This week has had its downs - a fault on the phone line left us without internet for a few days - but for the most part it's been a good one. I had healthier scrutiny committee this week, but there wasn't much else of interest on, work wise. Two of my friends from uni came down to stay on the weekend though which was really fun. We went shopping to Cardiff and, of course, Marianna treated them to six or so episodes of Batman... ;)


TBA

☆ READING: N/A

☆ WRITING: How to host a blog competition.

☆ WATCHING: Batman. So much Batman. Marianna loves the old 1960s TV show, so we've just been watching it over and over again. It's so cheesy, and has way too much emphasis on Burt Ward's bare legs and random exclamations. (Holy Ravioli, Batman!)

☆ LISTENING: Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson. We've been binge watching Supergirl and this was the song they used for Kara's flashback to being a newly arrived 13-year-old refugee in 2004, the year I turned 16. It felt so weird, I can't believe the song and I are that old.
☆ WEARING: My winter coat. It's so warm, it's like going out wrapped in a duvet!

☆ EATING: Cat brought some awesome homemade lemon drizzle cake with her - yum. :)

☆ REVIEWING: Wise Words For Kids - I'm running a giveaway on the post too.


I did the When I Was Young blog challenge and this week's #FridayFrivolity theme was Thanksgiving. In other newsTots 100, the parenting blogger rankings, got a new update and I went up a few more places to 115. I'd love to get into the top 100, even if it's just for one update, so fingers crossed I can keep building on it!

Finally, this week's Twitter competition is for Fishtales on DVD:

Follow and RT to #win Fishtales on DVD with @jess__powell of https://t.co/2vLxc10iny (UK only, ends 24/11) pic.twitter.com/BKEzNZ8pHD

— Jessica Powell (@jess__powell) November 17, 2016

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Marianna stayed at my mum's most of this week, which was nice but a bit weird - it was like being young, free and single again for a few days. Well, except for being old and still having Anthony underfoot, but you know. :)

Work was fairly quiet again, and Wednesday was just depressing. We had our first Labour branch meeting in ages, what with all the endless election campaigns, and today we went to the Pontnewydd Remembrance Parade. We were marching again this year, and I laid a wreath as the Deputy Mayor - I always panic a bit about laying wreaths, it's like all previous occasions where I've done it completely leave my mind and I imagine I'm going to trip over and destroy the entire display something!

There was a really good turnout today though, and Harald (Thomas of Holy Trinity Church - I think pretty much everyone in Cwmbran knows Harald) gave a lovely service talking about the poppy as a symbol of peace, and the importance of rememberance as an aid to preventing future war, not glorifying it.




☆ READING: Loads of old film magazines. Check them out for yourself over at Lantern, the media history digital library.

☆ WRITING: An appreciation post for one of my favourite fiction writers, Marjorie Benton Cooke.

☆ WATCHING: We watched Batman v Superman (2016) last night, but had to give up before the end. It was just so terrible!

☆ LISTENING: Make Out - Rixton.
☆ WEARING: Remembrance poppies.

☆ EATING: Birthday cake - it's my little brother's birthday today! :)

☆ REVIEWING: N/A


I posted a guide to Saturday Blog Linkies, and the theme for this week's #FridayFrivolity was crazy health advice. This week's Twitter competition is for The Wizard of Oz on DVD:

Follow and RT to #win a copy of The Wizard of Oz on DVD with @jess__powell of Babi a Fi https://t.co/i6xuveMO2T (UK only, Ends 16/11) pic.twitter.com/K26FPKVk9G

— Jessica Powell (@jess__powell) November 9, 2016

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It's been another quiet week, mostly filled with homely domestic stuff like wading through the mountains of washing, and attempting and failing to get Marianna to do her business on the potty.

There wasn't much on workwise - advice surgery on Saturday was the main thing - and blogging was pretty lowkey too. We didn't go anywhere for Halloween because Marianna was terrified of absolutely everything Halloween related. And then we didn't go anywhere for Bonfire Night for much the same reason. Hopefully next year this will be a really fun action-packed week, but this time... we just had to write it all off!

