Well, the weeks seem to speed past and so it’s Friday again! Sadly, I have spent most of the week in bed, physically and mentally exhausted. Both Lovely Husband and I feel overwhelmed by our worries and we are struggling to find solutions.
For example, we paid a deposit to our builder (who has done some good work for us in the past) for some checks and repairs to the roof. This was months ago and we still haven’t got a date! We need this work doing urgently so that we can then assess all of the other stuff that must also be carried out. There are some important decisions that we need to make – do we upgrade this house or do we sell it as a “doer-upper” and move somewhere more suitable? How can we do any of these things when we are both suffering from multiple illnesses and disabilities?
It all feels completely overwhelming and frightening!
So, I had planned to cheer myself up by wearing my brightest scarf: Au Coeur de la Vie by Hermès…
Au Coeur de la Vie by Aline Honoré for Hermès
The image above was taken from the Hermès website some years ago and doesn’t do the scarf justice. I have searched for some better ones, but can’t find anything suitable. So, instead I have created a slideshow of my photos which show the details of the scarf. You may also like to visit the Scarf of the Moment post that I wrote back in 2017.
Oh, I have just remembered. I did manage to wear one dress this week: this turquoise linen one by Pure Collection…
Linen dress by Pure Collection
I love the colour!
Happy Weekend (and Happy Bank Holiday if it applies to you)!
Wednesday has come around again, so I must write my post about the books that I have been reading. A couple of weeks ago, I said that I intended to soothe my severely depressed mind by returning to books written by my favourite author, Guy Gavriel Kay. This time I decided to read his first books: The Fionavar Tapestry series. Here are the covers:
The Fionavar Tapestry series by Guy Gavriel Kay
I have also decided to remove any remaining pressure from myself by not writing any kind of review on Goodreads. I am a pretty hopeless reviewer anyway! Instead, I will say that I have finished the first book, The Summer Tree, and am part way through the second, The Darkest Road.
My first and (I think) only time I read this wonderful series was back in the 1980s. Coming back to it now is quite amazing. It is brilliant, poignant and dark, with flashes of both heartbreak and brightness. So many myths, legends and stories that I recognise have been woven into the tale. Reading these books has certainly helped to take my mind away from current difficulties and troubles. Well, that is one of the many joys of reading, isn’t it?
Anyway, I intend to carry on with the rest of the series and then stop and take stock. There is a large queue of ebooks on my Kindle app – so many to choose from. Also, while I have been going through this process, some of my reserved library ebooks have come and gone from the BorrowBox app. I will have to sort that out at some point. I feel so fortunate to live in this time with such easy access to books!
And on that note I will say, “Happy Reading” to you all!
Today’s post is short and sweet! All kinds of family stuff has been happening this week, also I am still struggling badly with my health. On the plus side, we have had some lovely family news (involving babies) which has cheered us all up.
I actually managed to go downstairs today in a nice outfit to spend some time with Lovely Husband. I wore my new navy “dress” from Lands’ End, with flower earrings and my beautiful Roseraie mousseline scarf…
Outfit of the day 16/08/24 with Hermès’ Rosarie mousseline
Here’s a reminder of the scarf. First the photo from the vendor’s website:
Roseraie mousseline scarf designed by Christiane Vauzelle for Hermès
And then some closeups…
This is the navy cotton jersey dress (nightdress) from Lands’ End…
Cotton nightdress by Lands’ End
And I have just taken a photo of the pretty earrings. These were a present many years ago…
It’s Wednesday already, so welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup post. Last week I wrote about my love of the author Guy Gavriel Kay’s books and decided to re-read a couple of series that I hadn’t looked at for years.
