Weekly Blog - W/E 10th July 2021

This week began with OH being away at his parents for a night after attending a cycling event outside of London. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I indulgently laid in bed reading for at least an hour. It's the  perfect way to relax after the busy day I'd had at work the day before. Eventually, I got up and got dressed, as I needed to take the dog for a walk. It rained for a while though, so we didn't get out until around 11 am.  

By the time we got back it was 1 pm, so I gave the dog some food and then I started on the big pile of washing up that had accumulated over the past 3 or so days. Once that was done, I picked some salad out of the raised beds in the garden and made some lunch with it. We're trying desperately hard to use it all before it bolts and has to be composted.

I then pottered around and caught up with a bit of YouTube watching, until OH came home around 3 pm.  We caught up on the news from his weekend and then I decided to sort out some of LB's washing. This in turn led me to clean out her bedroom, which was in a terrible state. I'd been nagging her for weeks to tidy it and get on top of her washing, but with working long shifts in the restaurant and then wanting to chill or go out with friends on her days off, she never seemed to get around to it.

Anyway, I'd had enough of it being a tip, and as she was at work, I decided to tackle it myself.  It took a couple of hours to sort through the clothes that were all over the floor, put away any clean clothing, change the bedding, put some washing on (I ended up doing 3 loads - one whites, one bed linen and one towels) and then I vacuumed the room. I also found a skirt with a broken zip, so I replaced the zip to make it wearable again. Despite my efforts, there's still a laundry basket full of what looks like winter clothing and a big IKEA bag of dark clothing to wash, but I didn't have anywhere left to hang them.

It felt very satisfying to finally tackle this room and it was a nice surprise for her to come home from work to a clean room with fresh bedding and most of her washing done. I know she won't keep it like that for long though. I don't know where she gets her messiness from. Definitely not from me.

In the evening, OH and I just chilled watching The Handmaid's Tale on TV and I got on with removing more paper pieces from my quilt. A productive day for a Sunday, which I usually spend doing very little of note.

On Monday, I did some more washing for LB and hung it out on the line outside as the weather was fine. I then put away some laundry that had been kicking around since last week and put on a load of washing for myself and OH.

I needed to go out and do a small top up shop and use the £10 voucher I'd earned at Lidl last week, so I did that. I spent a couple of hours ironing in the afternoon and finally got to the bottom of the ironing basket. Not a very exciting day, but productive enough.

Tuesday was a work day and when I got to work, another lovely volunteer was tackling the Gift Aid, so I busied myself with other things that needed doing and helped her where necessary. Between us, we got quite a lot of work done on the clothing. One of our volunteers is leaving this week, as she has got a paid job within our charity. She'll be missed in our shop, as she has a lovely personality. I booked a table in a local pub for us to go for a drink after work on Saturday, her last day. 

When I got home from work, both of the orders I made at the weekend had arrived, which was good. I was disappointed with one item though from ASOS, I'll tell you more about it in another post. It will be going back which is a hassle.

I spent Tuesday evening watching an interesting programme about Agatha Christie. I'm not fit for much more than flopping in front of the TV after a day at work.

On Wednesday, I had a very lazy and long lie in, mainly because I hadn't slept well. Then I read my book for a while before finally dragging myself out of bed. OH has taken to taking the dog out on days when I'm not at work, which often suits me as I don't have to rush to get up. 

Once up I went into LB's bedroom again and tidied up again, took the washing off the dryer and put it into piles for her to put away. I did another wash for her too and mended another favourite item of clothing for her whose strap had broken. She was at work again all day and evening due to the England match being on and the pub being fully booked. She wasn't looking forward to it after working previously when England were playing. I'm hoping it's not too bad this time around.

Later, I put away some of our laundry and pottered for most of the day. I was feeling a bit uninspired today and just wanted a quiet homey kind of day. Later, I picked the remaining fruit from the garden and made another pot of jam. There are more blackcurrants at the allotment, but they are not ripe yet, so I'll have to use them later.

OH wasn't too happy today, as he received a speeding ticket from his journey back to London on Sunday, which will mean points on his licence. Bless him. Not  a very nice surprise to receive through the post.

Back to work on Thursday and I was back on the Gift Aid. There was a very big donation too, so it took me all day to clear the cage.

Friday, I stayed home for the most part and just got on with small jobs and more washing and ironing.

