I follow quite a few bookish and travel blogs and one thing I really enjoy reading is when they have a regular weekly feature.
Whispering Gums has Monday Musing on Australian Literature and Simon of Stuck in a Book has Weekend Miscellany. Many of the titles use alliteration. I was doing Saturday Squawk but I wasn’t happy with such a crow like cawing title. I generally have time on the weekends to do something regularly but what to call it? Sunday Sundry? Weekend Sundry? Weekly junket? If anyone has any suggestions let me know. I want to do a weekend round up of what happened the previous week. Posts will be related to combined topics of books or articles read; travels, nature, photography, films, theatre or animals. Winter will be upon us very soon and the symptoms are here now so to prevent getting a good case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorders) from the short, darkened days I need some motivation and accountability that I haven’t been hibernating in my cozy bed with three cats and two dogs. So suggestions are welcome but for today it is simply Weekend Sundry.
So what happened this past week? (No, I will not mention ‘THAT wedding.”- yes, I watched it)
Travel: This past week saw me taking the bus into town (Hobart) a couple of times to get my walking exercise in. I love taking the bus. It’s a great venue for people watching and working on my photography. I wander around and try to accrue 5000 to 10,000 steps. I have included some photos from Thursday’s walk. I met friends for coffee on both Thursday and Friday. We found a new (to us) burger restaurant on Friday and both of us being hungry gorged ourselves on hot kebabs in a wrap and the best hot chips I have had in a long time. We will be back. Sorry too busy scarfing the delicious food and forgot the picture taking.
Our play reading class is on term break for three weeks but will start up again in June. Our writing group meets every Wednesday afternoon except the third Wednesday of the month so quiet this week on that front also.
However my Photography class met this week as it was the third Thursday. I love going to the photography class and hopefully one day my photos will be consistently at the top of the challenge ratings instead of the bottom or the middle. I have read one must take at least 10,000 photos to even be classified as a beginner. I have decided to post up at least five photos per week on my facebook page during the winter months. I need to have my camera on me more often. The more photos taken the more one’s eye develops for what is good. I’ll share a few of them here.
Books? I have been listening to Walking The Himalayas. I have talked about Walking the Nile ages ago and Walking the Americas by Levison Wood. I am listening to this book by him from Audible.com. I am not enjoying it as much as the previous two. He begins his walk in Afghanistan and then heads to Pakistan. He and a friend are following the Himalaya mountain range from start to finish. He goes on and on and on about the history of these countries. I find, as I read travel writing, I don’t want a great deal of the history. I want to hear about the travels: the accommodations, the trails, the people met, the experiences along the way. If I wanted to know about the history of the country then I would read that separately. I find his style seems to be describing the history of the countries for the first third of the book then get to the actual travel. Also as there is so much in the news about these countries (this is a fairly current book) I get satiated about those locations. He is now in northern India and has met with the Dalai Lama which I enjoyed. I think once this book is finished I will let whatever else he has written drop though I do have the dvd’s of two of these trips booked at the library. I would especially like to see Walking the Americas as that was my favourite book. I saw Walking the Nile on the ABC, I think it was.
Miscellaneous: Mr. Penguin is housesitting a friend’s farm now for six weeks so I am busy with our five animals. He is spending his days rounding up sheep, and caring for a big labrador and an elderly cat.
Our animals and I are all having a pyjama day today for Sunday. Might be a day to read some more (start something new), maybe one of the books I mentioned for Mother’s Day or soak in a hot tub with a photography magazine and learn new photoshop tricks. All I know is I won’t be travelling, socialising or exercising very much today.
Before I leave- just reminding you to help me think of a title for these weekly (hopefully) posts. I know how clever some of you are.
A Penguin's Journey- Books, Travel, Photography 
Love the sheep. Are they a particular breed? I’m more used to sheep with short and curly fur (? wool?) so was curious about these. Our German Shepherd (Alsation) is a long-haired breed as well. (Sorry. Non sequitur there.)
