Busy Bank Holidays

 Isn't it strange how one extra day at a weekend can make such a difference?  Even stranger when you are retired and every day should, in theory, be the same.

We had such a mixed bag of weather this weekend and unfortunately the day that we had invited all the family over for lunch (yesterday) was the day it rained.  No chance of getting the children out into the garden to run off some energy!  I still find catering for ten a bit stressful, but decided to reward myself by baking my favourite dessert - lemon meringue pie 😀

It was a weekend of sweet treats actually as we popped into a new local bakery on Saturday and discovered that they sell pastel de nata, which we love when we go to Portugal.  Coco was disappointed to find that we had only bought two and neither of them were for her!

It's a different week for us as we are going away for a couple of days, more on that next week!  But even though it's not for long and in this country, my packing list seems to be growing daily and most of the things on it are for Coco.  If only our weather was more settled and you didn't have to pack clothes for all eventualities!

I'm off to have my nails done very soon, I'm so pleased with the BIAB nail polish/gel that I've had this year and it doesn't seem to be spoiling the condition of my nails, in fact they look and feel very healthy.  I'm so glad I got back into the routine of having them done properly, I got out of the habit in the Covid years, which now seems quite a long time ago doesn't it?  

Hope you have a good week and I will probably be writing my next post in a week's time rather than my usual Me on Monday.

What I've been reading in april

I read three books this month - two I would recommend and one which I wouldn't. 

 I started off the month with a book I picked at random on Amazon Kindle, The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith.

Caitlin and Olivia are excited about the prospect of being able to spend the night alone while their parents go out for the evening.  But unbeknown to them, they are being watched and in the middle of the night an intruder breaks in and kidnaps Olivia.  Caitlin can only watch in horror as a man in a Venetian hooked nose mask drags her older sister at knifepoint down the stairs.  The police are unable to solve the crime and Olivia's body is never found.

Many years later Caitlin receives a phone call telling her to come home immediately and she can hardly believe her eyes when she sees her sister in the family home with her parents.  Olivia refuses to be drawn into what has happened to her in all these years and is adamant that the police should not be involved.  Caitlin is immediately suspicious of Olivia and believes there is more to the mysterious reappearance.

In between the chapters is a second - seeming unconnected - storyline of siblings, Elinor and Heath Ledbury,  who live together in a stately home under the guidance of an unpleasant uncle who has control of their family trusts until they come of age.  I couldn't work out how this was going to be relevant - but it was!

For the first 3/4 of this book I was really enjoying it, but then it took a bit of a dark turn and I wasn't sure where it was going. It really is a tense psychological thriller but the last few chapters made me feel a bit uncomfortable so I'm afraid it's not one that I would recommend that you rush out and read.  

So I tried to find something that would be a much lighter subject matter -

No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer.

Set in 1927 we meet Agnes Humphries, the landlady of 23 Burlington Square who has a vacant room to let. There are three applicants to consider. Stephen - a respectable banker who seems very sensible and almost too good to be true, Mercy Mayweather - a war widow who appears to be running away from something or someone, or Clara - her high spirited niece who drifts through life with no responsibility or interest in anything other than enjoying an exciting social life. Having brought scandal to her parents, Clara has been thrown out of home and Agnes feels that she must help family first and so offers the room to her.

Clara is very much the typical socialite of that era but finds that a chance meeting with Jemima, who lives in the basement flat of the house with her husband and young family, makes her question her life and stirs up the question of inequality for women at that time. An impetuous action by Clara damages that fledgling friendship and also makes Clara face a very difficult realisation about her true self.

Just as we have seen Clara move on with her new perspective on life the second part of the book begins.  We are transported back to 1927, with Agnes needing to let her vacant room.  This time Agnes chooses Stephen as the lucky tenant.  But just as we thought, Stephen is too good to be true and he may have been economical with the truth during his interview with Agnes.  He befriends one of the other lodgers and feels that his influence could help him turn things around.  Suffice it to say that Stephen's future is changed beyond his wildest dreams by the end of his stay.

Part three begins again back in 1927, but this time Agnes has chosen Mercy Mayweather to be her lodger.  The quiet widow is definitely hiding some secret and is constantly worrying that her family will find where she is and make her return to the homestead.  One thing is for sure and that is that no one is quite what they seem.

I really enjoyed this book.  I like the way that we witnessed how life would have panned out whichever one of the lodgers took the room.  I especially liked the ending which showed us that no matter who took that room, life for Agnes will never be the same!

Onto the last book of the month which was recommended to me by my daughter.  None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Two women meet while out celebrating their 45th birthdays - birthday twins but their lives could not be more different.  Josie had married a much older man when very young and has two grown up daughters.  One who ran away from home when she was a teenager and the other who stays in her bedroom all day and night, gaming on her computer.  Alix is a podcaster who lives in a beautiful home and has two young children and a husband who has a drink problem.  

Josie becomes obsessed with Alix and approaches her with an idea for her podcast where she would tell her story and describe how she is about to dramatically change her mundane life.  Alix agrees to a trial interview and gets drawn into the dark chapters of Josie's life.  Josie gradually manipulates her way into Alix's life and even into her home.  

