What Sophie Said

Wow, my reading list posts have been a little neglected of late! Not to worry though, I’ve been keeping a list of everything I’ve read and I’m planning to write a few posts today to have them lined up and ready. The posts may have slowed, but the reading definitely hasn’t, and I have so many to talk about over the next few weeks. So here it is, the next four books on my reading list: Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris Widow Framboise works at a creperie, working on and refining old family recipes. Her nephew tries to exploit her success and claim the family secrets. Throughout the novel, details of Framboise’s wartime childhood tumble out, and it becomes clear that a lot of her memories are more constructed than they originally appeared. The story had potential, and was intriguing. I loved the childlike perspective of Framboise’s memories, but at times the narrative was a bit too disjointed. I didn’t feel like I particularly warmed to any of the charact...

The beginning of a new month means it’s time for a new challenge, and this one revolves around food. When it comes to lunches, I’m really fussy. I don’t like a huge variety of sandwich fillings, or a lot of typical dressings like mayonnaise. This makes my typical lunches – I take a packed lunch to work each day - very uninspiring and repetitive. I want to try and break out of this trap, and cut down on the amount of bread I’m taking as lunches, in favour of other alternatives. Realistically, you can’t change everything overnight, so this month’s challenge is: Try out two new lunch options per week. This could be leftovers of different meals, salads, wraps… I’m currently on the hunt for inspiration! If I can do more than this, great, but the aim is at least 8 new ideas. As always, I’ll be taking pictures and filling you in at the end of the month. Do you have any tips? What are your favourite lunches? 

Another month has flown by, and it’s time to fill you in on the results of my fifth monthly challenge. The challenge for April was: To walk to and from work (3.5 miles each way) every day, and not take the bus. I did it! There were 3 occasions – either the journey to or from work – that I had a lift from one of my parents as they were coming to the house or going in that direction, but every other time I have walked. I’ve not set foot on the bus. Here’s my top 5 benefits of my walk to work month, which is a routine I will 100% be sticking to: 1. Saving money – A bus pass costs money. The walk doesn’t. Simple! 2. Exercise – Walking a brisk 7 miles each day is already feeling so much easier, and my legs are toning up. 3. Wakes me up – I arrive at work feeling fresh and energised because of all the fresh air. 4. Time to think and reflect – As someone who has been dealing with panic and worrying, I’m finding it really helpful to have these periods in the ...