The Joys of January {2026}

 

Dear friends.  It has an unfair reputation as the worst month of the year. True, the weather is not great, and there are no public holidays until April. But if you're determined to make the best of it, January can still be joyful.

Thurs Jan 1 - New Year's Day

A public holiday and the day I usually take down my Christmas decorations - except that this time I didn't put any up. 

Had a rest day - albeit with a lot of housework and cooking a roast dinner.  Enjoyed opening my Epping Forest calendar and 2026 Dairy Diary.  I use the diary for logging "to do" lists.  I use my phone for calendaring. 

I was chastised by smartwatch for overdoing it yesterday-  22k steps. This is after it exhorted me to exercise for 27 consecutive days to win a badge! Smartwatches are a bit inconsistent.

Watched film Sleeping with Other People.  6 out of 10. 

Fri Jan 2

Did long walk via Yates Meadow to Pilates. J was up at 6.30 doing Japanese walking. Below: one of the oldest trees in Epping Forest, Grimston's Oak  (350 years old). 

Started rewatching The Night Manager, first series to get ready for series 2. 

Sat Jan 3

Another lovely fresh day. Walked to Waitrose to get salad bits.  Finished listening to a podcast 2 part dramatisation of Pride and Prejudice. It was one of my NY goals to listen to plays/audio books featuring Jane Austen. Tick!

Did some admin and cleaning.

Sunday Jan 4

Another blue sky cold day. We did a walk, although I did a longer one and J was Japanese walking. By the time I'd picked up a parcel and been in 3 local shops it was 12.30. 

Had local pub lunch with J's children and 2 of the 3 grandchildren. Very pleasant.

Monday Jan 5

Brrr! Still sunny. Did a home workout, first time in ages, as I was waiting for a delivery. Wrote 2 blog posts. Started watching Banjo and Ro's Grand Hotel, BBC iPlayer. 

Tuesday Jan 6

V cold with snow flurries. Did walk in forest. Slipped on ice, fortunately not hurt, jumped up immediately as I was embarrassed. Booked my first Reformer Pilates class.

Weds Jan 7

Cold, a little blue sky. Not feeling very energetic despite high score. Did a few chores, bird feeders, taking a parcel to PO. Prepared overnight oats with strawberries, protein powder, oats and chia seeds. Booked a great seat to see a ballet in April, Mayerling.

Thurs Jan 8

Grey day. Gym, Pilates. First time I've done this tough Pilates class for a while. Pleased to see an improvement.  Treated myself to flowers from the Co-Op. 

Fri Jan 9

Grey and cold. We did a brisk walk and then running club Pilates. Felt a bit exhausted afterwards. Published blog post about The Anti-Inflammation 30 Day Reset. My first non-fiction review this year.

Sat Jan 10

Grey and cold again. I did a forest walk, J did his Japanese walking. Then into London for a matinee, The Play that Goes Wrong. Very funny. 

Sunday Jan 11

Did a walk, 1 calorie over target, result!  Did roast lamb. Started watching 2nd series of The Night Manager (Prime).  

Was driven to distraction trying to log in to use 2 apps:  Audi, Bose. I'm tech savvy, but sometimes apps drive you mad.  So HOKEY. I feel a standalone post coming. 

Monday Jan 12

Cloudy with drizzle. With fresh determination sorted out Audi and Bose apps. A woman from the church collected my donations for the March church bazaar.

Saw Hamnet matinee. A little discreet snivelling from the small Boomer audience.  Read my thoughts on the book v the film. 

Tues 13 Jan 

Did walk with J Japanese walking. Rained. Did my first Reformer Pilates class. Not as gruelling as I expected, although my legs will probably feel it tomorrow as I haven't managed low lunges for years.

Weds 14 Jan

Feel fine, energy score 94 and slept well. Blue sky. Went gym. Changed bed. Rediscovered old appointment diaries 93 to 2001.

Thurs 15 Jan

Rained all day. Went to see the exhibition Radical Harmony: Neo-Impressionists at the National Gallery.  Below: The Sower, Van Gogh, and Georges Seurat, Sunday at Port-en-Bessin. 

Fri 16 Jan

We spotted too late that Pilates was at 10 instead of 12, and missed it. J did Japanese walking and I did a normal walk. Saw the cattle. Below: J walking on the new Gloucester Ride path in Epping Forest. 

Started Ripple, Netflix.

Sat 17 Jan

Sunny again. Went to gym. My watch, which gives us a "sleep animal," has decreed I'm a deer sleeper. This is disappointing after being a penguin.  Deer sleepers are #3 in the pecking order.  Ideally I would be a lion, #1, but I don't mind being a penguin, #2.  again. Grrr. 

Sun 18 Jan

Cloudy but warmer. We did an urban walk and went to R's to try their new coffee machine. 

Monday 19 Jan 

Don't need to do a tax return, way hey! Did a forest walk on my own. Cloudy but not too cold. Started new Game of Thrones spin-off,  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Sky, Now).  We booked another cycling holiday, Provence, for Sept.  Number 3. Gives me an incentive to revisit my O Level French. 

Tuesday 20 Jan

Had a tree surgeon round to quote on garden. A big project. First stage is pruning and getting rid of a couple of trees. Did Reformer Pilates for 2nd time. Below: tonight's dinner. 

Weds 21 January

Met Brenda to see the free David Hockney exhibition of his newest works.  It was raining and the private gallery was largely empty.  Wonderful. It was lovely to see the uplifting pictures on the ground floor with a darker, moodier section upstairs. Below: my two favourites. 