But are the stories that Josie discusses true?  Has she infiltrated Alix's life through a web of lies?  By getting involved in Josie's life has Alix put her own family in danger?  Oh boy, this is a page turner!  

So I would definitely recommend the last two books but not the first!

#WBOYC in April

 

Hello and welcome to the round up of my month, linking up with Deb.

A

Appointments - my least favourite kind - dental.  I did have to cancel the one that had been booked six months ago (details below under I)Also hair and nails - isn't it nice to have a bit of pampering when you haven't been well?

P

Pet sitting.  The return of Daisy the Daschund.

She wasn't too much trouble but she is a very needy dog - constantly wanting to sit on your lap which is nice if you are looking for an excuse to sit down and read a book or watch the tv but not so good if you just want to eat your dinner in peace.  Coco was ticking off the days until her family returned from holiday!

R

Reliving my youth at an Average White Band concert.

Yes I did remember all the words, which isn’t bad considering I first heard them 50 years ago!

I

Ill.  What a way to start the month.  I spent the first few days of the month staying very close to home and had to cancel not only a dental appointment (which I didn't mind) and a lunch out with friends (which I definitely wanted to go to).  My son was ill too and the finger of suspicion is pointing to his son who brought germs home from school with him at the end of term!  

L

Looking forward to having a reason to wear my new prescription sunglasses and also to planting out some new plants that we got at a local garden centre.  Are you listening Mother Nature?  I'm relying on you on both counts!

So that is April, almost done and dusted - just time to show you how it unfolded - 1 second everyday!

Me on Monday 22 April

 What a lazy week I had last week! Having Daisy here meant we took it in turns to go out so we didn’t leave the two rascals home alone together. She takes her house protection duties very seriously and would bark at every noise she heard which would have annoyed Coco.

So I have to say that I shall be making up for it this week 😊

Although first thing on the calendar is a dentist appointment which regular readers will know is very low down on my list of how I like to spend my time! Fortunately I have a lunch date with my friend who is an author once that ordeal is over. Tuesday is haircut day and picking up my new prescription sunglasses. Hopefully that won’t jinx the weather and I will be able to get a lot of use out of them 😎

I have been able to crack on with my crochet which had taken a bit of a back seat and I have regained my enthusiasm for getting it done.  

We’ve been watching the Netflix version of Ripley.  Have you seen it? I was a bit hesitant as the book is one of my favourites and I also really enjoyed the Jude Law film version. This one is definitely different and the fact it is filmed entirely in black and white definitely increases the sense of menace. But I’m not sure I liked it as much as the original. Whilst I like Andrew Scott as an actor, he did not really feel right as a young American in his mid twenties and I really didn’t like the casting of Eliot Sumner as Freddy, maybe being the non-binary child of Sting helped secure the part! There was just no comparison to how the character was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Have a good week!

Me on Monday 15 April

 Happy Monday!  My intention to try and blog a little more frequently has been hampered by a small visitor who is here while her family are on holiday in Dubai.

Yes, Daisy the Daschund is back, and Coco is sulking.

Daisy may be small but is pretty needy.  Doesn't like being on her own and likes to spend as much time as she can sitting on your lap.  One of the by products of having a mum who works from home!

Paul’s been very busy tidying up in the garden. Last year I planted some new tulips to add a different colour and I am so thrilled with them

The orange tones make a nice change to the reds and yellows we already have.

So this week finds us trying to console Coco with the fact Daisy is here for the whole week! We’ll be staying close to home as I’m not sure it would be fair to leave them both home alone. Daisy takes house protection duties to another level and I think her yapping every time a car went past would drive Coco mad!

Today the weather is horrible, what a difference a day makes.  What a good job Paul got the tidying up done yesterday when it was t shirt and shorts weather! I thought we had a day to ourselves but just had a message from Jon to say it’s inset day for Max and were we busy this morning. We all know what that means! Lucky I did some baking yesterday as Max’s tummy always feels hungry as soon as he arrives 😉

Have a good week!

Me on Monday 8 April

 I’ve been missing in action this week! After a lovely busy Easter weekend I woke at 5am Tuesday feeling distinctly unwell. I will spare you the details 😳 I spent the whole day in bed either shivering, sleeping or running a temperature. I even had a dramatic fainting episode when I tried to get out of bed to quickly! Happily it seemed to be a 48 hour thing and as the week progressed I gradually got better and needless to say, everyone kept their distance from me.  Luckily the weather has had some lovely spells of dry warm weather and it’s been lovely to wander around noticing everything waking up from the winter.

 

I am definitely hoping it is well and truly out of my system and luckily I am back to eating again as I am meeting a friend for coffee this morning. You know you are feeling better when the words ‘almond croissant’ don’t have you heading to the bathroom!

We are playing catch up with childcare this week as we couldn’t help last week and at the end of the week we have Daisy coming to stay while her family jet off to Dubai.  Don’t tell Coco.  

