It’s so nice to be back posting on a Friday after a break for the hot weather! Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will be aware that I struggle with multiple health issues and these include asthma and sarcoidosis in my lungs. So, hot weather is really difficult for me. Thankfully, it has cooled down quite a lot recently so I am feeling a lot better. I really hope this continues!
So today’s post is about a scarf I bought recently. Another scarf!!! Well, that’s what Lovely Husband said, along with “Do you really need any more?”. I admit that I am addicted to scarves. How many is too many? Anyway, I had some really good reasons for purchasing this one…
I have loved the design for quite a long time.
This colourway was in the sale.
The design has meaning for me and you will see what I mean when you look at the images below!
The scarf is by Aspinal and is called “Ombre ‘A’ Floral silk scarf”. It is a 90cm square and the colourway is English Lavender. The design is really pretty with a riot of flowers and butterflies. I haven’t worn it yet, so there are no modelling photos. The images above are from the Aspinal website.
Now, I have a decision to make before I go ahead and wear it. I am thinking of having the scarf framed instead! Our bedroom has pretty wallpaper, curtains and bedding in shades of purple and lavender so the scarf would look gorgeous on the wall. As the A initial is also mine I think it would be fun to use the scarf in this way.
What do you think? I would love to know.
Well, I think that is all for now. Elder Son is going away for the weekend and I am going to help him pack his things. I think that LH and I will enjoy the break too! Lovely peace and quiet 😊.
I am back! We had a scorchingly hot few days in this part of the UK, which I struggled with because of my multiple health issues. I even found it difficult to concentrate on reading my book! Anyway, it has cooled down quite a lot and so I will catch up today.
I have returned to the lovely writing of Juliet Marillier, this time with her Bridei Chronicles series…
The Bridei Chronicles by Juliet Marillier
Since my last Reading Roundup post, I have read books one and two of Marillier’s series and am now about halfway through the third. The first book is The Dark Mirror and here is the blurb…
In the mid 6th century the Pictish kingdom in northern Britain is under threat from the Gaels and the Christian faith, which leaves the leaders of the northern realm struggling to maintain their ancient traditions. All hope rests on the shoulders of young Bridei, a little-known son of the royal line, who is seen as the perfect candidate for future kingship. At his remote forest home of Pitnochie, Broichan, a powerful druid, sets about training the boy in the ways of the ancients and in the all-important preparation to be a leader of men. But Broichan has not allowed for the Good Folk, inhabitants of the ancient forests of Fortriu and well-known workers of tricky magic. When Bridei discovers a strange baby girl abandoned on Broichan’s doorstep in the chill of the winter solstice, he takes her into the house. And the druid has to realise that there is one unpredictable power at work that may be too strong for him to control and could become the death of his dreams.
I am really immersed in Marillier’s writing at the moment. Her descriptions of the natural world are beautiful and really enhance the settings of her books. Although this book was not quite as good as some of her other work, particularly the Sevenwaters series, I still enjoyed the story set in Scotland during the time of the Picts. Marillier’s interweaving of historical writing with magic is always interesting and atmospheric. Her characters are well drawn and she must undertake a huge amount of research to get the setting right. I will look forward to this story developing over the series.
My second read was also the second book in the series: Blade of Fortriu. This is the blurb…
The kingdom of Fortriu has enjoyed five years of peace since Bridei came to the throne. Now the king is preparing for the long-awaited war that he hopes will see the Gaelic invaders driven from the west forever. The princess Ana, a hostage of Fortriu since childhood, is sent north to make a strategic marriage with a chieftain she has never met – and with it gain an ally on whom Bridei’s victory relies. Her escort is led by a man she despises: the enigmatic Faolan, Bridei’s assassin and spy. The expedition is ill-fated, and when Ana arrives at the chieftain Alpin’s stronghold in the mysterious Briar Wood, she is uneasy. This is a place full of secrets. When Ana discovers a prisoner kept within the bleakest of confinement, she is met with a conspiracy of silence. Faolan, tortured by an impossible love, walks a delicate path between loyalty and betrayal. . .
