What I've read lately

Goodness, I’ve just looked back at my WIRL post and was shocked that it was last October. Slightly less shocking is that i was going to start this post in exactly the same way, saying it’s been a while etc. etc. and it turns out it has been again.

In other ways though it’s not surprising as while I enjoy reading, it’s one of those all consuming hobbies. When a book’s so well written that I feel like I know the characters, and care about what happens to them, then I have a compulsive need to find out, no matter what. I read plenty in Portugal on our recent trip, and then again earlier this week when I read a real, actual proper book rather than one on my kindle.

I’m actually like to read both, I know some people much prefer to read an actual book, but I’m easy. If I’ve found time to read, I can adapt to the format, but let’s see what I’ve been reading.

1 A Place of Hope, Anna Jacobs

As you can see from the photo above this is the actual paper-based novel that I read, mostly in the shade on the sunlounger on Tuesday when it was way too hot to do the gardening we’d planned. MOH went out on a long bike ride (yes, he’s bonkers at times, but said he managed to find some breeze down by the Thames) and so I settled in reading a bit more of the book I’d started earlier in the day.

It’s the first Anna Jacobs book that I’ve read and was passed to me by mum. It’s not a lengthy book, and I actually finished it later that day, or technically early the following day. So going by my criteria above on getting engrossed with the characters, you can tell I thought this was a good book.

The main character, Emily is an early retiree whose unscrupulous nephew George tries to take advantage after a near fatal accident as he learnt of an inheritance that had come Emily’s way. It’s a story of adventure with an escape from hospital, love and embezzlement which takes a few turns along the way.

This evening I’ve learnt that it’s the first of three books, and I’m pleased about that, as I’m keen to know what happens next in this trilogy. it’s peculiar really as mum gave me this book a while back, and it’s taken me a good while to start it, but now, I’m keen for the next one. If she doesn’t have it, then I think i’ll be passing this one her way when I’m done.

2 Dancing over the hill, Cathy Hopkins

This was a bit of a different genre for me, with a more comical lighthearted style, but one that worked well for a holiday read. The main characters are Cait and Matt, in their early sixties with a long marriage that’s, shall we say tired. The main storyline - but not the only one - is when an old flame of Cait’s gets in touch on Facebook, and she contemplates a life change with a mix of help and hindrance from her best friends which is hilarious and I’m sure many of us can relate to.

There’s a touching side too which shows in her relationship with her father, her son and his boyfriend and with the living arrangements that transpire too. If you’re after a read that’s engaging, realistic and amusing but with not overly deep meaning (although it has well thought out characters), then this could be one for you.

3 Moments of Time, Gloria Cook

This story is set after the Great War and is more usual of the book I’m attracted too, and I wasn’t disappointed. It follows Emilia and her husband Alec, and is the second book in the series (the first is Touch the Silence which I haven’t read) and her life on the farm and focuses on the family relationships, their friends and children and includes tragedy, love, intrigue and more. I want to tell you more, but I’m sure I’ll give the story away if I do but I really want you to read this one for yourself - I liked it that much, and I hope there’s another one to come.

4 The Things I Know, Amanda Prowse

The dedication in this book, on reflection, gives an inkling to this book and its purpose, yes purpose, perhaps an unusual way to describe a book, but I believe it does have a purpose. The book is dedicated to “all the people like me, who throughout their life have always felt that they didn’t quite fit” something I’m sure we’ve all felt at times, and even perhaps most of the time. It continues that “it only take one person to show you the magic” and that’s true too, and that’s in a nutshell the outline of this book.

Of course, it’s more than that. There’s chance, hard work, some breaking the rules when you wouldn’t expect it, family tensions (again), bravery and love. This was a story I very much enjoyed, and one that left me with one of those book hangovers as I continued the imaginary what happened next in my head. Perhaps I’m a little bit different in that respect too, who knows?

5 Needlemouse, Jane O’Connor

This was another of those books I couldn’t put down. it describes itself as an uplifting novel perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (I’ve not read, but feel like I should). The heroine, Sylvia has a secret, she’s in love with ‘Prof’ the thing is he has no idea, and he’s her boss. Sylvia lives for work, and ‘Prof’ but also for her volunteering at the hedgehog sanctuary and while you might not warm or even like Sylvia, you can’t fail to like this book, hedgehog fan or not.