I didn't waste my time last week though, I am on a decluttering challenge!  I follow Dilly from Sort Your Life Out on Instagram (search for declutterdollies), and she is doing a 30 day April challenge over there.  You have one particular area of your house to tackle every day plus I am also throwing away an increasing number of things every day.  One on the 1st, 2 on the 2nd etc.  So by the end of the month I will have got rid of over 465 things!  They don't have to be big things, but every one thing helps.  I think by the end of it I may be resorting to very small items! So far I have a very tidy cutlery drawer, my baking tins are neat and tidy, my saucepans stacked neatly, appliances all clean and working, Tupperware boxes all have lids that fit, glasses shelf looking very tidy, and my baking ingredients all stored together in a neat and tidy manner!  I've been like a woman on a mission - do you ever feel like that?  Do you do a spring clean?  Please tell me I'm not the only person whose home has certain areas that accumulate clutter!

What's been on your calendar in March?

 

Now I may be biased, because March is my birthday month, but I think it may be one of my favourite months!  The days get longer, the sun rises earlier and sets later, splashes of colour appear in the garden tempting us with the thought that spring isn't too far away.  So, let's join in with Australian Deb Here and see what was on my calendar this month!

M

My birthday!  I know I already mentioned it but this birthday is a significant one - I am now eligible for my State Pension! Not to mention my free bus pass. After all those years of paying into the system I can now get something back 😃

A

Altering the clocks to move forward an hour always takes a little while to get used to.  It takes me a while to stop thinking what the time would really be if we weren't on British Summer Time!  

R

Rachel arranged tickets for us to have a girly night out to see a 'Lost in Music' concert at a theatre in a nearby town.  It was so much fun, we sang and we danced all night! All the 70s disco classics, I was still singing them when we got home.

C

Childcare increased this month when our son and his wife had a couple of days away.  I had wondered how it would go as we hadn't had both their children here for a sleepover before but it went surprisingly well. I certainly slept well the day after, oh to have the energy of 4 and 2 year olds!

H

Healthier eating resumed as I only had three meals out. However, with Easter at the end of the month I have to confess to probably consuming more chocolate than can be considered healthy!

Here I am enjoying my belated lunch with Jon. Tucking into the most delicious pasta dish, radiatorre pasta in a tomato, mascarpone and chilli sauce. Accompanied by a nice glass of vinho verde 😋 One to one time with your children when they are grown up is very special and I am so lucky to have time with both mine this month.

So just about time to share a brief roundup video, one second everyday

What I've been reading in March

 The first book that I read this month was The Trial by Robert Rinder.

Rob Rinder is well known in the UK as Celebrity Judge Rinder and not necessarily someone you would expect to be a writer of fiction.  However, I fancied something a bit different and as the book was only 99p on kindle, what did I have to lose?

Heroic policeman Grant Cliveden suddenly collapses and dies whilst walking towards the courtroom at the Old Bailey. An autopsy confirms that he has been poisoned and with the whole country in shock, the guilty party needs to be found as soon as possible.  

Circumstantial evidence points to one likely candidate, Jimmy Knight who was seen with him earlier in the day.  Finding a convincing case for his defence will be hard especially as this will be trainee barrister Adam Green's first case and will be the case he is judged on to warrant him gaining tenancy after his training.    The more Adam investigates the case, the more people he finds who may have a wish to see Cliveden dead and the less he feels that Knight was the perpetrator.  

I was pleasantly surprised by this.  Not all tv celebrities are good authors but Robert's legal knowledge and background shines through the story and by the end of the book you definitely know that people are not always what they seem!

📚📚📚

Next up was this month's choice for the online book club I belong to. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Tom Hazard may appear to be just an average man in his 40s but actually he has been alive many hundreds of years more than that.  He has been born with a condition, anagaria, and actually only ages one year every fifteen. He belongs to a group of fellow sufferers known as the Albatross Society, who help one another move on before their secret is discovered.  One thing he must not do is fall in love.  The one rule that Tom has broken.

We meet Tom in a job interview where he is applying to become a history teacher in a school.  For Tom was born in 1581 so can teach his students from first hand experience in so many historical moments in time.  But Tom is far from happy and desperately searching for his daughter who may still be alive if she has inherited this disorder.

The book goes back and forth through time and I have to be honest and say I didn't really enjoy it and I haven't finished it.  In fact when Rachel lent me a book her friend had lent her, I didn't hesitate to put the 'How to Stop Time' aside and start something new straight away. 

📚📚📚 

This book was a different thing altogether!  I picked it up and read solidly for two hours, I was engrossed from the first couple of pages.

Millie cannot believe her luck when she is offered the position of housemaid for Nina and Andrew Winchester and Nina's daughter Cecilia.  Recently released from prison and on parole she feels that her past will ensure that she never has the opportunity to better herself.  Throughout the story the author does not reveal why Millie has been in prison, all we know is that she really, really doesn't want to return there. It is only when she moves into their mansion that she realises that things are not as she thought they were.  Nina is clearly unstable, making a mess in the house overnight for Millie to clean up, telling lies about her daughter, and generally making Millie's life as difficult as possible.

