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.

November: My Birthday, Mum's Ashes and More

 #WBOYC

Dear friends.  November is my birthday month. Quite a lot was occurring, including a nasty old virus. We scattered my mum's ashes in the place she chose. There was also some fun stuff....

Saturday Nov 1

Versace exhibition and fun lunch with some Kettlewell Colour Club friends. The exhibition was better than I expected.  

Sunday Nov 2

Wet start. Brightened up. Did forest walk. Planted front pots with tulips. Did roast chicken. Started feeling unwell - achy. Went to bed early. 

Monday Nov 3

Woke up feeling poorly. After a bath and rest, felt a little better. Got up and had an easy day reading and writing a blog post.

Tuesday Nov 4

Felt a lot better. Did walk, J did part of it. Saw the longhorn cattle. 

Weds Nov 5

Did walk with J, pace was quite brisk. Felt tired afterwards.  Got progressively more tired. Think I may have a cold now, damn it. It was so warm today I was walking in a t-shirt! 

Thurs Nov 6

Not a very good Samsung energy score, still feel a bit rundown. Decided not to walk or do any sport.  Planted tulips until it started raining. Did blog maintenance and some tidying. New tote bag came from Nephele Bags, made with offcuts.  Been wanting a red one for ages. 

Fri Nov 7

My birthday! I'm 65.  Had some lovely presents from J including a ring, trainers and a purple handbag.  Card with money from Mum. Almost afraid to open it. Hand made cards from grandchildren Rosie and Olive. 

Went to Pilates.  Had dinner at 45 Jermyn St (Fortnum and Mason). Dressed crab followed by sole Meniere with chips.  Delicious. Dessert menu was tempting but had no room! 

Then saw The Weir with Brendan Gleeson. V good. It's set in a pub on a stormy night in Ireland, with a cast of five. 

Sat Nov 8

My cold is now manifesting which is a shame as we'd planned a "discharge battery" bike ride. 

Sun Nov 9

Determined to do a decent walk. Weather quite good. Walked 5 miles in forest. Met children and grandchildren for lunch at local pub. Roast beef. Was very busy as it's next to the war memorial where there is always a big parade for Remembrance. 

Mon Nov 10

Rainy. Went in town but discovered I had left phone behind.  It meant I missed an appointment because I couldn't remember the number of the building, and although I walked up and down the very long road a few times, I couldn't recognise it. Aaargh. 

Tues Nov 11

Personal trainer session at the gym (see top pic). 

Weds Nov 12

Very mild. Did bike ride to Lee Valley to discharge battery. Saw a field full of goats. Makes a change from the longhorns! 

Thurs Nov 13

Did walk. Had try on of 4 pairs of trousers.  Shared it on Stories. They all got sent back. Sizing is all over the place, no wonder we have to make so many returns. 

Disaster with food shopping delivery. Used a different supplier - a well known prestigious brand. Was notified it was running late but then no updates and by now it was 2.5 hours over the slot and I'd been relying on the delivery for tonight's dinner. Rang retailer,  they couldn't seem to track the driver. Had to get fish and chips. Expect the delivery to be rescheduled tomorrow. 

Friday Nov 14

Refund now pending for shopping delivery and no slots available till 6pm so will have to do shopping in person. That's a throwback! Went to Epping and Tesco, it was pouring with rain.

Saturday Nov 15

Went to Good Housekeeping Live at the Business Design Centre.  It was bigger and better than last year except for the speaker programme, which was more tempting during the week when I guess they have fewer visitors. Had a fun day with Annemarie, starting with my makeup being done in a session I booked with L'Oreal. Bought a couple of things from the Christmas market for gifts.

Sunday Nov 16

Did roast lamb, which took longer than expected as it hadn't been precooked sous vide, so lunch was later. Did a shortish walk as I'm still a bit under the weather. Started two re-watches, Strike and Slow Horses. Both excellent series's. 

