A Quiet Monday (President's Day)

Hello everyone; how was your weekend?  Such an exciting time of year, no?  😴😴😴  I'm feeling waterlogged with all this rain, rain, rain.  Mr. Forest Manor actually has today off work, which is a first for him.  They were recently bought out, and the new company takes President's Day as a holiday.  We would love to go somewhere just for the day, but we'll be staying here.  Normally, we'd just take a drive into the countryside or maybe up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but who wants to drive in this weather?  Sigh.      I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day.  💘  Hubby brought me a pretty bouquet of flowers from the grocery store, and I'll take a picture later in the week to share.  I didn't do a Valentine's table this year, but here is last year's tablescape, if you're interested.   

     
This was one of my very favorite tables that I've done over the years.   

So, to catch up on the everyday, little things of staying home all the time.  I finished reading "Emma" several weeks ago, and I did enjoy it.  

   I found it slow in the beginning, and Emma herself really annoyed me to begin with.  However, she did mature and gain a lot of insight about herself and those around her, and I ended up liking the book (and her) a lot.  Since then, I've been reading a murder mystery series on my Kindle.  They're actually pretty well written for that sort of book, and I like reading about the northeast of England, where all the stories take place.  The main characters are based in the county of Northumberland, an area I've never read much about until now.            One of the challenges for us (and probably many of you, too) is how to stay even somewhat physically fit, while stuck inside through the cold months of winter and COVID-19.  My husband is swimming three times a week at our local YMCA.  I would be going with him to walk around the indoor track, but we're now required to wear a mask inside there while exercising, except while swimming, of course.  I just don't think I can exercise with a mask on; it's hard enough for me to breathe just wearing one inside the store, etc.       My solution has been to find a YouTube exercise video to work out with.  It took some searching because we all have different fitness levels.  I looked at some other bloggers' recommendations, but what some people think of as easy is not so much for me.  😏  I finally came upon these by accident, and they seem to be just right for me.  I've been doing them for about a month now, and I can tell that they're helping me feel more fit.  Today, I moved up to the next level -- a bit longer and more intense than what I started with.  When the weather improves, I plan to add some outdoor walks to increase my stamina.  Duncan is funny because he tries to participate and ends up getting under my feet -- silly wabbit.  😄     

source   We've watched the first three episodes of the new "All Creatures Great and Small" series on Masterpiece Theater.  Wow -- quite a departure from the original.  I'll talk more on this in a future post.  I'd noticed that my post on the original series was being viewed a lot recently, and I assume the new series has peaked people's interest.  I enjoyed doing the research for my original post; you can read it here.  The book series, written by Alf Wight, ranks near the very top of my all-time favorite books, and it's a little frustrating to me that this new television series has not stayed as true to the books as the original did.  However, it is something to watch during this dull time period, and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking.  If you've been watching the 2020 version of the series, I'd be interested to hear what you think.   

I adore this picture from my French Country Diary -- the pink walls, the chandelier, the mirror, and the big bouquet of roses.  It's so pretty for the week of Valentine's.       I'd love to hear what you're doing to keep from going stark raving mad keep boredom at bay.  Spring is going to be most welcome this year!  Thanks so much for your visit and have a lovely week, my friends.