Nina's mental health continues to decline as Millie and Andrew grow closer.  Right up to the point when Andrew tells Nina that he no longer loves her and she should leave.  Maybe life is about to become a whole lot easier and happier for Millie.  Maybe she is about to get the second chance for happiness that she thought was going to be elusive.  Or maybe there is a reason that Enzo the gardener takes her to one side and tells her she is in terrible danger.

This really is a page turner, a 'just one chapter more' book.  From the prologue you know that the story will end with the police asking questions about a body that has been found in the attic.  

I read this book in two days.  I kept thinking that there must be a twist coming and I thought I had an idea about what that may be.  Reader, I was wrong!  There is a sequel and I had to track it down.

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

This book continues following Millie who has been helping women escape from abusive relationships with the help of Enzo.  However, Millie and Enzo have gone their separate ways and in order to fund her education in becoming a social worker she finds herself being offered a job working as part time housemaid for the very wealthy Douglas and Wendy Garrick.  

From the moment she meets Douglas he explains that his wife is very ill and should not be interrupted at all during the day if her bedroom door is closed.  The penthouse apartment is immaculate but Millie is suspicious by the lack of interaction with Wendy and the fact she can sometimes hear her crying in the bedroom.

After discovering blood on a nightgown in the laundry, Millie cannot help but knock on the bedroom door to insist on seeing for herself that Wendy is not being injured by her husband.  She is shocked by what she sees and helps Wendy hatch a plan to escape from the relationship.  All seems to have gone to plan until Millie realises that Douglas is a dangerous man to cross.

There is definitely no way I could guess how this book would end, all I can tell you is that the female characters all have a side to them that you are not expecting!  There is a third book in this series, it’s not available until later this summer otherwise I would been downloading it straight away!

Me on Monday 24 March

 Hello!

Well we survived our weekend childcare but it’s left me feeling a little like this 

Out of all the cute cuddly toys that Max has, this bright blue sloth is the one he likes to take to bed!  I wonder if it's because it has lovely long arms and legs to cuddle you with?  Both children behaved very well, Olive asked 'where is mummy?' from time to time but considering she is only two she was 

happy to just know she was going to see her the following day.  Mummy and Daddy crammed a lot into their night and days away and they both said how lovely it was to have time together as a couple.

So Monday finds me recharged after a quiet Sunday and hopefully my delayed lunch with Jon will happen on Thursday - fingers crossed!  Of course the week ends with the start of Easter weekend not to mention bringing the clocks forward on Sunday.  We have been invited to Jon's for Easter Sunday lunch and I suspect there may be a few Easter eggs received by all the children.

The bright sunny weather at the weekend wickedly tricked me into thinking it was time to cast aside my winter wardrobe, only to discover while walking Coco that the sun was masking a powerful wind with a chilly bite to it.  But the good thing is that I went through my chest of drawers to rediscover warmer weather clothes and was ruthless in getting rid of a few things that have either not been worn for a year or so or which have really seen better days.  I was prompted by one of those photo memories that Facebook like to send you every day.  This one in particular was from eight years ago and I am wearing a new Boden t-shirt.  I then came across it in the drawer, eight years older, quite faded and a little out of shape (a bit like me 😉). I had received three new tops for my birthday so was determined to remove and recycle at least three old ones.  Mission accomplished, plus when the weather does get warmer I have a very neat and tidy drawer to go to.

Today we have someone coming to repoint our patio paving - by the time warmer weather returns properly we shall at least have a tidy and refreshed patio on which to enjoy al fresco lunches.  Then of course the big post winter garden tidy up begins, that should keep us busy!  

Me on Monday 18 March

 So my first post as a pensioner!  I'm happy to report that it doesn't feel too bad so far - my friend Sally sent me a great card which said 'People our age are so much older than us' which summed it up so well.  

As often happens, things did not go completely to plan and I didn't get to have my lunch out with Jon as he was unwell.  Their family have all succumbed to a virus which gives you a high temperature for 24 hours and then three days of total tiredness, Max and Olive have been sleeping for over 12 hours every night!  So we have postponed as I don't really want to share their germs.

We went for cake and coffee at Rachel's which was lovely and she has passed a book onto me that a friend lent her. It is so good I read it for two hours without break while Paul watched the rugby last night so I am almost half way through!  I shall give a proper review on my book reading post at the end of the month - I just hope it continues to be as gripping for the rest of the book.  

I don't actually have too much planned for this week but need to pop out and find a couple of gifts to go with the children's Easter eggs.  I prefer to buy them a token small egg and a book or something rather than a huge chocolate egg-stravaganza 😉

I'll need to conserve my energy for a bumper batch of childcare at the weekend involving a sleep over with Max and Olive on Friday and an evening of babysitting on my own the following day.  Followed by a Sunday of doing very little I hope!

How's your week ahead looking?  

Me on Monday 11 March

 Hello! Here we are on yet another Monday. 

