Friday, 3 July 2020

Chuckles Weekend Roundup


Welcome to my feature Chuckles Weekend Roundup where I will be looking at what books I've received, anything interesting I've done or bought or watched and other random stuff. I'll be taking a look back at what happened in my blogging world too, sort of like The Sunday Post that some of you do! 

Please note that I'll be visiting your STS/SP as normal, but I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow DISQUS to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I am the only one who does that on my social media! I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. Sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress-they try to block me because I deleted my account with them but I will persevere as it only happens the odd time!
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Another week has passed and suddenly we are in July, in the second half of the year. I've been busy sorting through stuff at my uncle's house, tidying our house, regular housework and falling a bit behind on blog posts and visits this week. Another weekend of catchup and I've been binge posting the last two days! On the plus side, I've got an empty weekend ahead to just get stuff done online and catch up. I'm having a few days off to wait for packages and next week it's back over to the house to remove more stuff-the exercise machines, fishing reels, electric fires that are pretty new and a few tools for house and garden.
 
I've stuttered to a halt on book buying now that I've re-started my Tackling The TBR book challenge. I did order some last week so I'm enjoying seeing them arrive this week. Quite a few Trump related ones which should be interesting. I'm pleased to report that deciding to start the challenge has kicked my brain back into gear and I've been reading ALL WEEK! EVERY NIGHT! A full report on what I've read is on my Friday Reading Roundup. I've actually enjoyed getting back into my reading and it feels like things are normal again, at least in my house! It's the outside world that is depressing but I can at least escape back into some booky adventures to get away from the news!

Chuckles Blogging World
A busy week always plays havoc with my blog visits and comment catchup but I'll be connecting with you all this weekend!
 
Book Reviews 
 
MR Carey-The Boy On The Bridge
 
Ollie Ollerton-Break Point
 
Chuckles Mini Reviews Catchup
 
Regular Posts
 
Around The Blogs With Chuckles
 
Top Ten Tuesday
 
Discussion Posts 
 
Dog Days Of Summer #4
 
Prepping With Chuckles-Pandemic Planner
 
Reading Challenges
 none this week

Films & TV & Music
I haven't really had a chance to watch much this week, just Great British Menu season 14 at night. I'm avoiding all British news channels as I'm sick of the same presenters and guests bashing everything the government tries to do without offering any of their own solutions. Instead we're watching CNN which is at least giving us news from around the world. But really, I've been too busy reading to watch much.

Book Tags/Blog Awards
none this week
 
The Week Ahead
I'm hoping to continue my reading streak and get through a few more shorter books. I've been reliving my childhood with Paddington and Enid Blyton and might stick with a couple of them as well as introducing a bit of horror in there too!
 
 
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Prepping With Chuckles-Pandemic Planner


As you all know, I've been a big believer in being ready for challenging situations. I'm not talking about nuclear warfare as frankly, if you don't have an underground bunker, you're pretty much screwed. I'm talking about being ready for six months of unexpected unemployment, being ready for pandemics and winter flu, being ready for prolonged storm damage and power cuts. 

In the UK we are carefully trying to open up shops and businesses while maintaining social distancing and using masks so a second wave is our big worry right now. I'm looking at what we can do NOW to get through the coming months of Covid 19.

Get ready for winter NOW 
Experts fear that a big second wave in the UK is likely to come around October when the weather cools down. That gives me a little time to get ready but I want to do things quickly in case it hits sooner. These are the steps that I'm trying to take now or have taken to ensure I have everything we need.

 FOOD/DRINK
1) I've already set up an account for online delivery of all food and drink, and we get things delivered every two weeks. This keeps cupboard, fridge and freezer fully stocked at all times, putting me way ahead of where I was before this pandemic began.

2) In February and March I ordered big 3kg boxes of various pastas and 1kg jars of various pasta sauces. These will be good in my cupboard for a year at least (check individual dates on purchase) and make a ton of tasty meals.

