Sunday Summary

Hello to you! 

Yes, I am back with the SS (apologies to those whom I disappointed with a no-show last week!). Currently sitting in bed with coffee and toast crumbs all about me. Seems like an apposite time to summarise!

This week (and last!), I have mostly been:

Re-reading | The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

{via Goodreads}

I first read this almost ten whole years ago, before I’d even read Jane Eyre so many of the literary references were lost on me, though I did love the quirkiness of the story. I’m struggling to find time to read at the moment, though – my reading time is confined to my commute, and I’ve either been chatting to a choir friend in this time, or too darn exhausted to read, and have blocked myself off with my music and a little bit of a doze.

Excuses, excuses, however. We shall overcome…

Watching | TV on the iPad

I borrowed our departmental iPad last weekend and the weekend before, and spent some quality time streaming 4oD and iPlayer programmes – this ol’ PC streams at what can only be described as a glacial pace so I’ve long since given up catching up on programmes missed. Ain’t nobody got time for that. But the iPad is swift and clear, so I’ve been catching up on:

The IT Crowd

Outnumbered

Shaun the Sheep and

Jim Parsons (aka The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper) on Who Do You Think You Are USA. Fell in love. Again.

{Well, you would, wouldn't you? Those glasses. THOSE GLASSES!}

I will never be an eReader convert, and I can’t bring myself to accept invites for Candy Crush et al, but I am coming around to the inviting idea of owning a tablet for TV streaming, Netflix, and maybe, just maybe, The Sims Freeplay…

Playing | Scrabble

My Swedish friend Caroline was visiting last week, and in between her making me delicious pancakes for breakfast (you can come again!):

rewatching Three Men and a Little Lady:

enjoying several fika:

and hitting up the high spots of Surrey on a full-on clothes-shopping mission (the former of which I had to abort), we played Scrabble.

Caroline won 2 games to 1. I am Scrabble-shamed. Though I am proud of having placed EUCHRE.

You’d think that someone who lovingly manipulates words for a living would be slightly more successful, however. And playing against a non-native English speaker too. Sob.

Next time, Monopoly showdown.

Plotting and Planning

I won’t say too much at this stage so as not to jinx anything but I am making great plans for the second half of this year. Said plans involve being able to tick off another item on the bucket list, and a spot o' travel. 

At the moment I’m In Talks with various bodies (notably the bank and the parentals) over raising the funds to travel, but I’m excited already. And nervous. And excited. And determined to make this little plan a reality.

Cryptic enough? J 

PS Anyone who follows me on Pinterest or in fact speaks to me on a daily basis may have already had an inkling of these plans!

And now for this fortnight's interweb discoveries

(Thanks to my workmates Evie and Louis for some of these! Keep 'em coming.)

Ladybird Books reveal new licensing programme 

{I'm collecting vintage Ladybird books now -- 1960s and 1970s editions specifically -- so this is delicious news.} 

Incidentally, if you too are into this sort of shenanigans and you missed the Timeshift feature on Ladybird Books over Christmas, it's now on YouTube:

Sad news about Brighton's iconic West Pier

Even sadder news about the Dawlish railway also destroyed during the recent UK storms (though repairs are underway, thankfully...) Thanks to my friend Andy G for the heads-up on this.

And on a lighter note...

A coffee drinker's guide to social media

New proofreading marks every editor should employ

Puns so bad they're good

And finally ... T-Rex Trying to do things

Poor T-Rex.