When I left you on Friday I was nervous about the craft afternoon. I should not have worried, they were a lovely bunch of ladies and they were very complimentary about my crochet! It turned out I knew three of them, although I hadn’t seen them for about 20 years when our sons all played football together. So we had a lot of mutual friends and quite a few years of catching up to do. 

Friday evening at the Lost in Music concert was wonderful.  So much fun; I knew all the songs and remembered all the words so had a marvellous time singing along!

There was a lot of Earth, Wind and Fire, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross - all the classic disco sounds. There was a lot of dancing in the aisles 😊

Now in case you’re wondering about my daughter’s World Book Day costume, she did an amazing job. She ran into town and found a fleece hoody with teddy bear ears on the hood, and a pair of fleece leggings in the same colour greatly reduced in a sale. She popped into Poundland and found a red dog collar, tweaked the ears of the hoody into a more canine shape and used a brown eyeshadow to paint a patch over one eye. Apparently Rosie couldn’t believe her eyes when she came into class, not only was the secret reader her mum, but she was dressed as the dog in the story!

This is my birthday week, and on my birthday my son is taking me out to lunch. One to one time with your kids when they are grown up is precious and I’m so thrilled that he’s organised it. I feel very blessed.  So this is my last pre-state pension post - Doesn't that make me sound old?  I certainly don't feel like a pensioner so I'm convincing myself that you are only as old as you feel 😉

Let’s sit and have a cup of coffee

 

Thought I would share a picture of the lovely coffee I had when we last went up to Cambridge, sadly my barista skills are not to this standard!

Just a quick post today as I have to leave for my crafting lunch in an hour.  I am ridiculously nervous about it, the sensible side of my brain is saying 'don't be silly, it's just a group of craft loving ladies getting together to share their interests' and the other side is saying 'but I only know one other person there and I have no idea how these things work, do we just sit there and knit/sew/crochet?  Will they be comparing work? etc etc'. I haven't even got together all the things I need to take with me.

So let me just share an amusing thing that happened to my daughter this morning.  Actually, I think everyone else is finding it more amusing than she is.  At the school that her children attend, the reception class finish each day with them all sitting on the mat and listening to a story.  Every now and again there will be a 'secret reader' who will be one of the children's parents.  The idea is to surprise everyone so it has to be kept secret.  My daughter put her name down to join in at the beginning of term and today is the day that was allocated to her.  She's chosen to read one of Rosie's favourite books 'Ruffles and the teeny tiny kittens' about a puppy who has four little kittens come to stay and how they upset his routine and want to play with his most favourite thing which he does not want to share.  

Now, yesterday was World Book Day, but at this school they have their 'non uniform' days on Fridays so the children have all dressed as their favourite book characters today.  As my daughter took Rosie to the door, all dressed up in her Isadora Moon costume, the teacher took her aside and whispered 'What will you be dressing up as?' What?  'All the teachers have dressed up too and I'm sure you'll want to join in'. 

What a panic.  Of course she hadn't realised that she would be expected to dress up, and she certainly doesn't have a dog or cat costume hanging around at home!  It will be interesting to see what she can pull together!  

Thanks for popping by!

Me on Monday 4 March

 Welcome to the start of a new week.  I've got a nice relaxing day ahead of me, which is well needed as we had all the family here yesterday to celebrate a hundred years of birthdays, and here's a cake to prove it!

I had the same problem with those chocolate numbers that I used to have when using alphabet stickers on scrapbook pages, you never seem to have quite the right ones that you need and have to improvise - with an 'o' in place of a zero in this case!  It was a bit of an early celebration; my son's birthday is tomorrow and mine is a couple of weeks time. 

I'm trying something new on Friday.  A friend of mine is hosting a crafting lunch with a group of people she used to work with, kind of a 'knit and natter', and she has asked me if I'd like to join them.  I was so pleased to be invited but as it is getting closer I'm wondering if my crochet will be up to their standards of crafting!  I'm sure it will be fine.  

Then in the evening I am going to a concert of 70s music with my daughter.  I'm so looking forward to it but what a dilemma, what should I wear?  Ideas will be gratefully received!

Have a good week x 

#WBOYC February 2024

 

It's a leap year so we get an extra day in February, although it's still the shortest month of the year.  What was on my calendar?  

F

Finally finishing my Wasgij jigsaw.  It is really hard to complete a jigsaw when you don't know what the picture is!  (Confession time, I did have to google the solution to get started but from then on I tried to do it without any further clues)

E

Easting and drinking, what a good job I didn't make any new year's resolutions to eat sensibly and healthily all the time!  Nine meals or lunches with friends.

B

Booked a vineyard tour.  Jon and Sophie bought us a voucher for a vineyard tour, wine tasting and sharing cheese board as our Christmas present so as soon as the 2024 dates were released I booked us in for a few months time.  I didn't even know we had a vineyard anywhere near us!  I will report back when we have been.

R

Resisting the urge to do my crocheting as quickly as possible (my usual way of working) so that I can properly enjoy the process of making my next blanket.