Monday Nov 17

Had to let Penny down, was going to meet her and Bill at Tate Britain but I’m not very good company. Sad as I haven't seen her for probably a year.

Tuesday Nov 18

More energy today. Had good session with trainer at gym. Now up to 82.5kgs of weight on the sled, which I push and pull, trying not to look like a dressage horse!

Went into London for Harley Street appointment. Had Profhilo in face and neck. It's lots of eye watering injections which stimulate collagen production.  Saw visible results after the first session. Below: Christmas lights in Marylebone 

Big Cloudflare outage means my blog's link-up didn't work for much of the day.  These outages (I always think of it as an outrage) are more and more frequent. 

Weds Nov 19

Cold with sleet. Wore new puffer coat for first time on walk to South Woodford (3 miles) to get a few groceries.  Wrote my list for our two night stay in Plymouth. We're driving down tomorrow.  On Friday we'll scatter Mum's ashes followed by dinner with my brother and his family.

Thurs Nov 20

Long drive to Plymouth.  Quite a bad bruise from the Profhilo on chin.  Staying at Boringdon Hall, looking very festive. Poor weather. Bit of an issue with EV charging.  Somehow missed the entrance to charging at Leigh Delamere. Then, at Exeter Services, which has a lot of chargers, most of them were roped off for roadworks. Cars were driving round looking for chargers. Fortunately the workmen opened up some of them. A bit stressful as we were desperate for a charge at that point. 

Dined in Brasserie, had wagyu burger with truffle chips, and a rather disappointing black forest cheesecake. 

Fri Nov 21

Slept poorly, too hot. Dreading today. Had a massage in the morning. Day seemed to drag until it was time to go to the old crematorium  (now closed). Stopped off at Mum's house to pick up a few mementos.  

The actual scattering of her ashes was easier than I expected.  The lovely funeral director scattered them in the shape of a cross. She had specifically wanted to be scattered in the Garden of Remembrance, with my late brother. It's a peaceful sheltered spot. We had a pleasant family dinner in the evening.

Saturday Nov 22

Pouring with rain. Left at 9.45, home by 4. Had coffee and did a quick charge at Salmon's Leap,  Buckfastleigh, which has a lovely farm shop. Bought some bacon for tomorrow.  Driving conditions atrocious.  Did second charge and had a hot chocolate at Reading Services (another favourite). Home at 4pm. Watched Slow Horses, Pluribus and Furia.

Sunday Nov 23

Sunshine after the rain! Went for 5 mile walk, great to do after 3 days' inactivity. Christmas tree is up in the nearby high street, next to the new sign. 

Had lunch at the King's Head,  roast turkey.

Monday Nov 24

Read an interesting post by Erin at Cracker Crumb life about her 10 modern classics. Added some to my Amazon book list. Did walk. Didn't manage to do a shoot as I waited until afternoon and the light was too poor by then,  so didn't have a style blog post ready for tomorrow. 

Tuesday Nov 25

Sunny intervals,  cold. Went to the gym. Lots of shoulder exercises.  Pulled the equivalent of 14 stone (88kg) on the sled. Managed to produce a style post, published a bit later than normal with the link-up.

Weds Nov 26

Had hair coloured and cut. Asked for it to be less blonde now summer is over, but emerged with it a bit darker than I expected. 

Thursday Nov 27 

Washed hair as I didn't like the blow dry very much. It looks lighter than it did yesterday. Relieved. Did a blog shoot on the subject of trending colour Brown and then ironing.  So dreary outside I stayed in all day.

Friday Nov 28

Pilates. Big salad for dinner and fish n chips for J. 

Saturday Nov 29

Went to four local Christmas fairs. Two were typical church bazaars,  the others featured professional sellers. I bought a ring and bracelet in one of the church fairs. 

Sunday Nov 30

November gifted us a sunny blue sky day for its payoff. Did a walk, saw the longhorns. 

