How are we enjoying the fresh January energy? I always love this time of year with its lovely cosy winter days, long dark evenings and fabulous skies. I love the excitement of a new year and I am still ever-optimistic this will be the year that I will get ALL of the things done.
I've realised that I always genuinely believe that just as soon as I get this particular pile of work done, I will have time to make a start on everything that I want to accomplish. Somehow, I imagine that if I can just get on top of stuff, just clear this work away, then I will be in charge and free to achieve absolutely everything.
I know this about myself, and yet I still believe it somehow. I actually will have more time the week after next, I just know it. I can't fault myself for optimism.
The upshot of this is that I don't really have any news, except that I have my nose to the grindstone. It's good to have lots of work of course and I am very glad of it. And very much looking forward to the week after next. Or maybe the one after that.
I have returned the eldest to university. The most interesting change I noticed was that he now enjoys country music. The littlest boy found a secondhand guitar in a local charity shop, so we bought that for him and he is happy as a clam. I told him that we should go to Nashville. I have always fancied a trip to Nashville. I don't know the first thing about it really, except that there will be guitars and cowboy boots and I imagine loads of creative energy. And I believe it is really expensive.
The books are from the local community bookshop. I popped in and it started raining. As time went by, the deluge got worse and worse and so I was forced to stay where I was and buy books. It was dreadful. I've read Sharp Objects before and really enjoyed it. The others are new to me. It's a brilliant shop, and very cheap. Just 50p a book, with all proceeds going to the local community. I've taken quite a lot in over the years as well. It's good to have a nice secondhand book shop as so many are closing. The big Book Barn I used to go, with over a million books, closed down a while ago.
I think I shall start with Lessons in Chemistry, which I've heard quite a bit about. I think I shall be able to start it the week after next.
Do let me know your news. And I shall try very hard to do something newsworthy to report back next time. Although most of the things on the calendar are appointments such as 'optician', 'dentist' and 'vet', so I can't exactly pinpoint where the excitement will come from.
Your posts always make me chuckle CJ. It's nice to be back reading them again. My calendar is full of the very same exciting activities. Getting lots done is overrated in my opinion :0)
ReplyDeleteJacquie x
I too love to read but I have started purging and condensing. My new addiction is jigsaw puzzles. I'm currently working on a 1,000 piece puzzle called Frederick the Literate by Charles Wysocki. It features a grey cat asleep among the books on a bookshelf. You can see it on Amazon.
ReplyDeleteSusan in Texas
I gave up on resolutions a few years back after all the fails. Something I’ve noticed in the Covid-years is that January goes by much faster than it used to and I’m glad. February is short and then it’s March - yay, Spring 🥳
ReplyDeleteMust admit that I don't share your enthusiasm for winter. I do like curling up with a good story though. At the moment I am reading Dream Weavers by Barbara Erskine. My favourite season is spring. It's been really dreart here for the past few days. You don't want excitement at any of those appointments,
ReplyDeleteI've found it to be a rather hard, long month so I envy your energy, excitement and optimism. You've got some good books there so happy reading when you get to start one the week after next.
ReplyDeleteAs to my news well I have a visit to the dentist next week, and I look forward to warmer weather when I can resume plotting again.
Thanks for a most enjoyable post as always. xx
Excellent post as always. I find that it's good to be optimistic at the beginning of the year, before life inevitably grinds one down again! I envy you your community bookshop. I love those that have taken over some of the old phone boxes but, sadly, we don't have one near us. We do have a brilliant charity shop though with 50p books, so I count my blessings. It came in very useful for our 2nd hand Christmas! I'm glad that your son loves his guitar and I look forward to hearing all about your Nashville trip!! Happy reading. xx
ReplyDeleteOh yes that week after next feeling. I have it often and as you say never quite gets there. What a lovely pile of books to read , I hope you get some time to tackle them. As for country music; sounds like a cheerful diversion and go for Nashville. Better half yearns to see Elvis Presley haunts. He’s a big fan. Quite a shock for me when we first met many years ago. Mind you I’ve grown to love Elvis…didn’t have a choice lol. New Jane Harper out soon I see. B x
ReplyDeleteHahaha...Nashville holds little intrigue for me (raised in the States and far too many negative associations with the deep south and country music for that). I've been missing winter as we are having an incredibly mild January, even by Mediterranean standards, very much looking forward to the return of rain over here. I just wanted to say I really enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry, and I hope you will, too. It hit some new notes for me, at least, and sparked a search for similarly written or themed novels, which led to several others I enjoyed (Remarkably Bright Creatures and then a slew of Maggie O' Farrell books- interspersed with Agatha Christie at bedtime, leading my middle girl to create the Magatha O'Christie moniker for my tastes). Hope you end up finding that elusive free time- I always end up finding more work to do;)
ReplyDeleteHow tragic you got trapped in a bookstore and had no choice but to buy some! I wish that would happen to me! Have you read Four Thousand Weeks? It talks about this exact problem of "when I get everything done then I can move on to the next thing" (spoiler: that will never happen.)
ReplyDeleteI love your optimism, CJ. Very refreshing. I find January draining... but getting some extra vitamin D here in Malawi will no doubt do me good. I enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry xx
ReplyDeleteThere will be something exciting happening next week....or the week after! Jo xx
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I should be glad to read of someone else who has the optimism that when I get this pile of things sorted out everything will be carefree and wonderful. I am slowly realising that that is simply not the case and I need to put my energy somewhere else, its hard though........
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