U

Unsubscribing from marketing emails.  You know how you get 10% off your first order if you subscribe to online companies?  Then they bombard you on almost a daily basis trying to entice you to buy things you really don't need.  So rather than have temptation filling up my inbox, every morning I am unsubscribing to each email I didn't really want to receive and boy has the amount of emails I am receiving reduced and now I only see special offers from companies I really want to buy from!

A

Ashamed of the state of my nails, honestly they have never been in such bad condition.  I haven't had a professional manicure for so long.  This was well overdue and I am now loving my nails and waving my hands around as much as possible so they get the attention they deserve! They even match the jumper I was wearing to the appointment.

R

Researching somewhere to go for a long weekend with Coco once the weather settles down and spring arrives.  We narrowed it down to the Kent coastline and now have a cottage booked for a few months time.

Y

Yearning for a rest after half term childcare duties.  Either they are getting more energetic or I am getting older 😉

So that's it for another month.  Thanks to Deb at the other Deb's World for organising this round up and let's end on the 1 Second Everyday video of the month.

Me on Monday 26 February

 It's all back to normal this week with half term being over and childcare back to its usual (shorter!) hours.

So tell me, did you start today with breakfast cereal?  I ask because today's historical info is that this is the day in 1852 that John Harvey Kellogg was born.  Little did they know how his humble cornflake would change the breakfasts of so many generations! My cereal of choice this morning was a bowl of his company's Fruit'n Fibre, with a generous helping of sliced banana on the top.  

Was last week good for you?  I started mine with meeting up with my friend which was lovely.  Then a whole day of Leo and Rosie where we enjoyed making things with some air dry clay and they then had great fun constructing a den out of four dining chairs, every cushion we possess and all my crochet blankets.  It kept them quiet for ages 😀

I managed to get a bit of crochet done this week while binge watching One Day on Netflix.  I had already read the book so was prepared for how it ended, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We finally sat down and browsed the Airbnb site to find somewhere to go in this country with Coco in May, so if anyone reading this knows the Whitstable area in Kent, let me know any places we should visit while we are there!  

So how is this week looking?  Well later today we are planning a trip to a gallery near us where Paul's art teacher has a painting in an exhibition.  Then not too many plans for the rest of the week other than meeting up with some people I used to work with for lunch on Thursday.  I will have done my Zumba class earlier in the morning so won't feel guilty if I succumb to a dessert!

February seems to have gone in a flash and March is just around the corner now - spring is on its way! Have a good week x

What I've been reading in February

Both books this month were recommended by Gail at  Is this mutton?

First up, The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton

This is set in the French town of Boulogne sur Mer during the time of the German occupation.  A British RAF plane comes under fire while flying over the town and forced to abandon its cargo of spy messenger carrier pigeons.  One of the birds is found by Martine, one of three sisters living in the town.  She is excited about the opportunity to feed information back to the English but her sisters Gaby and Simone are hesitant to draw attention to themselves.  

Gaby comes to the attention of a German Commandant who orders her to teach his daughter to play the piano.  When their neighbours discover this, they are tarnished with the 'bad French' reputation for supposedly assisting the Germans.  Martine convinces her sisters that they must take advantage of having a means to give information to the British to locate German U boat pens.  They find a way to disguise messages on sheets of piano music and release the bird at the dead of night.  But have they been successful in their plan to help the resistance or put themselves into greater danger?

I really enjoyed this book.  It was well written and I have a vivid picture of the sisters in my mind as I read the story.  You find yourself emotionally involved in their plight and the narrative really takes you to occupied France and the difficulties for the people living in the small towns.

📚📚📚

The next book was very different, My Sister's Baby by Louise Guy

This is the story of three sisters. Mandy suffered learning difficulties following a childhood illness which meant that her parents had to pay her far more attention growing up which has led to a strong feeling of resentment from her sister Toni.  Liv found herself in a life threatening accident which resulted in the need for a kidney transplant. Her sister Toni was the only member of the family to be a suitable match and she did not hesitate to be her sister's donor.

Toni and her husband have been unsuccessful in having children despite rounds of IVF and Liv would give anything to be able to help her sister just as she had helped her when she needed a kidney.  So when Liv finds herself in a situation where she could help Toni fulfil her dream of becoming a mother, she breaks all the rules and decides to offer Toni a baby to adopt.  The baby is born at home with the help of a doula to avoid questions in a hospital and in order to make it look as if baby Ruby is Toni's actual baby, she falsifies the birth certificate by entering the wrong names of the birth mother and father.  

Things then start to go wrong, Toni is not finding motherhood as fulfilling as she expected, she is constantly worried that Liv will change her mind and ask for the baby back.  Not only that but she finds it hard to bond with the baby and cannot wait to return to work.  Not long after, the secret of what Liv has done is discovered and Liv finds herself being blackmailed.  She can't tell the police as that would mean admitting the fraud she has committed.  

