Hello everyone and a blessed 2nd Sunday of Advent to you all. I hope this post finds you all well. A cold week has passed (winter has definitely arrived ❄), and now it is time to reflect on what we’ve been doing, reading and watching over that time.
So as well as the beginning of Advent (I hope you all have a yummy chocolate calendar) this week, England also came out of lockdown!! Devastatingly though, my whole region has come out of lockdown straight into Tier 3, with the highest restrictions! Honestly, this has made me very sad and frustrated, 
as we were only Tier 2 before lockdown and our already low case rate has almost halved during lockdown… 🤷♀️🙁
However all shops are allowed to be open in all tiers, so yesterday I made a trip to the beautiful, Cathedral city near me to start Christmas shopping in the smaller, local and independent shops; all of which have been suffering the most from restrictions and the recent lockdown. As you can see (pictured), I got quite a good haul! 🛍 It also felt good to find some more unique, locally made, Fairtrade and eco gifts, and to give business to those that need it the most in these difficult times. Now I just need to start wrapping! 🎁
In the last week, we have had to say goodbye to the Nonfiction November and Novellas in November reading events. These two events were great fun to take part in and really helped me get out of my reading slump. 
Thankfully, the one positive of Tier 3 restrictions is that I have still had plenty of night’s in for reading this week.
I am currently reading the Victorian classic, Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, which was my result for The Classics Club’s 25th Spin Event. I am very much enjoying this tale of the young, poor Mary, and her family and friends, in the industrious, Northern city of Manchester during very difficult times. However I am taking my time with it, as it is quite a harrowing tale and I can only manage a couple of chapters at a time.
While on the screen, I caught up on this week’s episode of Fox’s new crime-drama, Prodigal Son (2020) for some more murderous thrills and spills, with the brilliant father/son duo of Michael Sheen and Tom Payne. Now I am just waiting (impatiently) for the concluding episode! 😬 I have also been working my way through volume 1 and now volume 2 of Netflix’s reboot of the 
mystery-documentary series, Unsolved Mysteries (2020), which has had me hooked on its interesting mixture of cold cases and paranormal events.
Then with it being the beginning of Advent, I thought it was about time to kick off my festive viewing. So, last Sunday, my dad and I settled down for our first Christmas film of the year, which was the Netflix original, The Christmas Chronicles (2018). We didn’t know what to expect from this, but were pleasantly surprised! It was jolly good fun and Kurt Russell makes a very funny Santa Clause. 🎅
Finally, with the end of lockdown, I can look forward to returning to church this morning for a social-distanced service. * But sadly, due to Tier 3 restrictions, I still won’t be able to have Sunday lunch with my grandad. Instead I plan to spend another quiet day at home: blogging, reading and cooking a simple lunch of ‘Toad-in-the-Hole’ for just my dad and I, with mince pies and ice cream for dessert. 😋
*Update: I felt under-the-weather this morning, so stayed home in the warm, drinking honey and lemon, and put up my Christmas tree. 🎄
For now though, that’s all folks! I look forward to catching up with you all next Sunday. Where ever you are in the world, I hope you and your loved ones are well: staying healthy and happy. God bless and bye for now!👋🙏🙂
Now over to you: I’d love to hear how you are? What you have been reading and watching? What are Covid restrictions like where you live?
I have linked this post into the weekly meme, The Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.
thebookwormchronicles.wordpress.com 
I need a new series to watch. We recently finished the Undoing which we enjoyed and it kept us guessing to the end.
Lynn 😀
I hope you were able to find a new series to watch, Lynn 🙂
It’s exciting to a bit back from restrictions. We have few here, but since so many don’t follow what few we have, we have to be especially cautious.
I plan to read Mary Barton next year for the Classics Club. I wonder what you think. I drew Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. It’s supposed to be amusing, so I can’t wait to read it.
Deb, I hope you have been enjoying your Spin result of The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and I really enjoy Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell: it was a very gripping and moving tale. 🙂
We’ve also come out of lockdown this week, but with more and more of my acquaintances being positive I’m not exactly eager to leave the house. Our exiting lockdown had more to do with politics than case numbers improving.
I was thinking of watching the Christmas Chronicles as well, watched Jingle Jangle last weekend and it was so much fun, I’m in the mood for Christmas movies.
Hey Dianthaa, thank you for stopping by and commenting. I am sorry to hear you feel like you have come out lockdown due to politics and that the case numbers haven’t improved. Sounds like it is best to keep put for now and watch some more festive films! I recommend watching The Christmas Chronicles and I am glad to hear you enjoyed Jingle Jangle as I was thinking of watching that, too. 🎄🙂
Sorry to hear you still have so many restrictions in your area, it doesn’t even seem to make much sense if your figures were fairly low anyway and have decreased throughout November. We should be taken out of tier 4 on Friday, but who knows.