What I've Been Reading Lately

What We've Been Watching 

Down Cemetery Road (Apple) - 3 out of 5 stars 

Starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, this is based on the book by Mick Herron (Slow Horses). I am not very keen TBH. It's a convoluted but unsatisfying plot; some of the characters seem cartoon-esque while others are taking it seriously, and it seems to move at a glacial pace. A bit meh, although husband likes it. 

Pluribus (Apple) - 4 out of 5 stars

If you don't have Apple and want some ROI to justify it, this, plus Slow Horses, The Morning Show (first series) and Blackbird make it worthwhile.  

Pluribus, or as I like to call it "Plur 1 Bus" (look at the graphic) gets right down to business within minutes. Individuals no longer exist, we are all part of a hive mindset with shared knowledge and memories.  Millions died as this happened, globally. Just a handful of people are impervious to the virus, or whatever caused it. One of them is the bad tempered and cynical writer Carol (Rhea Seehorn). I was initially sceptical as to how several episodes could be squeezed out of this, once Carol met the rest of the world's unaffected, but it continues to grip us. 

Furia (Prime) - 4 out of 5 stars

Not new but a good discovery. This is a classy Norwegian thriller funded by several countries. Ragna is a fiercely courageous cop who infiltrates a nationalistic subculture following a killing in Norway. Ragna's journey pulls her into a spiral of hatred while a terrorist plot targeting the heart of Europe is revealed. Fast moving and stylish. 

Dark Winds (Now) - 4 out of 5 stars

Second series of the 1970s drama focused on a small tribal team policing the Navajo, sometimes working uncomfortably with the Sheriff's team. Sensitively handled with a charismatic performance from Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn. There's a fantastic episode where Leaphorn, one arm out of action, drags a younger,  violent  suspect across the desert on foot. Leaphorn suspects this man was involved in the murder of his son several years ago. 

The Eubanks, BBC iPlayer - 4 out of 5 stars

A documentary which preceded the boxing rematch between Nigel Benn Jnr and Chris Eubank Jnr. It's painful to watch the proud Eubank Snr struggle with the knowledge that his son has to lose a dangerous amount of weight through dehydration to qualify for the match. Last time he nearly died. Another son died a few years ago. Eubank Snr has been relentless in campaigning to stop matches when a competitor is injured. He is haunted by what happened in one of his own matches. I'm always amazed that boxing still exists, and that celebrities swarm the bouts. 

How was your month? What do you think of my TV opinions? Do share in the comments.

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October: A Big Birthday, ABC and More

 #WBOYC #WhatsBeenOnYourCalendar 

Dear friends. A busy month to share. October included a big birthday for Mr Mutton, a school reunion in Plymouth and seeing the group ABC with an orchestra in Bournemouth. I also started using a personal trainer again, gave blood and did a one day First Aid course. 

Read on for TV recommendations.  

Heatwave Happenings: July

Dear friends. What a scorcher of a month. It was too hot for me. Temperatures in the 30s (90s) are fine when you're on holiday, with an air conditioned room. But in London, in houses built to keep in the heat? Nooo.  Fortunately it was a little cooler in the last few days.

It was a busy month with some fun activities.  I was turned into an "artwork" not once but twice.  I explored Bedford for the first time and went to Plymouth. 

My April Calendar: Caravaggio, Bluebells and Bright Colours

Dear friends. We're still waiting for prolonged sunshine and warmer days here in the UK. April had lots of rain and it was mostly cold! Here's how my month played out. 

What's been on my [May] Calendar?

 

Dear friends. Welcome to my review of May. Highlights included the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio Devon reunion, the Chelsea Flower Show and a wheely good new acquisition.

February in Review: Art, Abba, Health, TV and More

 #WBOYC

Dear friends. Another month has sped by and we are nearly in spring. I'm joining Donna, Joanne and Sue for #WhatsBeenOnYourCalendar. Quite a busy and varied month!

