Tuesday 29 September 2020
Asmodee UK Blogger Board Game Club review : BrainBox The World
Monday 28 September 2020
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 39
lunch- chicken casserole with roast potatoes
Sunday 27 September 2020
Project 366 : Photo diary week 39
Wow, what a week it's been this week, in terms of weather. Summer is definitely over and autumn is upon us. We've had really strong wind, which has blown leaves and branches everywhere. Luckily no damage for us but a wall fell over over by the beach and the sand has been blown up on to the promenade and covered half of the chairs that were still outside the restaurants and bars ! I hope it all calms down next week. It's not too bad when it's not raining, but you get utterly drenched when waiting for the bus !
Tuesday - So far, we're still managing to fit in a dog walk after dinner, even when I'm at work and the kids are at school. I had a meeting today after work, but still got back in plenty of time for our usual dinner time. It was another rainy walk today and I discovered that not only my shoes but also my coat leak - not good ! It was very wet though so maybe I was asking too much ! The dog got decidedly grubby so ended up with a quick bath when we got home.
Wednesday - My half day off but I had a meeting straight after lunch so ended up dashing back out again. I got home around 3.30 so at least I had a bit of time to chill out. Still drizzly so we decided to give Didou a coat to wear on his walk. We bought it ages ago after Pierre saw it in a local shop, but he doesn't usually wear it !
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Fab freebies of the week 26/9
Thursday 24 September 2020
Book review : The Time of Green Magic - Hilary McKay
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1529019247
- ISBN-10 : 1529019249
- Product Dimensions : 12.9 x 1.6 x 19.6 cm
- Publisher : Macmillan Children's Books; Main Market Edition (20 Aug. 2020)
- Reading level : 9 - 11 years
- Language: : English
Tuesday 22 September 2020
Book review : Girl In A Smart Uniform - Gill James
- Paperback : 260 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1910542423
- ISBN-13 : 978-1910542422
- Product Dimensions : 15.2 x 1.39 x 22.9 cm
- Publisher : Chapeltown; Illustrated Edition (22 July 2019)
- Language: : English
Monday 21 September 2020
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 38
lunch- hmmm how about a roast chicken dinner ? sounds good to me - but again, it depends on what I ppicked up at the supermarket yesterday
Sunday 20 September 2020
Project 366 : Photo diary week 38
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Fab freebies of the week 19/9
Wednesday 16 September 2020
Giveaway #740 : Win a selection of Dentemp products - DIY dentistry at its best ! - closing 30/9
If you're having problems with your teeth, you need to go and see a dentist, right? Well, yes, but right now, with COVID restrictions in place and high demand for appointments as people catch up, it can be impossible to get hold of one. Just over a month ago, one of my fillings fell out and I phoned the dentist straight away, only to be told that they were on holiday as from the next day so I'd have to get back to them at the start of September. I really must find a moment to set something up. I was warned that it would probably be quite painful, but luckily (fingers crossed), it's actually been totally pain-free. You may not be so lucky though, so it's always good to have some dentistry DIY products in your bathroom cabinet just in case !
Here's the one I needed - Dentemp Refil-it Filling Repair Material ! Lost fillings need fast attention, but you can't always get to the dentist right away – especially in the current climate with appointments being at a minimum. Refil-it is specially formulated for a safe and effective way to repair lost fillings whilst providing instant pain relief. Simply apply this cherry flavoured formula and wait for 60 minutes before eating. Sorted !
Tuesday 15 September 2020
Book review : The Secret Hangman - Peter Lovesey
The Secret Hangman is the first book by Peter Lovesey that I have come across - I think it was a random pick from The Works in their 3-for-£5 offer - but he has a huge back catalogue that you can check out. He is best known for writing two series, one featuring Sergeant Cribb, a Victorian-era police detective based in London, and the other Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath. The Secret Hangman falls into this latter category and is the ninth book in the series - a series which contains a whopping nineteen titles, the last of which was released this year. If that's not impressive enough, his son, Phil Lovesey, also writes crime novels. Despite all this, I enjoyed the book, even without having any of the background. The only thing that I would assume I have missed out on is the tale of his wife's death, as he is a widow in this book. I'd be intrigued to find out what happened to her, but not knowing certainly didn't detract from thoroughly enjoying this book.
Peter is happy enough on his lonesome, but a trip to the supermarket that ends in disaster brings a new woman into his life. He is also receiving some rather unwelcome anonymous gifts and messages from a secret admirer at work. His woman troubles continue with his slightly condescending boss, who wants him to look into the missing daughter of one of her choir friends.
