Looking back on December there have been some rather chilly days but also plenty of mild ones too. We've had rain, so much so that Yorkshire Water have, at last, lifted their hosepipe ban. Christmas was lovely, we spent lots of time with family and of course, seeing Jack enjoying himself has been the icing on the cake.
Last year, many of the things we'd planned in the run up to Christmas were cancelled as Storm Darragh struck and there was heavy rain. Although we've definitely had our fair share of downpours this month we did manage some trips out leading up to Christmas. I wrote about Robin Hood's Bay Victorian Weekend in an earlier post, we also visited Haworth one wet Sunday. We didn't let the rain spoil our fun and it was lovely to see the Parsonage decked out in its Christmas finery. There was also a day out to the Christmas market at Ilkley.
I've read five books this month.
In the Time of Five Pumpkins is the latest in the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I'm always pleased to see a new book published with these characters as they've become like old friends in the years I've been reading about them. The stories are slow and simple, perfect when you want to just unwind without having to think too much, and they take you off to Botswana where the way of life is relaxed. Perfect.
The fourteenth, and penultimate, book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths is The Locked Room. This book takes us back to 2020 and lockdown, and I have to say that it brought back so many memories of when Coronavirus kept most of us at home. For Ruth, living in a remote cottage on the edge of the Salt Marsh, it was particularly isolating, however, she has a new neighbour who she's struck up a friendship with. Nelson is home alone as Michelle is in Blackpool with George at her mother's house, he's investigating the deaths of women which may or may not be suicide but lockdown or not, he can't keep away from Ruth. Another great tale.
Daniel and Jasmine bought me The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories a couple of Christmases ago. Each story in the book is only short and they come from around the world with tales from authors such as Dylan Thomas, Tove Jansson, Truman Capote, Anton Chekhov and Hans Christian Andersen to name a few. I've read this book, a few stories each month, over the course of the year, finishing it this month. I'm not really a fan of short stories, I don't think they're long enough for a tale to really get going, but it was enjoyable enough. Some stories, as you'd expect, were better than others. An okay read, definitely a book to pick up and read at intervals.
I'm so sad to say that I've now come to the end of the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. The Last Remains is the fifteenth and final book and I've enjoyed every one of them. There's a cold case to solve in this final chapter, loose ends in the private lives of the characters are tied up, and this last book is a fitting conclusion to a fantastic series.
After a break from The Thursday Murder Club series to write We Solve Murders, Richard Osman has taken us back to Cooper's Chase with his latest book, The Impossible Fortune. It was good to be back with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, and many of the characters from his earlier books made an appearance too. I have to say that I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more in some cases, as the earlier books in the series, and though The Thursday Murder Club film was much anticipated earlier this year, I really think the books are so much better.
I feel as though I'm falling to bits at the moment. In November I saw a physiotherapist as for many months now I've been having pain and loss of movement in my shoulder. She diagnosed frozen shoulder. I've also been having a lot of hip and back pain so the physiotherapist booked me in for another appointment at which gluteal tendinopathy was diagnosed. Honestly, this getting old lark isn't for the faint hearted. The physiotherapist sent me a link to an app which provides personalised exercises, tips and information. I'll see how I get on.
I told you in November that Jack had managed to pull a hole in the jumper I'd recently knit for him. I've mended it in a fashion but it's not really fit for wearing for best now, it will do for around the house though. I've just finished another jumper for him, exactly the same pattern as the last one but this time I've used this gorgeous Spray Blue. Let's hope he looks after this one a bit better.
We paid a visit to our local food bank before Christmas. We always pop a few extras in with our shopping each week, making sure that the items we buy have good long use by dates. We were able to drop off 160 items this time.
I'm not really one for watching films, I'm a bit of a fidget and can't concentrate for long periods, but there are so many Christmas movies which I've never seen so I'm on a bit of a mission to watch some of them. A couple of years ago I watched ten Christmas films throughout December and though I haven't watched that many this year, I've managed to cross more off my list. Tinsel Town is a new film this year, it's got some quite big names in it, Kiefer Sutherland, Rebel Wilson, Derek Jacobi, then others such as Jason Manford, Katherine Ryan and Danny Dyer. Robbie Williams' daughter also makes her acting debut in it. It was an okay film, funny in parts. What I really loved about this film is that it was filmed in and around Wetherby and Knaresborough which are places we often visit so it was fun picking out all the places we know. We've also watched Last Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Before I sign off for the year I just want to let you know that I've decided to do things a little differently next year. I'm not going to be writing my end of month posts going forward. I know myself that I enjoy reading shorter posts rather than a whole round-up of what's been happening, and though I thought doing posts this way would save time, it hasn't really worked out that way. From now on I shall be writing shorter posts like I used to do prior to 2023 when I changed things up, but I probably won't be writing as many posts as I used to do back then, I just don't have as much time these days. I do still love blogging though, I post on Instagram every day but that just isn't the same. I've always enjoyed the connections I've made with people through blogging, and that's why I'm also going to be replying to the comments I receive again, I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up with them. I used to reply to every comment left on my blog but it got to the point where I just didn't have the time to do that any longer. Now, with fewer people blogging and therefore fewer people commenting, I can go back to answering the comments which are left for me, so please do pop back for a reply.
And this brings me to my thank yous. As we end another year I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to come back to my blog and for all the wonderful comments you leave on my posts, I'm truly thankful and appreciate this so much. I know there are many people who read but don't leave comments, thank you too, although it would be lovely to hear from you. As I said, I love the connections that are made through blogging and every single comment means the world to me.
Here's to a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026 for us all.