This second book in the series was really a tale in two halves. The first part was an exciting journey with dangerous episodes and a growing relationship between the two main characters. During the second section the plot and the characters seemed to become far less nuanced, with an almost cartoonish villain and romantic interest. Yet again, I did enjoy the author’s writing in the main.
Apologies, but I am taking a break from posting for the rest of the week. The weather is unbearably hot for a few days and I am really struggling. My long list of infirmities includes a couple of lung conditions, so you can understand why I can’t manage to write on here. Despite fans and cold drinks I just cannot think straight!
It’s Friday once again so time to write a post. This last week has been fairly quiet and peaceful, which has been lovely. I have managed to go for my local walks on most days and I am really feeling the benefit. The weather forecast is showing that things are really going to heat up over the next week, so I may not be able to cope with walking as I am not very good in hot weather!
I have also been trying to keep on top of the housework and that has been working well. Unfortunately, I am not able to do any gardening these days and we do have a lovely man who comes over to mow the lawns and keep the flower beds in order. He has had his own health issues and has not been able to come for a few weeks so the garden is like a jungle! I just about managed to walk down to the end yesterday, navigating the overgrown paths and steps with some difficulty! We have loads of gorgeous poppies just coming to the end of their flowering period and I am planning to collect the seeds from the best ones and sow them in other parts of the garden later on in the year. It is so lovely to see the garden changing through the months and discovering the flowers as they come into bloom.
I managed to wear one beautiful scarf last week on my walks. In fact I wore it on two days and I was going to upload both photos to show the different ties. However, the second batch of photos were so awful that I decided not to use any of them! Here’s one that is reasonable…
Outfit of the day 14/06/26 with Hermès Au Royaume d’Helios 70cm scarf
And this is a larger image of the scarf…
Au Royaume d’Helios by Matthieu Cossé for Hermès
Such gorgeous, cheerful colours! I think it worked well with my bright pink Lands’ End vest and navy trousers.
Wishing you all a very Happy Weekend!
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
P.S. If you would like to read more about this scarf, here is my Scarf of the Moment post with lots of information and the colourways.
Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup post. I have now finished the final two books in David Gemmell’s brilliant Rigante series and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I am not feeling well today, so this will be a very basic post.
Ravenheart by David GemmellStormrider by David Gemmell
When I decided to read the Rigante series I assumed that I was re-reading all of the four books. I was sure that I must have read them many years ago as I knew that I had enjoyed Gemmell’s work in my younger days. As I read through the first two books I definitely remembered parts of the stories, but when I came to these two final books I realised that they were entirely new to me, which was great because they were such absorbing reads.
Anyway, this is the blurb for Ravenheart…
Eight hundred years have passed since King Connavar of the Rigante and his bastard son, Bane, the invading army of Stone. In that time, Connavar has become a legend, and the Rigante have lost the freedom so many gave their lives to preserve. A conquered people, they live and die under the iron rule of the Varlish, their culture all but destroyed.
One woman remains who follows the ancient paths once trod by the Rigante. She is the Wyrd of Wishing Tree Wood, and she alone knows the nature of the evil soon to be unleashed on a doomed and unsuspecting world.
“In a perilous land, facing an uncertain destiny, she pins her initial hopes on two men: Jaim Grymauch, the giant Rigante fighter, a man haunted by his failure to save the friend he loved from betrayal, and Kaelin Ring, a youth whose deadly talents will earn him the enmity of all Varlish. One will become the Ravenheart, an outlaw leader whose daring exploits will inspire the Rigante. The other will forge a legend and light the fires of rebellion.
The Wyrd knows that ultimately all hopes will rest on a third man. Of the bloodline of Connavar the King, he will need to overcome generations of fear and hatred if he is to achieve his destiny. For he is a Varlish nobleman, and – worse – the son of the Rigante’s greatest enemy . . .”