Marianna with her new @izzieandimani backpack - she's called it Tarragon, after the dragon on The Herbs :)

A photo posted by Jessica Powell (@plastigffantastig) on Nov 5, 2016 at 4:02pm PDT

☆ READING: Anthony wrote me a day in the life of a stay-at-home dad - he makes it sound like I don't do anything!

☆ WRITING: About some of the early films I've been watching this week. I had loads of fun giffing the story outlines, and tracking down some analysis from various historians - Algie the Miner (1912), Sex in Chains (1928), and Gilbert Saroni in various shorts between 1901 and 1904.

☆ WATCHING: Batman: The Movie (1966).

#Batman The Movie as understood by my (almost) two year old... She's clearly channeling #Gotham Penguin through Meredith! pic.twitter.com/0uoSZlShG3

— Jessica Powell (@jess__powell) November 5, 2016

☆ LISTENING: Cat Stevens - that's why I had to go with a Harold and Maude quote this week!
☆ WEARING: Not the chains, Marianna has appropriated them -


☆ EATING: Nothing memorable.

☆ REVIEWING: N/A


I posted my Editorial Calendar Ideas for November and put together a masterpost for my film and TV history posts.





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Throughout the year there are so many awareness days, commemorative days, special days, celebrations, holidays, observances, etc, etc. These can be great as blog post inspiration, or just for getting a bit of extra traffic to an existing post by repromoting it as a tie-in.

Read on for a list of notable dates for September - if the day has its own website or wiki page, I've linked to it. A lot of the weirder ones are USA based unofficial 'national days'; I've included them in the list if they've crossed the pond, or had a fair number of media hits when I googled them.

I've also included links to any posts I've written for a particular day.

1st

☆ All Saints' Day.
☆ Author's Day.
☆ Extra Mile Day. [USA]
☆ Go Cook For Your Pets Day.
☆ International Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Awareness Day.
☆ National Cook For Your Pets Day.
☆ National French Fried Clam Day. [USA]
☆ National Vinegar Day. [USA]
☆ World Vegan Day.
☆ Zero Tasking Day.


2nd

☆ All Souls' Day.
☆ National Deviled Egg Day. [USA]


3rd

☆ Cliche Day.
☆ Jellyfish Day.
☆ Mother's Day. [Timor Leste]
☆ National Sandwich Day. [USA]

4th

☆ National Candy Day. [USA]
☆ National Eating Healthy Day. [USA]
☆ Use Your Common Sense Day.


5th

☆ Bonfire Night. [UK]
☆ Love Your Red Hair Day.



6th

☆ International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
☆ National Nachos Day. [USA]
☆ Saxophone Day.


7th

☆ Hug a Bear Day.
☆ National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day. [USA]
☆ National Kladdkakans (Mud Cake) Day. [Sweden]


8th

☆ Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day.
☆ International Day of Radiology.
☆ Intersex Solidarity Day.
☆ National Harvey Wallbanger Day. [USA]
☆ National Cappuccino Day. [USA]
☆ National Shot Day. [USA]


9th

☆ Chaos Never Dies Day.
☆ Iqbal Day. [Pakistan]
☆ National Scrapple Day. [USA]
☆ World Freedom Day.


10th

☆ National Vanilla Cupcake Day. [USA]
☆ Seseame Street Day.


11th

☆ Armistice Day.
☆ Children's Day. [Croatia]
☆ National Sundae Day. [USA]
☆ Origami Day.
☆ Pepero Day. [South Korea]
☆ Veterans Day. [USA]


12th

☆ Fancy Rat and Mouse Day.
☆ Father's Day. [Indonesia]
☆ Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies Day.
☆ World Pneumonia Day.


13th

☆ World Kindness Day.


14th

☆ Children's Day. [India]
☆ Loosen Up, Lighten Up 'LuLu' Day.
☆ National Pickle Day. [USA]
☆ National Spicy Guacamole Day. [USA]
☆ World Diabetes Day.


15th

☆ America Recycles Day. [USA]
☆ Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.
☆ Day of the Imprisoned Writer.
☆ I Love To Write Day.
☆ National Philanthropy Day.


