This Week

 

Hello everybody. I am coming to you whilst trying to watch Antiques Roadshow and resisting leftovers from our "In case anyone knocks the door on Halloween" stash. No one did knock on the door, but we were determined to be prepared. Especially after last year, when we weren't expecting anyone, and four cute little people from the other apartments came and knocked on the door. I mean, you can offer them a piece of fruit or a bacon sandwich or something, but it's not the same, is it?

Anyway, you have my full attention now. How have you been negotiating the extra hour? I'm not sure what the advantages of the change of hour are. Apparently, it's an urban myth that the whole thing was about Scottish farmers, which is what I was told. It's just something to do with not sleeping through the day and wasting it. (Please refer to Benjamin Franklin, William Willett, George Vernon Hudson and lots of other people whom I have either never heard of or am not sure what business it is of theirs.) It does seem to be dark a lot of the time, though.

So, a bit of catch-up and reviews, etc. Is that ok? Well, it's all I've got. 

This week we went to the theatre in Plymouth. It was a Saturday Matinee, so it was still light when we came out  - just about. Plenty of time to call in at the chippy on the way home. Battered sausage, chips and gravy, since you ask. I know. I'm not proud of myself. It is what it is, and what it is -  is delicious. We want to see a local theatre company called Le Navet Bete. I'm not 100% sure how to describe them to you. There's a lot of physical comedy with a strong panto vibe - lots of people get hit on the head with frying pans, lots of men dress up as women (sometimes in a slightly disturbing way). Some of it is very funny. I wasn't so keen on the singing to well-known pop songs. For those who remember Crackerjack! when Leslie Crowther and Peter Glaze used to do those sketches with popular beat combo songs in them  - Hermans Hermits, Freddie and the Dreamers - that kind of thing - it felt a bit like that, so I had to keep making my eyes go blurry because it was a bit embarrassing. Anyway, they have a very loyal following - they are Devon-based, and it was a good laugh. 

Then, guess what I did this Sunday morning? Skived off, that's what I did. Work has been a bit full on this week, so I stayed at home alone and pottered around making an apple crumble in the slow cooker. (Very good - caramelly and chewy.) and reading the papers. The newspapers are no fun. I am sick of the sight of Andrew, whatever he is called now. Those poor girls. I may have mentioned before that I live in a military city, and quite a few people I know have had dealings with the Royal Family. They are all, to a fault, unfailingly loyal and complimentary to all the Royals - with one exception - guess who. Someone that Col used to know tells a story of her son, in the navy, who saw him make his driver put the Royal Limo into reverse to confront someone who hadn't saluted when he drove past. Right. Anyway, to return to my original story, I wasn't in this morning and someone came up to HOH and said, "I'm looking for Lesley. I believe she's in charge of the Coffee Rota". ER NO! You have to be flipping careful. If you are not there to beat this kind of thing back with a stick, you end up in charge of everything. 

What else? I read a book. Well, two, if you include a cookbook. Does anyone else like to read cookbooks? I do - more than I like to cook from them sometimes. I have been following this author online for a while, so I suppose I was influenced.  I'm not sure that they are the healthiest recipes, but they are easy and tasty and, at my advanced time of life, that is more than anyone can wish for.

I also read this. Apparently, Murder at the Black Cat Café is part of a trend around Japanese Fiction. I tried to like it. I didn't really succeed. I lost track a couple of times, which may not be the author's fault, to be fair. I did much better with Anthony Horowitz and Marble Hall Murders. You know what you are getting. I guessed the baddie quite early - not the killer. Horowitz is very good at what he does, and I think it's very good.

Also, we have watched A House of Dynamite by Katherine Bigalow on Netflix. I wouldn't recommend this if you need cheering up. It's about a nuclear warhead which is suddenly spotted heading towards Chicago. It's about eight minutes away and no one knows (a) where it came from and (b) if they can stop it. There are three different viewpoints, including the President's. It is riveting but I needed a glass of wine and one of those leftover Crunchies to get through it. 

Lastly. I will soon be in the market for a new Daily Reading book for next year. This year, I have been using the one below. It's by the Translator of The Message - Eugene H Peterson. I love The Message. It is my go-to version now. This daily reading book is a bit more intellectual than I am always up for first thing in the morning, and sometimes, there is poetry (oh no). Does anyone else do a Daily Reading thing? Anything I can have a look into over the next few weeks? 

Would be grateful for suggestions. In exchange, a bit of Eugene (well, God technically) for you - Romans btw

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.