It’s Friday, so time to write another post! This week I have bought some items from the new Autumn styles, with varying success, had a rather nasty shock and went to get my hair cut, at last!
We will begin with the nasty shock. As I was thinking about adding a couple of new tops to my wardrobe, I decided to check my measurements and that led me to also weighing myself. And, eek, I saw that I have gained a lot of weight over the Summer and my measurements mean that I have gone up a dress size. As you can imagine, I was not happy! Being honest with myself, I have been indulging in slices of cake with my afternoon tea and the walks have not happened during the hot weather. So, I need to rein myself in and try to get moving again.
And tell Elder Son to stop coming home with delicious cakes!!! Argh!!!
On to the new clothing items. I bought two tops, one from Marks and Spencer, the other from Boden. Here are the images from their websites…
Satin cowl neck top – Marks and SpencerLace trim v-neck velvet top – Boden
The first was a satin cowl neck top in dark petrol from Marks and Spencer and the second was a lace trim v-neck velvet top in harbour blue by Boden. The M&S top was a gorgeous colour, but looked dreadful on me! It was difficult to get into and fasten up too. Perhaps someone a lot slimmer would look great in it, but it was definitely not for me. I am also not sure how the hanging drapey parts would work under a coat or jacket!
The second top, from Boden is a lovely shade of blue and fits me nicely, thank goodness. I am now going to save it until my birthday and then wear it if/when we go out for a meal. I love the colour too.
Now on to the haircut…
Elder son accompanied me into town where he ran a couple of errands while I visited my hairdresser. Then we had lunch in a lovely tea room before getting a taxi home again. I am now sitting in bed finishing this post!
This is the “before” photo…
And here is the “after”…
Well, I must say I am pleased with the improvement, but am struggling with looking at this old woman gazing back at me! Who on earth is she and where have I gone? Time seems to have moved on very quickly!
Welcome to this week’s post. Today I am going to do things a little differently. Since my last post I have actually read quite a lot of books. I have found a series of six books and some novellas that I am really enjoying, plus a standalone novel. So, this week I am writing about the single book and I will wait until next week to tackle the series in one go. I hope you understand what I am trying to do!
This is the book…
The Women by Kristin Hannah
The book was The Women by Kristin Hannah and here is the blurb…
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
I have never read anything quite like this before, so was really looking forward to trying the book. This is my response on Goodreads…
I remember quite a lot about the events of the Vietnam War from listening to the news when I was a child. It all sounded really frightening and horrific, with young men dying in countless numbers. Some of the images from the war were shocking and very memorable. But, we rarely heard anything about women and girls. This book attempts to tell the story of some of the women who worked as nurses in the war zone and how they coped afterwards when they got home.
I have given the book the full five stars for its portrayal of the lives of the medical staff as they struggled to cope with the wounded and dying. The bonds of female support and friendship were so well drawn. The fleeting and intense relationships between men and women in the trauma and chaos were touching. When the story moved on to the aftermath it continued to keep my attention. The heroine’s family’s reaction to her service, her post war mental struggles and her attempts to find a normal life and love were also interesting.
I am glad that I read this book and am sure that I will remember it for a long time.
Today’s post is short because I am still feeling unwell. I had to cancel a visit to the jewellers to choose the chain for my new necklace, so I am sitting in bed feeling rather sorry for myself. However, I did manage to raise the energy to take some quick closeups of my new Rewilding Nature scarf by Hermès. When I am feeling better, I will finish the Scarf of the Moment post.
Here is a reminder of the design…
Rewilding Nature designed by Alice Shirley for Hermès
And these are my new photos in the slide format…
I am really looking forward to wearing this gorgeous scarf and planning suitable outfits. Each corner is really amazing, so I must think about the knots I could use to show them off properly.
For today’s post, I had planned to take some modelling photos with my new Rewilding Nature scarf that I revealed last Friday. However, I have decided to wait until I have had my hair cut as it looks absolutely dreadful at the moment! When I have managed to take some pics, I will then finish the Scarf of the Moment post with all of the usual details. Well, that is the plan.
