John's 2025 year of New Beginnings - Part One

Please pop along and join the fun, news of books, reading and of course Tea drinking, there might be a bit of Cricket mentioned.

Hello everyone, this is my Thirteenth year being part of this wonderful group. I am John, 61 years old and married to Karen for 40 years and counting. We have two lovely children, Rob and Amy. Rob lives with his Fiancee Louise, daughter Hannah who will be 14 in February. Amy married Andy in 2015 and they now have a cat called Combie and Elliott who was born on Star Wars Day. We also have a mad Cat called Felix and we love him, he is Five.

Please come along and leave a message and let's see what fun we have.

I love books and currently have 3,322 books on my shelves, and this doesn't include my Cricket collection which stands at about 500 books. While reading I do enjoy the odd pot or two of tea.

CURRENTLY READING

I just love Big Books, these are my 1000+page reads so far with more to add.

1.Shogun by James Clavell, 1243 pgs
2.Gai-Jin by James Clavell, 1578 pgs
3.Noble House by James Clavell, 1435 pgs
4.War & Remembrance by Herman Wouk, 1171 pgs
5.Whirlwind by James Clavell, 1343 pgs
6.Centennial by James A. Michener 1100 pgs
7.The Covenant by James A. Michener, 1080 pgs
8.Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, 1344 pgs
9.Homeland by John Jakes, 1138 pgs
10.Russka by Edward Rutherfurd, 1007 pgs
11.A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, 1474 pgs
12.Love and War by John Jakes, 1019 pgs
13.Texas by James A. Michener, 1508 pgs
14.My Life by Bill Clinton, 1000 pgs
15.Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine, 1086 pgs
16.Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, 1059 pgs
17.The Journeyer by Gary Jennings, 1219 pgs
18.Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton, 1144 pgs
19.Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton, 1235 pgs
20.Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, 1185 pgs
21.Wicked by Jilly Cooper, 1007 pgs
22.The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, 1412 pgs
23.London by Edward Rutherfurd, 1299 pgs
24.The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 1076 pgs
25.A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, 1391 pgs
26.World Without End by Ken Follett, 1111 pgs
27.Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, 1,015 pgs
28.The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, 1,056 pgs
29.An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, 1,065 pgs
30.New York by Edward Rutherfurd, 1017 pgs
31.Hawaii by James A.Michener, 1130 pgs
32.The Company by Robert Littell, 1281 pgs
33.The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F.Hamilton, 1225 pgs
34.Spangle by Gary Jennings, 1276 pgs
35.Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1024 pgs
36.Alaska by James A. Michener, 1073 pgs.
37.Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson, 1180 pgs.
38.Chesapeake by James A. Michener, 1132 pgs
39. 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster, 1070 pgs.
40. The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch, 1156 pgs.
41. The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton, 1259 pgs.
42. The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton, 1244 pgs.
43. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, 1104 pgs.
44. The Source by James A. Michener, 1032 pgs.
45. Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon, 1220 pgs.
46. The Stand by Stephen King, 1325 pgs.
47. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, 1006 pgs.
48. Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer, 1401 pgs.
49. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, 1073 pgs.
50. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith, 1221 pgs.

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN JANUARY
1. 23rd Midnight by James Patterson, PB - 355 pages.
2. A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley, PB - 311 pages.
3. Loyalty by Martina Cole, PB - 602 pages.

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN FEBRUARY
4. The Sunday Lunch Club by Juliet Ashton, PB - 398 pages.
5. The Dog Sitter Detective by Antony Johnston, PB - 314 pages.
6. Lessons by Jenny Colgan, PB - 272 pages.
7. A Pen Dipped in Poison by J.M. Hall, PB - 369 pages.
8. Tackle! by Jilly Cooper, PB - 484 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN JANUARY
1. Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick, PB - 349 pages. 5 Stars
2. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell, PB - 275 pages. 4 Stars
3. The Cinnamon Bun Bookshop by Laurie Gilmore, PB - 349 pages. 5 Stars
4. The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore, PB - 349 pages. 5 Stars
5. The Cat who Caught a Killer by L.T Shearer, PB - 301 pages. 5+ Stars
6. A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett, PB - 344 pages. 5+ Stars

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN FEBRUARY
7. Death and Scone by Suk Pannu, PB - 300 pages. 3 Stars
8. Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes, PB - 409 pages. 4.5 Stars
9. Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, PB - 407 pages. 5+ Stars

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2025
JANUARY
1. Camino Ghosts by John Grisham, PB.
2. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, PB.
3. Death of a Friend by Rebecca Tope, PB.
4. A Death to Record by Rebecca Tope, PB.
5. The Sting of Death by Rebecca Tope, PB.
6. August Folly by Angela Thirkell, PB.
7. The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell, PB.
8. The Baby Dragon Cafe by A.T. Qureshi, PB.
9. Summer Half by Angela Thirkell, PB.
10. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas, PB.
11. 8 Months Left by James Patterson, PB.
12. Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer, PB.
13. The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan, PB.
14. Summer Secrets at Streamside Cottage by Samantha Tonge, PB.
15. Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber, PB.
16. The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley, PB.

FEBRUARY
17. The Excitements by C.J. Wray, PB.
18. A Knife in the back by Alex Coombs, PB.
19. Murder at the Fair by Greg Mosse, PB.
20. Daughters of Penny Lane by Ruth Hamilton, PB.
21. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, PB.

TEA CONSUMPTION BY MONTH

January.............. 311 pots

Thread now open.

Welcome back, John! I hope this one’s a better year for you and yours.

Happy new thread John!

I hope your health issues get effectively addressed before the new year gets far along.

Welcome back dear John. Look forward to tea and cricket and books and family in 2025.

Give to love to Karen and I hope to see you both soon.

Welcome back John - I hope you had a lovely Christmas and have a Happy New Year.

Hello, John! Here’s hoping that 2025 will bring you much more joy than 2024.

>11 drneutron:, Hi Jim, mate. Thanks for the welcome back, i am sure that 2025 will be a better year, hopefully i will get my outpatient appointment soon and find out what my options are.

>12 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, i also hope for the same dear friend, i hope my outpatient appointment comes soon and options for treatment are forthcoming.

>13 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, mate. I am looking forward to a good year all round, only 98 days until the Championship season starts, not my stat but from a friend on Bluesky. It was lovely to see Yasmyne on Christmas Eve and looking forward to seeing you when you get back over here.

>14 SandDune:, Hi Rhian my dear, we had a lovely Christmas, especially seeing Elliott's face as he opened his presents. I hope your Christmas has been good so far my dear.