I have to be honest and say that I figured out the story behind Ruby's birth before it was revealed but it didn't stop me enjoying the book!  My heart went out to Mandy who is aware that she is seen by some to be a burden and how her sister Toni dislikes her.  I didn't like Toni especially regarding her treatment of Mandy and how she quickly decides that after all these years of being desperate for a baby, motherhood is not for her after all.  Her lies to her family and husband trip off her tongue too easily.

I enjoyed both books, thanks to Gail for the recommendations!

 

 

Me on Monday 19 February

 Hello to the start of a new week!

How can a TV show help name your baby?  It was this day in 1985 that the first episode of the TV soap 'Eastenders' aired.  Little did we know that this programme would influence the name that we gave our daughter when I fell pregnant at the end of that year.  We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl so struggled to find two names that we both liked.  For a girl we narrowed it down to two, Michelle or Rachel.  But as Eastenders became increasingly popular, the character of Michelle Fowler became so well known and we realised that our baby would quite possibly be referred to as 'Shell' or 'Meesh'.  Said in a cockney accent!  Which is why she was named Rachel instead. Of course that became 'Raych' as she got older, why do people always have to shorten names?  

It's half term this week so our routines are altered.  We'll have Leo and Rosie all day on Tuesday but won't have Olive or Max as their aunty from Brooklyn, New York is over for a week and they'll be spending time with her.  

We had a momentous event at the end of last week.  We went to Cambridge and when we got to the 'Park and Ride', Paul was able to use his bus pass for the first time!  What a novelty.  It was a lovely sunny day in Cambridge, while Paul was browsing book shops and artists suppliers I happily browsed the shops and managed to find a couple of things for him to give me for my birthday.  Then lunch at our favourite Aromi Sicilian restaurant.  A nice way to spend a Friday.

It's all about the Italian restaurants this week as we met up with my sister and cousin at a 'new to us' Italian in a village midway between where we all live.  It was so delicious and rightly deserves all the great reviews it gets from people who live in that area.  So I ended the week with food, and I'm starting this one with food. I'm meeting up with a friend I met at my first job back in 1976 - my waistline needs me to stop organising social events which involve eating and drinking!

Me on Monday 12 February

 Does everyone have their eggs, flour and milk ready for Shrove Tuesday/pancake day tomorrow?  How do you like your pancakes?  Small and chunky like American pancakes, or thin and delicate like a French crepe?  What about toppings - do you drizzle with honey and sprinkle blueberries and sliced strawberries on them, or a more traditional lemon juice and a sprinkle of caster sugar?  We have Leo and Rosie here on a Tuesday and they have already put in their requests for American style with honey or Nutella on them.  I will have my lemon and caster sugar ready for my thinner version!

I need to have a week of eating less after last week which included two lunches out and friends over for Sunday lunch yesterday.  However we will be ending the week with dinner out with my sister and cousin to a new to us Italian restaurant but maybe 6 good days out of 7 will be fine!

We had absolutely torrential rain here last week, the water on the lake rose really high and there were several pockets of flooding on the roads nearby.  It was a good excuse to stay indoors and get my jigsaw finished - gosh it was a tough one.

Not to mention my crochet coming along nicely, I'm definitely enjoying this one and intending to slowly enjoy each new part rather than impatient to get on with the next part.  I'm dreadful at rushing through things to move on so am really having to restrain myself to just do a little bit every day and not even look at what the next square is all about.  I'm only printing the pattern instructions as I need them instead of downloading them all en masse.  

Random piece of information this week is that it is Darwin Day.  I'm not sure it's something I will be celebrating and we didn't get round to organising an oriental meal for Chinese New Year this year either.   However, Pancake Day will always be celebrated here!  Have a good week x

Me on Monday 5 February

Although we have lots of daffodil leaves peeking through the ground, there is just one solitary flower standing sentry in the front garden.  Come on sunshine, let's see if we can entice a few more to open up and show off their petals!

 After a full on week of helping out here, there and everywhere, it was nice to have a weekend with very little on the calendar.  Just a meal out as a belated birthday celebrations for my friend whose birthday is Christmas Day and for Paul whose birthday was on 12 December.  As December is always super busy they decided to celebrate at the beginning of the year when things are somewhat quieter.  

It was nice to catch up on doing some baking and a few more rounds of my crochet this weekend - square number two is now complete!  I'm trying to pace myself more with this blanket.  Normally I start and then can't wait to have it finished but I'm going to take my time over this one and enjoy the process more than just wanting to see what the end result is!

So today sees me meeting up with my friend Sally.  We were really close friends after meeting back in 1986 when we were both expecting our first babies and that friendship has continued despite her moving away when her husband changed jobs.  Not too far that we couldn't still meet up but too far for a couple of hours to just have a cup of coffee.  Now she has retired too we have picked a point half way between our homes and will be meeting for lunch and I can't wait!  I haven't seen her in person for almost a year so we have much news to share and lots of grandchildren photos to share.

I shall be ending the week as I start it with lunch with a friend that I go to Zumba with.  Although we see each other every Thursday, there isn't time for a proper chat before or after class so we plan to have a nice leisurely lunch putting the world to rights.

