April: The Summary

A third of the year has officially been and gone. Already. Where on earth does the time go?

April was a better month than the few that went before it. Not the best, but certainly full of more frequent glimmers of light. I started this month on a road trip with a friend, visiting Fort Augustus, staying in a wigwam and falling in love with the Isle of Skye, taking a trip to the Highland Wildlife Park and sleeping in the tiniest, most adorable hostel in Nethy Bridge. I saw Sarah Millican's hilarious stand-up show in Aberdeen; took a day trip to Stonehaven and a wander to Dunnottar Castle; and caught up over dinner with some friends I hadn't seen since Christmas! The rest of the month was consumed by puppy walks; the occasional coffee shop; making it to church, kids club and Street Pastors training for the first time in three months; and more than a little bit of sleep.

I read 4 books this month, bringing me to 17 of my target 42..

• 'Room' by Emma Donoghue
  'Room' was a book that I'd often seen on bestseller shelves but had failed to take notice of before now. I'm not sure what caught my attention this time round, but I'm glad that it did. Narrated from the perspective of five year old Jack whose entire life has been spent in one 12 foot square room, this was a brilliant, gripping little novel that I couldn't put down.
• 'Broken Places' by Wendy Perriam
  My current habit of downloading the cheapest thing to catch my attention on the Kindle page at the precise moment when I need a new read kind of backfired on me on this one. I persevered all the way through this novel but am still none-the-wiser as to what it was really about, except a man with really bad luck. I really tried to like this book, but even the style of writing didn't sit comfortably with me, unfortunately. 
• 'Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain' by George Mahood
  Thankfully my Kindle strategy redeemed itself with this one. George Mahood and his friend Ben set out to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats ..with nothing but the boxer shorts they were wearing. Relying on the generosity of the British public for everything from clothes and shoes, to food, accommodation and even bicycles, this is the true and hilarious account of their adventure. Just brilliant.
• 'Every Day Is A Holiday' by George Mahood
  I enjoyed 'Free Country' so much that I jumped straight into the writer's second book in which he dedicates six months to celebrating as many of the world's weird and wonderful 'holidays' as he can. Not quite as gripping as the bicycle adventure, but a humourous and enjoyable read nonetheless.

When I wasn't stuck in a book, my eyes were fixed on:

'Philomena' - my only movie of the month, this is the touching story of one woman's hunt for her son and is well worth a watch. On TV I was enjoying my weekly 'Gogglebox' fix; the final, brilliant episodes of 'Rev'; ITV's detective mini-series 'Undeniable'; and the first episode of 'Mr Drew's School for Boys'.

I think that was pretty much it for this month. I'm hoping to be well and truly back at work by the time I write an update at the end of May, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what the next 31 days might bring...