Chocolate
It’s beginning to look just a little bit like Christmas …
Another week from hell, and it looks very much like there will be more of the same in store almost all the way through Christmas — looks like the year is intent on finishing in style (in the same style as it’s adopted in the last several months, that is). So, I decided that enough […]
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A Spontaneous Splurge
My BFF and I only went down to “that store” a couple of weeks ago (see Festive Tasks: Gifts post), but we decided before another wave of restrictions is going to hit in light of the rising infection figures and the new variant, we might as well go back to stock up on essentials. The […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 17 – Holiday Food (Tasks 1 – 3)
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE As for the other squares where I’ve completed several tasks in a single post (Gifts, Holiday Shopping, and Correspondence), I’m dividing this into several pages, one per task. Task 1: What’s your favorite seasonal drink? Can be alcoholic or virgin, complicated cocktails, festive punches / noggs or just […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 7 – Gifts
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Task 1: Are you a fan of gift giving, or is it a burden? Have you figured out a way to balance the commercialization of the season with the desire for a sense of meaning (whether religious or not)? Tell us about it and, if you want, […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 1, Task 1 – Of Chocolate, Cathedral Architecture, and Veerry Old Bones
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Task 1: In Australia, it’s common to brag about having the “biggest ‘X’ in the Southern Hemisphere!” Biggest mall, biggest prawn (don’t ask), biggest pineapple, biggest earthworm. What does your country / city / region brag about having the best or the biggest of …? I’ve never […]
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An Alphabet of My Likes and Dislikes: “Z”
This is the final post belonging to a new blogging project — the title is pretty much self-explanatory, I think; the project’s introductory post can be found HERE. Credit for the idea: BeetleyPete. As always, the only thing linking the two items mentioned in this post in my mind is that they both start with […]
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Happy Easter!
And Happy Passover, Happy Hanami, belated Happy Nowruz, Happy Springtime … and whatever else you may be celebrating this time of the year. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend — with your loved ones, delicious food, a good book, some time outdoors, and anything else that makes you feel good! Also: Bad […]
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An Alphabet of My Likes and Dislikes: “T”
This is a post belonging to a new blogging project — the title is pretty much self-explanatory, I think; the project’s introductory post can be found HERE. Credit for the idea: BeetleyPete. As always, the only thing linking the two items mentioned in this post in my mind is that they both start with the […]
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Staying Zen in Stressful Times
24 Festive Tasks: Door 12 – World Philosophy Day, Task 2: How do you stay zen / sane over the holidays or in other stressful periods? And / Or: How did you manage to stay (more or less) zen throughout 2020 … if you did? This, too (like my favorite rainy day reads can easily […]
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Donna Andrews: The Gift of the Magpie … and Yule Candles, Candy, and Other Christmas Cheer
24 Festive Tasks: Door 1 – Winter Solstice (Yule – Dōngzhì – Soyal – Yaldā Night), Book, Task 1 and Bonus Task #2: Book: Read a book that takes place in December, with ice or snow on the cover, where all events take place in a single day or night, that revolves around the solstice, […]
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A Cup of Christmas Goodies
24 Festive Tasks: Door 3 – Melbourne Cup Day, Task 4: Prepare your favorite dessert – in a cup! Post a photo of it for us to enjoy vicariously. I’m clean out of energy to prepare any (even simple) desserts or other dishes, so here, in lieu of a New Year’s Eve toast, is the […]
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Creature Comforts
24 Festive Tasks: Door 9 – World Philosphy Day: Task 3 How do you stay zen / sane over the holidays or in other stressful periods? My only salvation in stressful times: Creature comforts. Lots of them. And BookLikes! 2019 was a hell of a year in virtually every respect, and I don’t mean that […]
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My All-Time Favorite Gifts
24 Festive Tasks: Door 20 – Christmas, Task 4: What was the best Christmas / holiday present you ever received – the one that meant the most to you or gave you the greatest joy? (This can be anything; objects / material gifts as well as something someone did for you, or anything else – […]
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St. Nicholas’ Day Goodies
24 Festive Tasks: Door 14 – St. Nicholas’ Day / Sinterklaas, Task 2: In the Netherlands, ‘Sinterklaas’ is celebrated with ginger biscuits, marzipan and hot chocolate with cream; in Germany, it’s St. Nicholas’ Day with gingerbread, chocolate and / or nut or almond cookies, chocolate candy, and tangerines (or oranges). Choose one or more of […]
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A Book, a Mug (of Tea), and Chocolate Truffles
24 Festive Tasks: Door 24 – Epiphany, Task 4: In Ireland, Epiphany is also sometimes called “Nollaig na mBean” or Women’s Christmas. Traditionally the women get the day off and men do the housework and cooking! It is becoming more popular and many Irish women now get together on the Sunday nearest Epiphany and have […]
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KitKat Flavors
24 Festive Tasks: Door 2 – Japanese Culture Day, Task 2: Try a flavor of KitKat other than chocolate and report back if you liked it. Umm, alright, I admit I already bought these last week, but I swear I only opened and tried them today. They are, in no particular order: Ruby Peanut […]
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Halloween Bingo 2019: Tracking Post — Blackout! (And bingos Nos. 12 and 13.)
Many thanks to Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue for hosting this game for the fourth year in a row, bigger and better than ever before! Witih today’s call, I’ve blacked out my card, in addition to collecting my final bingos (nos. 12 and 13). Somewhat to my surprise, after completing my books for my […]
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Halloween Bingo 2019: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Extra Square – Magical Realism & Darkest London
Original post: ThemisAthena.booklikes.com/post/1972804/halloween-bingo-2019-eighteenth-and-nineteenth-extra-square
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Halloween Bingo 2019 PreParty — Question for 08/14 (Day 14): Halloween Bingo Reading Snacks and Drinks … Part 2: The Snacks
So, I had to go down to Frankfurt yesterday, and as I had hoped when composing my original post for this prompt, I managed a small side trip to that store. This year’s Halloween snacks now officially include: Orange chocolate / cocoa truffles White chocolate and almond truffles Cocoa and dark chocolate coated almonds Chili, […]
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Halloween Bingo 2019 PreParty — Question for 08/14 (Day 14): Halloween Bingo Reading Snacks and Drinks?
I don’t know how much reading I’ll be able to get done at home during this year’s bingo, and doubtlessly part of it will be in bed before going to sleep, where I don’t eat anything (and the only drink allowed is mineral water). That said, as we established last year, tea is kind of […]
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