3) In March I found an online company that could supply a range of meat in a quick delivery time as a backup in case there are supply issues with meat from supermarkets in a second wave or due to panic buying.
  
4) In April I was able to buy a supply of dehydrated fruit and vegetables and they are lined up in jars. Shelf life on these is excellent, they are easy to rehydrate and that, along with my supply of tinned vegetables will cover soups, casseroles and meals through the winter and beyond.

5) Prior to the pandemic, I already had powdered milk, butter and cheese as a backup supply. Food has not been in short supply so this probably won't be needed but it does no harm to have a few as backup.

6) I already had a cupboard of tinned goods but I've added more variety of tins to my stock-different fruit and vegetables, a bigger range of soups, as many jars and packet sauces as I have space for. There is no point having a lot of pasta if you have no sauce to go with it!

7) Ensure a supply of essentials-spices, salt, sugar, flour...anything you use a lot of. Get a couple of extras if the use by date is good. 

MEDICINE
1) Last week my dad picked up two cough bottles-we each use a different brand of Covonia-and over the coming months, we'll pick up a few more. This ensures we have a couple of spare for winter bugs and also have a stock in case another outbreak happens early next year, like it did this year. I'm not talking about stockpiling 50 bottles but I get a lot of coughs and can go through two or three bottles each winter. I want to ensure I have enough to see me through another full winter lockdown.

 2) My dad is also picking up the odd packet of paracetamol, painkillers and tablets to stop the stomach viruses. I have one small Amazon box which I'll fill with extras of all of these things in case of a winter shutdown. Again, not a stockpile as such, just enough to cover all our needs until next summer and I'll add to it as I use it to maintain that amount. I've just ordered more things like Vicks, vaseline, snowfire to replenish my stock and restocking my First Aid kits comes next.

3) My sudden attack of hayfever was something I wasn't ready for but I got in a small supply of eye drops, nasal spray etc which I'll add to when summer pollen season has subsided so I have a full stock ready for next summer.

4) We've set up a delivery service account with our local pharmacy. We phone when we need things refilled and they take it to the GP for us, get it issued and then deliver it to our door so we don't need to venture out for essential prescriptions.

OTHER
1) I already had a couple of boxes of gloves and masks in my supplies before the pandemic, more for protection from flu season than anything else but it was useful to have when we first heard of the pandemic. I spent January buying in a small amount to add to the supplies before the prices went up and supply went down-stitched masks, fabric filter masks and replacement filters. Now that an order to wear masks is coming in for Scotland in about a week, I'm glad I ensured a small supply of everything. Again, I haven't turned my home into a PPE factory-one large Amazon box with about 6 boxes of gloves and 200 stitched masks is enough, plus three fabric masks each and a bag of filters. 

2) Now that the panic buying of cleaning products is over, I'm taking the chance to buy in a restock of everything I used since January-hand soap, back up supply of bars of soap, bleach, disinfectant, bug spray, kitchen and bathroom cleaners, air freshener, fabric sprays etc. This is my task for the coming weeks. These items will become hard to get again if panic buying and profiteering returns which we saw in the original outbreak.

 3) I've been using Amazon over the last few months to get in things I need for the house-new dusters and polish, a new knife block, refills for things, sponges, glue, batteries, bulbs, screws, Brasso, sealant etc. Think about things that you need to replace and get them now if you can as we don't know when lockdowns and virus waves might keep us indoors and close non essential shops. Also remember it may not be possible to get everything you need online unless you want to pay inflated prices. Get in things you need to do those annoying wee jobs around the house so you don't have to run out to get it during a new outbreak.

This isn't a comprehensive list of everything I need to do but it gives you an idea of my planning. When the second wave hits or there is a whole new outbreak this winter, I want to be comfortable that I have everything in the house that I need to do general tasks and repairs, refill everything required and not have to rush out to try and get something I forgot to replace. My dad and I are making lists, checking our shelves and cupboards and ensuring we won't be caught short.

