Dear friends. How was February for you? As usual it seemed to rush by, unlike January which seems to last forever. I had some fun in February. Read on....
Saturday 1 Feb
Overcast, 6 degrees. We did a walk. My SSD came, ready for me to save photos from my soon-to-be retired PC.
Went to matinee of Fawlty Towers. It was very good. True to the original. It features three sketches from the popular show, including the Germans.
Back by 18.45. Watched film Civil War, Prime (6 out of 10). War photographers travel around the US during a modern-day civil war.
Sunday 2 Feb
Frost. Blue sky. Did forest walk. Roast chicken. J met our new next door neighbours.
Monday 3 Feb
Had to unexpectedly look after Olive. Took her to the park but the apparatus was too wet to use. Took her to our place for a while. After lunch went into town to pick up J's glasses. Saw a couple of pairs I liked, so made an appointment.
J started watching The Recruit. Made chilli.
Tues 4 Feb
V cold. Did a 2 outfit shoot. Published post. After lunch went to gym, saw trainer. Today we concentrated on some exercises I could do with the weights I have at home.
Weds 5 Feb
Went into London to have eyes tested at Boots. Chose new pair of glasses. Home by lunchtime. Spoke to mum. Clothes steamer arrived. Below: wearing the new glasses at the opticians.
Thurs 5 Feb
Blue sky. Walked to gym, did some cardio, had trainer session then Pilates. Ordered some protein powder as I need something to keep me going in between the sessions.
Email from council to say black bins will only be collected once a fortnight. 84% of what's in them should be recycled. I wasn't surprised, many councils switched to fortnightly some time ago.
Friday 6 Feb
Overcast, cold. Did Pilates at the running club. There were just 3 others. Started cleaning up photos on my old PC. Unfortunately I, or the PC, got a bit carried away and suddenly it was permanently deleting all the photos. Managed to stop it but lost a lot. Various recovery options didn't work. Aaagh. Had fish n chips for dinner, first time in months. Started Tracker, Disney.
Sat 7 Feb
Same weather. We did forest walk. Helped some girls on Duke of Edinburgh's find Connaught Water. Ordered a new keyboard and mouse. Tweeted a few fun facts about Plymouth prior to Plymouth Argyle's FA cup match with Liverpool tomorrow. 1979 featured on Pick of the Pops. Not a great year.
Sunday. 8 Feb
Still cold, overcast. Did workout. Had to go out for a chicken for lunch as forgot that the topside joint I'd bought needs 4 hours. Plymouth Argyle won against Liverpool in a major upset in the FA Cup. I missed being on Twitter as there would have been a lot of banter on there. Although I found a few Argyle accounts on Bluesky, it was like tumbleweed. Below: a keen supporter
Mon 9 Feb
Ridiculously cold. Did another test drive, this time at Audi. I'd planned to walk back but couldn't face it. Published a blog post.
Tues 10 Feb
Did walk. Not quite so cold. Saw the longhorns. Went to Good Housekeeping's Good Conversations event with Anne Marie. It featured author Abigail Dean, whose books I enjoy. She has a new one published in April which I've already read, thanks to NetGalley. Home by 9pm. Sold a Mulberry bag on Ebay for a good price. I bought it during the lockdown but its formal style didn't really suit me.
Weds 12 Feb
Did walk with J. Went to the post office to send bag. I always upgrade the postage on eBay because I'm keen to get good feedback to preserve my 100% rating. eBay commands better prices than Vinted if you're a seller, particularly for good brands.
Thurs Feb 13
Still cold, overcast. Walked to the gym and used the elliptical, which I used to find too boring beyond 10 minutes but now manage 20, followed by personal trainer. Buyer was pleased with bag.
Fri Feb 14
Did a long forest walk, including Yates Meadow. J was trail laying. There was a blue sky which made all the difference.
Ignoring Instagram today as Valentine's Day gets on my nerves. I can't help thinking there's a bit of one-upmanship going on when floral bouquets are displayed. And I can't think of anything worse than those tables for two at restaurants, "enjoying" the special menu with its inflated prices, yet hardly talking.
J can't resist a lame romance film but the one we tried was too bad even for him!
Sat Feb 15
Overcast, showers. I'd organised a meet up for 7 ladies at the Fashion and Textile Museum to see their exhibition Renegade 80s. Very enjoyable with lots of reminiscing about the 80s. Pleasant lunch at nearby pub The Garrison.
Sunday Feb 16
Same weather (overcast, cold). Rest day. Slow cooked topside from 9am. Was tender but a bit dry. We call it "Tough Ted" in our house (long story).
Monday Feb 17
Blue sky, cold. Went to collect glasses. Pleased with them. Went to see matinee of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Brisk walk to the cinema, 3 miles. Nice to see the cinema busy. Mostly women our age! Enjoyed it, 8 out of 10. It's quite poignant in places. The cinema is celebrating an anniversary.
Tues Feb 18
Went to the gym, did an hour on my own with the elliptical and weights. Walked there and back. Next door having new windows.
Weds Feb 19
Overcast. We did walk. Saw cows (top pic). Went to see play The Years at the Harold Pinter Theatre. It was very good. 5 actresses tell the story of a woman's life from World War 2 through to modern day, including her activism and abortion. After this harrowing scene, the lights go up to see if members need help, as a few have fainted in other performances (men, I'm told).
