Midweek Catch Up 04/03/26
Good Afternoon, I hope everyone has had a good week. Grab a cuppa and have a read of what I have been up to lately. Apologies, I missed the catch-up last week, so this is a fortnight of gossip, books and everything else!
Health Catch Up
There really isn’t much to say to be honest, just plodding on! I am at a bit of a standstill with my weight loss at the moment, and have fallen off the wagon a little, but still holding onto the over a stone lost, so I just need to get back on it now, really.
Family and Life
We have been busy with more wedding planning and have been thinking about this year’s holiday a bit more recently. Are you going anywhere? Let me know in the comments below so I can be jealous of how organised you are!
Ben and Stuart have been busy getting excited for this weekend’s football match. They are big Mansfield Town supporters, and this Saturday they are playing Arsenal at home in the 5th round of the FA Cup! Obviously, Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League, and Mansfield Town are League 1, so there is a good chance Arsenal will win, but it will be fun all the same. You never know, they might absolutely smash it and win!
I have been running a carers group locally on Saturday Mornings which I am enjoying. It is for unpaid carers like myself who just sometimes need a chat with other unpaid carers about the realities of caring for a loved one alongside work, running a home, etc.
Previously, I have shared my love for Crime dramas and True Crime shows, podcasts, etc. This week I have binge-watched The Stolen Girl on ITVX. Have you watched it? What did you think? I enjoyed it but did find it a little predictable at times. I am not sure if others would too, or it is just a sign that I watch or read too many crime and thriller stories! Now I am on the British Countryside Killers, also on ITVX. Most are cases I have heard of before but there have been a few new ones.
Books
This last fortnight I have read a few books. As usual I am sharing my thoughts with you.
The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell – Whilst I enjoyed this, I wouldn’t say it was outstanding and definitely not one of Lisa Jewell’s best books. I would give it maybe a 6/10 to be honest.
A Hymn to Life by Gisele Pelicot – Did you see the news story of a lady in France whose husband had raped her and invited others to rape her in her sleep for years? That was Gisele Pelicot. In the last catch-up, I shared that I had read her daughter’s book, I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again by Caroline Darian and wasn’t impressed. Well, I am pleased to say I was much more impressed with Gisele’s book. It was well-written and really made you understand how she felt when she discovered her husband had done this. It also touched on how her daughter had behaved, and really made me even madder about the way Caroline had written her book. Maybe you would feel differently, but I gave this one 9/10.
Still Beautiful by Katie Piper – Wow, I loved this book and really would recommend it to anyone looking for a good autobiography to read. Her story is remarkable, and she writes in a way that shares her story but in a positive way and laughs at experiences she has had in her recovery from the horrible attack as well as talking honestly about how the trauma affected her. I would wholeheartedly give this a 9.5/10.
Every Contact Leaves a Trace by Jo Ward – If you are a true crime geek like me, I am sure you will like this book. I did at times feel like it could have been more in-depth, but it was still a nice mixture of talking about her job as a forensic investigator and her personal life as a step-parent, then a parent herself, along with her health and cancer diagnosis. Whilst I enjoyed it I felt it could have been better so for me it was a solid 7/10.
I am currently reading I Have Something to Tell You by Susan Lewis, which I am not overly struck by at the moment, but I will update you next week. I am also reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, so I will share that next week, too. The next month’s genre at book club is comedy, so let me know if you have any recommendations. I am unsure yet what I will read for that.
Blog posts you may have missed
Here are my latest blog posts that you might have missed!
Food and Recipes
- How to make food less spicy
- Easy chicken and pasta recipes
- Healthy paprika pork recipe
- Healthy smoothie recipes
- High protein meal ideas
- What to cook when you have no energy
- Homemade Nando’s recipe
- 5 Dinners to make with store cupboard ingredients
- How to make air fryer buttermilk chicken
Diet and Weight Loss
- Slimming World free foods – how to make the most from them
- Can you lose weight in a sauna?
- Ozempic dosage for weight loss all you need to know
- What is the Ice hack for weight loss and does it work?
- The truth about celebrities and their weight loss
- What are peptides for weight loss – all you need to know
Exercise
Lifestyle
- The meaning behind popular gemstones
- Historical places to visit in Nottinghamshire
- How to save money at the supermarket using reward cards and apps
- Dining space tips for family time