On Saturday, I was working and as I mentioned earlier, after work I'd booked a table at a pub not far from the shop, to celebrate one of our volunteers leaving, having got a new job. A few of us had drinks with her and the Shop Manager had made a cake to celebrate. It was a nice evening and a nice sociable end to the week.

Weekly Diary W/E 3rd July - Part 2

Following on from Part One of this week's diary, I was back at work on Thursday this week. I felt like I had quite a productive day, despite being tired from not having slept well the night before. One of our volunteers worked on the Gift Aid all day, which freed me to get on with some other jobs that were long overdue. I was able to sort through and re-organise some very overwhelming corners of the stockroom and make a start on some other tasks that have not been tackled for weeks due to lack of time. It was very satisfying and felt like a nice reprieve from the norm.

When I got on the bus home, the tiredness hit me, so the evening was spent binge watching Netflix, whilst starting to take out the paper pieces from my finished quilt top. It's going to take a while, as it's a large quilt, but I'll chip away at it until it's done.

After a much better night's sleep on Thursday night, I awoke on Friday feeling much more refreshed. Fridays are one of my days off, so I stayed in bed and finished reading my current book. OH took the dog out, so I had a leisurely morning, which was nice. As I'd done a big shop earlier in the week, I didn't need to go anywhere or do anything outside of the house, which is a rare treat for me, (save for walking the dog later) so I had a lovely long homey day ahead of me.

As I do every month, I had created a list of things I wanted to do this month, but this month's list is particularly long. Lots of small things and ongoing projects included on it.  I decided I would spend the day making a start on the list. First job was to fill the storage boxes I'd bought earlier in the week. This was quite a quick job, but then led me into doing a bit of reorganising of the space under both the spare bed and our own bed.

Late morning, I re-potted a couple of my houseplants that needed it and then I went around the house watering all of them. This task is actually quite time consuming these days, but satisfying once done. Most of them seem to be surviving and some possibly even thriving, which is progress for me.

As it was a hot day, I put a couple of boxes of things we no long need outside of the house in case anyone wanted to take anything. I'm hoping they will.

By the time I'd done the above it was lunchtime, so I made myself my usual salad using homegrown lettuce. After years of failing to grow lettuce, we've had a real glut for the past few weeks, so OH has been trying to give it away to neighbours and fellow allotmenteers. It's a nice problem to have. Other things have started to mature at the plot, such as strawberries, which OH has been trying to eat down, courgettes, early potatoes and kohl rabi, so the fridge is starting to fill up again. 

At home, my dahlias, which I planted out into one of the raised garden beds the other week, have now started flowering and are beautiful, with lots of buds promising many more flowers. I can't wait. It's amazing how much joy growing a few flowers brings.

Here are some pictures of both the plot:

And the raised bed in the garden:

I'm loving my garden at the moment. It's wild with growth and very lush. Just the way I like it. It barely needs any work either, which is perfect, just a bit of pruning back and dead heading here and there and picking of fruit. Talking of which, my mulberry tree that I got for Xmas from OH a couple of years ago, has borne half a dozen fruits this year and they taste lovely. It's supposed to be 7 years before they fruit, but mine seems happy enough to produce them a bit early. 

I spent half an hour pruning back some climbers that encroach from next door. They were blocking the sun from the solar lights and preventing them from working properly. Hopefully, they'll work again now.

Later, I popped over to the glass shop to get some safety glass for the cupboard door in the vestibule. It was a bit more expensive than I envisaged, but it was needed to complete the job and constituted another item crossed off the to do list. I just need to get OH to fit it now.

I also spent an hour or so this afternoon doing some laundry and ironing. I didn't quite get to the bottom of the laundry basket, but one more crack at it and I should be able to finish it. Another pretty productive day.

On Saturday, I was back at work and OH headed off to a cycle event in Leicester. He ended up driving up to Yorkshire for the night after his ride to visit his mum and dad and help where he could, so I was home alone on Saturday night, as LB was out at a party. When I got home from work, I headed out with the dog. It was very quiet in the parks, as everyone was home watching the England game. It was bliss. I was so glad to finally get home afterwards to put my feet up.

And there ends another week.

Weekly Diary - W/E 3rd July - Part One - Including a Re-organisation of the Sewing Room.

This week has been quite a productive one, so for a change I've divided my Weekly Diary into two parts.

