Sunday Sevens – 7th January

Joining in again this week with Sunday Sevens – started by Nathalie at Threads and Bobbins – sharing seven (or so) pictures of  the week beyond the blog.

During the week after Christmas I kept looking out of our bedroom window wondering what a small white patch on our back lawn was. On New years eve I finally remembered it while I was out in the garden and went to investigate. It turned out to be this…

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Anyone else in the northern hemisphere got daisies blooming?

Unfortunately we were both still so full of cold we didn’t go out on New Years Eve, so no hangover on New Years Day. Still poorly, but determined to do something constructive, we decided to take the Christmas decorations early…

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The presents are waiting for Lovely Littlest to return from New Zealand

We still weren’t much cop for the rest of the week, but we did manage a few walks…

The weather has been incredibly wet for weeks, the ground is waterlogged and many paths have turned into rivers…

20180105_152349(0)Of course the weather has been far harsher elsewhere in the world, but we did have a storm pass over on Tuesday Night. It blew a very small tree down in our garden…

Fallen tree

The police car at the end of the drive is there because a bough fell from a tree and blocked the road through the village.

Unfortunately being unwell, I missed going to book group. One of the books we were discussing was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I’ve attempted to read this book twice; once several years ago and this time around. Both times I’ve given up at about the same point. I’m not sure if it’s down to the translation, but I found it very cliched. I could also feel the author manoeuvring characters and the plot tends to move on through happenstance.

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We also had a second book to read over Christmas, but I didn’t even open it, because the cover completely put me off…

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And that, I’m afraid, was as exciting as my week got!

34 thoughts on “Sunday Sevens – 7th January”

  1. We took our Christmas tree down yesterday – but it hadn’t gone up until the 22nd December so I hadn’t really had time to get fed up with it.
    I would say that’s something I don’t miss about the U.K. – the almost constant mud – but we actually have some here this year and that’s not normally something we normally have trouble with, especially being on very steep land. Two of the dogs actually had to have a bath last week but that was more to do with a roll in fox poo than mud.
    I would have been put off by that second book cover too – the image but, even more so, by the fact it says Book One of……
    I’m reading a Jodi Picoult one at the moment. I think I’ve read one by her before but wasn’t that impressed although I know she’s very popular. This one, I think her latest, ‘Small Great Things’, was a 99p Amazon Kindle First deal so I thought I’d give her another try. It’s very upsetting – being mostly about racial issues in the U.S. – but I am finding it quite a page turner.
    I hope you’re feeling better now and managing O.K. with Dry January.

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    1. I only dislike the mud on my part for when it gets too soggy and your feet get wet attempting to walk through it. On the dog front, since Mr Hicks used to almost constantly live in a puddle, I was washing mud off daily even during hose pipe bans.
      What a mean mummy you are washing off your dog’s eau de colonge when they’ve only just rolled in it.
      I read one Jodie Picoult – well half of it. Most of our book group didn’t like it, but it seems the people who like her love her. I think she likes to upset her readers. Glad you’re ‘enjoying it’ – look forward to hearing what you thinkg about it when you’ve finished.
      Well I survived my first Friday and Saturday evenings without alcohol – although still being a bit under the weather helps reduce my interest – although Mr Hill isn’t being put off by his poorlyness.

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  2. Sorry to hear that you’ve not been feeling well, unfortunately it’s the time of the year where it goes around everyone. We’ve just about avoided it in our house! It’s nice to see your lovely countryside photos. Hope the rain hasn’t caused too much damage too.

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  3. sorry you still don’t feel well! I hope that changes soon. Had to laugh at the police car and small tree, though your explanation helped it make sense. 🙂

    I read my Beautiful Friend for book group a while ago. I don’t; remember much except that it was quite depressing. The cover bore little relation to the story. I agree about Jodie Picoult. I don’t care for her books either. I don’t mind books making me think about things, but can’t they also entertain me? For instance, I loved The Help. It was entertaining and light on top with plenty of darkness to think about.

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    1. Thanks. Although I’m not exactly better, I feel the cold has entered a new phase – which surely must be progress.
      It’s a rare sight to see a police car in our village, so very exciting to have one at the end of our drive 🙂
      As I say, I’ve only every read a about a 1/3 of a Jodie Picoult, but definitely felt like wading through treacle. The Help has been beside my bed unread for years. Maybe this will be the year I read it 🙂

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      1. A new phase of a cold is always interesting! Hope you are near the end!

        I think you will enjoy the Help, and after you read it, if you watch the movie, I think you will find the casting was really good. 🙂

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      11. Lol mine seems to like to guess the word I am typing and put it in without asking, so I keep typing. That leaves me with things like “typing ing” which is NOT smart. 😉

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  5. And I was wondering what you had been up too with the police car at the bottom of the drive. Sorry you have been under the weather but glad the lurgy is progressing. The older I get the longer it takes to get over stuff. Nice pictures of the countryside. Stay warm and get better soon. Oh and the second book looks horrible, and I struggled with the first .

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  6. I seem to recall abandoning The Shadow of the Wind before I reached the end! I’ve never read Jodie Picoult but I would definitely say to try The Help. I hope you are both feeling much better.

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  7. Our house still looks like Father Christmas has puked everywhere! We hate how bare the house looks after the decorations come down, so we go with pre-19th century tradition and leave them up until Candlemas on 2nd February – yes, really! Sorry to hear you’re still not well; luckily I had all that before Christmas, but hubby has it now. Of course, being Man ‘Flu, it’s much worse.

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    1. I remember you saying that before. Don’t think I could stand it that long – I like the sense of calm when it comes down. Mind you put your up later than us, I think? We always go for the 1st weekend in December.
      Pretty much down to a tickly cough that is receding now. I remember you being very poorly before Christmas. Glad you’re better now – just hope you survive Mr L-H’s man flu.

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      3. Ah, Sunday Sevens – there’s a blast from the past. I haven’t done one for a month now, but of course I would put up pictures of the grisly deed – as a warning to other men!

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  9. Happy New Year & I hope your feeling all recovered by now.
    I haven’t seen daisies but I couldn’t believe I drove past daffodils in the lanes on the 2nd. I’d have stopped to get s pic but in a rush!

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