Without giving the impression I do nothing but eat and drink, we also have friends coming for Sunday lunch next weekend so I really need to think about what I will be cooking. That's not a chore though, I enjoy looking through cookery books.

Nearly forgot my random piece of information; it was this day in 1924 that the Greenwich Time Signal (six short 'pips' to mark the start of the hour) was introduced. I feel that in honour of this, I should schedule this post to go live exactly on the hour of 8.00 am!

Is spring starting to come into sight where you live?  I think it is gradually creeping closer here, thank goodness.

What I've been reading in December/January

I wasn't able to get hold of December's book club choice, I think it is later being published over here, so I downloaded the kindle version of the book that I had voted for instead.

Nineteen year old Jill Moss disappears near the Utah/Arizona border leaving a multitude of opinions as to where she may be or what may have happened to her.  One person knows the truth.  Norma Gallagher, who was part of the search and rescue operation, found Jill, safe and hiding in a cave. She confides to Norma that she had run away from her abusive boyfriend Jake Willis, fearing for her life if he should ever find her.  Wanting to keep Jill safe, Norma helps her reunite with her parents in California, keeping her whereabouts secret from the police, the press and most importantly from Jake.

Five years later, the disappearance of Jill makes headline news again when Jake is arrested for her murder.  Norma is conflicted, she knows he didn't murder her but to give that information to the police will divulge where Jill is hiding and potentially put her in danger.  

The trial approaches, press interest is reignited and public opinion is demanding retribution.  Jill's family refuse to come forward which means that Norma has to make an important decision.  Does she stay quiet to ensure Jill's continued safety from violence, or does she tell the truth, meaning that an innocent man does not go to prison?  Jake may be an abusive, violent man but he isn't a murderer.  Furthermore, would telling the truth put her, Jill and her parents in trouble for concealing information from the police?  What would you do?

My second book was The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka .

Katrina and Nathan are cowriters of a bestseller book.  They have a contract to complete a second in the series but between the completion of the first and writing the next, their relationship breaks up.  Dramatically. Neither will have anything to do with the other. There is no backing out of writing another book together even though they have spent three years avoiding each other.  After a lot of coercing from her partner, Katrina finally gives in and agrees to get the book over and done with.

To honour their contract they return to the house in Florida where they wrote the first book with the express intention of getting the second book written as quickly and painlessly as possible.  The book flits from 4 years ago to present day and you can feel the tension between them in the present day gradually ease as the book progresses.  The reader doesn't know exactly what has happened between them four years previously except at the time of book one, Nathan was married and Katrina was single, although the publisher, Chris, is obviously interested in her.  In the present day, Nathan is divorced and Katrina is engaged to Chris although it is quite obvious that he is very controlling in their relationship and something dramatic must have happened while writing the first book.

It feels as if Katrina and Nathan are living out their emotions through the dialogue of the characters in the book and in the chapters set in the past we gradually piece together what has happened at the time they wrote the first book. Was that chapter of their lives just a rough draft for their future?

I have to be honest and say I didn’t love this book. It was OK, but I felt it dragged in a few places.  I never felt that ‘I must just read one more chapter’ compulsion, at about 75% of the way through I simply wanted to find out whether Katrina had just vastly over reacted about something in the past and why Nathan couldn’t forgive her.  It did get very good reviews on some sites so maybe my expectations were just a bit too high!

Me on Monday 29 January

 It's still January - how can that be?  It seems like Christmas was months ago!

According to my book of random facts, it was this date in 1942 that the first episode of Desert Island Discs was aired.  Where guests are invited to choose eight pieces of music, a book and a luxury that they would enjoy if stranded on a desert island.  Brian Bilston, the author, has written alternative ideas with a play on words for a dessert island choice, the last verse is this 

"It's a family eclair

Don't it make your brownies blue

In the gateaux

Brûlée-vous"

Can you think of more? 

We had all the family over yesterday and it's so lovely now Olive is old enough to join in with all the games the others like to play.  She is turning into quite a little character now, I love this age and even though she is now two, I don't see many 'terrible two' incidents.

There's a bit of life admin on the cards today.  We had an appointment with a local solicitor to prepare our Lasting Power of Attorney paperwork.  It's one of those things we've been meaning to do for ages as we know it's better to have it in place before you need it, so when you do need it, one phone call should be all that is needed to implement it.  All that legal work is thirsty business so we popped over the road to a little Italian deli for refreshments

As you will see, the thought of a bite of Sicilian lemon tart was too hard to resist before I remembered to take a photo 😉

The rest of the week is going to be busy with Leo and Rosie sleeping over on Wednesday night due to their mum and dad both having heavy work commitments and Rachel having to be away overnight and her husband having a very early start the next morning.  Much easier for them to sleep here rather than them being dropped off here before 6am on Thursday! 

After that it is a nice social end to the week with afternoon tea with friends and then a nice meal out at the weekend.  I think I shall probably need it after an unexpected sleepover midweek!

Have a good week!