On Sunday, I picked as much ripe fruit as we had in the garden (gooseberries and blackcurrants), and made a pot and a half of jam. It always feels very satisfying to grow and make your own food. Later the same day, I accompanied OH to the allotment, to weed the paths around our plot, as inspection day was looming at the beginning of the week. Another satisfying job done. (The inspection went well and the Allotment Society were very happy with the state of the site in general, which was good).

On Monday, I felt inspired to reorganise the furniture in the sewing room. I decided that I would utilise the desk that LB no longer wanted as a sewing station. As soon as I got up, I got to work and moved everything out of the corner, so that I could get the desk in. OH helped by putting the legs on it and I was very happy with the results. I now have a view out to the garden when I'm sewing in this room. 

I forgot to take a before picture, but the room or rather the corner in which I sew, now looks like this:

I really like this configuration. I have a different chair too, it's one that we've had for probably 15 years or so and which also used to be in LB's bedroom. Rather than throw it out, I made loose fabric covers for the seat and back and I will use it as a sewing chair. In the course of the re-organisation, I made a matching mat for the desk top, to sit my machine on. 

Arranging the room in this way, has made it much easier to reach everything, i.e. my sewing books, tools, etc. and has made good use of the desk, which was previously just cluttering up the landing. Although the room is still more cluttered than I would like, it is an improvement and might just inspire me to do more machine sewing. I will be getting rid of the old desk, which used to just fit in the alcove under the shelves and I will be putting it out on the street along with a few other bits and pieces, for someone to take if they so wish. If there are no takers, I will take it to the tip.

Whilst carrying out the re-organisation, I also went through a pile of items that I'd put aside in this room, ready for the next Give and Take (not sure when it's going to be, if ever). I managed to condense it down a bit, taking a few bits out to donate to the clothing bank and the Little Free Library. (I dropped these things off later in the day) It's still taking up precious space in the room, but there's not much I can do about it. 

After finishing up in the sewing room, I spent the rest of the day running a few errands locally. I needed to take something back to Primark and exchange it for some new bras, which I desperately needed. I also needed to drop into the Building society and update my pass book, which hasn't been done in a couple of years. That was a nice surprise, to see the increase in my balance. (I get share dividends paid directly into this account). I also did a small top up food shop whilst I was out to get us through to pay day. 

When I got back, I washed and hung out a load of laundry, completed my monthly finances, cooked up some offal for the dog and then headed out with her for a walk. It felt like a super productive day. Hence, I went back to work the following day feeling that for once I'd achieved something on my day off.

On Tuesday, I was back at work. A lot of donations had come in the day before, so I spent all day processing the Gift Aided donations, which takes quite a bit longer than non-Gift Aid ones, as you have to apply a bar code to every saleable item. On a normal day, I get these donations bar coded and then I have time to price some other items to put in the shop, but not so today due to the high volume. I'm not complaining here, as we are always very grateful for any donations.

On Tuesday, LB was also working at her job in a pub restaurant in Central London. It was super busy due to the England vs Germany match as many fans were watching it in the pub. As a consequence, she was late leaving and then got verbally sexually harrassed by an older man (I use the latter term loosely) on the bus home. I was very upset to hear this, as she's only 18 and should not be made to feel fearful of catching public transport in and around the capital.

Wednesday this week was payday, and my day for doing the first big grocery shop of the month. There were a lot of things on my shopping list, so I needed to spend quite a bit this week, but it will mean that next week's grocery shop should be a lot smaller and more of a top up shop. I bought most of the items from Lidl and qualified for a £10 off voucher, as I had shopped there a few times during June. I now must make sure to use the voucher, before it expires in 7 days time, so I'll need to top up shop there early next week.

Whilst shopping in Tesco, I had £9.50 in Club Card vouchers to use, so I used them to buy a couple of under bed storage boxes to house my collection of vintage bed linens. I'd bought a couple during the last Lockdown, but still needed two more, so now I've finally got around to getting them. They are easier to use than the quite flimsy under bed storage bags I bought on eBay last year, which seem to rip easily.

When I got home, I unpacked the shopping and then did a bit of online shopping, as I needed to order some more of the skincare that I bought a while back. Luckily it was on offer at 20% off, so I bought two of each item, to keep me going over the next few months and added a different moisturiser from the same brand to try as I'm not 100% sold on the original one I bought. I topped up the order with a few other things that I use regularly, in order to get free postage, as the postage cost over £6 which was quite expensive. Everything will get used in due course and two items I bought as a gift for LB for Christmas. A bit of early Xmas shopping never goes amiss.

