January is
normally a time to hibernate and recover from the madness of Christmas. I
always thought I did very little and wasted a lot of time so this year I
decided to record what I actually do when I am not in work this year. I was pleasantly surprised but I do not know if this would be typical of what I get done or maybe I was more determined as I knew I was making a note of everything.
I am going to do this type of post at the beginning of every new month as a record of achievement so that I can look back and think 'Didn't I / I did not do a lot that month,
Reading
The Last
Letter from Your Lover- Jojo Moyes.
I have to
admit this is not a book I would have chosen myself. It was the book club
choice.
The
Blurb- When journalist Ellie looks through her newspaper’s archives for
a story, she doesn’t think she’ll find anything of interest. Instead she
discovers a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her
husband – and Ellie is caught up in the intrigue of a past love affair.
Despite, or perhaps because of her own romantic entanglements with a married
man.
In 1960, Jennifer wakes up in hospital after a car accident. She can’t remember
anything – her husband, her friends, who she used to be. And then, when she
returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover
she was willing to risk everything for.
Ellie and Jennifer’s stories of passion, adultery and loss are wound together
in this richly emotive novel – interspersed with real ‘last letters’.
I only persevered
with this book because it was the book club choice. It was a predictable storyline
in both time periods with no unexpected twists. I did like Jennifer and would
have liked her wardrobe but not her life. It was the 1960’s when divorce was
still taboo and wives were expected to keep quiet and let their husbands do
what they wanted.
Vanish-
Tess Gerritson
The Blurb -Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles unzips a
body bag and gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes. The woman
is rushed to hospital, where she murders a guard and seizes hostages, including
a heavily pregnant Detective Jane Rizzoli. No one knows who this woman is,
or what she wants. Only Jane, trapped with the madwoman, can solve the mystery.
I used to enjoy watching Rizzoli and Isles which was based
on these books. I have read some other books in this series a few years ago so
when a friend gave me her copy to use in crafting I decided to read it instead.
The blurb does not give anything away about the main
storyline which is the trafficking of young Russian girls for sex and the attempted
cover up of the murders of 5 of them. I devoured this book very quickly as I
couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next.
Watching
Around the
World in 80 days
I adore
David Tennant so will watch anything he is in (apart from the American version
of Broadchurch) so was looking forward to this adaptation of the story.
I like the
way Phileas’ character became less self-centred as the story went on and he
treated Passepartout and Abigail with more respect. He would have been brought
up to expect to be treated as more superior than both of them and that was how
he came across at first but his attitude changed as they continued their
adventures. The acting from all of the cast was superb and you were drawn into
their adventures and willed them on. The only negative thing I can say about it
was how did Phileas manage to have so many outfit changes and look so clean and
well dressed despite everything they had been through. In reality they all
would have looked rather bedraggled and dirty.
A Very
British Scandal
I watched
this because I was intrigued by the story of the scandal. Divorce in the 1960’s
as previously mentioned was a taboo subject so for the aristocracy to have such
a high profile divorce was definitely seen as scandalous.
Both
characters had their flaws which ultimately caused the end of their marriage. I
did feel more sympathy towards Margaret though despite what she did. I would
have been wary of a man who had been married twice before even if I was
divorced myself. Would Ian have divorced her if the money hadn’t run out or
would he have turned a blind eye to her affairs to keep the money.
You can see
parallels with Jennifer’s story from The Last Letter from Your Lover with
regards to the fact they both had affairs due to neglect even though their
natures were very different.
Ron’s Gone
Wrong (Disney +)
This was
the choice of the kids on the now rare evenings we are all together in the
evening at a weekend. I will admit I didn’t really relish watching it initially
but it was actually okay.
It is an animated adventure about a boy named Barney
who receives a "defective" robot named Ron as a birthday present. He
is the last one in his class to get one of these ‘friendship’ robots that are
supposed to connect people together. However, Ron did not get the correct
coding uploaded so Barney and Ron write their own code about friendship that
makes Ron one of a kind. The movie looks at the proliferation of technology,
social media, and screen time among tweens and teens and how things can quickly
get out of hand when the wrong thing is posted. The movie emphasises the
importance of real-life friendships rather than screen friends, and accepting
and being kind to everybody which is good message to put across.
Emily in
Paris- Season 2
Light
hearted story perfect for times when you want to be entertained and not have to
think too much. Emily’s outfits are outrageous and clash in patterns rather too
much for my taste. I do like the way Sylvie dresses though. Paris is beautiful and makes me want to go back
and explore more than I had the chance to do last time I went.
Making
I was
definitely in a crafting mood this month and did the projects below. The
blanket has been a long term on-going project that I was determined to finish
this month.
Needle
felted red panda
I need more practice doing faces as this looks more like a teddy bear than a red panda.
Circle
skirt
Courthouse
steps blanket
This has been a long term project that I started in October 2020. I didn't work constantly on it but did it alongside other projects. ( Can you spot the mistake?)
Cards and
Flower frame (WI craft groups)
Both need sentiments adding to complete for which I will use my Cricut Machine.
What
else
Another
thing I wanted to do more of this year was walking/hiking. This month I went
out three times with Craig, Penny and friends/family. The first was the
National Trust land around Alderley Edge in Cheshire. This wasn’t a long walk but there
were some ‘hairy’ moments scrambling up or down slopes which were a bit slippy.
Craig and Penny looking over the Edge.
The second
was Peel Tower/Holcombe Moor near Ramsbottom near Bury. It was a very blustery walk
across the moor and I definitely needed my walking boots.
My final
walk was Rivington near Bolton. We didn’t walk up to the Pike but we did go
around the gardens.
As the
weather had been rather overcast for all three walks I didn’t take any photos
as the light wasn’t brilliant and would not have done justice to the scenery. I
hope that there will be photos for future walks.
How have
you kept busy over January or have you just relaxed?