>15 Matke:, Hi my dear, i am sure that 2025 will be a lot better than 2024, it could not be worse.

Happy New Thread and New Year, buddy!

Glad to hear you had a lovely Christmas; i can just imagine Elliott’s shining face.😀

Love and hugs from Debbi and me to all of you, mate. Let’s have some fun this year!

>18 johnsimpson: I was happy that Yasmyne made it across to you on our behalf, John, as Hani didn't have transport. Hope that you and yours enjoyed our humble gifts.

Happy New Year, John! I'll skip the cricket as my game is soccer (football to you guys over there on the other side of the pond). I will stop in for a spot of tea, though. Thanks!

>23 SqueakyChu: I would guess that football is not John's favourite subject at the moment as he inexplicably supports a certain club from across the Pennines who are doing a little bit less than well.

>24 PaulCranswick: My team here in DC (DC United in the MLS) was so bad this year that they did not make the playoffs…even though our striker, Christian Benteke, won the Golden Boot Award. My 11-year-old grandson is now playing soccer on a winter team! As much as I love the game and watching him play, I will not sit outside for two hours at the games when it is 30 degrees F!!! :O

I saw the Telegraph put up their World Test XI yesterday, John.

Here is mine for what it is worth:

Jaiswal (India)
Root (England)
Williamson (NZ)
Kohli (India)
Brook (England)
Head (Australia)
Pant (India)
Jadeja (India)
Cummins (Australia)
Henry (NZ)
Bumrah (India)

In order to find a place for the best batsmen Root would open. I would actually try to persuade him to do this for England next summer in lieu of the hapless Crawley.

>25 SqueakyChu: I always looked out for DC firstly because you do and secondly because you had Klich with you who was much loved at Leeds, although I see that you have traded him to Atlanta.

I don't blame you for not sitting through two hours of freezing temperatures but you could of course run up and down the touchline! (maybe not xx).

>27 PaulCranswick: I can't believe that DC United traded Klich away!! He was such a good player. Of course, they keep trading my favorite players away (Paul Arriola, Lucho Acosta, Alex Bono, Julian Gressel) and always bring in players I don't like! There is only one player left on my team that I truly like (Aaron Herrera). I hope my saying that doesn't put a jinx on him so that he'll be gone by the time the season starts again. :(

It certainly was not me who traded Klich to Atlanta!!!!!!!

More to my liking is to exercise at home by dancing in 15 minute intervals to "Grow With Jo" on Utube. :D I'll simply skip the running back and forth along the pitch sidelines. I'll leave that to my grandson's parents until warmer weather arrives! :)

>28 SqueakyChu: Wise lady. I keep an eye out for both your team and Erik's since football enthusiasts in the group are to be cherished.
Karen (karenmarie) keeps in view the EPL.

>29 PaulCranswick: Meanwhile some of our USMNT players are doing great in Europe (Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie). Finally we have some real soccer talent in the USMNT!

>30 SqueakyChu: Brenden Aaronson is doing fine for us too this season and we sit at the top of the Championship (Second tier) with a full stadium every home game.

>31 PaulCranswick: He is great..as is his brother Paxton Aaronson as well.

Hi there, dear Sir!! Starred for 2025. : )

>21 jnwelch:, Hi Joe, mate. Welcome to my humble thread, it was great to watch Elliott opening his presents and seeing his face light up when he saw what they were. Amy took him to see Santa at a local church hall before Christmas, he was very good and told him what he was wanting. Once he was done, Santa gave him a gift and they moved across the church hall where he opened his gift. Amy said his face was a picture when he was confronted with a super hero figure and the look he gave his mum was, well this isn't a hot wheels as i requested, we just laughed when she told us.

I concur with you Joe, let's have some fun this year.

Love and hugs to you and Debbi and the family from both of us dear friend.

>22 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, it was so lovely to see Yasmyne and we loved our gifts mate.

>23 SqueakyChu:, Hi Madeline my dear, skipping the Cricket is fine my dear, i am fine with Football (soccer) even though my team (Man Utd) are not having a good season at all.

>24 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, it is what it is at the moment mate, i do think Amorim will turn things around when he gets a chance to have time with the squad for some good training sessions. I think he will be running the rule over the players he has inherited and deciding who can go and who he would like to recruit. I think the decision to let Rashford go is the right one, he is not in the right frame of mind and a change may do both of them some good.

I do believe that if they give him the time, a la Ferguson, then he will bring back the glory days, they cannot keep chopping and changing, some semblance of continuity has to be found.

>26 PaulCranswick:, you seem to be a bit heavy with Indians, i would replace Kohli with the young Sri Lankan who did well for them against England during the summer and we have enough in that XI doing the ramp that i would be putting Pant as 12th man, not sure who i would put in his place. I must add that India are not my favourites at the moment with the Champions Trophy palaver. If they won't go to Pakistan then they should forfeit their place and if they get to the final which is scheduled to be played in Lahore, it will be moved, not fair to Pakistani fans. It is about time that the ICC grew some and stopped kowtowing to the BCCI.

>33 Berly:, Hi Kim my dear, you are very welcome in these parts dear friend.

>37 johnsimpson: I think your analysis on your football team is right. Amorim is the real deal and if they persevere with him they will get the rewards. I don't much care for the antic of the Indian cricket board either but they do have some exceptional players. England played in Pakistan without any issues and I agree that if India don't want to go there someone else should take their place.

Hello, John, I hope 2025 is a better year for you and yours - health-wise and family issues. Happy New Year!

>40 CDVicarage:, Hi Kerry my dear, thanks for stopping by. I am certain that 2025 will be a better year for us, the main family issue has been resolved, my chauffeuring duties are at an end, it has given me so much time back and more sleep, sadly it needed to be done but we are all happy now. One issue remains, sadly our son and his partner are still not happy about things and to be honest, Karen has certain things to clarify and ask after he came over in December with what appeared to be an agenda. Worst of all is the fact that since Christmas 23, our Granddaughter has not acknowledged her presents then and now, her birthday presents and money and gifts we brought back from holiday. She will be 14 at the end of February and is autistic, she always acknowledged these things but not now, we wondered whether her mum had mentioned the situation and their take on it and so we are blanked or is it me making more of it. I always thanked people for presents and gifts and still do.

Health wise i am in the lap of the gods, i am apparently on a waiting list but don't know how long it is, sadly things are getting slightly worse as the weeks pass but i am remaining stoic about it.

>36 johnsimpson: I still miss Wayne Rooney playing for my team DC United, although his time here as coach was not particularly successful. I never could understand his accent the whole time, either! :D

Happy new thread, John, and wishing you only good for the new year!

Happy New Thread, John and all the best to you and your family in the New Year!

