This month has been all about Thomas Cromwell. Hilary Mantel's long-awaited novel, The Mirror and the Light, was released at the beginning of the month, which meant that in order to be up to speed with the story, I re-read Wolf Hall (last read in 2009) and Bring up the Bodies (last read in 2012) … Continue reading For the Love of Books | Currently Reading March 2020
Cup of Jo highlighted Brooklyn's rainbows and we could all do with a few rainbows in our lives right now. Daily walks with Tilly - time to enjoy her attitude to life. Birdsong in West London is now clearly audible thanks to the lack of road traffic, Tube trains and aircraft overhead. Never was memory … Continue reading Four Fun Things
I haven't found my stride with our new normal yet, but I did manage to add two spreads to the upgrade of The Boy Child's album: I'm up to Spring 2010 and the first spread records the time of potty training and the funny thing he said after a toileting mishap. You can see the … Continue reading Scrapbooking in 2020 #5
Some people are stockpiling food; I am stockpiling books. Waiting to be read, once I've got through The Mirror and the Light, are: Grown Ups by Marian Keyes: I heard this being discussed on the Radio 2 Book Club. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver: this is the latest offering from the … Continue reading For The Love of Books | The To Be Read (TBR) Pile
They tried their best to keep going ... who knows if or when they will be able to reopen ...
"When I hear the word Coronavirus, I feel a bit worried. Even as I write this on a sunny Monday morning, I am still anxious about it. I know that the chances of getting it as a child are slim, but I am nervous. Very soon London {and the wider UK} will be in lock-down, … Continue reading Covid-19 | From The Boy Child's Perspective
With the arrival of Covid-19, more and more of us are being told to work from home. As a seasoned worker-from-home*, I can safely say that there's a knack to it, especially if you want to be productive. Here are my tips for making the best of working from home: Have a dedicated work space. … Continue reading Tips for Successfully Working From Home
What now for This West London Life? If we're not going anywhere, what will I write about? The lunch we were throwing for family and close friends to mark The Boy Child becoming a teenager? Cancelled. The Road Trip to Bruges in Belgium during the Easter holidays? Cancelled. The return visit to Jersey at the … Continue reading Social Distancing and What It Might Mean for Content
A friend of ours is about to turn 40 years old and thankfully chose to hold her birthday brunch early - the gathering was probably the last social gathering for quite a while. #socialdistancing. Our friend has been through quite a tough few years and it was lovely to see her welcome her forthcoming decade … Continue reading The Last Hurrah Before Social Distancing
History was my favourite lesson at school and the Tudors have always been my favourite part of British history. Henry VIII and his six wives are popular with authors and there's a whole publishing industry around that period of British history. Here's a few of my favourites and are well worth a read: Hilary Mantel's … Continue reading For the Love of Books | Novels With a Tudor Theme
This West London Life 