.
Did you see what I did there? Did you? Did you? Stationary today, stationery yesterday. Some may not know the difference and I am sorry to say those people get the stink eye from me when I see them write things down. I even had to call a pen manufacturer out on it last week when they tweeted about it being National Stationary Week this week, when they clearly meant stationEry.
E is for envelopes, and hence the e in stationEry. A is Absolutely Bugger Nothing, hence the A in StationAry.
I might have made that last one up.
But writing about National Stationery Week made me think how lovely it would be for there to be a proper National Stationary Week. Can you imagine? We all stop. Yes, I know, clearly the world country would grind to a halt and chaos would ensue but just imagine it for five minutes. How blissful that would be. And so that made me think about what I would do during this National Stationary Week. Whilst I am sitting around doing nothing, what would also be doing?
Well I would be eating chocolate, obviously. More than likely from Cocoa Boutique who do a different selection box every month.
a spectacular, exclusive monthly tasting selection. Which always includes award winning Master Chocolatier signature chocolates and artisan handmade creations
Yours for just £19.95 a box and post and packing is free. If I am honest I put the box on the sofa between Mr B and me and we blind taste them. I say blind taste we just grab one whilst looking at the telly and then go “ooohhh that was lush” / “ooh this one is lemony”. We have never had a bad chocolate (and with their no quibble guarantee if even if we had they would sort it out for us) from them and so for any prolonged TV action requiring chocolates, they are up there on my “must have” list.
Talking of TV we spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon with my parents discussing Netflix. Regular blog readers will know I am a HUGE fan of Netflix as it saves my sanity when the TV is full of Mr B’s much loved sport. My parents however are old school and are still buying DVD box sets. Well not any more. We had a long chat about all the great series that they have heard about but not yet watched. This the Top Three list I came up with
1. The Good Wife. Five Seasons that have kept us glued to the sofa, the pace has never waned. Produced by Ridley Scott it has won more awards than can possibly list. “Political and Legal Drama” is the nutshell description, a definite must see.
2. Orange Is The New Black. This series is the reason I got Netflix as it is exclusive to them and when the first series came out it seemed EVERYBODY was talking about it. Set in a women’s prison it can be described as “gritty”. Produced by Jodie Foster it is another great drama. Netflix have got to wise to how our viewing habits have changed and that we like to gorge on TV now, sitting down and watching episodes back to back on box sets. So they release an entire season in one hit. The third series is out on June 12th and I have already cleared by diary.
3. Damages. Another legal drama but very different from The Good Wife. Glenn Close is in the lead role and she could be described as a bit of a bitch. Ruthless in fact. A court case fills a whole season with so many brilliant plot twists and changes that you often find yourself going “woah, what happened there?”
By which point I will need lunch and this being Stationary Week it would need to be delivered, which means it has to be Domino’s. Everybody loves pizza right? And you don’t even need cutlery. You can order on line, and have it delivered half an hour later, straight to the sofa pretty much, and eat it off the box. Job done. And there are always great deals on their website. For instance last night we did their Monday Madness deal and ordered large pizzas for £8.99. What’s not to love? No self respecting day on the sofa is complete without a #PizzaParty
Every afternoon during Stationary Week would be made up of reading. I love curling up with a book and a cuppa. It was all I did at the spa two weeks ago. Yes I could have spent loads of money on treatments or spent all day swimming or in the sauna and steam room, but I really wanted to do was curl up with a book. These would be on my list if you haven’t read them already:
1. Second Life. The latest book by SJ Watson who wrote “Before I go to sleep” this is a psychological thriller that really makes you question just how well you know your loved ones. It starts with the main character Julia learning her sister has been murdered and from there the secrets start… Gripping and I read it in a weekend, it would be a great book to take on holiday.
2. Disclaimer. This is Renee Knight’s first novel and quite frankly I can’t wait for her next. Imagine picking up a book that has appeared in your house, you aren’t sure where from, and reading the blurb on the back only to then feel the hairs on the back of your neck go up. The blurb is telling the world about something that only you know about. A day twenty years ago that has long since been buried, or so Catherine thinks. Not even her husband or son know this secret, yet Stephen does, and Catherine has never even met Stephen. This really is one of the most extraordinary books. The world could have ended behind me for all I knew when I was reading it, I was paying so little attention to the outside world.
3. The Bones of You. This is the book that I read in the spa. I couldn’t put it down and literally read it in a day. It tells the story of Rosie, who is murdered, from two perspectives, Rosie’s and her mum Kate’s. In doing so we learn more about the family than we thought we knew at the beginning as lives unravel and secrets are revealed. This book was recommended to me on Twitter with the words “T, you have HAVE to read this book” and isn’t out until July but as soon as it comes out, clear your diary for a day, grab a bottle of wine and go and find a shady bit under a tree and devour it. It’s by Debbie Howells.
4. Little Black Lies. This is another one not out until July (I feel so lucky to get these sneaky previews of books, it’s like being in a secret club) and is by Sharon Bolton. Another thriller where people have secrets and things to hide. When a book cover simply says “We were inseparable. Until the day she killed my sons” you know you are in for one hell of a story. And that’s exactly what this is. Even Bob loved it
5. Wonder. This has to be one of my favourite books of all time. If you haven’t read it. Buy it now. Right now on your iPad or Kindle and do. I reviewed it back when it came out and after I finished it I just sad and stared into the middle distance for about an hour. It left me uplifted, and looking at the world in a different way. Read it with your children, it’s a great book to read together, or if they are older readers for them to read alone. They will instantly fall in love with 10 year old August.
6. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. No list of must read books from me can be complete without this book. I adore it. I am telling you no more. Buy two copies, read one, pass one on to a friend. Please.
Do you think National Stationary Week might catch on? I think I could make it work. Or maybe a snappier title might just be “A Day Off”. Now how do I go about getting one of those?