And if you’re wondering why Needlemouse, that’s the Japanese translation of the name for hedgehogs, I think I want to call them that now rather than hedgehogs…

6 The Break, Marian Keyes

This was the book that I ended my last WIRL post with, and unbelievably my first Marian Keyes read, but definitely not my last. Amy’s husband Hugh is the one taking a break, to find himself, and then he’s gone. The book questions what and if he returns, how Amy’s feeling and how she copes and then the realisation that if Hugh’s on a break, then so is she and all this set with the backdrop of keeping a complicated family life going, as of course Amy (break or no break) can’t just drop everything and head to the other side of the world, getting to London is challenging enough.

Even just writing this post I’ve been transported back into these stories, and once again I’m wondering why I don’t make more time for reading. I really should.

Now, what would you recommend for me?

Also linking up with At home a lot.

Reflecting on my week #92

We were still eating that trifle well into the week, although I’m sure it was punctuated by an ice cream or two. We’ve snuck in barbecues around the weather, MOH managed a longer than usual bike ride after work and while my plan was to catch up with myself, I found myself potting up those dahlias instead. It was a good way for some reflection in a week that marked rage first anniversary of my FILs passing, just as the bike ride was for MOH. I’d forgotten the joys of getting soil under my fingernails during the week, but clearly enjoying the pottering I also got a seed trays worth of lettuce pricked out in one of my new pots and transferred some beans and courgettes into pots outside too. The next day was, of course, wet but a quick check on them proved they’d managed overnight without the greenhouse for protection. The chicken wire went back on, as I’m just not sure that the squirrels won’t take advantage.

The humid weather has helped the parsley seeds germinate too, I’ve half a seed tray ready to be pricked on. I usually struggle growing parsley, but it seems I’m in for plenty this year. However my basil had yet to germinate before we’d left for a long weekend away in Liverpool. It’s still not showing any signs of life so I’ll give it another go with some seeds I bought the other week. Not having fresh basil, especially as we’re hoping to fire up the pizza oven, wasn’t really in my plans. However, if I’m still struggling I’ll buy a supermarket pot of basil and plant that on.

So after five days at work, we’re off again. We took an early train to Liverpool Saturday morning and are back in London Monday evening. We had some firm, and some loose plans for our time in the city, and if you’re following me on Instagram you’ll no doubt have seen some of what I’ve been up to.

I’d briefly been to Liverpool before, and it was brief. I was there for the commonwealth games in Manchester, to watch the netball. There were no affordable rooms in Manchester for 10+ of us, and so we stayed in The Adelphi no less, which at the time had featured on one of those docu-dramas, though thankfully my netball group avoided all that. I remember walking to Albert Docks, the Tate was relatively new there and the This Morning weather map was still moored in the dock. We walked to see the Liver Birds and that’s about as much as I can remember. Looking back at commonwealth games venues, it was as long ago as 2002.

And a lot has changed in the city since then.

This time we stayed at Jury’s Inn right in the docks area, and opposite the arena for the Netball World Cup. We didn’t have tickets, and to be fair when I booked this weekend away I hadn’t realised the netball was on. But clearly my netball affinity is strong, and not only did I find myself in the very city, and in the hotel where many of the players were staying but I also had my own happy coincidence bumping into a netball friend who’d been Treasurer to my Chairmanship of the Surrey Netball League a good few years before.

But strange as that may seem, it wasn’t strange at all. I knew, through Facebook, that many of my netballing friends were in town and I’m surprised I didn’t bump into more of them. What was strange was that Some photos were being taken outside our hotel while we were having breakfast. Wondering what MOH was looking at I saw my friend who said she’d looked as she had the same T-shirt I was wearing, and then realised she knew who was wearing it too!

We explored the city mostly on foot clocking up over fifty thousand steps, the exceptions were the open-top bus to and from Anfield and the cab we hailed to get us back to the hotel Sunday evening when the heavens opened. We’ve had endless trips around the Albert Docks and the city centre, so much so that I could easily navigate my way around the place.

