Movies, Meals & Muddling Through Life February 2020

Wow this last month or so seems to have passed in the blinking of an eye. It seems like only a moment ago that I was wondering how I’d get used to writing 2020 and suddenly we are here and just getting into the second month.

I’m glad we are edging closer to Springtime. I normally like the dark nights and wrapping up in hats and scarves but this Winter already seems too long. I am longing for lighter evenings and days without coats. Being able to walk a lot especially by our local estuary in the daylight has huge benefits for my mental health and apparently for physical health too, not just from the exercise but the Vitamin D too.

Movies

At the cinema I have watched Jojo Rabbit, Bad Boys for Life, Spies in Disguise and Little Women. I loved Little Women – in fact I really want to see it again, it is a truly fantastic remake and I urge you to check it out. Only one point I will make is that it’s not all in chronological order so if you haven’t read the book ( you really should ) or seen the original film then you may find parts of it confusing. Jojo Rabbit is also a great world war two film which is surprisingly comedic although highly emotional in parts, the role of Jojo is played by Roman Griffin Davis and he is outstanding. Bad Boys was good fun and easy to watch, although slightly gorier in parts than I expected. The kids enjoyed Spies In Disguise and it was more than just watchable for grown ups too.

At home I haven’t watched any new films unless you count some really old school Disney films with the kids.

TV

I seem to be a bit of an anomaly at the moment as most people seem to be watching one of the reality shows currently gracing our TVs, Love Island and The Masked Singer to name just two. I will admit giving Love Island a cursory glance on the first episode but I realised that I just can’t get invested in it. It is all so samey. Instead I have just been watching Netflix and more recently Apple TV due to a free pass from my phone provider.

So far over the last month on Netflix I have watched 60 Days In and I blitzed through Virgin River. Virgin River is a very easy to watch drama set in a beautiful town in North California, it’s quite quaint and simple and I like it a lot. 60 Days In was just fascinating, members of the public were sent to live as criminals in an American Jail for ( you guessed it ) 60 days. It was a bit mad, occasionally predictable and just an interesting watch. My favourite recent watch has been The Morning Show on Apple TV, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon who both play really great characters – I finished it within a week ( it’s only 10 episodes ) and I LOVED it.

Meals

I am almost back into my cooking groove. In the last few weeks alone I have baked banana breads, nutella cookies and soda breads galore. I have started baking something for one of my family members each week to say thank you for some of the support they have shown me over the last year. So far I have managed to bake for 3 of my siblings and if you know my family then you’ll know I still have a fair way to go. I’ve also been trying to cook a new dish each week with the girls, nothing especially exciting but I want them to enjoy cooking food and realise how important variety is.

Everything Else

To be honest life has been a little topsy turvy this last month. My anxiety levels seem to be higher than normal and I am waiting on some further hospital tests on my back which is probably not helping. Cooking more, walking a little more and just spending as much time as possible focused on fun with the kids is keeping me sane…just 🙂

Am having a bit of a contemplative time, trying to work out what I can do to improve and change things in my life. I need to work on a few areas and one at least is making sure that eventually I am doing a job that I love. Overall I am working on my health and I have also started taking regular supplements which were a gift from an online friend ( not an AD). I am taking Omega 3, Active Energy and Vitamin D from a company called Vegetology, it is still early days but I think they are having an impact. My energy levels are definitely higher and I am sleeping better at night too.

I have a few press events to look forward to over the next few months as well including a Feel Good trip to Bath which involves a trip to the Thermal Bath ( my first ever ) and wow it could not come at a better time. I’ll keep you posted on that!