Hello everyone and a blessed Sunday to you all. I hope this post finds you all well. A cold week has passed and now let’s reflect on what we’ve been doing, reading and watching over that time.
Well it has been a ‘Oke Koke’ (in, out, shake it all about) kind of week! On Monday, I returned to work, only for a third lockdown and closure of schools to be announced that same night! I had one day working from home and then I was chosen to be in school from Wednesday onwards to support a small group of vulnerable pupils. Finally on Thursday we were informed that ALL children with EHC plans are counted as ‘vulnerable’ by the government, so we have to open the whole school again next week! Did you keep up with that? I am glad someone did! 🤪
In other news, I am feeling 100% better, so I have enjoyed being back at work and being able to cook again; which included simmering up a big batch of hearty, healthy Everyday Vegetable Soup: a new-to-me recipe from Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking cookbook. A simple, quick and tasty soup, that I will definitely make again. 🥘
It has also been a good week of reading for me. Midweek, I finished reading the nostalgic, crime-fiction, The Mother’s Day Mystery by Peter Bartram, another book to follow ace crime reporter, Colin Crampton as he investigates a mysterious hit-and-run killing. Jolly good, crime fun! 🔎 Then, I started reading the dual-narrative historical-fiction, The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick, which slips between present day and 1557, where we are introduced to Alison Banestre and her cousin, Mary Seymour. So far, so good!
Alongside these, I have been dipping in and out of my new cookbook, The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer and yesterday, I was able to join my church’s online Morning Prayer session, where we read Bible passages from Psalms, Isaiah and 1 John.
Finally, but not least, on the small screen I availed myself of a re-watch of the series one boxset of the supernatural drama, A Discovery of Witches, about a world where witches, vampires and demons live secretly among us, based on Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy. Now I am all ready to start the newly released series two! I have also been dipping in and out of Netflix’s travel, nature and health documentary series, Down to Earth with Zac Efron, which I am finding fascinating and well Zac Efron… 😉
Plus I squeezed in a comforting re-watch of the Austen film adaptation, Pride & Prejudice (2005), starring the beautiful Keira Knightley and one of my favourite actors, Matthew Macfadyen. But you only just re-watched the 1995 TV series didn’t you Jessica, I hear you ask! Yes, yes I did! You can never have too much Austen and Mr Darcy though, right?! 😁
For now, that’s all folks! Today will be a quiet day of reading, blogging and watching my church’s online service. 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 I’d love to hear from you: 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.
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Can’t go wrong with a rewatch of P&P and I would like to watch the Discovery of Witches. Glad you’re enjoying it so much.
Lynn 😀
Thank you, Lynn and I hope you will have to chance to watch A Discovery of Witches at some point. 🙂
In this day and age it seems nothing is certain–everything changes from one moment to the next, doesn’t it? I the school situation will remain stable for a while. It has to be hard on staff and the students. I am sure though they benefit more from being in the classroom than out.
I am so glad you are feeling better! It sounds like you have gotten some good reading in. I haven’t yet seen A Discovery of Witches, although I enjoyed the books. Someday, I hope!
We remain on tight COVID restrictions where I live. Although I work most of the time from home these days, I am required to go into the office every other week and this is my week. I am enjoying my last day off before I have to work tomorrow.
I hope you have a great week! Happy Reading.
Thank you! 😊 This week I have continued the great reading and things have been a bit calmer at our school. I hope your week at work has gone okay for you too and that it won’t be too long till you have the chance to watch A Discovery of Witches. 🙂
Gosh, now I want a big bowl of veggie soup and to watch P&P again! (The 1995 one, of course – the one with MY Darcy… 😉 )
FF, a big bowl of soup and P&P, what a perfect combo?! And while I do love the 2005 film, the 1995 series is still my favourite. 🥰
That soup sounds delicious!
I’m so excited you got to rewatch A Discovery of Witches season 1 and are ready to start watching the second season. I read the All Souls trilogy and they are some of my favorite reads! I also watched season 1, and need to rewatch it soon.. I can’t wait to see the new season. I’ve seen some previews and it looks so good!
Have a great week and happy reading.
Thank you, Maureen and I hope you’re able to re-watch series one of A Discovery of Witches and move onto the new series soon! I am a couple of episodes into series two and really enjoying it. 😊
Matthew Macfayden is my fav. Mr. Darcy, swoon. Your soup looks delish!