And this is the blurb for Stormrider…
“One glorious spark, one moment of Rigante rebellion has ignited a revolution and forged a legend. In the mountains of the north, the outlaw leader known as Ravenheart waits, knowing the forces of the blackhearted Moidart will come, led by the brutal ruler’s only son, Stormrider. Unaware that the fate of the world lies in their hands, sworn enemies Ravenheart and Stormrider will be forced to unite—and face the vengeance of an ancient evil.
For immense armies of darkness are advancing on the highlanders, and it seems as if nothing will stop them. They crush their victims with ease, until only a few thousand men stand before them, with no help in sight. But these are not ordinary men they face. They are clansmen, and more than that, they are Rigante. . . .”
As I am feeling so weak today, I have been unable to write reviews on Goodreads. Let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading these two books and, in fact, the whole series. Everything was also rounded off nicely in the final chapters. If anyone wants to read some insightful comments, there are plenty on Goodreads.
Hello and welcome to this week’s post. Unfortunately, life in this house has been very difficult over the last couple of weeks. I have also been struggling with my physical and mental health. In addition we have had to deal with some house issues: the shower flooded, the LED light in our bedroom stopped working, and some of the blinds fell down, plus a few more. We have managed to sort everything out except the light. So, until we can get that repaired or replaced, we have to manage with table lamps.
All of the house stuff is quite trivial really, but our problems with family relationships have been much more difficult to manage. I will not go into the details, for obvious reasons, but a household with two ill and disabled parents and an adult son with multiple issues can be very challenging!
I have been too unwell on most days to go for my walks and I have not had the energy to wear anything other than loungewear. On one day I was able to dress quite nicely and put on an Hermès scarf…
Outfit of the day 07/06/26 with Hermès Zebra Pegasus 45cm scarf
Here is a larger image of the scarf…
Zebra Pegasus 45cm scarf by Hermès
And these are the lovely blue topaz earrings by Blue Nile…
Blue topaz earrings by Blue Nile
I think that is all for this week. Please keep your fingers crossed for some better days and weeks to come!
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
P.S. If you would like to know more about the Zebra Pegasus design, please look at my Scarf of the Moment post here.
Welcome to my weekly post about my reading journey. The other day I was chatting to Lovely Husband, discussing my enjoyment of reading mainly fiction. I said to him that I probably began to read independently before I started school and must have read thousands of books over the years since then. Because I was a school librarian for such a long time, during that period I read mostly young adult and children’s books, probably ten each week or even more. Since I retired I have changed to reading adult fiction: fantasy, science fiction and thrillers in the main. So, I wonder how many books I have read over my almost 70 years of life?!?
Regular visitors to this blog will be aware that I now log my reading journey on Goodreads. I have a category on there of “After Retirement”, which I started in 2014. There are currently 1054 books in that category. I may have read even more because Goodreads sometimes doesn’t seem to handle re-read books very well.
Anyway, on to last week’s books! I decided to change tack from Juliet Marillier’s work and revisit another of my favourite fantasy authors: David Gemmell. Marillier’s works focus on the lives of female characters, which is very refreshing! Gemmell’s books are the absolute opposite. They are very male character focused with females appearing as mothers, love interest or magical entities. So, it’s not very feminist of me to read his work! But then I read for escapism and I find Gemmell’s flawed “heroes” work very well for that!
I have read a lot of Gemmell’s work in the past but cannot remember exactly which books I have finished. Anyway, I decided on his Rigante series and completed the first two in time for this post…
Sword in the Storm by David GemmellMidnight Falcon by David Gemmell
Here is the blurb for Sword in the Storm…
“Born in the storm that kills his father, Connavar grows up among the mountains of Caer Druagh, where the Rigante tribe dwell in harmony with the land and its gods.
But beyond the border, across the water, an evil force is gathering strength – an unstoppable force that will change the world beyond all recognition.
Haunted by malevolent spirits and hunted by evil men, Connavar sets out on a spectacular mission to defeat this new enemy… But he is a troubled soul, dogged by fate – will he be able to defend his tribe and save his people?”
