[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s the end of another week and what a cold, wet miserable one it has been. To top it off, we’ve had a sore-throat/cold doing the rounds here. Having valiantly fought it off for the last 10 days, I think I’ve finally succumbed as the throat of razor blades is refusing to budge.
Every week without fail I get towards Friday and cannot remember a single thing worth mentioning here. But Little Loves has slowly become an integral part of my week and I value the opportunity to reflect on the good bits, so here goes…
Read
I’ve been ploughing through Missing by Susan Lewis this week. I’m determined to finish it before it’s due back at the library next Thursday. The fact that I’ve fallen out of love with social media a bit has helped. Do you ever get so sucked in that you forget to read actual books?
I did read a great blog post by Tim from Slouching Towards Thatcham this week. It’s one that probably only bloggers will appreciate, so if that’s not you, then you’re permitted to move on!
My conclusion on Tim’s post? Where blogging is concerned (and actually you can apply this rule to many things) everyone needs to reach a point when they realise that they are not going to hit the big time and that’s okay. Either that or they quit altogether. Tim is a great writer; his post is well worth a read.
Watched
I know this will be controversial but I’m hooked on XFactor again! Who’d have thought it? I went off it for a while but simply couldn’t get excited about Strictly. Sorry Strictly fans. I’m really enjoying the XFactor auditions this year, there have been some great people put through so I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
Have you been watching Dr Foster? I was full of anticipation for the second series, although I always queried what angle it would take. After this week’s episode, I’m officially ‘Disappointed from Berkshire’. What’s it all about? Chaotic would be the word I would use to describe the storyline. I don’t imagine that I will give up on it just yet but suffice it to say I’m not overly impressed so far. I think I actually enjoyed some of the hilarious banter on Twitter more than the series this week!
The husband and I finally caught up on the incredibly moving docu-drama ‘Damilola, Our Loved Boy’. The tragic story of Damilola Taylor and his family was first aired last year but has been shown a few times since. It’s still on BBC’s Catch Up if you haven’t seen it already. Heartbreaking to watch but so brilliantly acted.
Heard
I’ve really got into podcasts lately. Are you a fan? I often choose to listen to a podcast at the gym instead of music.
I follow a few regularly but Sarah Tasker’s Hashtag Authentic is probably my favourite. This particular episode is all about how to stop playing small. I wrote a post myself along similar (but not quite so well researched!) lines recently, so it’s a topic I’m pretty passionate about. In this episode, Sarah interviews the incredibly insightful Tara Mohr.
Picture courtesy of Me and Orla
I won’t spoil it for you but it really is worth investing 30 minutes of your time in.
Made
We made more decisions about our garden room this week. I realise that I’m probably bigging this building up beyond what it deserves, but I can’t wait for it to be finished now. The floor is down, the pool table is in, just the shower room and bar to be completed now.
We opted for white subway tiles in the shower room, which I know are everywhere at the moment but I think they are a perfect addition. If you’re not sure what I mean, then take a look at my latest ‘At Home With…’ post as Sarah from Mum of Three World is a big fan.
Wore
Remember the boots that I bought last week? Let’s just say that they’ve definitely been worn, along with the other pair that I didn’t actually end up sending back. I know, I know, I just couldn’t choose between them and the second pair is from Clarks which kind of makes them essential, I would say. My mum would be proud anyway.
One of our local towns had a major overhaul just recently and the grand opening was a couple of weeks ago. My daughter dragged me into the brand spanking new Primark this week and guess what? I popped my Primark cherry by buying a top in there! Am I the only person in the land who has never purchased any item of clothing in Primark? Probably.
And lastly…
Thank you for all your well wishes with regard to our new doggo last week. Some of you also responded to my SOS post over on Instagram with regard to her snarly behaviour towards our existing dog. I’m pleased to say that she has calmed down a lot. She seems to be very possessive of us which makes sense if you think that she’s not had a permanent family to live with for a very long time.
She really is a delight to have around and our two dogs could not have more different personalities. So far she’s proving to be a great addition to our home. Have a great weekend all.
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17 COMMENTS
Nicola R
7 years agoI’m a massive listener of podcasts- vital for dog walks and ironing! All time favourite is This American Life, a fascinating cornucopia that really draws you in. I’ve been known to do an extra lap of a field to find out what happens! Current listen is the Fortuneatly podcast (BBC). It’s basically Fi Glover and Jane Garvey bantering about life with a few radio clips thrown in. It never fails to make me laugh out loud at least once an episode. Fellow dog walkers must think I’m deranged!
Plutonium Sox
7 years agoOh I really enjoyed Tim’s blog post too, he talks so much sense. Not being a big time blogger is ok as long as you enjoy being a small time blogger, which I really do! I know what you mean about forgetting to read books too, I need to make more time for it. I’m reading a book about Elgar at the moment which as you can imagine isn’t all that fast paced. I always read at bedtime and end up falling asleep after a few minutes. I’m glad you sorted out the dog behaviour, really tough when they’re not great with other dogs isn’t it? And lastly, I was pleased to read that you’re not loving Dr Foster either! My husband and I just can’t get into it, we thought we were the only ones in the country who thought it was a bit disappointing after all the hype!
