Friday 8 March 2024

Friday's Fave Five - 8/3/24


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 here.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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!

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.

Have a good weekend all.


Friday 23 February 2024

Friday's Fave Five - 23/2/24


The last Friday of February already - time to look back on the week and find the blessings - Susanne is our host and blogs here.

1)  Thankful that I'm over this latest bout of Covid - tested negative yesterday and feeling much better.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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!

Have a good weekend all.

Wednesday 21 February 2024

Wednesday Hodgepodge - 21/2/24


The Hodgepodge is hosted by Joyce here.  Pop over to see who else is taking part and join in the fun.

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 (link here) to help with your answer. 

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.  

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? 

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.

3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things? 

Hmm - there's a right and wrong way to put a toilet roll on a holder!  (Tried to think of the silliest thing possible.)

4. Describe the view from your window. 

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.

5. Do you have a favourite brand? Explain.

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.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Is it just me or is everyone else still mainly shopping online even though the pandemic is over?

Monday 19 February 2024

Books, books and more books! 19/2/24

YOUR 2024 BOOKS
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
  • My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
  • Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
  • A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
  • Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
  • Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
  • Headstrong by Rachel Swaby
  • The Stranger by Harlan Coben
  • The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
  • The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
  • The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley
  • One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
  • Revelation by C.J. Sansom

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.

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.

Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon and will stop bombarding you with book reviews!