Started Steal on Prime. 

Thurs 22 January

Didn't do my usual gym and Pilates. Couldn't face going out, so grey and cold. Re-joined the National Gallery. They now have 3 different types of membership. Scheduled an outing with friends in May to visit the late Queen's fashion exhibition at Buckingham Palace in May.  You don't need to be a monarchist to enjoy a show like this. It's fascinating to see fashion trends over the decades, and the elaborate couture creations. 

Fri 23 Jan

We did a walk and then Pilates. Did some book blogging admin. Got fish n chips for J. I had a virtuous turkey salad. I adore salads. Ordered a pussy bow blouse similar to one worn by Demi Moore in Landman. 

Sat 24 Jan

Blue sky. Did a walk. Saw the longhorn coos. Did some weeding. Trying to do little but often.

 

Sun 25 Jan

Dreary day. J did Japanese walking, I walked with him at the other times. Roast chicken. Ordered new Samsung watch.

Monday 26 Jan

Watch arrived. Literally set up in 5 mins. Very easy. Has additional functionality without subscriptions, unlike most smart watches.

Washing machine in trouble. Not a year old. Covered by a J Lewis guarantee. Their customer service was v good and engineer coming tomorrow. Turned cold again. 

Tuesday 27 Jan

Tree work in the back garden. The guys were very fast and efficient. Everything was removed. It's amazing how much lighter the garden, and even the conservatory, looks.

Washing machine needs a part and as there's a shortage of engineers,  the first available appointment is in two weeks' time!! Aargh.

Wednesday 28 Jan

Had my hair coloured and cut.  Got some garden ideas from ChatGPT. J is immediately on the case with the suggestion of a painted shed with windows. We have a shed but he wants a new one;  we are not in danger of becoming Two Sheds.  (For those of you with long memories). 

Managed to get washing machine repair brought forward by a few days. 

Below: the new barnet. Wearing red coat that was Mum's. 

Thursday 29 Jan

Packed for my week-long bootcamp. Did a long forest walk with J. 

WHAT WE'VE BEEN WATCHING

The Night Manager  (Prime and BBC iPlayer) - SPOILERS 

10 years has (literally) elapsed between the first and second series.  Series 1's Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) is a now a troubled night agent called Alex Goodwin, living alone with a cat. He believes that Richard Onslow Roper, from series 1, is dead, having been told that by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman). 

Goodwin stumbles across intelligence which has him running, almost single handedly, a dangerous mission in Colombia. His adversary is Teddy Dos Santos, who is supposed to be a menacing criminal but comes across as a pouting male model. Fortunately Hugh Laurie resurfaces. He's not dead but running a successful criminal enterprise in Colombia, and Teddy is his secret son.  If it is starting to sound a bit ludicrous, unfortunately it actually is.  

Series 1 was based on a John Le Carré book. Series 2 is "inspired" by Le Carré.  They would have been better off creating an entirely new plot with different characters. Olivia Colman appears briefly.  A big disappointment.  6 out of 10. 

Steal (Prime)

Stylish thriller set in London and starring Sophie Turner (Sansa from Game of Thrones) and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. It starts off with a heist, rather thrillingly at one of those anonymous London skyscrapers where thousands earn a crust managing pension funds. 

The background music is superb, building to the tension. 

There are a few "meh" aspects:  I didn't see much chemistry between Turner and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, and sometimes it moves slowly. But overall, it kept us guessing and on the edge of our seats.  8 out of 10. 

Mystery Road: Origin  (BBC iPlayer) series 2 

I started but didn't finish the first series. The sullen native Australian detective Jay Swan left me a bit cold. But the start of series 2 perked me up.  Set in 2000, Swan and his wife Mary, a nurse, have moved to a small town where  Mary's mother used to live.  Two small children go missing, one of them Mary's niece, who is under their care after her parents were sent to prison. There are sinister undertones throughout with many suspicious characters. These include a nun who ran a children's home a few years ago;  the doctor and his wife who preside at the hospital and have racist views, and social services, who seem empowered to remove children whenever they choose.   It does proceed at a rather glacial pace however, so 6 out of 10 from me. 

Banjo and Ro's Grand Hotel (BBC iPlayer) 

Australians Banjo (who earned his nickname for being highly strung) and Ro live in the Shetland Islands. Banjo, an interior designer, turns his skills to a derelict former hotel on the island of Ulva. It's a tiny island with just xx inhabitants.  The crossing takes 10 minutes by boat. Ro provides the muscle, along with friends and some of the island residents.  It's a mammoth job. Banjo has the most amazing knack for finding old tat (my words) and turning it into showstopping decor. 

Ripple (Netflix)

A gentle drama centred on a bar and the intertwined lives of the characters who run and frequent it. Nothing unexpected here but it's calming. Some difficult topics are tackled including child cancer, loneliness and responsibilities. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Sky, Now)

Billed as another Game of Thrones spin-off.  It's set approx 100 years before that series. Ive only seen one episode but I wasn't initially blown away. An aspiring knight, Ser Dunk, teams up with a talented youngster, Egg, who's to be his squire. Occasionally a family name pops up that GOT fans will remember,  such as Baratheon. But this series seems to be radically different, more quirky and whimsical. 

That's all for this month - today I'm off to Derbyshire for a boot camp. More on that next time!

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