Let's resolve to do this more.

Happy new thread, John. And I wish you a very good new year, especially healthwise.

Happy 2025, John & Karen

Wow! You are off to a hopping start!

Happy New Year :)

Happy 2025 and hugs for you and Karen.

I sincerely wish you a happy, healthy and fulfilling new year. May all your wishes come true. Happy reading 2025.

Good luck with your 2025 reading! I'm amazed at your BB reading, as well as your tea drinking. In 2025, I had zero cups of tea; but then I don't drink tea or coffee, except for the occasional glass of iced tea when dining out.

Here's to a new and better year -- let's go 2025!! OH, and BTW, my Christmas Advent Calendar was a daily tea -- I thought of you a lot! : )

John--I can't find the 2025 BFB Challenge--do you have a link?

Hoping you have a great 2025 and a great year of reading! I look forward to seeing what you are up to and how much tea you are drinking!

I just had to skip past post #1 where to mentioned cricket, as I remembered that the Black Caps vs Sri Lanka T20 is on today...I must not forget to watch. Here in NZ they have thankfully put cricket back on terrestrial TV. For a few years it was locked away on a streaming service that was only good for cricket, and not that many people were watching (which translates to not many kids getting excited-- not playing the game-- and eventually, falling numbers etc etc.). So I am pleased to support it!

Happy New Year, and happy new reads for 2025!

>53 kac522: Never mind, John--I found it and got my thread set up.

Happy New Year, John!

We were quite busy yesterday, once we were up and about, we had breakfast and then i brought the tree book and bag down for Karen to start taking it down while i went to Dunelm to pick up four storage boxes that Karen had ordered the previous evening. I also needed to get the car washed. Picking the boxes was the easy part, trying to get the car washed was a nightmare, the first i tried had a massive queue so i tried the one at Sainsbury's petrol station. I paid for a session and was given a printed code, sadly i couldn't put it in, i got a member of staff to have a look and it turned out it was out of order. I then went down to the Jet station but it was coned off as a fuel delivery was about to take place, i then went to the BP station but they didn't have a car wash. I then thought that Karen would be wondering where i was, i headed for home knowing that i would pass another petrol station. I called into it, parked up and went to get the code to operate it only to be told it was out of action due to frozen water.

I made my way home and brought the boxes in and made us a pot of tea, we had our drink before i helped Karen to dismantle the tree and then we started on the other decorations. We had another tea break as my right hip, thigh and knee was agony. We finished our drink and then finished off taking everything down and took the boxes upstairs. I vacuumed the living room and then we put the furniture back where it should be. Once again i made us a drink as i was in pain again.

This is my problem now, as soon as i am up and about on a morning, within ten to fifteen minutes i am in pain, it is so annoying.

>2 johnsimpson: Happy New Year, and happy reading in 2025!

This morning we got up, washed and then got dressed in our funeral wear, it was my BIL's partner's funeral, she was 86 and had been suffering from Dementia for about six or seven years. She had been in hospital but she was allowed home and two days after being home, she passed away in Brian's arms at 10.15am on the 6th of December. Today was the earliest that he could get a slot at the crematorium. It was a lovely service for Joan, the celebrant gave a lovely eulogy before we retired to the Star pub for refreshments. It seems that the only time we get all the family together is at a sad event like this.

The last two days have been bitterly cold and we are now under an Amber warning for heavy snow from 6pm tomorrow until midnight on Sunday with some areas expected to get up to 40cm of snow. We are hoping that we don't get too much as it is Andy's 50th birthday on Sunday and we are having a celebration with food for him at ours. His BIL Andi, is also fifty tomorrow and they are coming over as well along with our Andy's best man and family. I am hoping that we will have more of an idea of the weather tomorrow morning but Karen will make the Curry and Cottage Pie along with the cakes and we will decorate the dining room for him.

Time for my 2024 stats:

BOOKS READ.................. 44

PAGES READ................... 18,027

AVG PAGES PER DAY........ 49.25

AVG BOOK LENGTH.......... 409.7 Pages

No OF AUTHORS............... 33

MALE AUTHORS................ 14

FEMALE AUTHORS............. 19

NEW AUTHORS.................. 11

>1 johnsimpson: I know nothing about Cricket, but I am definitely in for the Tea drinking!

>5 johnsimpson: I love big books too, but I stand in awe of how many you have read, John!

>9 johnsimpson: I will be watching to see what gets posted there. I routinely drink 6-8 cups a day, caffeinated in the morning and decaf every afternoon.

>61 johnsimpson: Love seeing those stats, John! I should probably do something like that - but probably won't, lol.

Happy New Year!

OVERRALL STATS FOR 1ST JULY 1995 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2024

No OF DAYS............................... 10,777

BOOKS READ.............................. 1,431

PAGES READ............................... 649,958

No OF AUTHORS.......................... 412

AVG PAGES PER DAY..................... 60.31

AVG BOOK LENGTH....................... 454.20

MALE AUTHORS............................ 232

FEMALE AUTHORS......................... 180

>62 alcottacre:, Hi Stasia, thanks for popping by my dear, i think by now that you and the group know that i love my stats and with 147 years of Cricket, which is full of stats, it is something that go together with me.

i normally average about 10 pots of tea per day although i did drink a lot more coffee in 2024 than i usually do but that was more to make a drink quickly as time seemed to be slipping through my fingers in 24.

>64 johnsimpson: 10 pots of tea? How big is a pot?

I had a delightful afternoon with my neighbor. He is 7 years old and he is my cousin. We made carrot cake cookies and had cookies and TEA! I am going to get him to drink hot tea yet. I keep plying him with cookies or cake. Before he left he also had a small slice of gingerbread cake left over from my New Year's Tea with another cousin and friend. The neighbor kid hadn't been to my house for over three weeks. He and his little brother had some kind of a virus and his mother wouldn't let him go out to see the neighbors. It was good to have things back to normal.

I managed to get one of the big wardrobe boxes out of the carport and emptied. I found my winter sweaters!!!! That was a big win. I now have them stored away in the dresser and shelves where they belong and I am going to need them this weekend. The weather here is going to turn cold, but I can handle it because I now have my winter wardrobe back.

I hope to get through another of those big huge boxes tomorrow before the cold front moves in. After that there will be tea and cookies.

Happy New Year, John. Happy New Thread. It sounds like you have a very lovely family. Wishing you a great year of reading and drinking lots of tea.

Just thinking of you -- hope the pain subsides!

Hello John! Happy New Year, and happy first thread of 2025.