Things take a turn for the worse when a woman's body is discovered hanging from a swing in a playground, with a suspicious second ligature mark that suggests this wasn't a suicide. As another body is discovered, Peter isn't sure if things are as simple as his boss assumes, and decides to investigate further before everything is filed away as a solved case. With his trusty team of detectives, they manage to uncover the details of another pair of supposed suicides, whose deaths tie in with this new loss of life. What if there's a serial killer on the loose ?
Peter is a believable and appealing character, happy enough to bend the rules when he thinks his boss is wrong and things need checking out, but ultimately a kind-hearted and trustworthy character. Despite the multiple deaths, the storytelling avoids the excesses of violence that crime fiction sometimes falls into. Think more along the lines of an Agatha Christie whodunnit that an all-guns-blazing Hollywood crime flick ! I'd definitely be interested in reading more of the series and finding out more about the homely detective Peter Diamond.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £8.99
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0751539600
- ISBN-13 : 978-0751539608
- Product Dimensions : 19.8 x 2.2 x 12.6 cm
- Publisher : Sphere; paperback / softback Edition (3 April 2008)
- Language: : English
Monday 14 September 2020
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 37
lunch- There will be leftover cauliflower cheese and the baked potatoes from yesterday. I think I'll go for twice-baked potatoes - scoop out the inside, mix with cooked bacon, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, then restuff and top with cheese. Doesn't really go with cauliflower cheese but never mind, I'm sure Juliette won't mind ! lol
Sunday 13 September 2020
Project 366 : Photo diary week 37
The first proper week of school for everyone. We're all getting back into routine now, which is good. I had all the usual last-minute running around, buying things that the teachers asked for in the first week back, and picking up Pierre's bike. Got lots done but I was tired out by the time the weekend arrived ! Quite a few Covid cases are being announced in schools locally - none in ours yet - but it seems to result in two weeks at home. We're apparently back in the red zone, so we'll see what happens.
Sunday 7th September - Sunday is my day of rest, but somehow I seemed to be on the go all day today ! The morning was quiet and I chilled out online, then cooked dinner. Then it was time to catch up on laundry, talk to my mum and dad on the phone, clear a bit of marking, walk the dog with Juliette, have a shower, talk to Sophie on video chat ... and then it was bedtime ! The sun is definitely starting to set earlier now. It's starting to get slightly dingy on our walks with the dog. The seagulls didn't seem to mind though, hanging out on the barges.
Monday - Work in the morning then, as it was my afternoon off, I decided to chase up Pierre's bike. They'd said they'd call me when it was ready, supposedly a day or two later, but I hadn't heard anything all week. Phoned them up and yes, it was ready to pick up. Got the bus there then walked back with the bike. All mended and just had to pay €3 for the new bit they'd changed. It took about an hour to walk home, but as the bike was just too low to walk properly, I ended up with backache. Still got talked into taking the dog out for a walk though ! We spotted some conkers so there's definitely no denying that autumn is here.
Tuesday - Work, work, work ! Asked our science teacher where I could buy the required safety glasses for Juliette's biology class (they no longer share them, due to covid) and he gave me a spare pair. Yay, one less thing to do tomorrow ! No exciting photos to share today so you can have a quick snap of the water tower I walked past on my way to the bus stop !
Wednesday - Work in the morning, then no school in the afternoon for any of us. Headed off to the big supermarket to pick up a new scientific calculator for Juliette, as requested by their teacher (cost : €70 - eeek !) and a lab coat for Pierre. Grabbed a few extra exercise books, pens and folders. That should be it now. The sun was blazing through the trees in the park, casting cool shadows on the ground.
Thursday - Another full day at work. Got home, dashed to the shop for some essentials, cooked dinner, walked the dog then zonked in front of the telly ! Another photo of our walk along the canal is as good as it gets today.
Friday - I don't start until 11am so I can chill out at home until 10am, after getting the kids off to school. Aaahh ! I had a meeting during our lunch hour so it was a bit of a rush, but it's better than having to stay later. Today's photo is the old and the new - the primary school that Pierre has just left in the background and the new secondary school on the left of the photo. Both the girls went to them too. They're really close and our house is just across a huge car park so it's really convenient.
Saturday - I had to go to a meeting at Juliette's school so I couldn't even have a lie-in this morning - boo ! Phoned the kids when I got out and they came into town to meet me. They had all the boats in for a sailing race, which normally has a really good "village" of stalls and games for spectators. Alas, Covid did away with that, so we didn't stay to watch. Bought Juliette's book that she has to read in French, plus a birthday present for her friend, then a quick McDonald's and back home. Juliette headed off to a sleepover at her friend's house, I went shopping then chilled - aaaahhhh !
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