5 ways I have distracted myself recently – not in France

In no particular order:

• Watching Mr FF having a ‘beard off‘ with our two sons. Our youngest son will always be the winner, much to the annoyance of eldest son. The photo below is not Mr FF, unfortunately, he is more of a silver fox!

If you have a look at my Pinterest board ‘Je ne sais quoi’, you might spot some more beards…

• Playing table tennis. When we moved to our current house, we invested in a table tennis table which has been worth every penny. We still use it now, in the garden, and it is a great way to exercise and have fun.

• Listening to youngest son learning to play the violin YS is home from university and is finishing his dissertation, as he is in his final year. Let’s not talk about exams or what will or won’t replace them. On-line assessments perhaps? Anyway, he has decided that lockdown would be a useful time to learn to play a musical instrument. His instrument of torture choice is the violin. I have requested ear plugs…

• Reading I have just finished a book called ‘The Colours of Bee Markham’s murder’, a debut novel by Sarah J Harris. It is described as being a murder mystery and features a thirteen year old boy called Jasper. I have taken this synopsis from the book cover:

There are three things you need to know about Jasper.

1. He sees the world completely differently.
2. He can’t recognise faces – not even his own.
3. He is the only witness to the murder of his neighbour, Bee Larkham.

But uncovering the truth about that night will change his world forever…

It has been suggested that if you enjoyed ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’ , then you will also like this book. I’ll leave that thought with you.

• Listening to Podcasts Here are three of my current favourites:

Older and Wider featuring Jenny Eclair and Judith Holder, the writers of ‘Grumpy Old Women’. The podcast offers (and I quote) ‘insight, gossip and general news from the menopausal front and beyond.’ I have long been a fan of Jenny E. but I am aware that her comedy is not for everyone, especially if you are easily offended. Particularly at this time, this time I love the honesty and hilarity of this laugh-out -loud podcast. I also think JE has written some entertaining novels.

Fortunately with broadcasters Fi Glover and Jane Garvey. Listening to Fi and Jane always brings a smile to my face, as their podcast is like listening to two long-term friends having a catch up. They have a variety of interesting guests, too.

Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review with film critic Mark Kermode and broadcaster and author Simon Mayo. I have been a fan of this podcast for sometime because I love films. They have adapted to the current situation, now that cinemas are closed, by reviewing the best and worst films that are available on TV and subscription services.

All these podcast have one thing in common, there is empathy and humour between the presenters – ‘banter’!! At the moment, I need to see, read and listen to things that will lift my spirits and help me to forget, for an instant, the wider picture!

Thanks for reading. I love comments! Do stay safe.