My final expenditure of the day, was on a smallish ASOS order, in which I bought a couple of pairs of canvas slip on plimsolls to wear to work, a new watch and a vest top. Once again, I made sure to spend enough to get free postage. My current slip ons are getting very scruffy, so I'm going to relegate them to dog walking only and keep the new ones for work. I'll post some pictures of what I bought in these orders once all of the items arrive.

That was enough spending for one day. I shouldn't need to spend much money for the rest of the week now. I'll just need to put some money on my Oyster card for getting to and from work.

The remainder of this week, I'll cover in Part 2 of this post, as it would make this post way too long to continue here.

Weekly Diary - W/E 26th June 2021

After a weekend up in Yorkshire, this week was all about getting back into our normal routine here in London. It was good to have a break from London, but equally, it was good to get back and get on with our everyday lives, especially after a strange two weeks for me, not being at work.

On Monday, I enjoyed my last day before returning to work, I did a food shop, so that we had all we needed for the week ahead. LB got her first Covid vaccination on Monday too, which was good and she didn't have any side effects, which was even better.

I returned to work on Tuesday and I was pleasantly surprised to find that things weren't altogether too overwhelming. It is taking me a few days to get back up to speed, but I think that by next week it will feel like I've not been away at all.

At home, in between completing online work documentation and learning, I've been trying to catch up with a massive pile of ironing, which is slowly going down. I'm determined to clear it completely by the end of next week and then try to keep on top of it, instead of letting it build up so much.

I've also been continuing with my hand stitched quilt when I get the chance. I'm very near finishing the top of it, which is very exciting. It's probably taken six months or thereabouts in total. I do still need to find some fabric for the backing though, so I may have to put it aside for a while until the right thing comes along. (I don't think I have anything suitable in my stash, as it needs to be king sized width). Possibly a flat sheet or second hand quilt cover might suffice, but I don't own one in the right colour presently, so I will just have to keep a look out for one.

In all, it feels like it has been quite a productive week. The fact that I'm getting anything done in between work days is progress, as I'm usually too tired to do much on my days off. It's probably the result of having had two weeks away from work, it must have done me some good. I think that the physical challenge of working in charity retail is cummulative and if I don't take time off for months on end, it is quite debilitating. I now realise that I need to book my annual leave at regular intervals throughout the year, especially now LB has left education and we can all go away out of season. This year will be the first year that this has really been possible all year round, which is quite exciting. Just a pity about the Covid restrictions, we'll just have to see how they go.

Healthwise, my knee, is still feeling okay, despite going back to work. It's slightly stiff and sore on the days I work, on account of being stood on it all day, but recovers much more quickly on days off and generally stiffens up less on the days I don't work, so that's a good sign. I'm almost feeling like my normal self again and even managed to run to catch a bus the other night, although I did so very carefully.

Looking to next week, I've got a few garden jobs that need doing, more specifically, I need to wash all of the dirty plant pots that we've used this spring. It's a good excuse to get outside on a hot day and catch some sun. I also need to pot on one of my indoor plants to a bigger pot. Small and easily doable jobs, if I can just put my mind to them. I've also got a couple of errands that I need to run locally to tick a couple of things of this month's to do list. To be honest, many things just get carried over from one month to the next at the moment, so I do need to pay more attention to it and actually get some of the things on it done.

Another job will be to harvest some of the fruit from the garden. The gooseberries and blackcurrants are pretty close to being ripe and need to be made into jam. I always quite enjoy the process and the moreso the results.

I hope you've had a good week this week.

Weekly Diary W/E 19th June 2021

This last two weeks, I've been off work. I'd booked some time off for Jury Service, I didn't need to, but I decided to, as I work for a charity and I'd already had lots of time off during Lockdown. In addition, I had been allowed to carry over untaken leave from last year in spite of the lockdowns, so I decided to pay some of it back. The JS finished at the end of the first week, thankfully, and all I will say about it was that it was illuminating in many ways, not necessarily in a positive way, and I didn't find it particularly enjoyable. I really didn't relish the responsiblity.  I won't have to do it again, for another two years at least, which is fine by me.

This last week I've been trying to relax, wind down from it, and just get back to normal life. My knee has had a good rest and is feeling a lot better, although not completely recovered. I'm not sure if I'll cycle to work when I return tomorrow. I spent two days of the week cleaning the whole house, partly because it desperately needed it and partly because LB was having some friends over.