>9 johnsimpson: Ah, the tea consumption message. *happy dance*

>41 johnsimpson: I’m sorry that Hannah still hasn’t acknowledged her presents, but it can’t be a coincidence that Rob and his partner are at outs with you. I wrote on your thread in December that it’s despicable to bring children into adult fights/issues.

>58 johnsimpson: Gads, what a frustrating saga re getting your car washed. And, I am so sorry about your agonizing pain and hope that you get to see the spine specialist soon.

edited to add: Your boys played marvelously against Liverpool and a tie was not half bad.

Sending love and hugs to you and Karen, and kitty skritches for Felix from Inara and Wash.

>43 jessibud2:. Thanks Shelley my dear.

>44 vancouverdeb:, Thanks Deb my dear.

>45 richardderus:, Thanks Richard, totally agree with this.

>46 EllaTim:, Thanks Ella my dear.

>47 PaulCranswick:, Thanks Paul, mate.

>48 figsfromthistle:, Thanks Anita my dear.

>49 DianaNL:, Thanks Diana my dear.

>50 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara my dear.

>51 Tess_W:, Thanks Tess my dear.

>52 Berly:, Thanks Kim my dear.

>54 thornton37814:, Thanks Lori my dear.

>55 LovingLit:, Hi Megan my dear, so glad that you have Cricket back on terrestrial TV, i wish we could go back to having meaningful Cricket back on Terrestrial TV instead of the silly bloody hundred.

>57 quondame:, Thanks Susan my dear.

>59 ocgreg34:, Thanks Greg.

>65 Tess_W:, Hi Tess, the pots i drink from hold about 300 milliliters.

>66 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita my dear, Happy New Year. I am so glad you had a delightful afternoon tea with your 7 year old cousin and making him a drink of tea, once he gets the taste he will be ok with it. Sounds like you have good neighbours, not letting their kids pass on any bugs by staying away but it must have been nice to have seen them again.

I am so glad that you managed to get one of the big wardrobe boxes out and emptied and put away and more so that it contained winter sweaters. I have been seeing and reading about the severe cold spell you are going to be getting and it does sound like a biggie. We were on amber warning for snow from 6pm last night, until midnight tonight. We awoke this morning to about 3 inches of snow with freezing rain to come overnight. In the Yorkshire Dales and the Pennines, they were expecting up to 40cm of snow and it has looked bad from pictures i have seen. A short while ago i was checking my phone when a message came up saying that Walton is to have a substantial amount of snow tomorrow morning, it could be interesting taking Karen to work in the morning.

>67 msf59:, Hi Mark, thanks for the comment about us having a lovely family, they have their moments but overrall they are good although we do have an issue with my son and his partner and it seems that they have passed things onto our granddaughter which is not on. I must admit i do love a nice pot of tea, lol.

>68 Berly:, Hi Kim my dear, i am just having a nice pot of tea while i type, sadly the pain is here for the long term although today, because i have been sat for most of it, i have not had as much in the way of pain issues. Karen is back at work tomorrow and i will be on my feet on and off all day so i will see how it goes. I will probably have an issue tonight while i make us a pot of tea to have when we go up to bed and read before lights out, it makes climbing the stairs painful.

Happy New Year, John! Hope that 2025 is kind to you!

>69 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, thanks for stopping by. I thought the post for my tea consumption would give folks a giggle, you know how i like my pots of tea while i am reading. On the thanks for presents, Karen will have a word about it with Rob when she get to talk to him and sort some things out with him after his comments to us when he visited.

Karen didn't want me to cause myself some pain by me washing the car and i agree, it was a trauma trying to find a car wash open and working. With the snow we have just had, freezing rain expected tonight and more snow expected tomorrow morning, i dare say the car would soon get mucky as i take Karen to work and then any other driving i may have to do during the day, so a clean car would not have lasted very long.

Sadly i am getting used to the pain, to be honest i didn't think i would get an outpatient appointment until sometime in 2025 right from the start and having seen details about the long waiting lists at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, i am not surprised that i am having to wait so long. Unfortunately because it is the spinal surgical unit i need to see, it is more specialised and so rather than there being one at each Hospital Trust, there is one for the whole of Yorkshire and therefore we are all scattered across the county waiting to be seen.

It was a really good result for Man Utd but it does seem that Maguire could have won it for us right at the death. We have the right manager but the wrong players or players that are playing for the club and not the paycheck.

Sending love and hugs to you , Bill, Jenna and Hwan and Felix sends kitty skritches to Wash and Zoe.

>80 ChelleBearss:, Hi Chelle my dear, thank you my dear and a Happy New Year to you, Nate, Chloe and Elissa and hope 2025 is good to you all dear friend.

Hi John, I’m getting around to the threads slowly. I hope your 2025 is a happy one and you get a medical appointment sooner rather than later.

>83 Familyhistorian:, Thanks Meg my dear.

Hi John. Everything all right in your neighborhood? I saw a lot of water overflowing in England in the news, and now you have been writing about snow? The pictures in the news looked like misery for people.

Ten pots of tea is amazing John! I drink two cups a day, one at breakfast and one after dinner. I am very sorry about your continued pain, John. It was hard enough on Dave when he had to take a small dose of morphine at night just to sleep, and that only lasted 3 weeks. 300 milliliters, I will have to look that up, though we are supposed to be metric here in Canada.

Happy new year! Looking forward to connecting more often in 2025.

I drink coffee like you drink tea. I usually have to trek downstairs to get a cup but added a single serve machine to my office. I am concerned that it may add to the consumption amount.

Best to you, Karen and the whole family. I send all the healing energy I can.

>85 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, the weather has been very poor over the last few days, areas of the country had quite a lot of rain which led to flooding in some parts. Heavy snow was forecast from 6pm on Saturday through to midnight Sunday with up to 40cm (16 in) on high ground. It started snowing with us at around 10.30pm and by Sunday morning, we had about 10cm.

It was cold but was due to get colder during the week, it stopped snowing by lunchtime Sunday with us and then we had short sharp snow showers from mid-afternoon until about 11.30pm. On Monday morning we had to be careful getting off our drive but once onto the road, it wasn't too bad if you followed previous tyre tracks.

Tuesday was quite cold during the daytime and dropped quite a bit once it was dusk, the forecast for Yorkshire on Tuesday night was for it to drop to minus 6C and to only get to plus 1C during the day on Wednesday and then to drop to minus 10 or 11C on Wednesday night. We had the funeral of a neighbour to go to on Wednesday, we had known Tom for 40 years and it was really cold waiting at the crematorium.

