Friday post 13/12/24: here come the new scarf designs for Hermès’ Spring/Summer 2025 season!

Posted on 13/12/2024 by The Librain

Hello everyone! Yes, it’s come around again! The new designs for the Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 season are emerging online. There are already some 90cm silk twills as well as a cashmere/silk giant triangle. I haven’t seen any new shawls on the UK site yet, but they are sure to be released soon.

If you want to keep abreast of the latest information, it is always worth following the new season’s thread on The Scarf Forum: …..Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 Scarves…..

Just a quick tip: if your favourite design appears online then snap it up before the expected price increase in January. Of course, Hermès might decide to lower their prices this time, but that’s very unlikely!

Here are some of the new scarves in a slideshow format:

  • Botanica Grafica Double Face 90 H903852S
  • Jour de Casting 70 H984213S
  • Carré Libre 70 H984212S
  • Le Carrousel du Tigre Royal 90 H004206S
  • Tout en Selle 90 H004204S
  • Brides de Gala en Fleurs 90 H004192S
  • Libre Comme Pégase 90 H003802S
  • La Ligne Coup de Fouet 90 H004183S
  • Un Carré sur l’Herbe 90 H004181S
  • Bottes Story 90 H004203S
  • Eperon d’Or et Tenues de Jour 140 H244216S
  • Festival des Amazones Bandana 140 H244217S
  • Inventaire Poétique pour un Conte Sellier 140 H244193S
  • Thalassa 140 H241581S

There are real beauties in that gallery! I haven’t included the one that has caught my eye because I am mulling over whether I can justify the price.

Oh, I must share this one with you it’s an old design that has been reissued as a “Forever” scarf…

Attelage en Arbalète Forever 90 H001554S

Those horses’ bums always make me laugh! (Apologies to my “horse lover” friends…).

There are also some cute (and expensive) Pegasus scarf rings!

Pegase scarf ring permabrass H603872S 00
Pegase scarf ring palladium H603873S 00

Well, I think that is it for now! This post has taken quite a lot of compiling, although I do enjoy the processes.

Happy Weekend to you all (I will be dreaming of scarves)!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 11/12/24

Posted on 11/12/2024 by The Librain

It’s Wednesday so it must be Reading Roundup time! Last week I finished one book and then got stuck into a second one which is very long indeed. That one might take me a while to reach the end! Anyway, here is the cover of the book I am featuring today…

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Yes, I selected another Jojo Moyes book: Me Before You. Having enjoyed The Giver of Stars so much, I was really looking forward to reading another of her works. Me Before You has a very unusual subject as you will see when you read the blurb…

“They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose…

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.”

So, boy meets girl but boy is quadriplegic after a terrible accident! Regular visitors to this blog will be aware that I suffer with severe depression due to my multiple health issues. Some might say that a book like this would be totally unsuitable for someone in my condition (Lovely Husband certainly made me aware of his views!).  But… in actual fact I found the book, yes, extremely sad, but very uplifting. Here is my quick response on Goodreads…

Me Before YouMe Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a terrific book! Such a difficult subject to write about but Jojo Moyes tackled it with wit, occasional and much needed humorous touches, and poignancy. The characters were beautifully and subtly crafted (I really loved the heroine with her eccentric clothing and chaotic family) and the plot kept me interested. I don’t know anything about what it must be like to live as a quadriplegic, I hope that I never have to know, but Moyes must have undertaken a great deal of research to write about this in such a realistic manner.

The subject matter of the book is almost unbearable, but Moyes’ writing lifts the gloom and gives the reader hope and a silver lining at the end.

View all my reviews

I will definitely seek out more books by Jojo Moyes and I hope I can find them on the library’s ebook list!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

 Anne 

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Friday post 06/12/24: with a pretty present and a gorgeous shawl

Posted on 06/12/2024 by The Librain

Am I the only person who experiences the days/weeks/months/years whizzing past at great speed? I am struggling to believe that it’s Friday once again! Anyway, welcome to today’s post, lovely friends and visitors 😘.