I do have another thing on my mind at the moment, alongside all of the usual stuff that buzzes about in my brain every day. I will be 70 in November and we are planning a family celebration. It will be fairly low key, because Lovely Husband and I struggle so much with our health issues. My sister and her husband are going to join us for lunch, which will be lovely. I am not sure where we will go, but there are quite a few hotels and pubs within a short drive from home. Over the years, we have enjoyed eating in many of them, so have a lot to choose from!
My main present is going to be a necklace that I intend to wear every day for the rest of my life. We have a local jeweller who is helping me to firm up the design. The idea is to have three hearts linked on a chain. One heart will be in white gold to represent my Lovely Husband, another will be in gold to represent Elder Son, and the final heart will be made in rose gold to represent Younger Son.
A few weeks ago, I sent a lot of images to the jeweller to spark off the discussion. Emails have bounced back and forth between us and we have now decided on the design. I will take some photos for the blog after my birthday.
Anyway, here are some of the images that I downloaded for the planning stage…
This is my weekly post looking back on my previous week’s reading, if you see what I mean! I finished two books. One was a reread from a favourite author, the other was a book from a new-to-me writer…
Dark Prince by David Gemmell
My first book of the week was Dark Prince by David Gemmell, the second and final book in his Greek Series. This is the blurb…
The chaos spirit had chosen the child Alexander to be its human host. But Parmenion, most powerful warrior of ancient Greece, had won a small victory over the darkness that sought to rule through Alexander. The boy’s soul had not been destroyed by evil, but instead had merged with it — and now Parmenion aided Alexander in the battle between light and dark that constantly raged within him.But there was another world, where the creatures of Greece’s legends still flourished. There, the chaos spirit already ruled, through a demon king. In this Greece, there was a prophecy that a child of great power, the legendary golden child, would come and restore the fading magic of the land to the creatures of myth. The demon king believed also that devouring the heart of this fabled child would give him immortality. He believed Alexander, with the power of the chaos spirit within him, to be that child. And so he called Alexander into his world . . .Only Parmenion, guided by the seeress Derae, his lost love from another life, could hope to save Alexander from the demon king. But who could save the young prince from the chaos spirit that threatened to conquer his soul?
I have recently decided to re-read a lot of Gemmell’s work and have found this to be very enjoyable. The first book in the series is particularly well written and engaging with its touches of fantasy interwoven with the historical record. This second book takes the reader much further into a fantasy world with mythical creatures and settings. I was interested in Parmenion’s story, but knew that it finished before Alexander’s tale would come to an end. I feel that the fantasy elements overwhelmed the history rather than complementing it and I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. Never mind, there are loads of other Gemmell books for me to revisit in the near future!
For my next book, I decided to try a book recommended on a Facebook group…
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig is book one of The Stonewater Kingdom series. This is the blurb…
A gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a prophetess who is forced beyond the safety of her cloister on an impossible quest to defeat the gods with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight.
Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.
Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.
Well, that was disappointing! OK, I did quite enjoy some of the plot and the book was easy to read, but…
The “hero” was such a cliche. The “heroine” was too, and as for the horrible regular drowning! The setting was poorly thought out. And if I ever read another book where a slightly built female can out fight a trained male warrior, I think I will scream! And they end up with massive wounds that heal very quickly or leave “attractive” scars. Then we have the cringe-making sex scene. We also have even more cliches from other fantasy works which were much better written. And plot devices that just don’t work, such as villages where everyone only has one craft. How do the people eat or exist? Who puts charcoal around their eyes? What purpose would it serve?
Welcome to my Friday post! Today is my late mother’s 95th birthday and I am missing her so much. So, I am trying to cheer myself up by writing about my latest purchase. Also, I am feeling much more comfortable as the weather has cooled down considerable, Elder Son is away on a holiday, and Lovely Husband and I are enjoying the peace and quiet!
Now for the reveal (please excuse the non ironed duvet cover!)…
Yes, it is an Hermès scarf! This is Rewilding Nature 90cm silk twill, designed by Alice Shirley. So gorgeous!