16th

☆ Button Day.
☆ Have a Party With Your Bear Day.
☆ International Day for Tolerance.
☆ National Fast Food Day. [USA]


17th

☆ Homemade Bread Day.
☆ International Happy Goose Day.
☆ International Students' Day.
☆ Take a Hike Day.
☆ Unfriend Day.
☆ World Prematurity Day.


18th

☆ Occult Day.


19th

☆ Have a Bad Day Day.
☆ International Men's Day.
☆ National Soup Day. [Germany]
☆ World Toilet Day. (My Post)


20th

☆ Africa Industrialization Day.
☆ Name Your PC Day.
☆ National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. [USA]
☆ Revolution Day. [Mexico]
☆ Transgender Day of Remembrance.
☆ Universal Children's Day.


21st

☆ World Hello Day.
☆ World Television Day.


22nd

☆ Go For a Ride Day.


23rd

☆ Fibonacci Day.


24th

☆ Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day.


25th

☆ Gazpacho Soup Day. [from 'Red Dwarf']
☆ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
☆ National Parfait Day. [USA]
☆ St. Catherine's Day.
☆ Te Aso Fiafia - 'Happy Day'. [Vaitupu, Tuvalu]


26th

☆  Constitution Day. [India]
☆ National Cake Day. [USA]



27th

☆ Maaveerar Naal - Great Heroes' Day. [Sri Lanka]
☆ Mitzvah Day International 2016. 
☆ Teacher's Day. [Spain]


28th

☆ Independence Day. [Albania]
☆ National French Toast Day. [USA]
☆ National Maize Day. [USA]


29th

☆ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
☆ Square Dance Day.


30th

☆ Bonifacio Day. [Philippines]
☆ Cities For Life Day.
☆ Computer Security Day.
☆ International Self Harm Awareness Day.
☆ National Mousse Day. [USA]
☆ St. Andrew's Day. [Scotland, UK]
☆ Stay Home Because You're Well Day.


Movable

☆ Job Action Day. First Monday.
☆ Melbourne Cup Day. [Australia] First Tuesday.
☆ Stress Awareness Day. First Wednesday.
☆ International Project Management Day. First Thursday.
☆ International Stout Day. First Thursday.
☆ Men Make Dinner Day. First Thursday.
☆ Thanksgiving. [Liberia] First Thursday.
☆ Love Your Lawyer Day. First Friday.
☆ Children's Day. [South Africa] First Saturday.
☆ Health Day. [Turkmenistan] First Saturday.
☆ Orphan Sunday. First Sunday.
☆ Father's Day. [Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden] Second Sunday.
☆ Grandparents Day. [South Sudan] Second Sunday.
☆ International Tongue Twister Day. Second Sunday.
☆ National Pupusa Day. [El Salvador] Second Sunday.
☆ Remembrance Sunday. [UK & Commonwealth] Second Sunday.
☆ Heir to the Throne's Birthday. [Tuvalu] Second Monday.
☆ World Quality Day. Second Thursday.
☆ GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Day. Third Wednesday.
☆ Beaujolais Nouveau Day. [France] Third Thursday.
☆ Use Less Stuff Day. [USA] Third Thursday.
☆ World Philosophy Day. Third Thursday.
☆ National Adoption Day. [USA] Third Saturday - Saturday before US Thanksgiving.
☆ World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Third Sunday.
☆ Thanksgiving. [USA] Fourth Thursday.
☆ Black Friday. Fourth Friday.
☆ Buy Nothing Day. Fourth Friday.
☆ National Day of Listening. [USA] Fourth Friday.
☆ National Flossing Day. [USA] Fourth Friday.
☆ International Aura Awareness Day. Fourth Sunday.
☆ Harvest Festival. [Turkmenistan] Last Sunday.


Weeks / Months

☆ Anti-Bullying Week. [UK] Third Week.
☆ Inter Faith Week. [UK] Third week, beginning Sunday.

☆ Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
☆ National Epilepsy Awareness Month. [USA]
☆ National Novel Writing Month.
☆ Native American Indian Heritage Month. [USA]
☆ Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.