This week....

I'm reading....

Last week I finished reading The Winemaker''s Wife by Kristin Harmel which I did enjoy. It is set in the region around Reims in France, which is where champagne is made. I have read books before which talked about how the caves were used in both world wars, which didn't make this book any less interesting! I will definitely read more from this author.

I also started and finished reading Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston which I loved. It is a book that I have been aware of for quite some time, and I listened to the author speak as part of Melbourne Writers Festival last year. What finally prompted me to pick the book up and actually read it was a Goodreads recommendation for Valentine's Day about 52 Most Popular Romances in the last 3 years and this was the first book on the list.

I am going to start the new series by Aliss Callen which begins with Snowy Mountains Daughter. I own a number of Alissa Callen books from her previous series which currently has 7 books in it but I haven't read any of them. I am therefore choosing to get in right from the first book for this series!

I'm watching...

I have so many things to watch on my list but for whatever reason we just don't seem to be actually watching much. 

We did start watching Wandavision. The first couple of episodes didn't make a lot of sense, but now that we have watched all the available episodes it is all coming together, and it is all very Marvel universe. I guess now we wait for each new episode like everyone else.

Life...

Well, we are back in strict lockdown again. In theory it is for 5 days so due to finish on Wednesday but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is extended. 

I was tested for the first time yesterday and fortunately the result came back as negative in less than 24 hours. I have a head cold that seems to be moving to my chest and so because of the similarity in symptoms I thought it was a good idea to get tested. The other reason is that I wanted to be able to go and see a doctor should I need to. A few years ago I had a bout of pneumonia so I am also a bit cautious about chest infections.

If lockdown is extended it will have another impact for us. My lovely Granny died at the age of 100 last week. We already knew that we wouldn't be able to go over to Perth for the funeral because you can't get into Perth without doing a 2 week self isolation, but with our current lockdown you can't even do that. We will therefore be watching the funeral online. I am hoping that we will be able to watch with my sister and her family, but we will see what happens. If the lockdown is extended we won't be able to watch it together.

My grandmother, Olive, was born in London in 1920, but lived the majority of her life in Perth. When I think about her life, I can't help but think of the changes that she saw. She sailed to Australia (twice, once on her own), she lived on small farms for the majority of her life, saw the introduction of television and the internet and so much more.  We moved away from Perth when I was 10 so lived apart for a long time, but my grandparents always did everything they could to stay connected to us, which I will always be grateful for. For many years she could remember everyone's birthdays (from grandchildren to great grandchildren of whch there are many) and what she couldn't remember was always in the little book by her chair.

Over the years she worked hard, including for years as a housecleaner, but she also bred prize winning Australian Silky Terrier dogs. She knitted and crocheted for charities until she was in her late 80s/early 90s. She loved The Wind in the Willows book and adaptations. My grandfather died 9 years ago at the age of 103 after more than 65 years of marriage, so it is nice to think of her being reunited with him now.

I know that I have been very lucky to be nearly 50 years of age and to have only just lost the last of my grandparents. My parents are also both still alive. If I mention the fact that Granny's mother died at the age of 104 then that suggests that we are a long lived bunch, although I don't think I will be continuing that.

Speaking of lucky, we were able to have a nice dinner for Valentine's Day. It just looked a bit different than we expeected. Originally we were planning to go to dinner at a local winery but obviously once the lockdown was announced that plan went out the window. Instead, we ordered a steak meal from a French restaurant near the city which we just had to finish off and then we sat on the deck for dinner. It was a lovely meal and now I am thinking that we need to actually visit that restaurant.

Posts from the last week

Weekend Cooking: Around the World with Atlas Masterclass

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date