There was the England bronze medal match in the fan zone, having dashed back from our Anfield stadium tour to see the second half. The stadium tour was fantastic, even for this non-Liverpool fan. I did let on in the end that I was Palace and they were very gracious about that saying that Selhurst Park is the London ground with the most atmosphere and sound. I suspect they say that to most visiting supporters, perhaps with the exception of Tottenham, they weren’t overly popular for some reason…

MOH is a Liverpool fan having seen them many a time at Wembley, or as they said they called it at the time ‘South Liverpool!’ We were treated to the Scouse wit and warmth, and plenty of fabulous food. As well as sport, there was culture with a visit to the Museum of Liverpool and a 360 tour of the Royal Liver Building, including a trip up to the observation deck on the fifteenth floor. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but when it opened in 1911, it was one the UK’s first ‘skyscraper’. I’ve plenty of pictures (no surprises there!) including a snap of the most photographed statue in the city - the Beatles - and a wander around the John and Yoko exhibition, Double Fantasy.

There was so much more we could have done too, so it’s safe to say, I think we’ll be back!

Reflecting on my week #91

After the celebrations for MOH’s birthday last week, this week was slightly less sociable, but no less busy. It started by cramming with a week’s worth of work into just three days, and trying to make a plan for some time off at home. Even though we’ve not long come back from Portugal our heads have been quite quickly filled up with work stuff and deadlines, which despite our good intentions post-holiday happened much more quickly than it should have done.

So the plan was to take a few days off here and there between now and the middle of August, and this was the first of these. However, we did such a good job of emptying our heads of deadlines and generally pootling around trying to tick things off our house list, that we forgot other things that we really shouldn’t have, which wasn’t so good.

The house list had way more than we could achieve - that sounds familiar doesn’t it? - but we did achieve some, including finally buying my long-lusted after and never quite finding exactly what I wanted pots. At the Garden Press Event in February I’d identified a maker, and a potential stockist, but not the actual pots. I was confident that I wouldn’t need to backtrack on the calamitous online order and non-delivery from last summer.

One short visit to a bit further away than normal garden centre later and we were the proud owner of four new pots. Ideally I wanted more, but I settled for this, for now. If you remember when we gave up the allotment my plan was to grow some edibles in pots which would hug the edge of the greenhouse.

I’d measured and measured and knew what I needed, but just couldn’t find it. But now I have. Though of course I wasn’t really expecting too and left my tape measure at home. Which meant at the garden centre I needed to find one on the shelves, or as it turned out, borrow one. Thankfully the latter was much easier than I expected, and the pots were cheaper than my online foray too.

I think they were meant to be, and so to celebrate, we also left with some yellow dahlias which I plan to pot up and add a pop of colour to our patio.

I’m not much of a morning person, and so, it was nice to have a slower start to the day. There was breakfast in the garden, which is a really good way to start the day. And the day after we spent way too long in the garden centre discussing the pros (him) and cons (me) of having a gas burner on the barbecue, he almost made a point by cooking an egg, as well as bacon and black pudding, on the barbecue.

He used a tray - which was my argument - rather than a gas burner (as we don’t currently have one) and I think we could now be in agreement that the additional price tag didn’t quite justify its inclusion. So now to identify which make of barbecue, and where we’ll buy it from, and when. All minor questions now we’ve worked out the what!

This isn’t unusual for us, we know we want or need something, but nailing it can take a little time. But when we do, we get exactly what we want, and like everyone are impatient for it to actually arrive!

THE BEST BBQ-ED BREAKFAST

Over the winter our conservatory has attracted a lot of dirt, and MOH was almost itching to clean it. Partly I think, despite what he says, because it’s a chance to walk on the roof and partly so he could use the new hose-brush which we bought at Grand Designs.

It actually worked well, and was much less fraught for me. Usually my job is to pass things up as requested from the ground, and to dodge the water which he tells me isn’t directed at me. This time though I was almost redundant, and dry!

So I made the best use of my time and set about getting the stones out of the cherries. Sadly not the ones from our garden, they had far too many wiggly things in, which I wasn’t keen on eating. And it was pretty much cherry carnage…

The resulting trifle was pretty good - and fairly easy to make with shop bought swiss roll and custard. I’m not that much of a purist, or that keen a baker if I’m honest. It tastes good too, it’s a bit of a retro dessert, and I just want to add that it was MOH that wanted the sprinkles. Deep down, he’s got a pink streak too!

How’s your week been?