Thursday morning was cold, i went to pick up Elliott and as i set off it was minus 5 according to the car, by the time i got to the pick up point it was minus 2. It has been cold all day, not getting above minus 1 and tonight some areas of Yorkshire could get as low as minus 16. The cold snap is to continue through to Sunday night and by next Tuesday we could be back to plus 11, a swing of 22 degrees.

It has been cold here as well. It is now getting warmer. It will be up to 35 degrees F today. Yesterday it was 34 degrees F. This weekend it was down to minus 5 degrees F. We had about 5 inches of snow here in Munden. The worst of the snow was south of us. This is unusual because Munden is located on the northern edge of the state boundary and it is more common for the areas north of here to get more snow. But not this year.

>89 benitastrnad: A lot of our snow never reached the ground because it evaporated from the cold dry atmospheric conditions in place (according to the National Weather Service). I don't know whether to be excited or sad that we got less than predicted. I'm sure we didn't get enough to cancel the first day of classes for spring semester on Monday. My driveway, while covered, isn't that bad because I pre-treated it with some sort of environmentally friendly ice melt I picked up at the hardware store.

The last week has been very cold for us here in Yorkshire and other parts of the country. We were warned that heavy snow was due to fall from 6pm on the 4th until midnight on the 5th. I noticed very light flakes around 10.30pm on the 4th and by Sunday morning we had about 3 to 4 inches, some areas, especially the Dales and Pennines could expect up to 16 inches.

I went downstairs to make us a pot of tea to enjoy in bed on Sunday morning and unlocked the door for Felix to go out, a blast of cold air hit my bare shins and Felix was not happy. He reluctantly stepped out, his paws sank into the snow, he made a small circle and dived back inside. I reported the situation to Karen as we were expecting Amy, Andy and Elliott, Andi, Helen and Murphy, Jamie, Danielle, Sam and Alexandra for Andy's 50th birthday as we were having a celebration for him with Curry, Rice and Naan's or Cottage Pie and whatever the kids wanted.

Amy messaged to say they were still coming as they live on a main road, but the rest were all stuck in estates with the snow and things were bad for them.

Amy, Andy and Elliott arrived just before 12.30pm and after Andy opened his cards and presents, Karen got the curry out, the Naan breads and Bhaji's and warmed them up for us all. It was a bit of a disappointment but Andy had a good birthday and loved all his presents. After we had eaten we had a break before having dessert and a pot of tea, coffee or a beer in Andy's case. The snow began to fall and they decided to get things together and make a start homewards. The snow continued for two or three hours adding a little bit more to what had fallen earlier.

The temperature started to drop and it was obvious that we would wake up to a frozen vista on Monday morning.

>91 johnsimpson: A birthday party in the snow. It does sound nice, what you had planned, Naan breads and curry. But a pity that people were locked by the snow and couldn’t make it.

>92 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, it was a shame that the snow meant folks couldn't get over to us, they missed out on a really nice Curry, the Cottage Pie is in the freezer and will be split into portions and put into trays to be cooked when needed.

Following Andy's birthday, we awoke to a frozen scene on Monday morning. We got breakfast ready, meds and vitamins out and pot of tea made and i then went out to get the snow off the car and de-iced the windscreen ready to take Karen to work.

I took Karen to work and managed to get off our estate without sliding, although there were good tyre tracks to follow, the compacted snow in places had frozen over. The car park at the Asda store had lots of snow, unfortunately the store do not own the car park but later it was cleared. After dropping Karen off, i made my way home and proceeded to read and drink tea until it was time to go and collect Karen. Once home we had a nice pot of tea and got hunkered in the living room and kept warm.

The forecast for the week was not good with temperatures continually dropping and severe cold levels from Wednesday until Saturday.

Tuesday was very much similar to the previous day, i got Karen to work without any mishaps and once home i read and drank tea until about 1pm. I had some lunch and then got on with the upstairs housework, i had to take breaks as my hip and thigh was playing up. It seems that once i am up and about for more than 10 to 15 minutes, the pain starts and only sitting down eases things.

I managed to get the housework done and had time for a pot of tea and a bit of reading before i made a coffee for myself. an electrolyte drink for Karen and set off to collect her from work. Once back home, everything was as on Monday.

Sadly on Wednesday we had a funeral to go to, Sue and Tom Cole were our neighbours when we moved into our first house and like us they moved but not very far away, they are now four doors away from us. Sadly Tom passed away at home on the 16th December aged 80.

As things turned out, Amy and Andy had a wedding to go to on the Thursday so we swapped days having Elliott which was fortuitous for us with the funeral being on the Wednesday. We had a steady Morning before we both got changed into funeral wear and set off to the Crematorium at 1.20pm, the funeral cortege was setting off from the house at 1.30pm and we passed the funeral cars on their way to the house as we made our way to the Crematorium.

It was a lovely service for Tom, covering his time in the Army and how he met Sue, got married and lived in Germany and Malta before being based in the UK until he left the Army after 22 years service. The celebrant said she had spent quite a bit of time with Sue and their daughter, Joanne and had had a job condensing all she had noted down into the 25 minutes that she had. We paid our respects to Sue and family before we made our way to the Asda to pick up a parcel for Amy and then made our way home. We decided not to go to the funeral reception. It was a bitterly cold day and my hip and thigh was playing up.

On Thursday morning i got up and went downstairs to make Karen a pot of tea before taking it up to her and then i got washed and dressed and went back downstairs to make my coffee in the travel mug and then cleared my windscreen and rear screen before setting off to meet Amy with Elliott at our usual meeting point. Elliott was a bit put out that his day had changed but was pleased to be seeing grandma.

We had a nice day with Elliott, because it was cold outside, we watched some of his favourite programmes such as Bluey and Peppa Pig and at other time he just wanted to cuddle up with Grandma. He had a couple of little meltdowns late in the afternoon but was fine when it came to tea time but then played up a bit about going up to bed. Karen sorted him out and he settled down to listen to his bedtime stories.

Karen had explained to Elliott about not messing about on Friday morning as she had to got to work before i took him home.

On Friday morning Elliott had woken up at 6.30am and found his phone and was watching that when we got up with the alarm. He was very good in getting washed and dressed without any messing about and while i got washed and dressed, he went downstairs with Grandma to help her get things sorted out for breakfast.

We all had breakfast and a drink and i popped out to clear my windscreen again before we all got in the car, Elliott was secured in his seat and then we set off to take Grandma to work. After dropping Karen off we set off for Selby and Elliott was excited to see mummy and daddy. I got to Selby just before 10am and while Amy made me a coffee in my travel mug, i filled a plastic bottle up with warm water and some screenwash to put in my washer bottle so that i could keep my windscreen clean from spray.

