I'm reading
I managed to finished a few books this week.I finished reading Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley which I had out from the library. I mentioned last week that I first discovered this author through her books written under the name Sue Heath. I will definitely be reading more Zara Stoneley books through the library.
I also finished One December Morning by Emma Davies. My review will be up in the next couple of days.
I also started and finished The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas. I have read quite a few of her later books so now it is time to start catching up on the earlier releases.
Next up, I started reading Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson, as I am trying to get ahead of the library due dates. This is not being helped by the fact that I have 6 books all waiting to be picked up!
I'm watching
In the lead up to Christmas, I watched several different Christmas themed music events which were fine. Carols by Candelight is an Aussie tradition and this year I watched the Salvation Army Carols in the Domain, plus Delta Goodrem's Christmas special which were nice to have on in the background more than anything.
Wed did watch quite a bit of the cricket this week. The game should have lasted 5 days but it was all done in 2. I don't think it is that great for the game really. It's exciting to watch but losing 3 days of ticket sales, advertising revenue etc has to hurt the business side of the game!
Life
Welcome to that awkward week between Christmas and New Year where you lose track of what you are meant to be doing, what day of the week it is and general confusion prevails. I do have to keep an eye on the calendar as I am working every day this week except New Years Day. Robert isn't working so he has created his own Honey Do list.
Christmas was lovely as usual. We go to my sister's most years, and have a very traditional meal of prawn cocktail, roast turkey and ham, and then a Christmas pudding and other desserts.
Posts from the last week
Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Reads This Year
Festive Treats: 2025
Weekend Cooking: Best of 2025
Sunday Salon: 2026 Reading Challenges
I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings
I'm watching
In the lead up to Christmas, I watched several different Christmas themed music events which were fine. Carols by Candelight is an Aussie tradition and this year I watched the Salvation Army Carols in the Domain, plus Delta Goodrem's Christmas special which were nice to have on in the background more than anything.
Wed did watch quite a bit of the cricket this week. The game should have lasted 5 days but it was all done in 2. I don't think it is that great for the game really. It's exciting to watch but losing 3 days of ticket sales, advertising revenue etc has to hurt the business side of the game!
I did also watch a TV show called Europe's Greatest Gardens all about Hortus Botanicas in Leiden in the Netherlands. Next time we go to visit my brother in law it's a place I would like to visit.
Life
Welcome to that awkward week between Christmas and New Year where you lose track of what you are meant to be doing, what day of the week it is and general confusion prevails. I do have to keep an eye on the calendar as I am working every day this week except New Years Day. Robert isn't working so he has created his own Honey Do list.
Christmas was lovely as usual. We go to my sister's most years, and have a very traditional meal of prawn cocktail, roast turkey and ham, and then a Christmas pudding and other desserts.
I did make a cheesecake on Saturday because I had a lot of berries left over and I used them to decorate. Then on Sunday we went for a drive in the country to a small town near us called Trentham. it was a lovely day out.
Posts from the last week
Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Reads This Year
Festive Treats: 2025
Weekend Cooking: Best of 2025
Sunday Salon: 2026 Reading Challenges
I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings
I really did not know what a pudding is (the non-dessert meaning of the word) until I ran across a discussion of it in the book I'm reading, Red Sauce Brown Sauce, in which an Englishwoman rides around her land on a bicycle, trying breakfasts everywhere she goes. So now I know.
ReplyDeleteThis is an odd time of the year. Leave up the holiday decorations or take them down? Leftovers or something new? And there's this generally sense of exhaustion...
Maybe she is having black pudding which is a kind of blood sausage that is often had in a British breakfast!
DeleteIt is an odd time of the year for sure!
Your Christmas sounds delightful!! I have to work every day this week except New Year's Day, too. Tomorrow I know I'll wake up in a panic wondering what day it is.
ReplyDeleteI think I will be right now that I have worked on the Monday! Just have to manage the pubic holiday on Thursday when I don't work.
DeleteThis in-between week does feel awkward. I think that cat has it right! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful celebration New Year’s Eve in your glorious climate! And have a great year in 2026.
ReplyDeleteWe spent Christmas with my in-laws. They had recorded a couple of musical Christmas specials that we watched together, one from Pentatonix and one from Andrea Bocelli. They were nice additions to the festive season.
ReplyDeleteI hated this week between Christmas and New Year's when I was working. It felt like everyone else in the world was off so there wasn't much I could do except sit around and scroll on my phone. Oh, and collect a paycheck :-)
Happy New Year!
Sounds like you had a happy Christmas, Marg. I'm totally there on the week between Christmas and New Year's, but I'm also working. Your events and food sound wonderful. We went out to family on Christmas Eve and then had the kids here for Christmas Day. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/12/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and_0597142795.html
I am a cricket fan and I watched some of the Aussie/English test. The pitch seems like it was a bowler's paradise. Yes a lot of lost money for the cricket and associated people. I love a good test battle but everyone seems to be about 20/20 these days. The Block Australia is showing here in NZ at moment so I love that. Oh my that cat photo is perfect, that's just how I feel. Nice you are getting into a favourite author backlist.
ReplyDelete