OH had some bad news last week. His father had another stroke and was taken into hospital. This was one of the reasons I didn't go back to work immediately after JS, as we wanted to take a trip up to Yorkshire to visit and see if there was anything we could do to help. We wanted to wait a few days before going and do lateral flow tests, especially after I had spent so much time in court rooms, in reasonably close proximity to lots of other people, although strict Covid restrictions were in place.

LB didn't come up to Yorkshire with us, as she was working at her new part-time job. Instead, on the one day she wasn't working, she had her friends over for the evening to keep her company.

We headed off to Yorkshire on Thursday lunchtime. We'd booked into the Hilton Hotel in Hull City Centre as there were no cottages or apartments available for the dates we were travelling. Luckily, they were happy to allow the dog to stay too. The hotel was really nice. We hadn't stayed in a hotel without LB for years and it felt a bit strange. We enjoyed walking around the town centre on our first evening there and revisiting old haunts and favourite landmark buildings. We had supper sat outside a pub next to the Marina, which was nice. To get there, we walked over a new pedestrian bridge that has been built to link the rest of the town centre to this part of the town. It's a nice bridge, with great views as you walk across. There's a lot of new road construction going on in the city at the moment though, so traffic was especially bad when you did need to try to get anywhere in the car.

On Friday morning, we did a little bit of shopping. I always like to visit a Boyes store when I stay in Yorkshire and as usual, I managed to spend a fortune on lots of different things in there. We then visited OH's mum before she headed off to the hospital for the afternoon.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit OH's dad in hospital, due to strict Covid restrictions, but we tried to be as helpful as we could to his mum during our visit.

On Friday night, we had arranged to meet up with my sister, her husband, her daughter and her daughter's new boyfriend, who we'd never met. I hadn't seen my sister for 18 months, so it was good to catch up at a local Italian restaurant. We had a really nice evening.

On Saturday, we had a big breakfast at the hotel before packing up and heading home via OH's mum's again. His sister was there when we arrived, so we got to catch up with her too, before we headed back to London. It was just a short stay, but we were glad we made the effort. OH's father will hopefully be coming home from the hospital next week, but he'll need a lot of care, much more than before he went in.

Now back in London, we're getting back into our normal routines. I'm due back at work tomorrow and I am ever so slightly dreading it. I know I'll get back into the swing of it within a couple of days, but it has been nice to take a break and get out of London. 

I've got another week off booked in a few weeks time, but this time we'll be heading up to the Yorkshire Dales for our UK summer holiday in a rented cottage. LB isn't joining us this year for the first time, as she's going away with her friends to a cottage in Suffolk instead. It will be strange without her, but I remember doing the same kind of thing at her age.

Today I've done a food shop at ASDA and this afternoon, I need to spend some time ironing, as all of my work clothes are in the ironing basket. I've carefully put them to the top of the pile, to give them priority over everything else. I'll let you know how my return to work goes in my next post.

I hope you've had a good couple of weeks and I'll try to post more in the coming weeks.

Weekly Diary W/E 6th June 2021

It was a very quiet start to the week this week. OH was away cycling until Tuesday, so I was home alone for most of the Bank Holiday weekend. On Bank Holiday Monday, I had a long walk with the dog, then came back for lunch before heading out again to go for my 2nd Covid vaccination. I was happy to get this done, but I was a bit unsure as to how I'd feel afterwards, as I felt quite unwell after the first one. 

I was without the car all weekend, as OH took it, so I had to take the bus to the vaccination centre. I arrived half an hour early, but was able to be seen and vaccinated within minutes. On the way back, I popped into a local Crisis charity shop and bought a plant pot for £1.50. I then paid my first post-Lockdown visit to our local Primark. I managed to spend £27 on two pairs of trousers, two black t-shirts, some hair clips, face masks and cotton wool pads. I also picked up some fruit and veg from a market stall before catching the bus home, which made it a worthwhile but spendy little trip out.

I felt fine all evening after my vaccination, absolutely no problems this time around, which was a relief.

On Tuesday I went back to work. I had a pretty bad journey in, as the bus I was on broke down and we had to get off and get onto the next one, which then became very full, which was not ideal. For some reason I was very clumsy today and kept knocking things over, breaking the odd thing. Maybe it was tiredness, although I didn't feel particularly tired.