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I don’t know much about the different varieties of sheep. Sorry I’m not of more help. I do like them though🤠🐧.
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Those photos are lovely. I especially love the clouds.
I think I would be stressed out to keep farm animals alive. I took care of a friend’s small farm on weekends once. Coyotes got a couple of the chickens. I took it hard. I probably should never farm.
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I know, I’d never make a good farmer. I would have all the animals sitting on the couch with me while I read or watched tv.😂😂😂
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I agree with you and Whisperinggums about travel books. I’ve collected old travel narratives for years. I prefer all the little details (the wheel fell off the carriage, the inn was filthy, etc.) to too much history of the place.
Yesterday was a lazy day for us. My husband has hurt his back and it hurts very much. We spent the morning yesterday watching the royal wedding, which I’d DVRed so I could fast forward through the dull parts. Then we binge watched Killing Eve, a quirky serial, psychopath assassin series.
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I hope your husband’s back improves soon. Sounds like you had a relaxing weekend.
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I don’t want a travel book to be full of history either. I want history to be history and travel to be travel. When I write my travel blog I try to incorporate a bit of history – because you need context – but not to BE history if you know what I mean. Like you, I want the stories, the experiences, of travel.
Now, for your name, I do like alliteration though I know it can become silly, but here are some, Sunday Scoop or Sunday Summary or Sunday Sketch? Or, non-alliterative, Weekend Memo or Weekend Jottings.
Will you add a date or number after whatever you decide? You don’t, I think, want a list of posts with just the same title.
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Thanks for comment. I like the word scoop. Sounds old fashioned journalistic. Think it needs weekend in it because don’t think post would always be on a Sunday or a Saturday. I like the idea of a number after it or I could put a date in numerals. Will think some more and don’t hesitate to let me know any other wonderful ideas you may have. Weekend Scoop? My brain hurts🐧🐧🐧.
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Haha. I quite like the word Scoop too, and it doesn’t have to be alliterative. I have an occasional series called My Literary Week. I add a number after it – but I often add a theme too, though it only captures the main thing in the post.
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I like a theme title after the ?????Scoop. Could pick something from the week to highlight. I should go read now so I have something to write about, haha.
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My brain has been like a sieve lately. The Americas book I think is the best but you may differ. 😀 Always nice to hear from you. By the way I MIGHT be in Oregon in September. My sister and I are planning a road trip. It would be lovely to meet you for a coffee. She lives in Novato, just north of San Francisco and I am visiting for 3 weeks.
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i’ve got the America and the Himalayas ones, but (blush) i have yet to get into them… soon, though… i don’t anything about photography, but i think your’s are amazingly good… Mr. P’s hat is just like mine, except mine doesn’t have the three stripes on the bill… my brain is a blank at the moment so far as blog names goes but i’ll give it some thought and let you know if anything transpires… lovely post… tx…
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Hi, I’m interested in what you say about Levison Wood… after reading your last post about him, I borrowed a video (Walking the Americas) and two books (Walking the Nile and Walking the Americas) from the library.
But to my surprise, I didn’t get on with any of them. I didn’t finish watching the video – perhaps it’s because I’m not into adventure walking myself and I’m not interested in people splashing their way through rivers etc. But with the books I think it’s because I’m the opposite to you, I like to read the history, background and culture of a country in a travel book, and I found that in Walking the Nile Levison knew less than I did about Rwanda, just from having kept up with it when and after it happened.
So no, not for me….
PS Hugs and cuddles to the pooch in his pyjamas!
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I understand completely. I like the adventure in the elements and the challenges. Will see how I go with the dvds when they come in. I always enjoy the diversity re the bloggers. Makes it so intresting that we don’t all agree. Miss Molly thinks she is pretty special in her pajamas.
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I reckon she’d need them in Hobart:) My Amber has started wearing her warm woolly jumpers this week…
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