There has been a lovely feeling of spring in the air today and I really wanted a trip out. Unfortunately, when your family lives with high levels of stress, as we do on a daily basis, there are occasional “altercations” which tend to change plans. So that is what happened today 😚.

Anyway, I wore the same basic outfit as yesterday, black jumper and cardigan with jeans, but switched scarves and bangles. I bought the scarf a long time ago from Goddess and Swift via Etsy, but don’t wear it very often. On Etsy, the design looked lovely and the colours were almost perfect – black with shades of turquoise, pink, coral and brown. When it arrived, however, I was not very impressed with the quality of the printing and was preparing to return it. Then a bout of illness intervened and I forgot about the scarf completely. So, I wear it from time to time and, if tied in the right way, it actually looks quite nice.

Today’s outfit:

• Black cashmere v-neck jumper – Marks and Spencer.
• Black cashmere and merino cardigan – WoolOvers.
• Indigo jeans – Klass.
• London blue topaz earrings – Blue Nile.
• Coral enamel and gold “Agama” bangle – Halcyon Days.
• Turquoise enamel and gold bangle – Halcyon Days.
• Large Acanthus pattern silk scarf – Goddess and Swift via Etsy.

Outfit of the day 01/03/17 with Goddess and Swift Acanthus scarf

Reading update

I said to my family last week, when I was laid low with a nasty virus on top of everything else, that you can tell when I am really, really ill – I can’t read! For a few days I simply could not concentrate enough to read, not even trivia via my iPad, never mind a book. Thank goodness I am now back to what passes as normal for me!

Before I write about the books I have been reading, I would like to say something about ebooks. I enjoy reading both print and ebooks, with the print versions only having a slight edge, mainly due to the ease of being able to flip back and forth, and the lack of reliance upon batteries! My local county library has a great ebook system and I love being able to access books so easily without having to leave my bed when I am going through a bad patch. I have found loads of excellent books to read on my iPad and I am glad that I never bought a Kindle. That being said, there are also quite a lot of not so excellent books on the system too, as I found out last week. But, on the whole, I am really pleased with how it all works and have fed that back to the library staff.

So, since I last posted about my reading, I have finished Sara Paretsky’s Brush Back, another great read in her V.I. Warshawski series. I do love V.I. as a heroine!

Brush Back by Sara Paretsky

I have also completed Steven James’ Opening Moves from his Patrick Bowers Files series. I found Steven James’ books on our library ebook catalogue some years ago. They don’t seem to have caught on in the UK, but I really rate them, if you like gory murder/thrillers with a philosophical edge. I have now finished all of this series, which makes me sad, in a strange kind of way. I am sure that other keen readers will understand me!

Opening Moves by Steven James

I am currently reading The Kill Sign by Nichole Christoff, which I also found as an ebook, and I wish they had more by this author on the catalogue. I will update Goodreads with a short review when I have finished the book, as I always do.

The Kill Sign by Nichole Christoff