Reading & Watching Wednesday

This week I’m reading this, which for a free Kindle book is well written, interesting and very entertaining.  And ticks the ‘Travel’ box nicely on my 2013 reading challenge list.

I’ve also just started this …

It’s a huge and rather off-putting breeze block of a book, but has been languishing unread in my bookcase for so long that I felt guilty for not reading it.  Again, it fits nicely into my 2013 reading challenge, under the History/Biography section.  It is also handily broken down into about 115 chapters, so I intend to read one or two chapters a day alongside whatever else I’m reading, as it’s not the sort of book that I think I can get through successfully in any other way!

I’ve also decided to join in with Vicki’s Richard & Judy Summer Book Club Challenge, over at Books, Biscuits & Tea, the idea of which is that we read all ten books between 1st June & 31st August.  These are the selections, and I’ll be tracking my progress over on my Reading Challenge page.

There hasn’t been much on the TV of late that I’ve wanted to watch, but I’ve just finished the boxset of this little gem, which was originally broadcast by the BBC in 2004.

It doesn’t fit into any specific genre – it’s part-thriller, part-black comedy, part-musical, part love-story, and sometimes almost a parable, too.  I absolutely loved it, it was so different from anything I’ve ever seen before, and with a stellar cast, too – David Morrissey, Sarah Parish and David Tennant were all superb.

What are you reading/watching this week?

The One Where I Wept For The English Language

One for my blogging pal Elaine, who gets as frustrated as I do by such awful errors.

Photos taken in a local restaurant which shall remain nameless.  I cannot understand how nobody from the person who designed the menu to the printer to the proofreader, noticed and corrected these glaring mistakes.

Menu Planning Monday

I haven’t done one of these posts for a while, but as I was super-organised yesterday (prompted by a £15 off if I spent £60 voucher) and did a Sainsburys online shop, which is due to be delivered this morning, I thought I’d share my eating plans for the week with you.

I’m trying to be vaguely healthier food-wise – only about six weeks until we go on holiday – and planning in advance is always helpful with that, I find.  I also picked up this book from the library last week, which has some brilliant healthy and simple ideas.

 

Lunches this week (courtesy of the above book), will include:

• Tuna pate with crudites
• Simple Minestrone soup
• Kale & white bean salad

 

 

Monday to Friday Dinners (in no particular order, because I’m not sure what will fit where yet – or indeed, what I’ll fancy on any given day!):

• Lamb tagine served with a pack of Ainsley Harriott’s couscous, which has been lurking in my food cupboard for longer than I care to think about.
• Turkey Francese (loosely based on this recipe) with salad and new potatoes
• Tagliatelle with smoked salmon, rocket, horseradish and (half fat) creme fraiche.  This is a really lovely pasta dish that I haven’t cooked for a while.  William will balk at this, I suspect, so he’ll probably have spag bol out of the freezer.
• Slow cooker lentil dahl served with naan bread.
• Mushroom, bacon and asparagus risotto – a family favourite (other than the mushrooms, which I either have to cut so small that Will can’t find them, or leave big enough that he can easily pick them out!).

 

**Linking up with the other Mrs M**

Sunday Car Booty

Morning all!  Hope you’re having a lovely weekend.  Yesterday was sunny and warmish here, but today has dawned dull and with the threat of the rain in the air.  Undeterred, I’m about to put a load of laundry on, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t pour down.

I leaped out of bed at 6.30 this morning when the alarm went off, and was at the car boot sale before 7.  And home before 8, with two bags full of booty.  Excellent.

Here’s what I bought:

Tortoiseshell Evie sandals £1, Dorothy Perkins snakeskin heels brand new £2, Hi Tec boys’ boots £1, brand new M&S wedges £1.50

Oasis silk tunic dress £2

Next girls ‘ skirt and maxi dress, £2.50 the pair

Clarks Doodles sandals 50p, Travel Scrabble £1

Scholl black leather sandals £1, M&S brand new mules £1, Rieker brand new flats £3, Nike trainers 50p

Per Una dress £2

Most optimistically priced item spotted:  A 2009 diary and calendar set marked at £3.  I’d put money on them going home again!

**Edited to add: linking up with Magpie Monday**

Wonderful Wool / Cool Colours

I am very very close to the end of the crochet blanket that I started at the beginning of February, and although I’ve enjoyed making it, I’ve decided to do some smaller projects over the summer, and have seen all sorts of lovely little things to make – pretty flowers, baby bootees (no, I’ve no happy news to share – a friend has just had a baby!), crochet bunting, and an iPad case are just some of the things that have caught my eye.

With that in mind, I decided to treat myself to some new yarn in summery colours, and I picked up some bargains from Wool Warehouse.  I haven’t bought wool online before, so I was a little wary about how accurate the colours would be on screen, but overall, I’m pleased.

I’m not the world’s most creative or artistic person, and I’m not brilliantly confident at putting colours together, so Pinterest has been an absolute Godsend.  I wanted summery colours, and I think I’ve done pretty well at matching up these colour palettes – what do you reckon?

 

 

 

 

 

The second and third from the left in this one are a bit off, but I still think it’s an overall nice colour combo.

 

 

 

Oh, and another thing I shall definitely be crocheting this summer is one of these, for Fred:

 

 

Reading & Watching Wednesday

 

I picked this up from the library last week for my 2013 reading challenge  Food/Cookbooks category, and I’m really enjoying it, not just for the foody aspect, but also as a travel book – I now really feel the need to visit Laos of all places!  I’ve been dipping in and out at the same time as reading other books, and have just started this one …

 

I’ve been sent this to review pre-publication and have only just started it, but it’s quite promising.  The first chapter really sucked me in, and kept me reading long after I would normally have turned the light out last night, so I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to get well stuck into it on my train journey this morning.

 

We’ve been watching Revolution ‘en famille’ on a Sunday evening.  It’s set 15 years after a worldwide power blackout, and at first seemed really promising – the initial couple of episodes were great.  So many things I’ve watched recently have started well and gone downhill (The Following being another that springs to mind – gave that up before the end of the series), and this seems to be another.  Ashley and Will are really enjoying all the swordfighting stuff, but I’m finding it more and more yawn-inducing each week.

 

A Cheap Read & A Free Gift

I’m not a huge fan of magazines (they tend to make me want stuff I don’t really need!) so I don’t buy them regularly, but I occasionally enjoy a flick through one with a cup of tea, and I recently saw a subscription offer to get 6 issues of Prima magazine for £6, with a free gift of Sanctuary Spa products included too.  It seemed too good an offer to pass by.

My first magazine arrived a couple of weeks ago, and was better than I expected – a good mix of interesting articles, some crafty makes, fashion suitable for people older than 20 AND who don’t have a disposable income the size of a small country’s national debt, and some nice interiors ideas, too.

And I had completely forgotten about the free gift, which turned up today, delivered by my somewhat soggy and bad tempered postman.  (Seriously, this weather?  Torrential rain all day.  And 8 measly degrees.  WTF?)

Anyway, this is what I received, and I was really impressed.

 

I really like Sanctuary Spa products, and according to the magazine website, this little lot is worth over £30, which I can well believe.  I can’t wait to try them all out.

And still five months’ worth of magazines to come.

£6 well spent, I’d say!