What I've read lately: The Wideacre Trilogy, Philippa Gregory

Well that's not entirely true. I've just started the second book, and I'm hoping it will have me hooked as much as part one. That was simply titled, Wideacre, and was one of those books that kept my interest throughout; I was so keen to make progress that I'd dip into it even if I had five minutes to spare. That gave me comfort, which was odd really as after a short reading burst like this I'd often find myself re-reading a section. I was keen to make progress, but wanted to savour the story and not miss anything that would give me a clue to the ending. 

Photo credit: Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

I anticipated a bit of a reading fest while we were away, but it didn't quite work out that way. I did finish a book - The Pie Life - I'd been reading on my phone, and then Wideacre took over.  I thought the book that had me hooked was a long one at 646 pages, but I've just checked and it was only half the length of The Pie Life, so maybe that's why that one took me a while to get through. 

But back to Wideacre...

I like books with strong female characters, and Wideacre certainly has that with Miss Beatrice; she loves the Wideacre Estate and is devastated by her inability to inherit it, with it instead going to her younger brother. She knows the land and is heralded as the greatest farmer around. Set in Georgian England she fights and plots to ensure her bloodline inherits.  It's a gripping tale with plenty of well thought out characters, as you'd expect from one of Philippa Gregory's books. I've read her Tudor novels - and they get the same treatment from me - so I was pleased this also had me gripped.

There's dark secrets at Wideacre and as the first of the trilogy as you'd expect there are at least a couple of loose ends.  Beatrice does marry, and that adds further intrigue to the story, and my one criticism of the book is shortly after her marriage she celebrates her nineteenth birthday. I'd assumed by the time she married she was much older, and so I found myself skipping backwards to double-check it wasn't a mistake. It wasn't - of course - but I'd have liked a bit more of a clue to her age before that.

The second book starts, as you'd expect, with a piece that sets the scene and already I can't help but think there'll be similarities in the plot. I found myself reading this chapter hungrily, wanting to know whose voice it was.  I've learnt who, and I'm not going to share that, but I am going to recommend this series.

And to give you an idea of how much I wanted to continue the story, I've broken my own rule and paid £3.99 for the second book so I can continue the momentum!  I make no apology for getting my head stuck in a book, e-book or what, there's nothing like a good story, is there?

The summer bedding is hanging on

Actually it's more than hanging on, it seems to be absolutely blooming. And that's quite odd as there's autumn leaves about too.  Checking on the garden when I get back from holiday is one of my coming home rituals. This Sunday though I was quite surprised with what I found. The pinks were finally flowering, and I've since cut these and brought them inside to enjoy.

The begonias which I moved to the patio so we could enjoy their colour, are still flowering - but now they're joined by autumn leaves on the ground. A job we have for the weekend is to start collecting the leaves, especially those on the slate so the worms aren't tempted up to them and leaving soil in the slate, which in turn will encourage weeds to grow there. It's one of the jobs MOH tackles regularly, but when the garden is full of leaves we both can collect black sackfuls of leaves at a time.

The sedums are even more vibrant than before we left for Portugal and usually are the things to add colour to the garden, but this year they've got competition!

As the cosmos is continuing to flower. It's looking a bit straggly now, but the flowers are still perfect aren't they?

I discovered a pear outside the greenhouse with a small nibble out of it. Squirrels. I wish they'd take more than a few nibbles before discarding their bounty. I was quite impressed with the size of the pears we've grown this year, easily a fist and a half in size, but equally as rock hard as usual. Perhaps they're baking pears as they're definitely not eating pears.  I'm hoping the squirrel will remember he wasn't so keen before he picks any more, but I doubt it...

And yes that is a petunia nestled amongst the lavender. In October.

The sunflowers that I randomly dotted around the garden have flowered too. They're mostly spindly, unlike the ones on the allotment which had more sturdy stems, but they are much taller.  As the wind blew I caught this one and had a closer look.

And yes, I let it go again.

In the greenhouse my Lords and Ladies from Dad are really taking off. I've been trying to grow these from roots from Dad's garden for a while so it's nice to finally see them grow. They're destined for the area by the gabion baskets, which seems to welcome woodland plants.

I've plenty of new succulent plants on the way too - thanks to the squirrel again. He seems to have taken a liking to my succulent trough and is picking the leaves, and then remembering he's not so keen. So I've been gathering them up and waiting for them to start growing again.  And it seems to be working.

