The Sunday Salon

I’ve decided to try using the “Currently” format, which I first saw over on Kim’s blog, for my Salon this week. I changed some bits, though, to suit me a little better.

Time // 13:13

Place // At my desk in our computer room

Eating // Nothing at the moment, but pizza is for lunch I think!

Drinking // A glass of water

Reading // I’m now deep into Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-forgotten Europe by Norman Davies, which is just as fascinating as I thought it would be when I first got it. Davies delves into the history of the various countries and states that didn’t make it to the present, and which have been forgotten through the years. So far, I’ve read about a kingdom in Scotland (Alt Clud), one in modern-day Spain (Tolosa) and am now reading about Litva, which was in eastern Europe and was formerly the area around Belarus.

I’ve also just barely started Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells which is an anthology of “gaslamp fantasy” edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling – basically, fantasy set in the 19th century. I’m hoping to read a few of the stories this afternoon.

Watching // We’re still watching Babylon 5 at home and with a friend we’re watching House of Cards. I’m not even sure how I feel about the latter show, because it’s so immoral and extreme, but I love Babylon 5. I think we’ll also go see Elysium in the movie theater next weekend.

Cooking // I’ve been making an effort when it comes to cooking over the last few weeks. I tend to try to make at least one recipe from my Pinterest board each week. Last week I made Potato and Goat’s Cheese Gratin, which was lovely and went really well with fish but needed more time in my oven, unfortunately. I also made Lazy Layered Eggplant which will also be made again in my kitchen! I needed to up the spices just a tad but the flavors were wonderful.

Learning // I’m still learning to drive. I’ve been learning to drive for months now and I actually am physically capable of driving a manual car with relative ease now (at last). I had to delay my test because I went home for my grandma’s funeral right at the time where I was meant to take it, and because booking it is so slow, have had to wait an additional two months. But it’s coming up soon, and my fingers are crossed!

Gaming // I’ve recently purchased the latest Civilization V expansion pack, Brave New World, which is great fun when I feel like investing a couple of hours into building my own little civilization. 

Loving/Hating // Mainly I love that I’m actually continuing to feel inspired with my cooking. I’ve been making lunches for my husband and myself and have really been focusing on buying more fresh and less packaged foods. We still buy back-up frozen fish and vegetables, but it’s so nice knowing that we’re sticking to healthier choices.

Anticipating // In the immediate future I’m really looking forward to next Monday’s bank holiday. I love free days off work, and this is our last one until Christmas. A three day weekend always means I’m just slightly more energized for work. In the longer term I can’t wait for my trip to Spain in November. I’ve already started planning out what books I’m going to read beforehand and what days we’ll be spending where. We haven’t been out of the country on a proper trip except to visit my parents for two years, so I’m thrilled to be going somewhere new at last. This will also be our longest holiday together, since we’re finally able to go for a week.

I’m also anticipating finally selling the flat we’ve owned in Wolverhampton for years; getting rid of that burden will mean we can start saving for our future much more than we do now, and actually begin to make plans about it. I can’t wait!

How is your Sunday going?