A dearly loved member of my family, who will not be named, sent me a late birthday present this week. I have a passion for earrings and have quite a large collection, but had noticed that I didn’t have many turquoise coloured ones. There are a couple of pairs in blue topaz, which is my birthstone, but none in turquoise itself. This is the pair that was chosen and I simply had to show you the lovely packaging from Mistry Gems on the Etsy site…

Mistry Gems’ pretty packaging
Turquoise and silver earrings by Mistry Gems
Turquoise and silver earrings by Mistry Gems
Turquoise and silver earrings by Mistry Gems

The photo at the bottom row right is the one from the Mistry Gems site. The turquoise stones are mixed with copper which gives them a beautiful gleam. Mistry Gems are worth exploring as they have some really pretty and inexpensive pieces made with semi-precious stones and sterling silver.

I managed to wear one nice outfit this week: a red cashmere round neck jumper from Pure Collection with navy cord trousers by Lands’ End and the amazing Le Jaguar et Le Colibri cashmere/silk shawl from Hermès. My new earrings seemed to work with this ensemble and anyway I wanted to try them on!

This is my “selfie”…

Outfit of the day 02/12/24 with Hermès’ Le Jaguar et le Colibri shawl

I have just worked out that I have had this stunning shawl for a year! It’s such an intricate and amazing design…

Le Jaguar et le Colibri shawl by Montserrat Gonzales-Lugo for Hermès

Over the next few weeks, apart from trying to get ready for the festive season and organising more house repairs, I am going to wear my other silk/cashmere shawls that I haven’t used so far this winter. They are so very lovely and soft and bring me such pleasure!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne 

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Posted in Clothes, Jewellery, Lifestyle, Outfit of the day, Scarves, Wardrobe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reading roundup 04/12/24

Posted on 04/12/2024 by The Librain

Well, we have arrived in the final month of the year, so it’s time to read as much as I can! Sorry, poor joke. I should, of course, be planning for the festive season, but the state of Lovely Husband’s and my health means that Christmas and New Year will be, I hope, enjoyable but low effort. We will try our best to cook lovely food, etc. My chronic cough stops me from going in the kitchen when cooking is taking place. Luckily, LH and Younger Son are great cooks and Elder Son does the prep and clearing up very well.

Oh, and I will get time to read!

Right, back to the point of this post: what I have read since last Wednesday’s post…

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold

Regular visitors to these weekly posts may remember that I am a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold. I love both her science fiction and fantasy writing. Recently, I decided to try another of her series: The Sharing Knife. The first book is called Beguilement and here is the blurb (very short indeed, although I did try to find a better one)…

“In this romantic fantasy novel, runaway farm girl Fawn meets Dag, a Lakewalker, a patroller who is a kind of sorcerer/soldier. Fawn’s own confidence blossoms as she travels with Dag, helping to combat evil “malices” that blight the countryside and also fight the strange and sinister “mud men.””

Well, I have very mixed feelings about this book as I wrote on Goodreads…

Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, #1)Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, what can I say about this book? I am such a fan of LMB’s writing, but this was such a disappointment. Some aspects of the plot were good, mainly the first half. I mean killing monsters is usually pretty exciting stuff. However, the story then became a rather pedestrian romance with aspects of “will her family accept him?” (I expect “will his people accept her?” is the plot of the next book in the series).

But, the elephant in the room is the huge age difference between our two lovers. I mean, IMHO, ten years is acceptable, twenty is dodgy, but anything beyond that is a mixture of ridiculous, awful and possibly abusive. This spoiled the whole tale for me.

One other thing: what possessed LMB to name her hero “Dag”?

View all my reviews

Now, the question is: “do I read any more books in this series just in case it gets better?”. Anyway, if you know of any better books written by Bujold, please let me know in the comments. I am already reading the Vorkosigan Saga and her World of the Five Gods.