Hello Victoria, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. It is always lovely to hear from a new face, especially one who is also a Macfadyen fan 😊
I finished a clean YA Alaskan adventure read called Seventh City by Emily Hayse and I’m enjoying The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and The Lighthouse Stevenson’s by Bella Bathurst. Liking them all!
So pleased to hear you have been enjoying all these books, Amy – I haven’t read any of them, but I REALLY need to read The Moonstone! 😊
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Wow, the school situation is crazy. I wish they would crack down a little more here–many people are not taking COVID seriously, and out cases are soaring.
I like both versions of P&P, but enjoy the 1995 one more–except that it’s so long, it’s hard to work a whole rewatch in. Down to Earth with Zac Efron sounds interesting–will have to look it up.
I’m reading Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel (so good and practical!), Fear and Faith by Trillia Newbell, Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens, Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot (one of my heroes) by Ellen Vaughn.
Hello Barbara, you’re very welcome and thank you for returning the visit. It is always lovely to hear from new faces, isn’t it?! 😊 Especially new faces who are Austen/Pride & Prejudice fans! 😁 I think the TV series and film are both great, but I think my favourite is the 1995 TV shows, because the series format does mean it is long enough to get all the story in. However you are also right the film is more convenient to squeeze in if your short of time. I also hope you have continued to enjoy your reading and that you will have fun checking out the Zac Efron show! 😉
I’m glad that you’re well and back to work-to home-to work. I’m not sure if I got right all those lockdown changes. It’s getting complicated! 😛 It’s good that you’re feeling up to cooking again. I bought S1 of A Discovery of Witches after it came out, but I haven’t watched it yet, and now we have S2 upon us. (!) I think one can never watch too many Jane Austen’s adaptations, especially if they are as well done as Pride and Prejudice, the 1995 miniseries and 2005 film. Of the two Mr. Darcys, I preferred Colin Firth; Matthew Macfadyen seemed too serious to convey that much love, but he won me over in the last scene. He is very easy on the eyes though, as is Zac Efron, whom you mentioned from the other watch. 😛 I have watched an enormous amount of films lately but no TV streaming. These first three months of the year will yield the most competitive films for the Oscar race, so I think I’ll have little time for TV series in between. Let’s see how it goes.
Thank you, Carmen and it didn’t half get confusing, did it not?! 🤪 Thankfully this week has been calmer at work and I have been able to get in a new little routine. Great to hear you have been watching lots of films already this year, although I do hope it won’t be long till you can squeeze a watching A Discovery of Witches – I am a couple of episodes into series two now and really enjoying it! And as it stars Matthew Goode, my cup runneth over with handsome men in my viewing! 😉
A lot of back and forth with the schools! Hope all gets back to normal soon. Glad to hear you’re feeling better. A re-watch of P & P is always nice to lift the spirits! My favorite version is the one with Colin Firth. Have a great week, Jessica! 🙂
Thank you, Rachel 😊 Things have been a little calmer at work, as the headteacher has decided to slowly re-introduce more children back into school. Phew! Also the Colin Firth P&P version is my favourite, too! 😍
Hope things go good for everyone as you go back to school again, that is just sounds crazy. The Phantom Tree sounds interesting. Hope you have a great week!
Hello Jamie, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. It is always lovely to hear from a new face. 😊 I finished The Phantom Tree last night and loved it! 😍 And thankfully things have been calmer at work this week, as we are gradually re-introducing more children back. Phew!
Glad you are feeling better. The soup looks delicious. Hope that your school situation stays steady for awhile, the up and down of everything is so stressful. It has been awhile since I’ve watched the P & P series/movies. Have a great week.
Hello Nise’, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. It is always lovely to hear from a new face. 😊 Glad you like the look of my soup; work has thankfully been calmer this week; and tt sounds like it is high-time you indulged in some P&P re-watching! 😉
Just looking at the picture of vegetable soup made me feel calm and cozy. Yum!
I’ve had A Discovery of Witches on my TBR for a long time. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to read it soon.
I’m glad you are feeling better, but sorry for the lockdown.
I hope you have a great week!
Thank you so much, Ivonne 😊 While it is not great to be back in lockdown, it is great to finally feel better! I hope you will have a chance to read A Discovery of Witches soon and then you could treat yourself to a watch of the series, too! 😉
I made a similar pot of soup this week, though I added some diced tomatoes and white beans to mine. Yours looks warm and comforting!