Nat.x
Jess @ Catch A Single Thought
7 years agoAnd what a very pretty top to pop your Primark cherry with! I’ve always been a big fan of the shop (I’m a quantity over quality girl) although their clothing has been getting better in recent years. Glad your new pup has settled down a bit, hope it continues!
Gail
7 years agoOh so glad to hear the dog situation is calming down a bit, my sister has just got a new dog alongside her other two and it does seem to take a few weeks for relationships to settle down! I too was a bit shocked by the turn of events in this week’s Dr Foster – it’s getting hard to have any sympathy with anyone now except of course the poor son! That was a great blog post you recommended, I popped over and had a read. It’s great to hear other peoples’ blog recommendations – you come across sites you didn’t even know about before x
Tim
7 years agoThanks for mentioning my post, Suzanne. Sorry to say we are very much a Strictly household – all three kids love to dance (a talent they most certainly have not inherited from their father!)
I don’t read anywhere near as much as I used to. I used to have a towering stack of unread books in my corner of the bedroom. Now I have two …
Love podcast, though, as you know (both listening and recording). I spend a lot of time in the car so I spend most of my time listening to them rather than the radio these days. One of the things I am most looking forward to about going up to Blog On this weekend is that I have four hours each way in the car to catch up on my backlog of podcasts that built up while we were away over the summer!
Sarah MumofThree World
7 years agoI NEVER forget to read books! Books are an essential part of life for me.
I didn’t watch the first series of Doctor Foster, but hubby did. He persuaded me to watch this one. I’m not enjoying it in the slightest, but I’m being a supportive wife and soldiering on with it. I think I can’t get into it because both the main characters are such horrible people.
Well done on buying something from Primark! I had a couple of years of my life where my entire wardrobe came from there as we were very short of cash. Needless to say, the kids still had Next! Now my daughter has discovered it, so she is buying stuff in there and I’ve bought myself a Tshirt in there for the first time in eight or nine years.
Glad to hear the new dog is settling in and thanks again for sharing my house on your blog! Look forward to seeing the garden room.
Stacey
7 years agoI had got into a really good routine of reading eery night in bed but since renewing my netflix subscription this has totally gone out of the window. I think reading is really important though for all ages so i must get back into it.
I do have found myself drawn to x-factor although i do think that the show is a bit past its time now. How long are they actually going to keep it going.
I love the top from primary and also you boots. Im currently on the hunt for some autumn/ winter boots. Not sure that I’m going to be able to walk around in dolly shoes for much longer.
Becky | Spirited Puddle Jumper
7 years agoLove that top Suzanne- congrats on popping your Primani cherry! 😉 Hope you feel better soon- a good excuse to hibernate in front of the X Factor, I’m afraid I’m hooked again too, I say every year I won’t be…
Mum Reinvented
7 years agoHa ha I think I’m with you on the never having bought anything in Primark. I buy stuff for my moody teen all the time (she’s addicted to all their Harry potter stuff), but I’ve never bought myself anything in there. Anything I do see she tells me I’m ‘too old’ for, cheeky moo! Hope you’re feeling better and glad to hear your new dog is settling in better now bless her – that little face, she’s so cute! Have a great week x
Jenny
7 years agoOh babes love the top and ankle boots. Love that you haven’t ever shopped in primark until now too. Although I hadn’t until recently but I am american totally excusable. lol Love what you are doing to your home. Nothing wrong with xfactor. Sounds like you have been chilling out with a good book and that’s ok I take breaks from social sometimes and get back to my reading. I have been reading so much more lately too. Love it. #wrc
Kerri-Ann
7 years agoI agree with you so much about this weekly little link up. It is so important to look for the positive things that have happened especially with the week may have been difficult x
Sarah Christie
7 years agoI have only just discovered podcasts and am quickly getting addicted. I am living the cruise ones at the moment all research for the new blog. Tims post was great I really liked it. And I love the top is lovely xx
Heledd - Running in Lavender
7 years agoYou’ve got to love a Primark bargain! I can’t believe this was your first purchase. It’s a good one though!
Do you know what? I wasn’t sure about Doctor Forster S2 after the first episode but I’m now LOVING IT, yes it’s ridiculous and chaotic but it’s compulsive and this week’s episode was so good!! Will she kill him?
Jess Soothill
7 years agoI need to listen to that PodCast and think it’ll be fab for me. And yes to primark! You can find such bargains in there! I got a coat last year and everyone asks me where it’s from! Love your new things xx
Morgana
7 years agoFirstly, I’m so sorry for the lateness of my comment, it’s been a crazy week!
I can’t believe that you’ve never bought anything from Primark before!! I got so much there when I was a student.
I felt the same after last weeks episode of Dr Foster but I think it’s coming together more now. Still not as good as the first series of it though. xx
Kerry
7 years agoI am a big fan of Sara’s podcasts. I also really like listening to ‘What She Said’. Have you been listening to it? Also totally with you on the new series of Dr Foster. I am still enjoying it, but the storyline is a bit lacking, especially when you compare it to the previous series xx
Chloe: Picture Taker Memory Maker
7 years agoI’ve never bought anything in Primark either but my teenage stepdaughter loves it! We’re definitely in the Strictly camp rather than XFactor 😉