Latest Books, TV and Podcasts: October

 
Dear friends. Another month has whizzed by and it's time for my round-up of TV watched, books read, and podcasts listened to.

This is the last post in the current format.  There will soon be a standalone book reviews post, with the first one on November 18 to join the What's On Your Bookshelf link-up.  Fear not, TV and podcasts will still be covered but in my review of the month, on the last Friday of the month.

All clear?  Great - let's launch into Books.

Friday Favourites: Books, TV, Podcasts - August

 

Dear friends. Here we are again with the reviews and recommendations from the last month. Very strong in terms of TV, less so for books and podcasts.  As before, I've included my "Didn't Like It" section at the bottom, which includes some controversial choices!

Friday Favourites: Books, TV, Podcasts

 

Dear friends. Another month, another selection of TV, books and podcasts. Let's start with books. 

March Favourites: Books, TV, Podcasts

 

Dear friends. Welcome to March Favourites, my reviews of books, TV and podcasts. Lots to discuss so let's dive in. 

Friday Favourites: TV, Books, Podcasts - May Edition 2021

 

Welcome to the May round-up of this month's favourite podcasts, TV and books. It's a bumper edition because with Mr Mutton off on his two week bike ride, I have had full control over the remote control.  

Friday Favourites: TV, Books, Podcasts - February Edition

 
It's the monthly round-up of TV, book and podcast reviews.  I didn't necessarily like all of them - but you can always count on me for being honest and objective!  Without further ado....

Friday Favourites - October Edition: TV, Books and Podcasts

Image by Andrea Piacquadio for Pexels

Welcome to this month's Friday Favourites, a round-up of TV, book and podcast recommendations. The October mix includes Elton John, the Barbarians TV show, Emily in Paris, an octopus, Barbara Amiel and Pam Hupp. Pam who? Read on.

TV Viewing

The Undoing (Sky, Now TV)

This is a very classy production starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.  The cast list has lots of "ACEs" after the production crew's names, and you can see why in the beautiful lighting and screenplay. It makes you realise how third rate a lot of the dramas are, nowadays, in terms of how they're filmed.

Aside from the brutal lack of chemistry between the husband and wife  (Kidman and Grant), and Kidman's resolutely frozen face, there's a lot to admire. I was gaping at the beauty of Kidman's clothes. The red cape! The dress she wore to the charity auction! It puts Emily in the shade  (from Emily in Paris, below).

It's also quite novel only having one episode a week. No bingeing! I think we're going to enjoy this.

Emily in Paris (Netflix)

The critics were very sniffy about it, and I saw an outraged Canadian expat in Paris whining about how the programme is based on stereotypes. Nonetheless, it went to the top of the Netflix charts, including in France. 

My message on this one is:  it's not Proust. Yes, there are stereotypes. But stereotypes wouldn't exist without a soupcon of truth. I love the French and their quirky ways . The fact they hung onto Minitel for so many years  (Google it). Their weird breakfasts - croissants dunked in bowls of hot chocolate. Johnny Halliday! Need I go on. But I love their commitment to French cinema and I'd much rather watch an angst-ridden French film than an American rom-com with the inevitably happy ending. 

Although there was criticism of how the French came out of the programme,  the Americans didn't fare much better. The deep pan pizza is Chicago's crowning culinary glory? And although Emily was wearing designer threads, she didn't look as stylish as her French boss Sylvie. 

We enjoyed Emily in Paris as a frothy confection. The perfect antidote to 2020.  Paris looked beautiful. I'm sure there will be a second series. A bit more bite would be nice.  Camille catching her "friend" Emily in bed with the chef, for example? More discussion around topics like sexist v sexy, which was a brief flash of intelligence. More please. 