I am presently reading a totally different genre and will write about that book next week. Until then, enjoy your reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne 

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Friday post 29/11/24: catching up…

Posted on 29/11/2024 by The Librain

It’s difficult to believe, but we are nearly at the end of November! I expect that most of you will be organising gifts, cards, decorations, food, visitors and journeys. On the other hand, we haven’t got anything ready at all, apart from booking our supermarket deliveries. Once again, we are having a quiet and minimalist Christmas. Younger Son has promised us a visit, we will organise some lovely food and gifts for the four of us, and I will see if I have enough energy to put up a few decorations. Whatever we manage to do will have to be enough. I will be happy to have my family all together.

So, we have had a very disruptive but also pleasing couple of weeks. After loads of distressing issues (which I won’t explain because I don’t want to bore you), we finally found a roofing company! They did exactly what they agreed: the scaffolders turned up on time, the roofers were efficient and had obvious expertise, the boss was informative and helpful, the work was finished and everything was tidied up. A couple of things were quickly sorted to our satisfaction.

AND

It rained and the roof didn’t leak! Hooray!

With all of that going on, I did manage to go out, with Elder Son’s support, to have my hair done. Afterwards, we went to a pub for lunch. As usual, I seized the opportunity to wear a lovely outfit. As it was cold, I chose my new Hermès shawl, Sous le Charme d’Orphée, and selected a navy wool v-neck jumper by WoolOvers, jeans, pewter shoes by Hotter, a Liberty of London bangle, earrings by Lovisa, and a gorgeous handbag by Massaccesi.

Outfit of the day 22/11/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl

And here are the usual before and after photos…

Outfit of the day 22/11/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl
Outfit of the day 22/11/24 with Hermès’ Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl

Let’s repeat some pictures of that amazing shawl (I can’t stop looking at it)…

Outfit of the day 22/11/24 with Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Hermès
Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Alice Shirley for Hermès

I have also been playing with my other new scarf, the gorgeous and brightly coloured present from my sister. It is so comforting to snuggle up with it!

Outfit of the day 20/11/24 with scarf by Park Lane
Scarf by Park Lane

Next week I am going to wear another of my wonderful shawls, decisions, decisions!

Happy weekend everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 27/11/24

Posted on 27/11/2024 by The Librain

Apologies, fellow readers! For once complicated life has got in the way of my reading this week so I haven’t been able to finish my current book.

There are over a hundred pages left and if I skipped through them I suppose I could reach the end. But… how is that an enjoyable, immersive experience? I read to blot out my worries and fear. To escape from my bedroom, where I spend most of my time, into other places. To meet interesting characters in intriguing situations. To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where….

Humph, got a bit carried away there… trekking amongst the stars where no woman has gone before!

Anyway, I am not going to rush my reading for a self-imposed deadline.

Enjoy your reading, everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 22/11/24: with apologies!

Posted on 22/11/2024 by The Librain

Sorry friends and visitors! I have actually managed to go out today (haircut and a late lunch with Elder Son). We had a lovely time and I am very pleased with my hair but I am now sooooo tired. There’s no way that I can write a proper “Friday Post”, so I will now have a rest and think about when I will manage to compile something.

And I wore a great outfit too, if I say so myself…

Oh, go on then, here’s a hint…

Outfit of the day 22/11/24 with Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Hermès

Wow! Those blues 💙💙💙💙💙

Happy weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 20/11/24

Posted on 20/11/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to my weekly post about the books I am reading. Since last Wednesday I have enjoyed one very long ebook…

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

I had already read one of Kate Morton’s books, Homecoming, so I looked on the Library’s ebook catalogue and reserved some of her others. So I had been waiting for The House at Riverton for quite a while. Here is the blurb…

“Summer, 1924.
On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter, 1999.
Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid at Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet’s suicide. Ghosts awaken, and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace’s mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten, but Grace never could . . .”

And this is my response on Goodreads…

The House At RivertonThe House At Riverton by Kate Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a long book, but the strength of the writing and characters, the beautifully written setting and the obvious depth of research that must have gone into this book made the whole experience immersive and enjoyable.

I liked the way that the story was told by a woman in her nineties for a beloved grandson. Some parts were from the past, the early twentieth century, other sections were from the old lady’s life in the 1990s. I found the structure of the book interesting and it held my attention throughout.

