Top holiday reads and two teeny graduates in your Heyday Friday newsletter
The best summer books, an invaluable skin healing tip, an email that keeps you up-to-date and an exciting announcement. All in this week's unmissable newsletter
Hello!
I’m back from my blissfully relaxing holiday, albeit one that ended with the journey home from hell, but let’s not dwell on that. Other than to say that having endured a three and a half hour delay to our Easy Jet flight, sigh…., I filled in the on-line compensation claim form with absolutely no hope or expectation of them coughing up and was properly astonished when, within little more than ten minutes of pressing the send button, I got an email saying that yes indeed we were entitled to compensation and that they’d be transferring a surprisingly substantial sum into my bank account within the next seven days. The money is yet to appear - I’ll let you know next week if it has - but hats off to Easy Jet, and a useful reminder to always try and claim compensation if you think you might be entitled to it. (Whether it changes my thoroughly exasperated fella’s avowed intent never to travel Easy Jet again remains to be seen!)
Aside from the sunshine (remember what that is?), warm seas, delightful beaches, welcoming tavernas and tasty food, our Greek island sojourn was the perfect opportunity to indulge in hours of wonderfully satisfying reading. As a result of which, this week’s blog features my top three summer reading recommendations.
I’m not going to get all click-baitey by only revealing what the books are if you read the blog. These are they
But I am going to say that to find out what each one is about and why I recommend, no, make that, urge you to read them, you are going to have to head to the blog. Which, of course, you can do RIGHT HERE.
Lost luggage was not, thank God, one of the challenges of our protracted journey home, but this
FRIDAY FUNNY
quote from the legendary comic Bob Hope did tickle me nonetheless
Not only did lost luggage not feature on my holiday experience list, neither, I’m happy to report did sunburn (I’m pretty well obsessive about staying in the shade). But thanks to my unfailing clumsiness I am hopelessly susceptible to burning myself in any number of other ways, usually involving a kitchen appliance of some kind. This
SMART SAVE TIP OF THE WEEK
has been my saviour on more bugger-I’ve-burnt-myself-again occasions than I care to admit to.
This aloe vera plant, which has been happily growing on my kitchen window sill since forever (testament to its secondary benefit which is that it needs little or no attention to flourish), has magical burn healing powers. Well, not actually magical obviously, because it’s the active compounds contained in its spiky leaves that reduce pain and inflammation and stimulate skin repair and growth that make it such an effective treatment for minor burns and sunburn.
Whenever I’ve treated myself to yet another scalding, I just cut off a leaf, slice it open and apply the instantly soothing, sticky gel it contains to the wound, repeating the process as many times and as often as feels necessary until the pain and redness has subsided.
It may not be magic, but it certainly feels like it.
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN…….READING
No, no, not yet another book. There’s quite enough about the ones I have read in THIS WEEK’S BLOG. The Knowledge is a daily email.
In a world saturated with news that’s almost all at the very least alarming, and at the worst overwhelmingly terrifying, The Knowledge has become my go-to place to stay up-to-date without feeling I’m drowning, either in information or despair.
Conceived during lockdown by the father and daughter duo Jon and Flora Connell (he’s the founder of the brilliant The Week magazine), it’s a digestible daily round up of the main news stories around the world from a variety of quality sources, with an extract from an opinion piece.
Alongside the mainstream news are unexpected and entertaining stories, often involving arresting images and videos. The whole thing is wrapped up with a relevant quote of the day and never fails to live up to its promise of taking no more than five minutes to read.
It’s the perfect combination of informative and entertaining.
To find out more about The Knowledge, sample the daily emails and subscribe for free CLICK HERE
WHAT’S MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK
Other than the sun, sand, sea and sublime food on Zakynthos (I’ll stop banging on about it now I promise), that would have to be the pictures of my two oldest granddaughters graduation ceremonies (and they truly were ceremonies) from their respective nursery schools.
They may only be four, and it may be ever so slightly bonkers to be deemed to be ‘graduating’ from nursery, but honestly it brought tears (of joy) to my eyes seeing not just their delight but the amount of time and trouble each of the nurseries put into making the day special and memorable for all their departing charges.
There’s a lovely story on the Noon website about someone I used to work with (which also ties into THIS WEEK’S BLOG in a way you’ll discover when you read it) who went back to being a student at 58 and completed her degree in Creative Writing two years later, (that’s her in the pic below) proving you’re not only never too young to graduate, you’re also never too old (you can read her wonderfully inspiring story HERE).
So to all graduates and future graduates here are some
WORDS OF WISDOM
to keep in mind
That’s it for this week. I’m off to a rehearsal for a very special performance I’m going to be doing with my Rock Choir at no less than the Edinburgh Festival! I know!
If you happen to be at the festival on Wednesday August 21st and are free at 1840, come along and hear us. HERE’S the link to book one - or more - of the last few remaining tickets.
And if you are going to be there, please do let me know and come and say hi afterwards.
Have a great week and see you next time.
Hi Diane, looking beyond that aloe plant your garden looks lovely, we haven’t had any recent pictures? We’ve got another year before our two youngest graduate from nursery but I can imagine the emotions ☺️