I’ve not read Mary Barton yet, but I have enjoyed everything else I have read from Mrs. Gaskell. I’m glad you are enjoying it over all.
Thank you, Alyson – It does makes it more frustrating when the restrictions don’t seem to correspond to the figures! I hope and pray you will be taken out of Tier 4 on Friday! 🙏 And yes, I am enjoying Mary Barton even more now I have reached the really juicy part of the story. I hope you will enjoy it when you have chance to read it. 🙂
I’m glad to hear the lockdown has made a difference, and good for you on supporting local businesses, I’m sure they appreciate it. We are essentially Covid free so while social distancing (1 person per 2 square meters in businesses etc) and use of sanitiser is still required it causes minimal disruption to every day life.
Wishing you a great reading week
Thank you, Shelleyrae and it is great to hear that you pretty much Covid free where you live. 🙏😊 I am also enjoying reading Mary Barton even more now I have hit the really juicy bit of it. Happy reading to you, too! 😃
Sorry that you went from one lockdown to another, but your day trip sounds like a momentary relief and you did some shopping (!) The mince pies and ice cream sound perfect for a low-key stay at home. We had mince pies for Thanksgiving (I made them, but they need to be perfected); it was my first try. Kurt Russel looks like a nice Santa, so glad that he made a fun one too. I re-watched Season 1 of The Spanish Princess and will go straight to S2 this week. I haven’t seen any movies in the last two weekends; now I have like a million to catch up to. 🙂 I finished the novel Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which I liked a lot, and started Pretty Things by Janelle Brown; liking it a great deal thus far as well.
Aw well done on making your own mince pies, Carmen – I am very impressed as I haven’t ever tried to make my own, which I really should remedy one day! 😋 And thank you, it was good to get out and do some Christmas shopping in such a lovely setting. I am pleased to hear you’ve been enjoying your viewing and reading – I have been very intrigued by Mexican Gothic so it is great to hear you liked it a lot.😊
I love your attitude towards your Christmas shopping – and I think I will be suggesting that we shop in Brighton for the family:)). Your picture is lovely – and yes, it’s definitely become colder here, too. I am so sorry you are stuck in Tier 3 – it makes spending time with family almost impossible. Let’s hope that sometimes soon, we will be able to be together once more:). Have a great week – I recall reading Mary Barton – it’s a wonderful, memorable read, but I completely understand why you are giving yourself plenty of breaks!
Thank you so much, SJ for your kind words and thoughts.😊 We can only hope we might move down tiers when they review them on the 16th and of course we will have 5 days of more freedom over Christmas. Ooo I hope you are able to do some Christmas shopping for the family in Brighton – I love Brighton, especially the little shops down ‘The Lanes’.😁 I have now also reached the really juicy bit in Mary Barton and so I am reading it quite a bit quicker now! 😅
My area came out of lockdown and into Tier 2 which is frustrating too as our cases are incredibly low but I guess the rest of the towns/villages within the region must not be? Fingers crossed that when they review the tiers you have moved down to Tier 2, at least. We’ve been trying to support independents and small businesses more this year too. They’ve really been hit hard. 😦
I really enjoyed the Christmas Chronicles! Looking forward to watching the sequel soon.
Take care and hope you’re feeling better.
I am sorry to hear you are in a higher tier than what seems fair for your case rate too, Nicci, and yes, I believe the government’s logic is to put the whole region into a tier rather than going on each place. Stoke has high cases in my county, so they have put the whole county in Tier 3. Can only keep fingers, toes and everything crossed we go down a tier when they review it on the 16th! 🤞🙏 Really pleased you have been trying to support indie and small businesses too. 🙂
It is cold here too, winter has definitely arrived! I’m sorry to hear about Tier 3, but glad you were able to get some shopping in! I need to start. and that cathedral picture awesome!
I saw that Kurt Russell movie on Netflix and thought it looked fun 🙂
I loved my Advent calendar growing up!!
Aw thank you, Greg – I am so pleased I was able to get some Christmas shopping done and that you like the photo I took of the cathedral so much.😊 I hope you’ll give The Christmas Chronicles a go as I thought it was good fun and you’re never too old for an Advent calendar! 😉
Nice you have some good readings to hang in there!
Yes Emma, my reading has definitely been helping me through all this!
