So Friday has come around again and here is this week’s post. I haven’t been able to leave the house and have spent most of my time in bed. To keep Lovely Husband company, I try to go downstairs every afternoon to watch some TV with him and do the household chores that I am still capable of. On Monday, for example, we have our weekly Tesco delivery and I am able to assist with that quite a lot. LH now uses a stick, so finds it very difficult to carry things. Of course Elder Son is fit and able to help and he gives us a lot of support – we are very grateful for this.
I did manage to to put together a nice outfit on one of my better days. Here is the collage…
Outfit of the day 16/09/24 with Jaipur Blue Throwover by One Hundred Stars
This is what the throwover by One Hundred Stars looks like from the back…
Jaipur blue throwover by One Hundred Stars
I will now have to think about more autumnal outfits as the days cool. The linen, fine fabric kimonos, cotton dresses, sandals and vests will begin to make way for my cotton knit twinsets, jeans, shoes and boots…
AND
Scarves!!!!! Bring out the Hermès again! (And some others).
Time to sort them out, ready for wearing. This is a great example…
Sous le Charme d’Orphée double sided silk scarf by Hermès
Welcome to my weekly post about the books I am reading. Last week, I finished another reread of a Guy Gavriel Kay book: The Last Light of the Sun. Then I had trouble choosing my next book with a few false starts. Finally, I decided to return to a book I was reading before the recent episode of depression. Unfortunately, I still haven’t finished it yet, so will have to write about it next week (assuming that I do get to the end).
Welcome to this week’s Friday post! I managed to wear a couple of pretty outfits recently. Both were based on kimono jackets that were purchased from One Hundred Stars.
These are the jackets…
Kimonos by One Hundred Stars
To go with the kimonos I chose sleeveless vests (one white, one grey, both Lands’ End), trousers (navy Cotton Traders, grey Cotswold Collection), suitable earrings and the same necklace for both. Here are the collages for each outfit…
First the blue outfit:
Outfit of the day 01/09/24 with China Tree kimono jacket by One Hundred Stars
And the second:
Outfit of the day 08/09/24 with Ancient Columns kimono jacket by One Hundred Stars
I’ve just noticed that I have almost the same expression in the above photos! Not sure how I did that.
Anyway, I think that is all for now, so I wish you a Happy Weekend!
Welcome to my blog! I enjoyed my week’s break and have now uploaded this post about the books I have read. Regulars will know that I have been taking comfort in rereading some of the works of my favourite author, Guy Gavriel Kay. Last week, I decided that I was ready to try something new and so I chose this book…
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini
The book was Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini, #0 Fractalverse series. I read #01, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, back in 2021 and found it interesting and intriguing, if extremely long, (here is my post about it) so I thought that this would be worth reading.
Here is the blurb…
“July 25th, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly.
On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII:a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide.
Its curve not of nature, but design.
Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why.
But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space.
For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.
Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last.
Having read Paolini’s gargantuan book To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I was pleased to come across another in the series. As this is a prequel I was interested to see what the author would do. Thankfully, this book is a lot shorter!
The plot is a classic travel story, but one set on a planet with an extremely hostile environment: a dry, rocky desert plain with a powerful headwind. A small group of astronauts attempt to walk, dragging their equipment, towards a gigantic alien created hole in the ground. The tension between the travellers, aggravated by accidents, mistakes, malfunctions and aggressive behaviour is very well written and builds steadily towards the final ending. The noise made by the hole punctuates the writing and the increasing volume suffered by the astronauts is shown by increasing the size of the font. I could easily imagine how dreadful something like that would feel!
There is some controversy about the cover (AI) which has affected some of the book’s ratings, which seems to me to be quite unfair to the author.
Lovely Husband and I have a week on our own because Elder Son is away. For that reason, I have a lot more to do and so I am taking a short break from writing this blog. If all is well, I will be back for next week’s Reading Roundup post.
So, Friday has come around again and this is the final post of August 2024! I have one outfit to share. In last Friday’s post I showed you my brightest scarf: Au Coeur de la Vie. Here is a reminder…
Au Coeur de la Vie by Aline Honoré for Hermès
I wore it today with a navy dress from Lands’ End, some pretty earrings, Hotter sandals and a Halcyon Days turquoise enamel and gold bangle. The scarf was tied in an asymmetric wrap.
Outfit of the day 30/08/24 with Hermès’ Au Coeur de la Vie scarf
These are the bracelet, earrings and sandals mentioned above – such pretty colours!
Turquoise enamel and gold bangle by Halcyon Days
Multicolour earrings
Sandals – Flare aquamarine multi – Hotter
I must try to wear some other nice outfits next week. My Summer dresses need to be worn before the weather cools!
This week’s post is very short and, hopefully, sweet! I am still reading Guy Gavriel Kay’s wonderful trilogy, The Fionavar Tapestry, and am immersed in the final book, The Wandering Fire…
The Fionavar Tapestry series by Guy Gavriel Kay
If you have been following my recent posts, you may remember that I am trying to comfort myself after suffering an episode of severe depression. I decided to return to my most favourite writer and reread the books that I haven’t reread before, if you see what I mean. Some of his works are my cashmere blanket of reading: Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, and The Lions of Al-Rassan. When I reread these, as I have done many times, I feel wrapped up in a jewel-like world of familiar places and characters; taken out of myself, leaving my fears and worries behind.
Reading The Fionavar Tapestry again after all these years has been really wonderful. The books were written in the mid-1980s when I was in my late 20s/early 30s. Reading them again now I am in my late 60s has given me a new perspective. Some parts of the plot and characters have stayed in my memory, but others have opened up to me as if they were new. The whole experience has been uplifting and regenerative.
When I finish the final book I will try to choose something new to read. Perhaps I will find just the right book on the Library’s ebook service? I hope so.
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…
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 
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