I’ve read for most of today 
I’m reading Bethan Robert’s novel MyPoliceman which is a study of an on going triangular relationship between grammar school girl Marion, her policeman husband Tom and gay museum curator Patrick.
It’s a cracking read. 
Do you have whole days, just enjoying the company of a book and its characters ? 
Following a hot shower, I found my grey tracksuit bottoms from the wardrobe and after putting them  on with my second best walking dead T shirts, I curled up on the trendy blue couch wrapped in a throw, and read in the warmth of the winter sun which cut through the rain around midday.
Every hour or so, I’d refresh my tea mug with tea sweetened slightly with algarve nectar and at two I shared my lunch of faggots and mushy peas, bought cheaply from Marks and Spencer early this morning,
with Mary who curled up with me for the duration.

I’m thinking of starting a village book club 

Old Trefor’s niece called around to tell me he’s having some tests in hospital and will be there a few days. I promised to help her clean his house tomorrow. 
I’ve texted a few friends, agreed to buy some tickets for the TCA village casino night next Friday and made a lasagne which is now bubbling gently in the oven. 

But for the most part I’ve read 

And as the fire has been lit early, the cottage is toasty warm, and smelling of garlic and it’s all oh so cozy .

77 comments:

  1. I watched the movie with Harry Styles, it was good.

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    1. I’ve not heard much about the movie , I’m not keen as the book is a good read

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    2. I would stay with the book!
      I also watched the movie on Amazon, but I heard from a friend that the book goes deeper into the characters and their motivations. I'll probably try it.

      XOXO

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  2. My goodness the film of that book is teeeedious....it had all the components and yet just didn't work for me....I love a lazy day like that John......you're enjoying your part time hours are'nt you.....x

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    1. Thanks libby l don’t think I’ll be rushing

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  3. Barbara Anne4:36 pm

    I LOVE to read but often have the dishwasher or washing machine going (multi-tasking!) as I read. Will have to look for My Policemen at the library.
    How very very kind of you to help clean Old Trev's home with his neice.
    Lasagna? Yum!!

    Hugs!

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    1. I have to finish all of the jobs before I start reading , it’s almost as if the act of reading itself is the prize

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  4. Ooh such luxury and curled up by the fire. Cannot get better. I am normally a prolific reader but just lately have not had that luxury. Nor do I have a fire. Do have stew and dumplings for tea with mashed potatoes and also Orange pudding for afters. Good for you having a down day do you the world of good and gives you, you time. Take care and make it a regular occurrence xx

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    1. Dumplings
      Food of winter nights

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    2. Went down very nicely John. Plenty for the next couple of days too I made a big pot full xx

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    3. Do you eat them cold , I do

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    4. To tell you the truth John, as a child I would not eat stew and had an aversion to it for years. Something about being made to sit at table until I had eaten most of it. (Mum used to put all sorts of things in that I did not like). Year before she passed I started to eat it. Dumplings are a relatively new thing for me as well, but must admit have liked what have made so far. First time I made them I got them slightly off apparently, but as I had never tasted them I did not know what I was meant to be achieving. However OH told me put me right and I have managed to produce decent dumplings since. I must admit, I have never had cold dumplings before. xxx

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  5. Damselfly4:46 pm

    Sounds like an absolute perfect way to spend a rainy day,...warm & cozy on the sofa, curled up with a good book, dinner bubbling in the oven, and the companionship of a beloved pet.
    Thank you for the Old Trev updates. Wishing him well.

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  6. You've made me long for a day like that.

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  7. I've said it before and l'll say it again. You conjure up a scene straight out of 'The Archers', especially when you have one of these 'pottering' type of days, around the home and village. I almost expect Jenny Darling to call by with extra Casino tickets. As long as you keep La Snell out of the picture l am happy. Tess x

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    1. I think I’m a bit of Linda to be honest x

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  8. Sounds like an ideal day!

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  9. As much as I enjoy my virtual connections to the universe I can think of little I would rather spend my time doing than reading.

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  10. After a loverly walk and sitting on the bank - wellies in the stream I had to get my arse into gear when I realised the sweep is calling - with his eyes I think my sitting room appears a hovel - I bunged my books into a rubble bag - most recent purhase Queen Camillas x 📚

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    1. You sound like Winnie the pooh

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    2. I have a cluttering of various dog walking wellies and boots but seemingly recently I have a leak in whichever chosen matching pair x 💦

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  11. Sounds idyllic. Room for one more little one? Hope Trefor's tests all come back unremarkable, and he's back in his clean cottage soon. Hope the eye has settled down, too. xx

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    1. I’ve irrigated with my nicked eye wash, it’s much better

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  13. I go through stages where I read, read, read and then for some reason I can't read again for ages. I'm on an off period at the moment. Books sit and look forlornly at me from various places in the house and I sigh and ignore them once again. I put it down to only feeling I can read when I have done lots of other more "worthwhile" projects; of which in this house and garden there are numerous! At the moment it's rummaging in the spare room to get ready to take a whole heap of unwanted stuff to the op shops. And the garden vege beds are an ongoing pleasure. Not the general weeding out, that I hate but it is a necessary evil. Oh well.
    Glad to hear that Trefor is having tests done and will be returning to a tidier home when released from hospital.

    SORRY TOO MANY TYPING ERRORS IN THE FIRST POST. I FOUND MY GLASSES!
    Jo in Auckland

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    1. I think most of us go through the phases you have described

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  14. Oh bliss..a day reading!
    Hope Trevor's test results will be good

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  15. Anonymous6:43 pm

    "curled up on the sofa" how very Enid Blyton.
    However we're adults not chldren.

