For too many of us the weekend has become just another overcrowded couple of days dominated by duties, traffic jams, hassle and expense as we dash from supermarket to superstore catching up with the week's chores. But it doesn't have to be this way. Elspeth Thompson's original and inspiring book shows us how we can reclaim the weekend by re-charging our batteries and relationships through enjoying the simple pleasures in life. From watching the sunset and the stars, making marmalade and writing proper letters to borrowing a dog, going to dance classes and using the internet creatively, she reminds us of the fun and satisfaction to be had from creative, social and relaxing pursuits. The Wonderful Weekend Book is packed with ideas that will help restore the balance in our lives, reconnect us to the seasons, and -- quite literally -- not cost the earth.
One of my impulse buys from the library sale, I thought it would be a fun source of inspiration for new weekend activities.
As it turns out, the author and I are apparently on the same page when it comes to ways of enjoying a weekend: most of the things she recommends or suggests are things we already do, to some extent. Except learning to play the ukulele - er, no thanks, I'll pass on that one. Still, MT and I are guilty of the weekly Sunday shop; something both he and I dread, and even though we take advantage of farmer's markets, there's just always something on the list that can't be gotten without a supermarket trip. (We're not quite ready to trust online grocery shopping yet, either.)
There are a lot of good ideas here, helpfully broken down by season and all-year-round activities. While the ideas are universal to all, the main drawback is that the book is entirely UK-centric, providing liberal lists of UK sources and the author's anecdotes about great places to stay or things to do in the UK. The debate about how worthwhile it is to go to France to stock up on alcohol seems a particularly moot one to someone living in Australia (or anywhere else that isn't Europe for that matter).
Frankly, it's not a book I'd say is worth buying in the shops, but if your library has it, or like me, you find it for a buck at the library sale, it's not a bad source for ways to mix your weekend up a bit.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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22 May, 2017:
Finished reading
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22 May, 2017:
Reviewed