On Wednesday, I was finally able to meet up with some friends from the gym, for the first time in over a year. I had to do a weekly shop before meeting them, as there was no food in the house and by now OH had returned from his cycling trip. I also did a lateral flow test, which was negative.

It felt good to get together again in our favourite restaurant and catch up with each others' news. I took a bottle of Prosecco with me, as you could pay corkage in the restaurant (they don't have a license to sell alcohol) and one of my friends and I shared it. (I was on the bus!)

On the way back, I needed to stop off at the local Primark again and take one of the t-shirts back that I'd bought the other day, as it was too oversized. I got a new bra instead, which was only £6. It was a bit of a gamble really, as I've never really bought bras from there before and I paid nearer £40 for a new bra last month elsewhere, but this Primark one actually feels more comfortable. I may go back and get a couple more at that price, as most of my old M&S ones are virtually shot and not feeling very supportive.

When I got back, I popped to the allotment with OH for half and hour before heading out to walk the dog. It is now almost fully planted up. We're just waiting for everything to grow, which feels very satisfying.

I didn't sleep well (hardly at all in fact) on Wednesday night, so on Thursday I felt exhausted going in to work. In the end it wasn't too bad when I got there, but thankfully I caught up on my sleep on Thursday night and felt so much better.

On Friday, it rained most of the day. An Approved Food order I'd placed last week when they had a free delivery offer arrived, so I unpacked it and put everything away. It was mainly snacks for us and the dog and tinned items that we use regularly. Many of these things will come in useful this month and particularly next week, as I have to take my own food and drink whilst on Jury Service.

Later, I had to go to Poundland to get some last minute bits for work, so I took the dog with me and left her in the car whilst I went in to do the shopping.  It wasn't hot, so she was okay in her cage whilst I was in the shop. On the way back we stopped off for a very wet and rainy walk, after which I was glad to get home and get some lunch, knowing that I didn't need to go out again for the rest of the day. Lunch was my usual salad, but using salad leaves from the garden. For the first time in years, the lettuce has grown well for us and we've got lots to keep us going over the summer.

On Friday afternoon, I decided it was time to tackle the huge ironing pile that had built up over the last couple of weeks, so I put on a movie on Netflix and got stuck in. I was thankful for the rain for cooling the house down, as I would have struggled to iron if it had been hot outside.

Saturday, was my final day at work for two weeks. Although I'm not really relishing Jury Service, which starts on Tuesday, I am looking forward to a break from the shop, as it's been a bit intense, especially with my knee being so bad. This week it has been feeling a bit better and I feel like I am slowly getting back to my normal self and it is starting to heal. For a while I was struggling and thinking that it never would get better. As a consequence, I've been feeling a bit low and grumpy for weeks now. I think it was a mistake to rush back to work so quickly and not rest it for at least a week, but I can't change what I did. Two weeks of sitting down whilst on Jury service should rest it sufficiently. I'll just have to remember to exercise it out of sight, to build up some strength. I'm now starting to think about what I'm going to wear next week. Apparently, you can wear jeans, but no shorts or beach wear!!

Anyway, my last day of work for a while was a busy one. After humping a shopping bag full of hand wash, cleaning products, paper towels, toilet rolls and biscuits to work, I did as much as I possibly could to leave things in a good place before I left. I don't know what it will look like when I come back, I'd rather not give it any thought.

Hope you had a good week.

2021 Reads

It's been a busy year on the reading front, starting slowly but gathering pace in February and March during Lockdown. In total by the end of April I'd read 27 books so far this year, which is probably the most I've read in a long time. It came about because I had a shelf with about 50 fictions books on it that I'd never read. I had run out of non-fiction books, which were my preferred read, so decided to concentrate on getting back into reading fiction, mainly so that I could declutter most of them. (I rarely read a book twice)

Anyway, here's a list with the ones I liked the best and would recommend.

January

Reviving Retail by Doug Stephens - This was a non-fiction book I read as I work in retail and it was an interesting read with interesting ideas about the future of retail. Very topical post pandemic.

Fashionopolis by Dinah Thomas - Again another non-fiction book about the clothing industry and how it is slowly becoming more sustainable thanks to designers such as Stella McCartney amongst others and their efforts to use sustainable fabrics and materials. It was interesting to note that there are many technologies now available to recycle many waste products and it did encourage me in this respect, although there is still an awful lot of wastage and pollution from the clothing industry.