Here are the images from the Hermès website…
Rewilding Nature designed by Alice Shirley for Hermès
When I feel a little stronger, I will take some modelling photos to show a range of scarf ties. I am also working on a Scarf of the Moment post with everything I can find out about this scarf in all of the versions: the 90 cms, the twillies, and also the bangles. This design is so stunning that I have fallen in love with another colourway! I will have to save up for a few months and hope that it is still available when I have enough money. Please let me know in the comments what you think of this design and the colourway I have chosen.
So I am back again! Thankfully, the weather has cooled down quite a lot and we have even had some rain. Several plants have died during the heat but some look to be perking up somewhat. Anyway, let’s get back to my reading journey. Regular visitors will be aware that I have been revisiting some of my favourite authors and books this year, particularly David Gemmell, Joe Abercrombie and Juliet Marillier. I have really enjoyed rereading their work and also discovering other books that I missed in the past.
Over the last two weeks I have read two books by David Gemmell and have almost finished a third! After that I will probably take a break and read something new to me. Anyway, here are the books…
Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell
The first book was Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell, a stand alone and not really part of a series although it is linked to his famous Drenai books.
Here is the blurb:
The Knights of the Gabala were legendary protectors of the Nine Duchies – until they disappeared through a demon-haunted gateway between worlds. Manannan, the Coward Knight, held back. Now he lives in torment. Yet war is coming to the Duchies – and with it Manannan’s chance for redemption. But to regain his honour and save his land, he will have to confront his deepest fear. He must ride through the gateway and seek out his lost companions in the unknown world beyond.And the secret he will learn there will tear his soul apart.
I must admit that it took me a little longer than usual to really feel immersed in this tale. Gemmell’s work really draws me into the story, with larger than life characters and clever plot lines. However, after a few chapters had introduced the multiple characters and the wide ranging setting, I really enjoyed the story as the brilliant writing drew me on to the ending. I have been a fan of Gemmell’s work for decades and have now added another book to my list of future rereads!
When I had finished I decided to return to a series that I have already read more than once! As a former student of Ancient Greece, I find Gemmell”s version of the Trojan War a fascinating fusion of myth, history and fantasy. His take on the lives of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great in his Greek Series is also brilliant. I have finished the first book, Lion of Macedon, and will write about it here.
Lion of Macedonia by David Gemmell
Here is the blurb…
Over and again, the aged seeress Tamis scried all the possible tomorrows. In every one, dark forces threatened Greece; terrible evil was poised to reenter the world. The future held only one hope: a half-caste Spartan boy, Parmenion. So Tamis made it her mission to see that Parmenion would before the deadliest warrior in the world — no matter what the cost.
Raised to manhood in Sparta, bullied and forced to fight for his life every day, Parmenion had no notion of the unseen dimensions of magic and mystery that shaped his fate. He grew in strength and cunning. His military genius earned him the title Strategos in Sparta. His triumphs for the city of Thebes made him a hero. And finally his fate led him to the service of Philip of Macedon.
As Tamis had foreseen, Parmenion’s destiny was tied to the Dark God, to Philip, and to the yet-unborn Alexander. All too soon the future was upon them. Parmenion stood poised to defeat evil — or to open the gate for the Dark God to reenter the world.
Unfortunately, the Goodreads site did not give me the review link in the usual format so I have taken a screenshot instead…
Screenshot
Now, I will return to the second and final book in the series, Dark Prince, which I will write about next week.
Today’s post is quite short as I have just returned home after a lovely lunch with Elder Son at a local tea room. As I don’t think I have left the house since Younger Son’s visit, this feels like quite an adventure! ES was totally charming and kind to his old Mum and we both had a good time together.
I had planned to wear my new dress but in the end decided upon a gorgeous throwover from One Hundred Stars with a white vest and navy linen skirt. The earrings and necklace were presents from ES a few years ago.
Here’s the throwover…
Jaipur Blue Throwover – One Hundred Stars
These are the earrings and necklace. Not the best image but you will get the idea…
I took a quick photo before leaving the house. Yes, I definitely need a haircut!
Outfit of the day 07/08/26 with Jaipur throwover by One Hundred Stars
In the café there was a woman with the most gorgeous thick and shiny grey hair and I complimented her because it looked so beautiful. I must admit that I was a little envious because my hair is so thin these days. Well, I might have made her day!
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 
Prayers