Category: Lifestyle

Read, Watch and Listen (November)

It is time for me to share some of my recommended reading, viewing and listening again. I think I actually forgot to write a Read, Watch and Listen post in October but I may just squeeze two in this month to make up for it.

This week I wanted to share an Apple TV Plus show that is in its third season and a new, fascinating Joanne Harris book. Also, I recommend a wonderful podcast about Bees and sustainability.

Read ‘Broken Light’ by Joanne Harris

As a big fan of Joanne Harris’ writing, it will come as no surprise that I am currently immersed in her latest novel. This one is about a middle aged woman experiencing the menopause. For her, the menopause goes hand in hand with a special power.

Joanne has a way of getting inside a character’s head in a way that we end up rooting for them. Bernie Moon, when hearing about the murder of a woman in her local park, unlocks a teenage memory that awakens her ability to shine a light on male aggression.

I am a third into this book but totally fascinated, as usual. It is hard for me to go into detail without giving too much away.

Suffice to say, check out a sample for yourself and see if it takes your fancy.

Watch ‘The Morning Show’ on Apple TV Plus

I always look forward to this epic show about two TV News anchors who have experienced working with exploitative men.

Now in its third season, Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) are back with more drama. Alex now has an evening hard-hitting interview show and Bradley is presenting the early evening News. Bradley’s brother has a secret which could mean trouble for her and Alex develops a fondness for the billionaire who is buying the TV network.

Brilliant TV with a gripping storyline.

Listen to the ‘Queen Bees’ podcast

I may have mentioned this one before a while ago but it is still one of my favourites. Jane Horrocks (from Absolutely Fabulous) and Ester Coles (from Enola Holmes) talk about Bees and related subjects. They often have celebrity guests or experts on sustainability and nature join then for chats.

Jane and Ester lived together when they were students and often share a giggle. They discuss all sorts but generally their podcast relates to nature and ways to garden, keep bees and look after the environment.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully these three suggestions have interested you and you may consider checking one of them out. ‘The Morning Show‘ is gritty and comes in series of ten episodes. Broken Light is currently available in Hardback and on kindle. Queen Bees podcast is easy to access on all good podcast apps.

You may also want to check out Read, Watch and Listen (September) and consider following my little blog for similar future content.

Food Security – A Climate Problem

One topic that we haven’t discussed so far in our Climate Change Collective posts is food security. It is an important subject which affects everybody so it is great to see this month’s lead post tackle this delicate matter.

As the world’s population grows and temperatures increase, suffering harvests are starting to have a massive impact on food supplies and will continue to create shortages in future.

Caroline (@environlineblog) has produced a very thorough and useful article about many of the ways that food security is altering, largely due to climate change.

My Thoughts

I live in an agricultural area and come from a family of arable farmers. The Fenland region of East Anglia is covered in Peat which makes it a brilliant landscape for growing many different vegetables and fruits.

The land was reclaimed from marshland in the 1800s by a network of drainage ditches originally designed by Dutch engineer Vermuyden. Lots of market towns and villages are now scattered across this beautiful but flat countryside.

Sadly, with most of it being very close to sea level, predictions state that much of the Fens is likely to be returned to wetland by 2050. This will greatly affect the availability of food for lots of European countries. One third of the UK’s harvested food comes from here.

If the area is drowned once more, this will impact on wheat production as well as the provision of: carrots, onions, potatoes, sugar beat, lettuce, oil seed rape, peas, strawberries and many other types of fresh produce.

The impact climate change has on food security and how to help

In A Nutshell

Caroline has put together various suggestions of how to do your bit in helping us secure our food supplies. Environmentally, considering the food miles of products we buy can help to reduce pollution as well as supporting local farmers.

Of course, if our farmland shrinks or is continually flooded, we may have to consider growing different crops. Reducing the amount of livestock we rear could also make room for more arable fields.

The Climate Change Collective is a group of bloggers who write one lead post every month linked to global warming and sustainability. The rest of us then create link posts, such as this article.

For one of my previous articles in the group, check out Warmer Weather – What’s not to like?. Please take time to check out Caroline’s article and drop some comments with your views on this matter.

Paris In Autumn

The City That Never Gets Old

After five years away, going back to Paris was not only inevitable but also much needed. I always feel strangely at home in the bustling heart of France, surrounded by history, fashion and food.

OK, let’s be honest. It is mainly about food for me. Especially cheese.

This time, I took my mum with me as she had always wanted to go and my step father is not keen on walking about on holiday. My aunt also tagged along, making it a real family affair.

Bus Tours Are Great Starters

Whereever I go, I tend to first take a bus tour as an easy way to get a sense of what a city has to offer. Mum was looking forward to seeing what Paris has to look at and so we stepped onto a Tootbus near the Louvre and hopped off near the Arc de Triomphe.

We were going to walk up the steps to the roof but the wind was very strong and the queue was enormous. Plus we were feeling a bit hungry by then.

So we went for some very tasty omelettes at a nearby restaurant, where I also tried a really thirst-quenching strawberry milkshake with plenty of whipped cream. The waiter was incredibly helpful and, as with most places in Paris, they had the items written in English as well as French.

We then popped back on the bus and took in the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero before heading to the shops. I found a large UniQlo which was rammed with people. There must have been a hundred people entering the door every minute. It was great to snap up a new red jumper and some affordable but stylish socks.

In The Evening

My Mum was intrigued by Montmarte and so we got an Uber to the bottom of the Funicular. For a few Euros we were able to ascend the steep hill to the Sacre Couer. The famous church was brilliantly illuminated and the view from the hill across the whole city was wonderful.

After a walk around, we finished off eating near the Moulin Rouge and then got an Uber back to Citi Bergere. It was a lovely first evening and great way to begin the holiday.

And Finally

I would certainly recommend taking a bus tour of Paris to familiarise yourself with the most famous sights. This allowed us to plan the next few days and, because we bought a 48 hour bus pass, we could use it again the next day.

I would love to hear about your experiences of Paris in the comments. Thank you for taking the time to read my travel post. For another of my travel posts, check out Basel – A Hidden Gem.