The changing social attitudes and how they affect the characters were very important to the plot and reminded me of the TV series “Upstairs, Downstairs” and also “Downton Abbey”.

I noticed a couple of interesting hints towards the end, which tied up some loose ends – or did they? Anyway, the book is well worth reading.

View all my reviews

I can’t manage to write any more today because we are having some extremely noisy work done on the house. Very necessary, but I’m shaking with nerves!

Please wish us some good luck – we really need some!

Happy Reading to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 15/11/24: with birthday gifts

Posted on 15/11/2024 by The Librain

Hello and welcome to my blog. I usually post twice per week: on Wednesdays I write about the books I have read over the previous week and on Fridays I ramble on about a range of things, mostly scarves!

It was my birthday last Friday and I had a lovely day, thanks to my “chaps”: Elder Son and Lovely Husband who live here. I was fortunate to receive some gorgeous gifts and I have made a collage below…

Birthday gifts 2024

My presents were:

  • Stupendously amazing Sous le Charme d’Orphée cashmere/silk shawl by Hermès (this is also my Christmas 2024 present from LH).
  • Incredibly pretty jewellery in blue and silver by Lovisa – I asked for blue stones to go with the Hermès shawl.
  • Gorgeous and spectacularly soft scarf by Park Lane. The colours are stunning!

Do you like all of the superlatives in the above list?

ES also gave me some scrumptious chocolates from Lindt. I am trying to eat only two per day so that they last!

Lindt LINDOR Raspberry & Cream Truffles

Regular visitors will have already seen images of me wearing the shawl, but I am posting the full picture of it here and you could look at my detailed Scarf of the Moment post about the design.

Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawl by Alice Shirley for Hermès

The lovely soft scarf has gorgeous shades of purple, orange, pink and a light grey. My sister said that she chose the bright colours to cheer me up! The scarf looks lovely with my purple clothes and accessories and I think it would also work with pink, although I don’t have any cold weather items in the right shade of pink. Perhaps I will remedy that some day.

Here it is with a Lands’ End purple top and amethyst earrings by Blue Nile…

Scarf by Park Lane

And a close-up of the scarf…

Scarf by Park Lane

To finish, these are the earrings and top with some other purple accessories…

Clockwise from the top left:

  • Purple suede boots by Duo Boots.
  • Amethyst and silver earrings by Blue Nile.
  • Amethyst and crystal necklace – present.
  • Purple leather bracelet by Ferragamo.
  • Purple cotton top by Lands’ End.
  • Purple necklace by Grand Tour Collection.

Now I need to build up my strength so that I can actually go out wearing some of these lovely things.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 13/11/24

Posted on 13/11/2024 by The Librain

Welcome to this week’s post. So, I have just finished a book that was really not the kind that I usually choose, but then it had…

Librarians!

…on horseback!

One of my friends posted about this book on Facebook and I was so intrigued that I just had to read it. Here it is…

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The book was The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Friends recommended this highly and the blurb was also interesting…

“Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond.

When Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, she escapes her stifling life in England, but small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books on horseback as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. What happens to these women—and to the men they love—becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic—a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.”

This is the review that I posted on Goodreads…

The Giver of StarsThe Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a retired librarian I had to read this book! I really love the idea of getting the right book into the right hands. I tried to do this all of my career and I feel so privileged that I was able to work as a librarian.

In the book, however, these intrepid women were not in a (usually) warm, comfortable and well stocked library building, but battling through the countryside with rain, snow, floods and mud on horseback! They also had to contend with hostility, rejection and even violence from their potential “customers” and from some local townspeople. The bravery of women like this, working to bring a wonderful service to people scattered around in tiny settlements is awe inspiring.

The main characters were really interesting and there were well written interwoven storylines with definite romantic elements. The customs and traditions of the time and the ways that the plucky women dealt with them were gripping in parts. Plenty of heroines and heroes to cheer and villains to boo!

The book is based on real events in the USA in the 1930s and 1940s and I would love to know how widespread the service was and whether it continued in some areas.

View all my reviews

I have now checked our local library’s ebook service and have reserved more of Jojo Moyes’ books. Hope there are as good as this one!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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