Quite Spectacular: Currently...

Finally taking the plunge and joining Katy Upperman and others with the biweekly 'Currently' posts.

LOVING

My post holiday glow (which is quickly disappearing thanks to the wind and rain). Anyway, there was a lot to love about where I went. I spent last week and the week before in lovely Florida so I'm still in Disney mode. We usually go to the same place in Orlando and then do some mini trips to Sarasota or Miami. This time we stayed in Orlando the whole time but did some exploring. We fell completely in love with Winter Park! We had dinner at Prato after our boat tour and Bosphorus over Memorial Weekend and went to a great independent bookshop - Writers Block Bookstore. Of course, we did some parks. We had a fun day at Universal Studios and saw the new part of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We also enjoyed Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studio.

READING

The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. At the point of writing, I've still got a hundred or so pages left but this is definitely one of the best books I've read all year. It might all go pete tong in the end so I'll hold off on recommending it just yet but I'm almost certain I'll be writing a glowing review.

Whilst on holiday, I finished Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, which was rather epic. I also read the oh so cute Sweet Girl by Rachel Hollis, which is the sequel to Party Girl. I really like the tone of those books and I'm desperate to find something similar.

WATCHING

I finally got round to watching Exodus: Gods and Kings on the plane. It was okaaaay. Christian Bale was a really good Moses, which surprised me for some reason but it was a bit too long (and then rushed at the end - he got theTen Commandments pretty quickly!) and some of the changes to the story weren't my cup of tea.

I also watched two book adaptations on the outbound flight - Love Rosie and This Is Where I Leave You - both of which were very good. I loved both books and loved both films, so couldn't ask for more. We also watched Pitch Perfect 2 whilst on holiday. There wasn't as much of a story as the first one but it was much funnier. Also, the other cinema goers were extremely enthusiastic - whooping and singing and laughing loudly - which made all the difference. I wish our cinemas were that lively. After all, it's a collective experience. If you want peace and quiet, you'd watch the film at home, no?

TV wise I didn't watch as much US TV as I wanted to (I planned to take advantage of the Netflix change in location but only got as far as Parenthood season 1, episode 1) because I got hooked on the HGTV channel. I'm currently experiencing withdrawal symptoms and can't help but go around the house thinking 'if we just knocked that wall through there...'

LISTENING TO

Mumford and Sons (especially Broad-Shouldered Beasts), Django Django, Miranda Lambert, and the Flashlight song from Pitch Perfect. Oh and Save Me by Remy Zero. Smallville was the best.

I've also been on a bit of a John Williams trip as well thanks to all the promotion for Jurrasic World and that iconic theme played so hauntingly at the end of the trailer (although the new film is scored by Michael Giacchino - YESSSSS) plus the Harry Potter and Star Wars music being continually piped through the speakers at the parks.

THINKING ABOUT

Well, now that holiday is out the way I don't really have anything to countdown to anymore. I function better if I know things are on the horizon, so I'll have to think about planning some interesting bits and pieces for the summer. On a greater level, I am getting a little bit antsy. I never did the whole gap year/gap yah thing and I wasn't able to do study abroad at university so my feet are itching. Everyone needs a change now and then...

ANTICIPATING

Ok, well I do have two things to look forward to this month. The Space Spectacular concert (featuring the music of John Williams - hurrah!) at the Royal Albert Hall and The Audience (starring Kristin Scott Thomas, who I now have an even softer spot for after learning people mistake her shyness for coldness - lady I know how you feel).

WISHING

I would love to have spent a few more weeks in Florida. I just really needed the sunshine and could do with a little bit more. Even when it gets hot here, it's not HOT. It's sort of a cold sunshine if that makes sense? Let's put it this way - the last time I wore shorts in England was at a music festival in 2013.