Stay safe everyone and be ready!
Chuckles
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Thursday, 2 July 2020

Dog Days Of Summer #4


MONDAY
My dad and I spent a few hours at my uncle's house. The fridge and freezer have been totally cleared out and all the discarded food binned ready for the refuse collection. It was horrible but I'm so glad I had bought a nose clip as a 'just in case' item and boy did my dad need it! We've unplugged the fridge and freezer so that's something done. I got half of the clothes into binbags ready for when the charity shop collections start up again. We also took home his fishing gear which will be cleaned and given to his friends, wood that he was going to floor his bedroom with which we can replace our well worn living room carpet with, tool boxes and my gran's favourite ornaments. We still need to remove the TV, the exercise machines and other bits and pieces but I'm now stuck indoors for the week until the Amazon packages arrive.

TUESDAY
A food delivery came from Asda today which let me replace what we've used up the last two weeks. I did treat us to a couple of buttery crumbly scones with jam and cream which were yum, and discovered the joy of a cheese sandwich with red onion and salad cream! I also bought myself a couple of bags of marshmallows to scoff as I read. I'm trying to keep everything fully stocked so every two weeks I ensure the fridge, freezer and cupboard are full. This means if a second wave comes and deliveries are harder to come by for a few months, I'm loaded for bear and ready to go. I'm working on a pandemic prepper post which I hope to put up soon. Amazon delivered a paperback set of Paddington books with the most adorable illustrations and two books about the Trump White House. 

WEDNESDAY
Ugh, why does housework have to exist? Half the morning was taken up with sorting and putting out the rubbish, ironing and cleaning the bathroom! I also got the kitchen fully sorted and it no longer looks like a nuclear wasteland so that's an improvement! It's not neat and tidy but it has functional chaos so that will do for right now! I watched CNN most of yesterday to get away from the left wing bias of Sky and the BBC who are driving me crazy and my dad and I were horrified by both the virus totals and some of the things that Trump was saying. I'm very worried about the virus looking out of control in places at the moment as so many of my online friends are in America. Please do everything you can to keep yourself safe. Amazon delivered another political book but this time UK politics.

THURSDAY
I got up this morning to yet more bloody drama. It seems my dad left the freezer door open overnight and now we're concerned about all the food I've stacked up in it. The freezer door was closed but hadn't fully sealed shut due to a rogue ice lolly having fell down the back of a freezer drawer stopping it from fully sealing the door. I'm hoping that all the food is ok. My dad used the freezer about 4pm and spotted the issue about 2am. The ice lollies themselves were a bit soft but not melted and they would be the first to defrost so I'm hopeful that everything else should be ok. 

I'm just not sure what to do! I don't want to throw everything out and waste it if it is ok to consume but I don't want to risk our health either. My dad didn't wake me or check the coolness of the items in the freezer so we have no information about the condition of the stuff when he realised his mistake. I've heard that having a fully stocked freezer helps in a defrost crisis and ours is fully packed. I've also heard that the top drawer is the food most at risk and the top drawer only has pizza, ice cream, ice lollies, frozen chips, onion rings and scallops. Anyone got any thoughts on what I should do?
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Chuckles Mini Review Catchup


I review everything I read, on my blog and on Goodreads. Most reviews are of a decent length but sometimes you don't have much to say about the book because of its length or you DNFed it or various other reasons. In cases like that it makes sense to write a few mini reviews in one post and clear them out your way! So lets catch up with some reviews from earlier this year.

1) Enid Blyton-Adventures of the Wishing Chair 
Once Mollie and Peter have discovered the Wishing-Chair, their lives are full of adventure. It takes them to all sorts of magical places, from the giant's castle where they rescue Chinky the Pixie, to the amazing party at Magician Greatheart's castle.