I really enjoyed this book following the life of a boy from childhood to manhood. Set in a fantasy Celtic world that was very well drawn by Gemmell, the plot was gripping and the characters were interesting and engaging. Gemmell’s heroes have realistic flaws and are more relatable because of these.
I am now going to continue with the rest of the series.
Now, on to the second book, Midnight Falcon. This is the blurb…
“They called him Bane the Bastard – though none said it to his face.
Born of treachery, his name a curse, he grew up among the warriors of the Rigante. They valued his skills in war, but they feared the violence in his heart.
And when, as a Wolfshead and Outlaw, he left Rigante lands, they breathed sighs of relief.
But Bane would return, the destiny of the Rigante in his hands, the fate of the world resting on his skills with a blade.”
This was another great episode in a great series. Many of the unfinished plot lines from the first book were nicely rounded off and we had glimpses of some of the characters too. The main character this time was quite unlikable at the beginning but I warmed to him as his story unfolded. The scene setting was terrific with masses of action and really interesting and likeable characters. Once again, there were few females, which is my main negative about these books.
Wednesday means it’s time to write about the books I have been reading in the previous week. I finished Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series, reading the last two books. Here they are…
Seer of Sevenwaters and Flame of Sevenwaters are books five and six of the series and the latter rounds off the tale with a satisfying ending.
This is the blurb for Seer of Sevenwaters!
“Sibeal has always known that she is destined for a spiritual life, and is committed to it with all her heart. The only thing left for her to do before she enters the nemetons is to spend the summer visiting her sisters, Muirrin and Clodagh, on the northern island of Inis Eala.
But Sibeal has barely set foot on the island before a freak storm out at sea sinks a ship before her eyes. In spite of frantic efforts, only three survivors are fished alive from the water, and one of them, a man Sibeal names Ardal, clings to life by the merest thread.
Sibeal befriends Ardal as he begins to regain his health. But it becomes clear there is something unusual about the three shipwrecked strangers. Why won’t the beautiful Svala speak? And what is it that the gravely ill Ardal can’t remember – or won’t tell?
When a visiting warrior is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, and an attempt is made on Ardal’s life, Sibeal finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. The truth will be far more astonishing than she could ever have believed – and the consequences for Sibeal are unimaginable.”
Although not quite as good as the first three books in the series, I still really enjoyed reading this one. Once again, Marillier’s writing of character and setting is excellent and the magical elements are also well done. The plot engaged me right until the end, although there were slow sections. Definitely a worthy addition to a great series.
I went straight on to read the last book in the series: Flame of Sevenwaters. Here is the blurb…
“When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals.
Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father’s keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara’s malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips?
Maeve’s gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.”
I think that this is the weakest of all the books in the series. The main character is unappealing and the response to her disabilities is very unlikely given the apparent historical period of the book. The ending rather too neatly finishes the whole series with a quite ridiculous romantic turn. All of that being said, I did enjoy a lot of the book and the return of some previous characters and am glad that I finished the series. I will definitely read more by Marillier in the future.
Now I am going to move on to a completely different kind of writer, although still in the Fantasy genre. All will become clear in next week’s Reading Roundup.
Friday is here so it is time to write a new post! The designs for the Hermès Autumn/Winter 2026 scarf and shawl season are emerging online, so I thought that I would tempt you with some of them today. The weather had been extremely hot and uncomfortable in this part of the UK during the past week and this has caused me to struggle with my health. Thoughts of gorgeous scarves have helped to lift my mood!
Here are some of them…
For further information as the new season unfolds, it is worth looking at this thread on The Purse Forum.
The prices are now so extreme that I will definitely struggle to justify purchasing any more! But, then I remember that it is my 70th birthday in November and don’t I deserve a lovely treat? 🤣😆🤣😆
Former professional school librarian, now retired through chronic illness. Trying to keep cheerful by reading, drinking lots of tea, blogging my new life, and my love of bling!
The Librain
The Librain......retired 
Dear Anne, would air conditioning help or does it rather hurt you with your lung conditions? I'm on the fence…