Rita (Netflix)

If you want feel good TV with a bit of bite, then try Rita, a Danish series about the life of an unconventional and charismatic woman. In series 1, school teacher Rita is conducting a busy life love with three men: the head teacher, the mild mannered Rasmus;  the father of one of her pupils, and her childhood sweetheart Tom, who's now the father-in-law of her eldest son Ricco. It's all very complicated. Every episode has pathos, sadness and humour. The characters are wonderfully drawn, including the young teacher Hjordis who has her own follow-up series. Oh - and it's a rich seam - six seasons. Binge now. 

Read more: How the Danish hit went global - BBC 

Barbarians (Netflix)

If you loved The Last Kingdom and The Vikings, you'll find this worth a look,  although it's nowhere in their league.   It's a big budget drama from Germany with quite a few parallels to The Last Kingdom, including a similar story conceit where the hero starts off  with a different family and is stolen or given away to the "other side." In this case, we have a Roman centurion who started life as one of the Barbarians. He was given to the Romans in return for peace. Fast forward and the same Centurion is forced to wreak havoc on his family and friends from a few years ago. But is that his plan? 

My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)

I defy anyone to watch this gentle and bewitching documentary without shedding a tear. A film maker, Craig Foster, is struggling to make sense of his life.  He spends a year documenting the life of a wild common octopus.  They may look like alien life forms but the octopus is amazingly clever and adaptable. We see the little octopus literally building a wall around herself to protect from predators.  After accepting Foster into her grotto, she shows affection towards this strange being. The ending is heart breaking.

What I've Been Reading

Friends and Enemies by Barbara Amiel

I've long been fascinated by Amiel and her fourth husband, Conrad Black, the former proprietor of the Daily Telegraph and other publications owned by the Hollinger Group.

Black was imprisoned for fraud, plunging him and Amiel into millions of pounds of debt and ignominy. 

He was pardoned by Trump after spending three years in prison, following the publication of his positive book about the President. (Yes the Blacks are Republicans, but as a well adjusted Boomer I've able to read about conflicting views without throwing a tantrum). 

Before disaster struck, this gilded couple had mixed with the world's richest dynasties, royalty and politicians. Barbara, a journalist and newspaper columnist, was a latter day Marie Antoinette with a couture habit. Now in her 80s, Amiel doesn't come across as particularly likeable. There are hundreds of pages of bile when it comes to Conrad's trial and the lawyers and judge they had to deal with.  I never got over the fact the she freely admitted to punching and kicking a small dog that adored her, for no reason, even though she caused it internal bleeding and pain.  

Most intriguing was her account of how, in her early 50s, her life was turned upside down when she married Black. Suddenly a woman who'd lived in a fairly modest apartment and dined on Lean Cuisine was expected to host prestigious banquets for the great and good.

Living among the mega rich, the Blacks tried to keep up but it kept going wrong, as shown by the jewellery that Amiel bought.  

A guest at one of dinner parties peered at her emerald necklace and declared the jewels had been treated with oil and were the wrong colour. Cringe city. But very revealing, in exposing that that a lot of the "great and good", these supposed philanthropists, were in reality shallow snobs with petty rivalries and bad manners. If I'd been Amiel, I might have made a virtue out of wearing costume jewellery from an up and coming designer, rather than trying to compete with old school "patio jewellery". 

We Brits come out of it quite well.  Canada turned its back on its citizen Black because he had the audacity to accept a peerage. Most of their US and Canadian friends completely blanked them from the start. Elton John was the only friend who took Amiel out after the initial disgrace and gave her a trinket from Theo Fennell. A lot of the people listed by name as enemies by Amiel are still alive. I wonder what they're thinking now. 

Me by Elton John

Barbara Amiel praises Elton John in her memoir but she doesn't get a mention in his.  I am a big fan of Elton's but I resisted the book for several months, thinking it had all been revealed in various newspaper serialisations. But I succumbed, and I did enjoy it.  Elton is open, honest and down-to-earth. His memoir is rich in anecdotes and amusing tales involving celebrities and the royal family.  "I'm perfectly aware of how ridiculous my life is, and perfectly aware of what an arsehole I look like when I lose my temper over nothing," he writes.  "I go from nought to nuclear in seconds and then calm down just as quickly."  