I read The Sarantine Mosaic series and really enjoyed it, discovering aspects of the story and characters that I had forgotten over the years. After that I intended to move on to Kay’s first books: The Fionavar Tapestry, but instead decided to take a break and pick up a book from a more recent series I have been reading…
The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J Sullivan
Yes, another book in The Riyria Chronicles: The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J Sullivan. Here is the blurb…
“A daughter vanishes. Two rogues are paid a fortune to find her. It isn’t enough. When Gabriel Winter’s daughter mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead, the wealthy whiskey baron seeks revenge. Having lived in Colnora during the infamous Year of Fear, he hires the one man he knows can deliver a bloody retribution – the notorious Duster. Ride with Royce and Hadrian as the cynical ex-assassin and idealistic ex-mercenary travel to a mysterious old-world city filled with nobles claiming descent from the imperial aristocracy. Riyria’s job appears discover what happened to the missing duchess and, if she lives, bring her home . . . if not, punish those responsible. But nothing is simple in the crowded, narrow, mist-filled streets of Rochelle, where more than one ancient legend lurks.”
Once again, I really enjoyed this book and I am sure that I will read more by this writer in the future. This is my response on Goodreads…
Another terrific book in a terrific series! I love the relationship between the two main characters as it continues to develop. Their conversations are funny and very well written. The plot this time seemed to start quite slowly, but it developed into a tremendous crescendo of exciting twists and turns.
Sullivan is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors for his ability to write such entertaining and exciting books that distract me from my day to day worries and concerns.
Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you find something interesting! Today’s post is quite short. I have spent quite a lot of time updating my Scarf of the Moment posts for two Hermès designs: Tulipomanie and Sous le Charme d’Orphée (links in the sidebar). These two both have new formats in the Autumn/Winter 2024 season, Tulipomanie has a cashmere/silk giant triangle and Sous le Charme d’Orphée has a cashmere/silk 140cm shawl.
Now, because I have purchased one of the giant triangles, as revealed recently, I have spent ages adding a lot more detail into the post. As usual, please let me know if you have any more useful information that I could add, or if you find any errors. Here is a quick link to Scarf of the Moment: Tulipomanie.
Scarf of the Moment: Tulipomanie post
I wish I could afford one of the new Sous le Charme d’Orphée shawls as well! Ah, never mind.
Welcome to this week’s post! Over the last few weeks I have been suffering from severe depression and have, therefore, been really struggling to read books. So many have been started and then put aside. Well, I had a think about this as the worst black moods began to lift a little and decided to turn to my favourite author for comfort:
Guy Gavriel Kay writes so beautifully with such interesting characters and plots! Most are set in an alternative version of our history, which I find fascinating. Some of his books have been reread over and over: Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan and A Song for Arbonne, are those that I love the most and have now bought again as ebooks. I read some of the others a long time ago and have not picked them up again since. So, I thought it would be interesting to revisit some of these books. Over the last week I have been reading these two – I haven’t quite finished the second one in the series:
The Sarantine Mosaic series by Guy Gavriel Kay
I hadn’t noticed before how those two covers fit together! Anyway, I am really enjoying reading these two books again. I like them even more the second time. In fact it must be twenty years since I first read them!
The other series that I am intending to revisit is Kay’s first: The Fionavar Tapestry. Once again, I haven’t returned to these three books since I first read them back in the 1980s, thanks to a dear friend who introduced me to them…
The Fionavar Tapestry series by Guy Gavriel Kay
Those should keep me going for a while! When I have finished these five books, I might reread some more of my favourites, or I might take a break from Kay and read something new to me. We shall see.
Well, it has been a hot and humid week here in this part of the UK! I am so glad that I bought a better fan for our bedroom earlier in the year. The rest of the house is unbearable and so I am staying up here until everything cools down.
I am finding it too hot to concentrate, so my plans for updating the Tulipomanie Scarf of the Moment post to add in further information about my new giant triangle have been shelved for a few days. Hopefully, I will be able to update it all next week. I will try anyway.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to look through my scarf drawers and wardrobe to put together some different outfits. They were only worn around the house and for a quick walk to our local shop, but I have to make the most of any opportunity to wear my lovely things. I didn’t take a lot of photos, but here are the main items…
First a pic of me wearing an amazing electric blue dress from Marks & Spencer with this scarf by Camilla…
Outfit of the day 22/07/24 with Views of Vesuvius scarf by Camilla
I wrote a long post about the purchase of the scarf here. And this is a reminder of it with an image of the dress (note that they are not to scale!)…
Views of Vesuvius scarf by CamillaJersey V-Neck Midi T-Shirt Dress – Marks and Spencer
I have also worn a lovely throwover from One Hundred Stars that I purchased a few months ago. No modelling photo, but I wore it with a white sleeveless top and navy linen trousers. Here is a reminder of the throwover…
Jaipur Blue Throwover – One Hundred Stars
I would love more items in this pattern, but I had no money left for the July sales after buying the Hermès Tulipomanie giant triangle shawl! Well, you can’t have everything!