I don't know how many times I read this book as a child but I loved it! I was forever trying to drag chairs out into the garden to use as my wishing chair, which enraged my mum on a daily basis one summer! I grew up on Enid Blyton books but I don't remember too much about this series other than the characters, rich kids Mollie and Peter who have their own playroom at the bottom of the garden, a houseproud mother and a servant called Jane. One day they visit an antique shop to buy a present for Mother and get involved in a strange adventure where they steal a flying Wishing Chair from the wizard shop owner and take it home. Each time the chair grows wings, it is time for a new adventure, and as a kid I just loved the different places and people that they met on their travels.  

Reading this as an adult was always going to be a new experience and I'm glad to say that I still had fun with it. Of course I can point at how silly the kids are at times or laugh at their outrage when somebody steals their chair (seeing as it doesn't actually belong to them) but it was all very enjoyable. Each installment is a short self contained adventure of a handful of pages. I could be picky and say that each was too short and over too quickly but they were written for kids who might have shorter attention spans so that is fair enough. The kids are nice enough but my favourite character is still Chinky. The pixie is kind, intelligent and can do magic, as well as having a ton of friends through the magical community.

One alert to give is the name of the pixie being Chinky. The books were written back in 1937, and I first read it in the late 70's when attitudes to various things were different. My review is based on that context and I won't be publishing any comments on my blog complaining about the name being used in the review.

Read June 2020
3 star. 

2) Harry Mount-The Wit And Wisdom Of Boris Johnson
Planet-brained, snortingly ambitious and given to comic one-liners that the public and press take equal delight in, Boris Johnson is the most talked-about politician in Britain. This collection of his wit and wisdom, edited and introduced by eminent journalist Harry Mount, covers his background, education, journalism, personal life and politics, as well as the Olympics and his time as Mayor of London and Foreign Secretary. It begins with an in-depth introduction, now updated by the author, exploring his character and career, not ignoring his racy peccadilloes.

I perhaps expected this to be better than it was. The introduction by the author was a yawningly long winded 32 pages which was full of his own thoughts and observations about Boris and it wasn't greatly interesting. the 'chapters' were put together of quotes on specific subjects but with no real thought for timeline and presentation. Some of the 'wit' included were huge sections of speeches, some of which might have been clever in content but not the most exciting for the reader to look at. There was repetition of quotes already used in the introduction and a lot of subjects I was interested in hearing Boris spout about were not included. 

I was amused at re-living the infamous zip line incident which was really funny at the time and on meeting the Pope, Boris was wondering whether the Popemobile should pay the London congestion charge. There were some of his famous insults, describing Hillary Clinton as a sadistic nurse from a mental institution, his rude poem about the Turkish leader and describing Tony Blair as a cross between Harry Houdini and a greased piglet! There were a few gems to enjoy but not enough on what he thought of fellow politicians and world leaders. A bit of a mixed bag really.

Read June 2020
2.5 star. 

3) Isabel Hardman-Why We Get The Wrong Politicians
As one of the country's leading political journalists, Isabel Hardman has spent many years in that bizarre rabbit-warren we call the Houses of Parliament. She's conducted thousands of interviews with MPs ranging from fresh-faced recruits to Prime Ministers. With some notable exceptions, she has found them to be decent, hard-working people, doing a hugely difficult and demanding job. And yet, politicians are consistently voted the least trusted professional group by the UK public - below estate agents, lawyers and journalists. And every year, MPs collectively introduce new legislation that doesn't do what it sets out to achieve - often with terrible financial and human costs.

In this entertaining examination of our political class, award-winning journalist Isabel Hardman tries to square this circle. She lifts the lid on the strange world of Westminster and asks why we end up with representatives that we are so unhappy with. Arguing that each stage of the parliamentary career favours the 'wrong' politicians, she considers the troubling legacy of a political system that dissuades large parts of society from taking part. Filled with forensic analysis and revealing reportage, this landmark book is a must read for anyone who wants to see a future with better government.