The Flavours of Love by Dorothy Koomson

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussman

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris

The above 3 books were all bought from Poundland and although they were reasonably good reads, I don't know if I would recommend them. For £1 they were entertaining enough.

February

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - This book was recommended by a friend from the gym and it took me a long time to get around to reading it, but it was such a good read. So sad in parts, but excellent. Would definitely recommend. 

A Perfect Marriage - Alison Booth

The Third Wife - Lisa Jewell - I like most of the Lisa Jewell books that I have read and this is no exception. It's basically about the complications of blended families.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - This was a great book that follows Harold on his pilgrimage/journey, walking the length of the UK to see an old work colleague who is dying of cancer. A very good read which may have you in tears at some point.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson - This book was a Virago Modern Classic that has been on my bookshelf for an age. I didn't think I would like it, but it was nothing like I expected and was a really fun read set in the 1930's I think.

A Certain Age - Tana Janowitz  - This book was a difficult one to read. It chronicles the efforts of an attractive woman working in NYC, to marry into money in 1980's New York. Having almost reached the age of 30 and in danger of being left on the shelf in terms of making a suitable match, it documents the efforts she goes to to snag a rich husband and how this leads her down a very slippery slope. Entertaining but very dark, with a great twist at the very end. The reviews compare it to Edith Wharton's House of Mirth set in 1800's New York. I read this book later and could see the similarities.

Annie May's Black Book - Debby Holt 

For One More Day  by Mitch Albam

March

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler - This book was interesting and for a while you are lulled into thinking that this is a story about the death or separation of a child from it's siblings and it's effect on a family. Not so, read on and find out what this story is really about and it will quite surprise you. 

The Optimists - Andrew Miller

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee - Once again a book set in NYC about the life of Korean immigrants trying to find their version of the American Dream and happiness. A really good read

The Real Katie Lavender - Erica James 

The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp by Eva Rice - This was another book bought from Poundland and I put off reading it, as I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it, but when I finally did open it up I really enjoyed the story. Set in 1950's and 60's England the main character eventually becomes a singer in swinging 60's London. The story follows her from a childhood in Devon to the bright lights of the metropolis. I have since bought another book by this author on eBay, which follows the life of another character from this book.

How I Live Now - Meg Roscoff - I think this might be a teenage read, but it was quite a good one although confusing at times.

Homestead - Rosanna Lippi

Territorial Rights - Muriel Spark - Normally, I love everything by Muriel Spark, but I wasn't so keen on this one set in Venice.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey by Rachel Joyce - This book follows the character of the object of Harold Fry's pilgrimage and provides a different side of the story from Rachel Joyce's book about him. It is another great read and I loved finding out more about the character in this book.

The Outcast - Sadie Jones -  This books tells the story of a troubled young boy whose life changes after the sudden death of his mother. Set in post war England. A very good read.

April

The Jane Austin Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - Another book by this author. I liked this one, which explores the lives of the members of a Jane Austin book reading club. It reminded me how much I like Jane Austin's writing and inspired me to re-watch one of the film versions of one of her books around the same time, namely Emma. (It also inspired me to re-watch Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte too, which I also loved.)

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton - This book, tells the story of women's life in high society NYC in the 1800's. Written by Wharton, a New York socialite herself, it depicts a young woman of reduced means'  attempt to find a suitable husband amongst the snobbish and ultra conservative higher social eschelons of New York at this time. I found this a difficult book to read, as it describes the difficulties for women in this era, whose only option in life seemed to be to find a suitable husband or live out their lives in relative poverty with little or no social status. The main character in this book, although very frustrating at times and snobbish herself, eventually finds herself at the mercy of various unscrupulous people, who try to exploit her. It's a sad tale, which I didn't enjoy reading at the time, but with hindsight I appreciate why it is such a classic.

Daughters of the House by Michele Roberts

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - This is a great read, telling the story of a House on a big rural Estate in southern England through the decades from the late 19th Century through two world wars and beyond. It incorporates the story of it's inhabitants and domestic staff leading up to the mysterious death of a family friend that occurred there. The main narrator, is a former servant who worked at the house and who gradually reveals the truth about what really happened.

As you can see from this post, there's been a lot of reading so far this year. Some of the books I can barely remember, but the ones that stayed with me I have tried to review. My pace of reading will slow considerably now I'm back at work, so the next review of books won't be so long hopefully. I hope some of the above books may appeal to some of you to read yourself.