Welcome to my blog. On Wednesdays I usually write about the books that I have read during the previous week. Unfortunately, I haven’t finished a book in time for today’s post! Yet again I have been struggling with my mental and physical health and, therefore, have been unable to concentrate on reading. I have tried to get into a book recommended on a Facebook group, but have only got so far and set it aside a couple of times. I may return to it at a later date.
The book is this:
Black Sun Rising by Celia Friedman
What I have decided to do instead is turn to a favourite author and re-read some of their books that I haven’t picked up for a very long time (by this I mean decades!). The style of writing is so wonderful that I feel transported away from my worries and troubles into another world. Can you guess who the author is?
Well, you will have the answer in next week’s post!
Hello and welcome to my blog. Last Friday I posted a reveal of my new giant triangle cashmere/silk shawl, Tulipomanie. As it has been so warm and humid here, I haven’t been able to take many modelling photos, but I did manage a couple. When I feel better, I will edit the Scarf of the Moment post for this design to add information and more pics. All of the colourways and codes for this new version have been uploaded to the post already, but I need to write more details. I hope people find this useful!
Here is a reminder of my new shawl:
Tulipomanie giant triangle by Hermès
And these are two quick pics of me wearing the shawl. I could do with some tips on how to tie these triangles! Any ideas?
Also, I had to wear some lipstick, but I need a better colour…
Tulipomanie giant triangle by Hermès
I tried the shawl with a cobalt blue cotton sleeveless jumper by Lands’ End. I also think it will look great with my navy clothing and, perhaps grey although I am not so sure about the latter. Anyway, this is a collage of some possible items in cashmere, wool and cotton from my wardrobe. These are by John Lewis, Lands’ End and Marks and Spencer:
Clothing to go with Tulipomanie giant triangle
Thinking of suitable jewellery, I do have some bright blue earrings, but would love some tulip shaped ones! I have seen some online, but haven’t yet decided which would work with both the Tulipomanie 90cm silk scarf and my new shawl.
Welcome to this week’s post about the books I have been reading. I have finished one quite long book as you can see…
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
This book is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, #01 The Empyrean. I chose this because I needed a change from the kind of books I have been struggling with recently and I thought that a “Romantasy” and a Young Adult read might do the trick. Anyway, this is the blurb:
“Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last . . .
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general – also known as her tough-as-talons mother – has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away . . . because dragons don’t bond to ‘fragile’ humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter – like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies . . . or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.”
Well, that seemed quite interesting and I love books and TV series with dragons, having read Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight and its sequels a long time ago. It took me a week to finish the book and in many ways I enjoyed it, awarding four stars on Goodreads. Then, I thought about it a bit more. Here is the review that I eventually wrote. It is really worth reading other opinions as they are very varied. Some of the longer and more negative ones are enlightening! Oh, and as I wrote my response I knocked it down to three stars!
I am in two minds about this book. In many ways it was an enjoyable and escapist fantasy adventure with some sex thrown in for entertainment value. In others it was a collection of plagiarism from well known fantasy authors with a nasty theme of killing off expendable young people in fairly inventive ways.
There were very few original ideas in the book. I immediately thought of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, although the female characters in this book had, thankfully, some more up-to-date views!
So, it was good for escapism, but very derivative and I won’t bother to read the sequels.
I haven’t decided which book I am going to read next. There is one that I started and then put aside, or I might look at my Kindle list or browse the library’s ebook catalogue. How wonderful it is that there are so many books to choose from!
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 Lauren, thank you so much for this kind and lovely comment! Love & best wishes, Anne XXX