I had a quick chat with Amy and Andy before setting off for home. On my way home i parked up in Crofton and walked across to the Post Office to pay the last installment of the 24/25 Council Tax. Once paid i got back to the car and made my way home, i made myself a pot of tea and read for a while before getting on with giving the kitchen a full clean. I had to stop a couple of times as after being stood for a while, my hip and thigh pained me. I managed to get 3/4 of the kitchen done before i had to set off to Asda to do the bit of shopping we needed before Karen finished work. By the time i was making my way from the checkout to the car, i was in a lot of pain, i got the shopping in the car, took the trolley to the trolley bay and got back to the car and very gingerly and in pain, got in the car and waited for Karen to appear.

Once we got home, we unpacked and put the shopping away between us and then i made a pot of tea for both of us. Later we had something to eat before settling down to watch a bit of TV.

I'm glad you all got to enjoy some time with Elliott. I'm sure you felt great paying that last tax installment for the year. The problem is that before you know it, you'll have the next year's to pay.

I'm glad you have had time to enjoy Elliot, John and Karen. Nice that you have paid off the tax installment tax for this year. It's always something that needs paying, it seems. Our mortgage has been been off for quite a few years, but of course there are property taxes and also strata fees that go with townhouse living.

>97 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, we love the time we get to spend with Elliott before he starts school full time in September. It is always nice to pay the last installment of the years Council Tax, two months of bliss before the the next years bill drops through the door in mid-March ready to start paying from 1st April.

>98 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, We love the time we get to spend with Elliott before he starts school full time in September. I always enjoy paying the last installment of each years Council Tax, two months grace before it starts all over again. The bill will drop through our door in mid-March and we already know that it will go up by 4.99%, the only figure we don't know until the bill comes through is the Village precept. We have a Parish Council and they have a budget for certain works etc within the village and they get income from hiring out the Village Hall.
We paid our mortgage off just after my 60th birthday but as you say, there is always something to pay and for us it is our Council Tax which we spread over ten installments and then there are the energy costs, water rates etc, it is never ending. As the saying goes, there are two certainties in life, death and taxes.

Finished my first book of 2025 on the 8th January, 23rd Midnight by James Patterson, PB - 355 pages.

DETECTIVE LINDSAY BOXER PUT SERIAL KILLER EVAN BURKE IN JAIL.

Reporter Cindy Thomas put Burke on the bestseller list in her true-crime book about the case.

An obsessed fan is studying every detail - and committing fresh horrors that carry Burke's signature.

Now, Lindsay is tracking an elusive suspect, one who's penning a deadly playbook featuring Cindy's name in blood-red ink.

Finished book 2 of 2025 on 18th January, A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley, PB - 311 pages.

'IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A SINGLE MAN OF OVER FORTY IS IN POSSESSION OF A MAJOR DEFECT.'

Cassandra Leigh has woken as if from a bad dream: forty-four, childless and twenty-plus years into an affair with a married man. Max assures her that one day soon they will be able to marry, but Cass is desperate for a baby and running out of time. Maybe Max is not the only man for her?

There's her friend Jason - though he's perhaps a little too rugged, and there's something strange about the way his wife disappeared. Or there's Dante, the mysterious stranger she meets on a dark night in his haunted manor house...

Cass must throw caution to the wind and claim the life she's always wanted. Suddenly, it's a choice between Mr Right, Mr Wrong or Mr Right Now...

>64 johnsimpson: I normally average about 10 cups of tea a day. I never touch coffee as I cannot abide the stuff.

>91 johnsimpson: I am glad to hear that Andy had a nice birthday despite the cold.

>101 johnsimpson: >102 johnsimpson: Congratulations on getting books 1 and 2 of the year out of the way!

I hope your hip lets you be today!

hello

anybody up?

>102 johnsimpson: John, your excellent review prompts me to add A Good Heart is Hard To Find to my reading list.

>106 Whisper1:, Hi Linda my dear, i think you will enjoy it dear friend.

I thought i would look back on my book buying, i have noted it on LT since 2013.

2013 ------ 384
2014 ------ 317
2015 ------ 196
2016 ------ 235
2017 ------ 167
2018 ------ 205
2019 ------ 157
2020 ------ 135
2021 ------ 230
2022 ------ 163
2023 ------ 211
2024 ------ 276
------
2,676

This gives me an average of buying 223 books per year, no where near the Cranswickian standards but that is a lot of books that have found their way into our house.

>5 johnsimpson: My Mom encouraged me to read Michener back in high school--Alaska I think it was--and I've loved his books ever since.

Finished book 3 of 2025 a few hours ago, Loyalty by Martina Cole, PB - 602 pages.

Dara Tailor and Grace Perry couldn't be more different. But both had to grow up fast when their circumstances led them to Holly Brookes Children's Home.

There, the two girls unite in the face of horrific abuse and form an unbreakable bond.

But when their loyalty is put to the ultimate test, can they rely on each other to do the right thing?

FRIENDSHIP - IT'S ALL ABOUT TRUST.

It has been a steady week for us, got my housework done and began using the blood pressure monitoring machine that i picked up from the doctors. So far the testing is looking fine, the test that i had done at the doctors must have been a blip. We have been watching the Traitors UK and last week was the final three episodes and boy were they thrilling with a new change put in for series three. The final episode was on Friday night and was a slightly longer episode with Traitors uncloaked following straight afterwards. This show makes January more bearable and now we are starting to watch Traitors US on iplayer.

I have managed to read my first BFB of 2025 and it was a really good one, i do love Martina Cole's books as they are told from the criminals view, not for the fainthearted, looking forward to the release of the next one in paperback.

>111 johnsimpson: Hi John. Blood pressure readings can be so dependent on circumstances. There’s something like doctor induced high blood pressure. So best results from taking them like you do, at home.

I don’t know what Traitors is, we don’t have that show here, but I agree some help is needed to get through this January.

Have a nice week ahead, and much love from your friend, Ella.

>111 johnsimpson: About blood pressure... I suffer from what is commonly called "white coat syndrome", in which my blood pressure spikes every time I visit the doctor or dentist office. Twice my doctor placed me on a 24-blood-pressure monitoring device and discovered that my blood pressure is fine at home. I can actually use 4-7-8 breathing to bring down my own blood pressure! What I do for the blood pressure spike at medical appintments is to take medication (0.1mg Clonidine) about 1-2 hours before each medical appointment. It keeps my blood pressure from spiking too high. Its only side effect is late afternoon fatigue which I can live with. I also have a home blood pressure monitor and only use it from time to time.

>108 johnsimpson: 223 books a year sounds like a good amount to me, John!

>110 johnsimpson: I will have to see if I can find a copy of that one. Thanks for the mention, John.