I pulled a glute running for the train. A man gave up his seat on the train for me (aargh).
Thurs Feb 20
Drizzly but warmer, thank goodness. Problems with trains so J drove me to my ultrasound appointment. Was done very quickly. Have had a lump on the wrist for around 2 years. Lately it aches at times, and stops me using the left arm. The technician was a bit surly so didn't attempt asking what he could see. "Your GP will get a letter".
Didn't see trainer today because of glute problem. Instead spent time setting up new laptop. Am terrible procrastinator.
Had to order new washing machine. The old one was destroyed by London's hard water. A new window feeder for robins arrived. I had dried mealworms waiting.
Friday Feb 21
Mostly overcast but much warmer at 16. Did our first bike ride of the year. 21 miles, Lee Valley country park. Coffee. I was very lively on the way out but flagging on the way back.
Mealworms in the robin feeder have gone, but it appears sparrows are eating them.
Saturday Feb 22
Cloudy with brief sunny intervals, 10. Went to Rachel's to give her our birthday presents. Olive feeling "silly and sad". After lunch spent time in the back garden, weeding, pulling out old wood, sweeping up. Lots to do. Started Zero Day, Netflix. Below: Olive with granddad
Sunday Feb 23
We did a walk, 5 miles. Had family lunch at the John Barleycorn, Harlow. Very good. Had roast pork with crackling followed by white chocolate bread and butter pudding. On way home saw 15 police cars racing by in Epping. It turned out later that an incident at Harlow train station was less serious than had been expected.
Monday Feb 24
Didn't go for bike ride as the forecast was for rain all day. But there were bright intervals occasionally. I did a walk. Sent out Save the Date for an even bigger school reunion in Oct. Bought more grapes. Love them. Got soaked going to post office.
Tues Feb 25
Rode to Olympic Park, 20 miles. Daffodils out. I have a few tete-a-tetes out in the garden.
Weds Feb 26
New washing machine delivered. During the first wash it stopped working and displayed an error code. Although it's the same size as its predecessor, it has a different arrangement at the back and seems to need more room. John adjusted it to it fitted the cupboard where it's kept, but it meant I couldn't get to the fridge or freezer on the other side. He'll move them all around. I was then able to do 3 washes. Happy days.
Thurs Feb 27
Sunny intervals. Had personal trainer session and Pilates. J went to B&Q to get longer hose for washing machine.
Friday Feb 28
Hasn't February gone quickly? Blue sky day but boy was it cold. We went for a bike ride to the Lee Valley Country Park. My hands, in gloves, were so cold I could hardly move the levers. Tomorrow sees the start of meteorological Spring. The days will continue to get longer and warmer. Can't wait! Below: the white water was running
WHAT WE'VE BEEN WATCHING
Zero Day, Netflix
There are a few slightly unbelievable twists in the plot but on the whole it's entertaining, albeit a bit chilling. Robert Di Niro is good value, although I wasn't sure if he really had a strategy for finding the people who hacked into systems and caused a 1 minute outage that killed thousands.
Wisting, Series 3, BBC iPlayer
I love the gentle Wisting and his feisty daughter, but J is less enamoured, finding it a bit slow for Nordic Noir.
Still Watching
Prime Target (Apple), High Potential (Disney) and Those Who Kill 2011 (BBC iPlayer)
I reviewed these last month, but as the first two drop weekly, we're still watching them.
The Capture, Netflix
We re-watched both series of this espionage drama. There's a new series starting later this year. Series 2, about British intelligence and police using deep fakes, and essentially editing "live" CCTV footage to change a narrative, was the topic, and I don't think we're far off from having to deal with this in real life.
Amandaland, BBC iPlayer
This lacks the bite of Motherland. It's a predictable spinoff which seems to get better by the episode. I laughed when Amanda's new boyfriend, supposedly a wealthy South African, gave out £20 notes when meeting her children, and her mum (Joanna Lumley) held out her hand too.
PODCASTS
It's been lean pickings for quite a while. I continue with my regulars, Simon Mayo's Confessions, Comfort Eating with Grace Dent (new series), Casefile True Crime, Against the Odds (uplifting) and British Scandal.
I tried Blood Vines (Wondery) but only one episode?? I think you have to listen to the rest on Spotify or Wondery+.
Hope you enjoyed my round-up of February. What were your highlights? Do share in the comments.
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Glad to see the sun in the final photos after your description of damp and cold at the beginning of the post. Love the glasses. Had to zoom in to tell you had them on. Of course, I wasn't wearing mine at the time! The museum exhibit certainly was bright and cheerful. Nice to know chivalry is still alive. Be flattered that the gentleman gave you his seat. He was probably flirting with you. Hope your glute is feeling better. Thinking it must be since you're back on the bike. Olive is precious.
ReplyDeleteThat was a full and busy month. You look very posh out glasses shopping. I envy you being able to ride year round even if it's cold (ish). People do ride here in the winter but I am not one of them. Love the shot with the cow!
ReplyDeleteBernie
You walk a lot! And isn't it great to cycle in the sun, even when it's cold! Lovely to see Anmarie!
ReplyDelete