Glad to see you’re reading The Phantom Tree! Hope you continue to enjoy it. 🙂
Thank you, Kelly and your soup sounds lovely too, a bit of Mediterranean feel with the tomatoes and beans. 😋 I am continuing to enjoy The Phantom Tree and I hope you’re enjoying whatever you are currently reading. 🙂
Yes, it is hard to plan ahead these days. We are watching The Crown, not everyday because we want to keep it around for awhile.
I agree, Judy it is really hard to plan ahead at the moment! I really hope things will calm down soon! I also hope you continue to enjoy watching The Crown – I haven’t watched it but my dad enjoyed it. 🙂
It sounds like you have had excellent things to read and watch. I’m going to have to have a go at the different adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, after, of course, I watch Discovery of Witches seasons 1 and 2. Hope things settle into some kind of routine this week. 😊
Thank you, Tessa – I really hope things settle down soon too, but thankfully excellent books and shows to help me through it! 😊 I hope you will enjoy watching A Discovery of Witches and the different Pride and Prejudice adaptations as much as I do! 😁
Good grief, that’s a lot of changes in one week. I wish the government and local authorities would just make decisions and stick to them, new information every other day is so disorienting. I’m glad you’ve still been able to have a productive week despite everything, and that your health seems to have recovered, it makes such a difference.
Thank you, Alyson 😊 It has really made a difference feeling completely better, particularly with all this craziness going on! I hope things will become clearer and calmer this week. 🤞
Gah! The way schools have been jerked from pillar to post is nothing short of a disgrace, but people who clearly think that timetables and planned coherent curriculums can be knocked together over lunch on the back of a used exercises book… I hope you can keep up with it all, Jessica!
I must see if I can get hold the second series of A Discovery of Witches – I really enjoyed the first one! Have a good week, if you can…
Thank you, SJ – I couldn’t agree more! Fingers crossed that things will become clearer and calmer this week! 🤞 I also really hope you are able to get hold of the second series of A Discovery of Witches to watch – I am two episodes into it now and enjoying it immensely! 😁
I must track down the second series! I wandered through the long, long list of shows last night on offer in mild despair. The comedies were either crass or footling and so many of the SFF shows are dark, dark, darketty DARK! I wanted to give my eyes a rest from reading and forgot about A Discovery of Witches:)). Thank you for the reminder, Jessica…
As for the situation in schools – I watched the News last night and felt nothing but sympathy for the headteachers shaking their heads over the mixed messages and muddle coming their way from the Govt.
That soup looks delicious and hearty! Enjoy.
I am curious about The Mother’s Day Mystery. Have a great reading and relaxing week, and thanks for visiting my blog.
Thank you, Laurel-Rain – The soup was very yummy and I hope you are able to sate your curiosity for The Mother’s Day Mystery, or another book from the series, soon! 😊
I really have to check out A Discovery of Witches, I have been hearing so much about it. I hope this week is better and calmer for you.
Thank you, Gayathri and I hope you are able to check out A Discovery of Witches for yourself soon! 😊
Mmm soup and warm bread- one of my favorites. 🙂
And wow what a rollercoaster ride this week. A third lockdown and then back you go! I hope it goes well. Glad you are better as well!
The 2005 P&P is a favorite of mine. I wasn’t sure how I’d like KK in that role but I thought she did great, and MacFadyen is great as well.
Thank you, Greg – I am hoping things will become clearer and calmer this week! 🤞 Great to hear the 2005 P&P is a favourite of yours. I was a little dubious about Keira Knightley as Lizzie too, because I don’t think she particularly looks like what I imagined, however she does play the part brilliantly. 😁
She does! And I loved the cinematography and the locations they used- that location for the scene in the rain, the estate. I just wanted to go there!!
I re-watched Emma this week – recorded from Christmas time – chuckled my way through it – I think it is the most amusing of the Austen books (though not the most witty). And I found a new (to me) series in my free trial of Amazon prime NCIS-ish forensic pathologist teams up with an FBI agent. The interactions of the various folk that work at the lab is quite entertaining. As for reading – it’s all been research this week, but hoping to dig into Elizabeth is missing.
Ooo lovely Margaret 😊 which Emma adaptation was it? I adore the 2009 BBC TV series, starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller! 😍 I am also pleased to hear you have been watching a fascinating NCIS-ish show and I hope you’re able to dive into reading Elizabeth is Missing soon.