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    1. Now this comment finally pissed me off big style..why on earth comment negatively

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    2. Barbara Anne7:20 pm

      Tsk, tsk anan. Be nice.

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    3. I really feel sorry for Anonymous. They have lost the connection to youth that make life worthwhile. How sad to have to live as "adults" without any hope of the mystery and pleasures of youth to warm us in our elder years.

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    4. Nicely put….oh let’s salute the ability to curl up our legs on the sofa and read a book

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    5. If anyone deserves to put their feet up and relax it's a hard working, ' on one's feet all shift' nurse like you, John.
      PS had to look up faggots...um, well. and mushy peas.

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    6. I guess I deserve to curl my feet up as anyone else does…let’s celebrate our adult ability to curl up

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    7. Curled up is the absolute best position when on a sofa! Even if my legs creak a bit when I have to get up again. Being very much of adult status...🤣🤣
      Some people just have no joy in their lives... which is sad for them, but no reason to try and leach it out of other peoples. 😠😠

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  16. Sounds lovely.

    As for the anonymous commenter, fuck off.

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    1. There’s always going to be a cynical critic

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  17. Sounds like a perfect day! Good description, John! I can almost smell the bubbling lasagne! Yum! xx

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  18. I admire your ability to concentrate. I read a fair number of books (about one a week), but I read for an hour or so and then get antsy and have to do something else. I hadn't heard of this one. It sounds good; I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip!

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    1. A a child and young adult I was an avid reader. The skill returned during lockdown

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  19. Have you read this? www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/17/e-m-forster-my-policeman

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    1. Yes I read the review and the film review too, though I’m not that interested in watching it

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  20. Anonymous7:35 pm

    Lovely day for you.Barbarax

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    1. An ordinary day , but those can be sweet as a nut

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  21. Traveller7:44 pm

    Curling up on a sofa, trendy or not, with a book…perfection.

    When we lived in Canada my partner and I used to rent a log cabin by the lake for a couple of weeks in the summer. The joy of spending the day on the dock reading.

    A village book club is a great idea. I am a member of two book clubs. Choose your members wisely!

    How is Albert?

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  22. I needed biscuits to make it perfect

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  23. My husband can and does spend whole days reading.. Something i used to be able to do in my younger days.. Now i rarely find a book that will hold my interest that long.. Now i read at bedtime for a few chapters.. helps me go to sleep.. I think a village book club is a great idea. Looking forward to see how it goes.. The vision of you warm and snug as a bug in a rug , cooking and reading your book is lovely.. Hugs! deb

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  24. Oh for the ability to curl up on the sofa, older age arthritis and stiffness has put a stop to that. Cherish it while you have it!
    Jan

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  25. Adults don't need to conform to ideals of adulthood, just to be responsible when necessary and then live life as they see fit.
    I think it must be 30 years since I spent a day reading. I ought to try it again

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  26. Reading - one of my greatest pleasures, both fiction and factual books. I've just finished a book by 'Mad' Mike Calvert, Chindit and SAS commander, Army boxing champion. He was also a Gay man who was wrongfully court martialled for "gross indecency", the sad term used then. A war hero who has never been given the real honours due to him, following his dismissal from the Army, he ended up alcoholic, and working as a labourer in Australia, before returning to the UK and dying in poverty. Fascinating (and sad) - a man whose court martial should be overturned and his honour restored. There's a photo of him in this link standing next to Joanna Lumley's father: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/3139557/history-lesson-world-war-ii-hero-mad-mike-calvert-who
    Books - I could happily live in a library.

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    1. Thank u for that ,I will give it a look , I can always rely on you for a more in depth reflection xx

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    2. A little bit more about him in the following link. Much is (rightfully) made of Alan Turing, but Calvert was an important figure in conducting the fight against the Japanese in the Far East in Ww2. There was an attempt in the 90s to overturn his court martial but it failed. Possibly a new task for the lovely Joanna Lumley? http://www.elisarolle.com/queerplaces/klmno/Mike%20Calvert.html

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  27. Anonymous10:35 pm

    Reading curled up with a book is one of life’s great pleasures.
    Frances SW

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  28. A restful day reading and cooking sounds perfect.

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  29. Anonymous12:43 am

    HOME!!!!!!

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  30. That sounds truly special. And I can smell the lasagna from here!

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  31. Well, that's a surprise! I would never have guessed that you like faggots!

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    1. Ooooh, YP, you don't usually resort to the lowest form of wit! X

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  32. We could really have done with a nice cosy fire here yesterday; it was foul all day long.

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  33. I curl up with a book whenever I can in the winter. It's one of my favourite pastimes. The scene you describe of a warm fire, comfort food and your pets with you is just so good.
    Great to read that Albert was playing a little with Roger too!

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  34. Definitely start a book club!
    Bun

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  35. You sound very much at home. It has been a long time since I have read all day, reminds me that I would enjoy that.

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  36. It's the perfect time of year to curl up with a mug of tea, a good book and a snuggly dog isn't it. A village book club sounds like a fantastic idea ... you could meet in the pub and support a local business at the same time.

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  37. I love a day of reading. Yes, you should start a village book club. I started one on my street 16 years ago and we are still going strong. Life long friends resulted as well as many well-earned hangovers.

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  38. Sounds like a good day. I love it when I can curl up with a book on a rainy and/or chilly afternoon.

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  39. Anonymous8:29 pm

    The Policeman is also on Prme….

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  40. Jane from Dorset7:22 am

    My Policeman, such a quiet thought-provoking watch. The book is usually better, but this was well worth watching.

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