April

 I have just read my first April newsletter and as usual everything on the list is very expensive and has obviously been 'gifted'. Here is what I have enjoyed lately and no gifting happened at all. 

Reading - I have struggled with reading, my head is just not in the right place still and I have tried three different books without any luck so I think I need to head back Danielle Steele or someone similar, just to get me back into reading and escape my head. Any recommendations gratefully received. 

Watching -  I have been watching white lotus, I am sure we have all been watching white lotus. It's not the best but I was transfixed by the birdsong in the episode last night as it just reminded me of Thailand and I miss it as we had such a lovely holiday there.  I am also watching a show on Apple Tv called Surface - its actually rather good, and its the second series. It's fairly unbelievable but I do love the houses and the clothes and it has some good actors in it. 

Listening - I got a roberts radio for Christmas and just love having it on in the background, I just put on the discovery weekly and it finds all the tracks I like, lots of jazz and funky jazz - not sure if thats a thing

Learning - I have gone back to Mahjong now my husband is slowly getting better. It is two hours once a week in the morning in the back room of a pub, its fun and I can really feel my brain working. Sometimes the women are friendly and sometimes they aren't and I have decided just to enjoy learning the game and to not focus on making new friends. You arrive and sit at a table of four - I find it very intimidating as some reserve places etc and I have to tell myself to pull myself together and pluck up courage to ask to sit at the table. 

Tasting - One thing I have done since moving here is get a weekly box of seasonal vegetables delivered and I love only getting what is grown on the farms instead of flown into the supermarket. Tonight we will have purple sprouting broccoli again and then the season is over and last week we had wild garlic which is everywhere in the woods at the moment and makes a beautiful pesto or a sauce for fish or chicken.  Another thing I am aware of is that my tastebuds have changed so much since I stopped drinking. I love food and everything tastes so much better. I realised today I haven't had any alcohol for 15 months and life is so much better without it. If you are considering stopping I would highly recommend it if just for the tastebuds. 

Smelling - It smells of spring in London and it's wonderful, the blossoms are out, the early morning air is full of the scent of buds of spring, I love it 

I think thats it for the moment.