My region is in Tier 3 too, so I can understand your frustration. At least you’ve managed to get some Christmas shopping done! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying Mary Barton, even if it’s a bit harrowing.
I am sorry to hear you are in Tier 3 too, Helen. However yes, you’re right, it was good I got do some Christmas shopping and I have now reached a really juicy bit of Mary Barton, so I am reading it quite a bit quicker now to find out how it all turns out! 😁
I’m under tough restrictions as well. Retail shopping is open but dining in and outdoors is no more. Worship has been through Zoom since the beginning. Our church has never opened up because they wanted to be extra careful as there is a lot of elderly in our congregation. I’m okay with that. I think the dining restrictions are what get to me the most. Oh well, saving money here! 🙂
We also watched an episode of the new reboot of Unsolved Mysteries. My husband likes Forensic Files better because the mystery is solved instead of left up in the air. I will look up Prodigal Son. Your picture of Cathedral city looks beautiful! 🙂
I am sorry to hear you are under tough restrictions too, Rachel and I totally sympathise as not being able to dine out and socialise with friends and family is what I am finding the hardest as well. However you are correct, I am saving a lot of money, so when I am finally free I might have to have a blow out! 😅
And thank you, I am so pleased you like my photo of the cathedral and I hope you will enjoy Prodigal Son if you decide to give it a go. 🙂
What a beautiful picture, thanks for sharing 🙂 I’ll be reading Mary Barton too for the Classics club, can’t wait, I love that author. Take care and stay safe !
Thank you, Izabel and I am so pleased you like my photo of the cathedral. 😊I have also just reached the juicy bit of Mary Barton and I am now reading it quite a bit quicker, so I hope you will enjoy it, too! 😁
I’m sorry you are having to deal with more lockdowns. Here the numbers are increasing like crazy, but they don’t seem to be adding any restrictions. We wear our masks everywhere. We sort of do our own personal lockdown until things get better. I find myself reading less since the pandemic started but I think that’s because I can’t seem to stop watching all the news about it. Very bad. I have to stop. I hope you have a great week. Take care and stay safe.
I am very sorry to hear numbers are rising rapidly where you are and no one seems to be doing much about it, other than individuals like yourself wearing your masks and having your own personal lockdowns. Until November my reading hit a slump as well, as I just couldn’t focus on a book for very long, and I agree watching the news probably isn’t good for you. I stopped watching the news back in April, because the repetitive, constant gloom and doom was doing me no good at all!
And thank you, Yvonne – I hope you take care, stay safe and have a great week, too. 🙏
Your shopping trip,sounds divine. I read Mary Barton many many years ago. It is good but quite a dense read. Slow and steady definitely wins that reading race ❤️. Have a blessed week!
Thank you, Tessa 😊 It was a lovely shopping trip and I have just reached the really juicy bit of Mary Barton and am reading it quite a bit faster now! 😁
I’ll be so glad when one of the vaccines is available to everyone here in the US who wants it (which I do!). Our numbers continue to rise, so I don’t imagine I’ll have family in for Christmas, just as I didn’t for Thanksgiving. 😦 “They” don’t recommend it and I’m a rule-follower at this point in life. Digital church again here today. I sure hope we can gather inside, en masse, by Easter!
I think the photo you shared at the top of your post is gorgeous!! So glad you got to have a day out shopping. 😀
Kelly, I hope it won’t be long till you have a vaccine available – They are starting to roll our vaccine out this week to the elderly, care workers and NHS workers. I really pray it will work and help. I am sorry to hear numbers are rising where you are and can only pray things will get better for you soon. I REALLY hope we will be able to meet, en masse, by Easter too! 🙏
And thank you, I am blessed to have such a beautiful cathedral city so near to me, where are could do some nice, local shopping. 😊
Who knew that Kurt Russell would be the perfect Santa Claus! The Tier system seems very haphazard so sorry to hear you are in Tier 3. We come out of another lockdown here in NI next Friday, but to be honest, I’m staying close to home as much as I can.
I know, you’re so right, Cathy! I can’t say Kurt Russell would have been an obvious choice for Santa Clause for me, but he was brilliant! 🤩 The Tier system here is very haphazard and has caused quite a lot of confusing and upset – It is being reviewed on the 16th I believe, so fingers, toes and everything crossed that we can at least go down to Tier 2. 🤞🙏 I hope the end of lockdown will go well for you.
I love Unsolved Mysteries so much! It’s really one of my favorite things to watch on Netflix. 😀
I am really pleased you have been loving watching Unsolved Mysteries too, Stephanie! I love a good mystery! 😁