This book is not satire or designed to slag off politicians. It is looking at the reasons for why we get the same kind of people as our politicians and a lack of social diversity and people from more working class backgrounds that more voters can relate to. It looks at why hard working candidates may not get elected due to party or leader unpopularity ie May in 2017 and Corbyn in 2019. It looks at how knowing the right people is vital to get selected as a candidate, leading to so many older white men being selected over young or female candidates without the old boys network. It looks at the staggering costs associated with being a candidate and how there is no party help until you win the seat. The cost of travel, accomodation, canvassing etc all comes out of your own pocket which explains why people with money have the best chance of staying the course. Add in attending the convention and being asked to campaign for other candidates and buy a house in your chosen constituency and it becomes clear why there is not a better mix of MPs.

It then goes into the confusing Parliament buildings and lack of help to settle new MPs in, the long wait to get an office and staff, a lack of guidance on what is expected of you. It examines the balance of constituency work with ministerial duties and Parliament business, the difficult of getting bills or amendments through when the system is set up to favour the party in power, the frustrations of bad bills being blindly voted through and sexual harrassment. There is also a section on what party help an MP gets when they lose their seat after an election. There was detail following certain MPs in their duties and where it went wrong on major bills like the Poll Tax and the Iraq War. Overall this was a fascinating look behind the scenes from being a candidate until you lose the seat, and in depth study of the problems that must be sorted if we are to get a better range of MPs and better bills being passed.

Read June 2020
4 star.
 
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Top Ten Tuesday-Authors I've Read The Most Books By

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/

NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account. 

 This week I'm not a fan of the new releases topic so I'm skipping ahead to next week's which is  all about authors I've read the most! I'm selecting ten of the most popular and the book totals are estimates where given!

 1) Enid Blyton-100
I read a ton of her books as a kid-21 Famous Five, 15 Secret Seven, 6 Malory Towers, 6 St Clare's, 3 Wishing Chair, the Noddy series, the first three Naughtiest Girl, The Adventure Series, The Secret Series, The Five Find Outers...quite a lot!

2) Stephen King-28
I devoured most of his early work, loving the likes of IT, The Stand, Christine, Carrie, Salems Lot. I haven't much liked his newer work, finding it a lot more slow and lacking the horror elements I loved so much. I haven't counted DNFs but have included Bachman books.

 3) Michael Stephen Fuchs-13
I've read the first eleven books in the Arisen series and two prequels. I hope to read the last three to complete the series but the two other spin-offs soon plus a fun Fickisms book about the wit of a character.

 4) Kelley Armstrong-32
I've read her whole Otherworld series, the spin off volumes following the Wolf Pack, a scattering of her crime and YA books and I still have two series to try. I've also read a few short story anthologies and other short stories and graphic novels.

 5) Richard Laymon-34
I've read all but two of his books-Amara and Night in the Lonesome October. I particularly loved Dark Mountain, In The Dark, Darkness Tell Us, Come Out Tonight, The Quake, The Glory Bus, One Rainy Night, Endless Night, Friday Night In Beast House, The Lake and After Midnight. I loved the fast paced books and wish there could've been more.

 6) Francine Pascal-90
Francine Pascal may have created the Sweet Valley High books that I loved as a kid but ghost writers actually wrote the books and I loved Sweet Valley High and the Caitlin series. It was too hard to get the later books in the SVH series and I never got to read Senior Year at all. I read a scattering of the University series from libraries but never all of them.

 7) Hunter Shea-14
I've read about 14 of his novels and short stories but still have about six to read but all the new stuff to come so I expect this total to rise a fair bit too.

 8) Jean Plaidy-14
I've read her entire Tudor series and a few of the Queens of England series. I have quite a few more to read so this number will get higher!

 9) Robert Boren-13
I've read the full 13 book Bug Out series and loved it. I also have three spin off series to read, all pretty lengthy so expect this number to shoot up...

 10) Walter Farley-13
I read 13 Black Stallion books, unaware of a few I'd missed and the books written by his son. I also never got round to reading the spin off trilogy The Island Stallion.


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