>111 johnsimpson: It has been a steady week for us That is good to hear!

I hope you have a marvelous Monday (or a terrific Tuesday, whichever the case may be)

Just dropping in to say hello. Hope all is as well as it can be.

>111 johnsimpson: My BP also spikes at the doctor's office. It has for years. He is aware of it. If it is really high, I have it checked at the fire station by the EMT's in a day or so, and it is usually normal. My Dr. doesn't place much faith in BP by machine, either at home or the office, although I have one.

Going to look into Traitors.

ETA: Who stars in this? There are multiple shows with that title!

Happy Friday, John. Just checking in. I hope the year is off to a good start for you and I hope those books are treating you just fine.

>Hi Ella my dear, your home country is the birthplace of The Traitors as it is based on the Dutch series, De Verraders. Jenny the practice nurse rang me this afternoon as my average BP was higher than it should be, she has booked me in to have a chat, take a blood test, an ECG and i have to take a Urine sample in and then a week later, i will see her again to get the results and we will go from there.

>113 SqueakyChu:, Hi Madeline my dear, it could have been high because i was at the doctors or because of my meds and the fact that i was in pain from my hip and thigh and the long wait for an outpatient appointment to see the specialists.

>114 alcottacre:, Hi Stasia my dear, thanks for stopping by dear friend.

>115 figsfromthistle:, Hi Anita my dear, thanks for stopping by dear friend.

>116 Tess_W:, Hi Tess my dear, it could have been high because i was in the doctors or it could be my meds are raising the pressure plus i was in pain from my hip and thigh or the fact i am waiting for my outpatient appointment to see the specialists that is causing me stress.

The Traitors has different contestants depending on the country, our version has everyday folk from various employment and a wide age range, the US version uses people from your game shows like Survivor, Big Brother, Real Housewives of ?, etc. The New Zealand version has a mix like the UK although there were a few from various media outlets such as radio, TV or social media and the Australian version, which we are currently watching has the same as UK and NZ. The prize money is different, up to £120,000, $ 250,000 US, $ 70,000 NZ AND $250,000 Aus.

>117 msf59:, Hi Mark, mate, not a bad start to the year and the books are treating me nicely.

>118 johnsimpson: I had to look the show up, John! I don’t watch a lot of TV nowadays, and somehow I just can’t deal with reality shows. Never watched Big Brother, either. We all have our quirks, I guess.
Hope your next appointment with the medical establishment will be better. All of your reasons are enough for high BP, stress, pain, waiting.
Have a nice week ahead!

Finished book 4 of 2025 yesterday, The Sunday Lunch Club by Juliet Ashton, PB - 398 pages.

MEET SOME NEW FRIENDS FOR LUNCH!

Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family get together over a meal. One of them prepares the food; then they talk, they laugh and they bicker as only families can.

Sitting between her ex-husband and her new lover, Anna is coming to terms with some life-changing news at the age of forty. Also at the table are her ageing grandmother, her fragile sister, her secretive brother, and memories too terrible to contemplate. Until, that is, a letter arrives.

Can Anna reconcile her painful past with her uncertain future? And can she keep her family on speaking terms in the meantime?

>108 johnsimpson: Those book buys do add up, don't they? I'm afraid to count how many new books I've added since joining LT.

>124 Familyhistorian:, Far too many Meg my dear, lol.

JANUARY'S READING STATS

Books Read....................... 3

No of Authors.................... 3

New Authors...................... 0

Male Authors..................... 1

Female Authors.................. 2

Pages Read....................... 1,268

Daily Avg........................... 40.90

Book Length avg................. 422.67

Books on shelves at 1-1-25 - 3322
Books added in January - 16
Books read in January - 3

Revised book total - 3335

Pages to read at 1-1-25 - 1,343,034
Pages added in January - 6,545
Pages read in January - 1,268

Revised total pages to read - 1,348,311

>122 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, The Traitors is the only reality show that we watch, we started with the UK one especially as Claudia Winkleman is the host and we love her on Strictly Come Dancing. It was really good and then we heard that Traitors US was airing with Alan Cumming as host, both are filmed at a Scottish Castle in Ardross. Alan Cumming is ideal and is brutal with the contestants as they all come from US reality shows. This year we watched the UK series 3 and then 5 episodes of series 3 of the US version were on Iplayer. After this they are only dropping one episode every week now so we went and had a look at the New Zealand first series of the Traitors and watched that over a week. We were then told that the ending of the Australian version is really good so we are currently watching their first series while we wait for more US episodes to drop.

>113 SqueakyChu: Hani is just the same. I have seen her BP shoot over 200 whilst waiting for a procedure on kidney stones.

>128 johnsimpson: You really are into it, John!

Yes, I do think White Coat High Blood pressure is a thing. My younger brother has had a few slightly high reading, just from the anxiety. After Dave's car crash in November , his blood pressure in the hospital was quite high, but just as a result of the stress of the car crash. When our son William was 14 , he was hit by a car. I fee like a car crash telling you this, but I got a phone call that he was hit by a car, but was fine, but an ambulance was there . I ran the 5 minutes to where he had been hit, and he was on a spine board, but waved to me. Anyway, I headed off with him in the ambulance, and I recall his blood pressure was very high. I asked my family doctor, who happened to walk by in Emergency about his high blood pressure, and he said, just the result of being hit by a car. He was fine , other than a bruised hip. He saw the car heading his way and was able to jump onto the hood of the car, and bounced onto the ground. The things we do in life. Congrats on reading your first BFB of the year, John.

>119 johnsimpson: John, pain will always spike your blood pressure.

>129 PaulCranswick: Interestingly, Paul, I can use a deep breathing technique called 4-7-8 breathing to bring my own blood pressure down. Prior to my second cataract surgery, I was told my blood pressure was too high to go into surgery (it was over 180 systolic). I asked for a few minutes to do my deep breathing. In about ten minutes, I had brought my blood pressure down to 159 systolic, and was told I was good to go into surgery. At home, my blood pressure is fine.

>132 SqueakyChu: That is extraordinary, Madeline and proof that we do have plenty of control over our bodies.

>133 PaulCranswick: It’s really easy to understand, Paul. What the deep breathing (or meditation or any of these similar techniques) does is engage our parasympathetic nervous system. That stops the “fight or flight” responses that our bodies do automatically when we react to stress (even when we don’t think we’re stressed). It’s simply our nervous system at work.

>134 SqueakyChu: Yes, I am sure that that is right, Madeline. Hani always scares me a lot when she gets in those situations because her blood pressure always rises so drastically.

