What I've been up to lately - January 2026

I've taken a bit of a break from the blog for the start of the year, so here's what I've been up to!

Reading

I've done a very good job of working through my to be read piles, both physical and Kindle books, and so I'm now getting to some books that I've been wanting to read for a little while. I have just finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver which was excellent. That's three of her books now which I've loved, so I'm definitely going to be finding some more. The book is a modern (ish) retelling of David Copperfield. I've never really got on with Dickens, but I may give it a go.

Next up is the new Philip Pullman book, The Rose Field which is the third book in the Book of Dust Series. Before I start it I've been re-reading the first two books in the trilogy, as it has been a while since I last read them. I don't find this series as compelling as the original His Dark Materials trilogy, but I am fascinated by the world in which they are set and I'm eager to see how the trilogy concludes.

Watching

I enjoyed watching the finale of Stranger Things. Maybe the ending was a little too cheesy but I quite liked that. It felt as though everything tied up nicely although I know that there is some dispute among the fan base! 

Harry and I watched a couple of lovely shows over Christmas that were about train rides - Nordic Train at Christmas and Alpine Train at Christmas. Each one followed a train taking a scenic journey, with some stops along the way to explore local businesses. They were really slow and festive and I really enjoyed them, I hope they repeat them next year.

On Black Friday we treated ourselves to a three month unlimited card at Cineworld. My husband and I went to see The Housemaid over Christmas which is based on a book which I enjoyed. It was a great film, not too long, paced really well and it kept you guessing. We also went as a family to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash. I enjoyed it although I'm not sure what to say other than that it was very long (3 hours 17 mins) and there was just a lot of it! It was quite watchable but I'm not really sure it had the same plot development or interest as the first film. 

This weekend we are really getting our money's worth from the card with three consecutive evenings watching The Lord of The Rings films extended editions. With running times of 3 hours 48 mins, 3 hours 55 mins and 4 hours 23 minutes we are definitely going to need to bring the snacks!

Crafting

I've been working on my small, vaguely Christmas themed cross stitch. It's a fun one to do, with some gorgeous colours. There's lots of variety, with a mixture of full and half stitches and different numbers of strands to add some texture.

Listening

I'm back on the school run so it's back to Spotify. I started off the year listening to the new album from Suede - Antidepressants, which is very good. I've listened to Suede for years, and thought of them again when I found out that apparently Suede have become popular in K-Pop circles - my daughter was singing a song about having Suede on the vinyl which amused me!

I'm also back to my podcasts, I've been listening to Cal Newport The Deep Life, I especially enjoy episodes about AI and finding alternatives to social media. I also follow Feel Better, Live More by Dr Rangan Chatterjee, especially episodes about nutrition and improving daily habits.

Organising

One of my January goals was to declutter five items a day. It's going very well, in addition to tidying up some more visible areas of the home I've also been delving into cupboards and getting rid of some things that should have been moved on years ago. I'm only halfway through the month but I'm not struggling to find things, and I've done two runs to the charity shop so far.

Eating

Another new year goal was to get my eating back on track with some healthier habits. I've enjoyed a few meals out with large desserts, but in between I've been cutting back and upping my fruit and vegetable intake. It's not about losing weight (although a little bit would be nice!) but just aiming for an improvement in my health and wellbeing.

Looking forward to

Harry starts learning to drive next week which is very exciting, both for him and us. I'm looking forward to sending him out on errands!

I'm really ready for spring now, although I know there's still a little time to wait. I want to see what happens to my garden when the weather turns warmer, whether all the bulbs that I planted appear and which plants have made it through the winter. I'm also deciding which seeds to plant to fill my garden with flowers for the summer.