Outside the greenhouse the Mind Your Own Business has gone a bit bonkers too much to MOH's disgust. He's not a fan, but I am and well, once you've got MYOB it's not easily got rid of. I like how it creeps along paving and edges and softens the hard landscaping.

Nearer the house the fatsia is starting to do its thing, the bauble like "flowers" look great at this time of year, and I'm looking forward to seeing these develop into berries again.

How's your garden coping with this peculiar weather at the moment?  Surely mine isn't the only one that's showing two seasons at once?

There's no shower like home

A few weeks before my trip to Portugal I met up with the people from Mira Showers to learn more about how by spoiling my senses I could enhance my everyday routine. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But after a week away and trying out three different bathrooms (none of them bad) I've come to realise that there really is no shower like home!

But can you really make the most of your senses in your own bathroom?

I think you can, whether you're a shower or a bath person, whether that's a morning blast or a relaxing evening routine. For me, it depends on my mood, and more often than not the state of my hair.  Most mornings I wake up to discover my hair must have been having its own party on my pillow and needs taming before I can call myself anywhere near presentable. 

But back to those senses. Mira Showers challenged me to see, if by putting their tips and tricks into practice how I could make little changes and if they'd affect my mood and senses. So how do our senses - touch, taste, smell, sight and sound - play their part?

Photo credit: Mira Showers

Here for me touch is all about my bathrobe, and soft luxurious towels. Thinking about it now my bathrobe is one of my favourite items of clothing but one I'm sure i don't spend anywhere near enough time in!  More time relaxing is something I should build into my day, and something that I'm hoping I can put into practice more often after our week away.  Mornings are usually a rush. A rush to get up - I wouldn't call myself a natural morning person - to have breakfast, to make lunch and to get out the door. 

I say I'm not a natural morning person but since I've started having my weekly veg box delivered, usually around 7am, I've found it's nice to have some time in the quiet of the house, and in my dressing gown. I'm hoping that the veg box delivery man doesn't mind that part of my routine too much, and I know having that extra bit of morning means I get to enjoy rather than rush through my shower!

And afterwards, not forgetting taste, sitting down with a cuppa in my hand to either catch up with my emails, a quick check on social media or a glance at the paper feels indulgent and my reward for being up earlier.  I think I should do this more often, at least a couple of times a week, and maybe I will.

Photo credit: Mira Showers

At the bloggers event I got to make some natural and organic beauty products for the first time. They smell amazing and I amazed it's something I've not tried before. Using many store cupboard ingredients, like oats and coconut oil, they were easy to make too, and at risk of using a word too many times in one paragraph, they do make my skin feel amazing.

I arrived at the event with a bit of a sore neck, nothing major, I think I'd slept on it funny. Or perhaps my neck joined in the party that my hair has on the pillow and ended up worse off, who knows. But I've never been more pleased to see a mobile massaging station. And when one became free, I didn't need asking twice. 

Photo credit: Mira Showers

We all know the advantages of relaxing, but I'd never really thought about how a knotty neck might feel to someone else. I was surprised to find that almost immediately hands were gently working on the spot that felt tight and even after a short massage my neck felt less tense and more relaxed.

There was also some great food and drink at the event which were both a feast for our eyes and to eat and drink. I couldn't not share a couple of photos of them, the cocktails and the bacon "jammy dodgers" - yum!

Photo credit: Mira Showers

Photo credit: Mira Showers

Photo credit: Mira Showers

I've not touched on sight or sound in this post, and while baths are so much better with a scented candle I'm still not convinced that with a shower they'd have the same effect. It's something I'll have to try. And as for sound, sometimes it's nice to escape the sounds of everyday life and just be, so for me, depending on my mood sound can be an intrusion.

At the start of this post I said there's no shower like home, and you may be wondering why. That's down to the Mira Switch, which is a showerhead that switches easily - quite literally at the press of a button - between saturate, stimulate, soothe and soak.  In the short time I've been using this shower head I've realised how useful it is, and being away for a week emphasised this.

Photo credit: Mira Showers

It's funny the things you quickly take for granted isn't it? And the things that you look forward to when coming back from a trip away.

* This is a collaborative post but all views and opinions are my own.