>135 PaulCranswick: My doctor makes me take an antihypertensive drug (Clonidine 0.1 mg) by mouth about an hour or two before any medical procedure. That's helped me.

At first, I wanted to stop taking it because it causes great fatigue later in the day. However, my daughter-in-law who is a nurse convinced me to start taking it again. I don't take it every day. Just before medical appoinments or procedures.

>136 SqueakyChu: Before I go to a doctor, I take my 3pm blood pressure medicine early! Sometimes it helps, sometimes not. Last Friday my BP was 138/84 before I left, after a 30 minute drive on the freeway and 10 floors in the elevator, it was 160/86. Today it is 139/72.

>137 Tess_W: I’ve found that my medicine works better at the medical appointments the earlier I take it.

Thanks for all the advice, Madeline, Paul and Tess.

I got a phone call from one of the practice nurses to say that my BP reading average was a little high for me and she booked me two appointments, the first was today and i had to take a Urine sample, have a blood test and have an ECG. I go back next week to get my results and have a chat about what is going on in my life and what if anything needs to be done or meds to be given.

Thanks for all the advice, Madeline, Paul and Tess.

I got a phone call from one of the practice nurses to say that my BP reading average was a little high for me and she booked me two appointments, the first was today and i had to take a Urine sample, have a blood test and have an ECG. I go back next week to get my results and have a chat about what is going on in my life and what if anything needs to be done or meds to be given.

I have been missing for a couple of weeks, this was all due to the pair of us watching all the available episodes of The Traitors US, Season 3 and also The Traitors Aus, Season 2, all episodes. Added to this i have been getting on with my reading, i have had a few bad days with pain in my Hip, Thigh and Knee and the left Hip and Thigh have also started to appear intermittently and we have had Elliott for his usual visits.

Finished book 5 of 2025 on the 8th February, The Dog Sitter Detective by Antony Johnston, PB - 314 pages.

Penniless Gwinny Tuffel is delighted to attend her good friend Tina's upmarket wedding. But when the big day ends with a dead body and not a happily-ever-after, Gwinny is left with a situation as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

When her friend is accused of murder, Gwinny takes it upon herself to sniff out the true culprit. With a collection of larger-than-life suspects and two pedigree Salukis in tow, she is set to have a ruff time of it.

I finished book 6 of 2025 on the 13th of February, Lessons by Jenny Colgan, PB - 272 pages.

As the summer holidays start, scandal hits Downey House. The attraction between Maggie Adair, the fiery, committed English Teacher, and David McDonald, a teacher at the local boys' school, has escalated and now both are facing an uncertain future.

Long summers are stretching before the girls of Downey House. But the new term is not as far away as they think - and it will bring new pupils and lots of fresh challenges....

Fingers crossed that you get the result as soon as possible.

>144 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara my dear, hopefully when i see Jenny next Tuesday, i will get the results and everything will be OK.

Finished book 7 of 2025 on Saturday, A Pen Dipped in Poison by J.M. Hall, PB - 369 pages.

Retired schoolteachers, Liz, Pat and Thelma are back at their usual table at the Thirsk Garden Centre cafe with a brand-new mystery to solve...

Curious white envelopes have been delivered to friends and neighbours. Inside are letters revealing the deepest secrets they have tried to hide.

As, one by one, careers are ended, marriages destroyed and no one is beyond suspicion, the three friends decide enough is enough. They must take matters into their own hands before more damage is done.

But as they work to uncover the truth, they begin to wonder just how far someone will go to silence this poison pen...

COULD A MURDERER BE IN THEIR MIDST ONCE AGAIN?

After seeing the practice nurse last week with my Urine sample and having a blood test and an ECG, i went back to see Jenny the practice nurse for the results. She told me that my Urine sample came back OK, my Blood Test came back OK apart from a slight rise in my Cholestrol and my ECG was fine. After a chat with her, she took my blood pressure and it was a bit high but in line with the results i handed in. The end result is that i am going onto a very low dosage blood pressure tablet and a statin for my Cholestrol.

>141 johnsimpson: Missing in action huh? Good to hear that it was for reasons of binge watching, but sorry to hear that it came with some pain.

>148 LovingLit:, Hi Megan my dear, The Traitors is so addictive, we are also waiting for Traitors NZ Season 2 to drop and then that is it for 2025 unless they manage to film and put out Traitors UK Celebrity edition this year.

I managed to contact Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust last week, i was given the number for the waiting list department and so i contacted them to see what was happening with my out-patient appointment. I spoke to a lovely lady, she took all my details and informed me that i had been waiting 41 weeks and six days (I thought i had been waiting 39 weeks) and the longest wait was currently 43 weeks to see the Spinal Surgeon, therefore i should be getting a letter with an appointment date quite soon, fingers crossed.

>150 johnsimpson: I hope you don't set a new record!

>150 johnsimpson: I hope you are able to get your appointment soon! Canada is also experiencing long wait times for appointments and it can be quite frustrating.

>147 johnsimpson: glad everything turned up in the normal scope. My dad was on blood pressure medication because his pressure was always high at the doctor's office. He monitored his blood pressure at home and found out that the elevation only came due to the anxiety/excitement of being at the doctors office. Now he no longer needs the medication.

I hope you get that letter from the spinal surgeon very soon, John. I also started on a statin for high cholesterol in September. I have not noticed any side effects. Tomorrow morning I go for another blood draw to make sure it has lowered my cholesterol.

>150 johnsimpson: Oh my, 41 weeks! I get cranky when I have to wait 6 weeks!

>154 Tess_W:, Hi Tess my dear, i am now at 43 weeks and three days.

Finished book 8 of 2025 on the 28th February, Tackle! by Jilly Cooper, PB - 484 pages.

Rupert Campbell-Black, all-conquering racehorse owner-trainer and handsomest man in England, is in the darkest of places. His adored wife, Taggie, is about to undergo chemotherapy and his beloved leading stallion has been assassinated. Now his daughter Bianca is badgering him to buy into a failing local football club, Searston Rovers, so he can sign up her superstar striker boyfriend.

Rupert dislikes football and his first impressions of Searston are distinctly unfavourable. But as their new Chairman, he won't stand for anything less than an Everest climb to the top of the Premier League. Aided by the club's ravishing secretary, Tember West, and sassy Press Officer, Dora Belvedon, he becomes increasingly fond of his riotous mix of players.

But Rupert's explosive arrival at Searston sparks outrage and the fights are as furious off the field as on, while the WAGS lust after him and stir up trouble. Nor do the corrupt rival local football team and their duplicitous chairman make things easier - let the scandals, sabotage and seductions begin...

A new month and so it is time for a new thread, please join me in about 20 minutes.