I'm coming to America!  We booked our flights today so we'll be visiting my son and his family for Thanksgiving.  Can't wait.  We hopefully won't be in the path of any hurricanes but there will most likely be snow!  Lots of it.  They're up in Vermont.  Good excuse to stay home and spend time with the grandkids.