He famously fell out with Princess Diana, Tina Turner and his mother, who comes across as overbearing, peevish and unpredictable. 

We'll be seeing Elton for the second time - Covid permitting - in Liverpool next November, his farewell tour having been curtailed this year.

Here he's pictured with Taron Egerton, who played him in the Elton biopic.

Playdate by Alex Dahl

This novel is about a young girl who goes for her first sleepover but doesn't return the next day. The story turned out to be very convoluted, and quite clever. It kept me feverishly turning pages to find out  what actually happened. 

Podcast Delights

No Place But The Water, BBC Radio 4 

A drama in nine fairly short episodes, I stuck with it after finding the first two episodes a bit irksome with whiney children's voices dominating. I was glad I stuck with it because things improved after episode three. The world has suddenly been turned into water;  houses crumbled and fell into the sea. There's no explanation of why this happened. A family have found a haven in a deserted hotel near a spooky wood.Fortuitously they have food in the cellar  (fast running out) but no toilet paper, which sounds familiar.  Then they see another boat, with a young boy and his mother on board. The kids' squeals and all the talk about seeing angels is tedious, but the ending makes sense.  I particularly enjoyed Grandad's laugh, but as usual, the father, Gil, formerly an English teacher, came across as fairly useless, which is the way men are often portrayed now by our PC BBC.

The Thing About Pam, Dateline NBC

This is the true story of an American woman, Pam Hupp, who brazened it out after a crime and nearly got away with it.  Russell Faria came home one evening two days after Christmas 2011 and found his wife of 12 years dead on the floor. Not long before her death, it transpires, his wife had made her friend Pam Hupp the recipient of her life insurance. You'd think this alone would interest the police, but no, they seemed to like Pam and were convinced Russ had killed his wife. Even after Pam closed down the trust, shortly before Faria's trial, that was supposed to give 50% of the life insurance policy to Russ's daughters. 

There are lots of flabbergasting twists and turns before Pam Hupp is finally convicted of the 2016 murdere of Louis Gumpenberger, the man she hired to implicate Russ Faria for the murder of his wife. Who killed Betsy Faria is still an unsolved mystery. 

Backlisted Podcast 

If you love old books, Backlisted is for you. Each episode features a guest (usually a writer) who has chosen a book they love and which they think deserves a wider audience. Though sponsored by the crowd-funding publisher Unbound, it isn’t about selling new product: it’s about how and why some books stand the test of time.

For Halloween the latest book is Beowulf. Some of my favourite books, Frost in May by Antonia White, Excellent Women by Barbara Pym  (which I featured here), and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens have been featured.

Hope you enjoyed this month's Friday Favourites. It's a monthly post published on the last Friday of the month.  Do share your latest recommendations in the comments.  I have a feeling we're going to be needing as many recommendations as we can get.

FOR MORE MUTTON

There's a fashion or beauty post every Wednesday with the #WowOnWednesday link-up. Stay in the loop: follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. Check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Instagram. 

What I've Been Hearing, Watching and Reading

Dear friends. My occasional round-up of great reading, TV and podcasts starts with the marvellous writer Marian Keyes. 

I pre-ordered her new book Grown Ups  although I've decided to save it for my summer holiday. She featured in two of my favourite podcasts this week, How to Fail, and Fortunately with Fi and Jane.

Five For FriYay: Reading, Podcasts, Beauty

Welcome to Five for FriYay, my occasional post on what I've been reading, listening to, watching and trying.

I look like a magician above but those white gloves are a godsend if, like me, you have ruined sheer tights just pulling them on. I have had so many instances over the years where a finger has created a hole or ladder, and I was unable to wear the tights in question!