Hello and welcome to my blog. This Friday I am trying something a bit different. Every Spring, since I bought this wonderful Hermès scarf, I have taken it out of the box, admired the gorgeous colours and then worn it as a kind of tribute to the season. The scarf is: Dans un Jardin Anglais by Alice Shirley (and no that isn’t me in the pic below – I wish I were so young!).
Dans un Jardin Anglais by Alice Shirley for Hermès
Back at the end of April, I found a collage from 2018 with this scarf. It looks as if I had just been to the hairdresser!
Outfit of the day 25/08/18 with Hermès Dans un Jardin Anglais scarf
And here we have today’s version, nearly six years later:
Outfit of the day 17/05/24 with Hermès Dans un Jardin Anglais scarf
I had to tilt my head because I couldn’t get the pretty soutache earrings into my left ear! Also, it took me quite a while to find the same aspect of the scarf – 😂. I had a look back at the post from 2018 and this is the full outfit:
Purple sapphire cotton vest – Land’s End. This colour matches exactly one of the shades on the scarf, which is nice 😍.
Silk scarf, 90cm, in lilac, aqua, purple, green – Dans un Jardin Anglais – Hermès. Necklace tie.
It has been fun to deliberately recreate an outfit from the past and I might do this again, someday. If you are interested in the design, then here is the link to my Scarf of the Moment post with more details, including images of the 90cm size and the mousseline, gavroche and twilly versions.
Hello and welcome to my blog! Every Wednesday I write a post about the books I have read during the previous week. I list all of my books on the Goodreads website and use links from there when I am building the post.
Regulars to the blog will know that I have been a voracious reader for most of my life (I wasn’t born able to read although it feels like that sometimes!). Unfortunately, I had a stroke in September 2019 and, since then, I have recovered my ability to read but cannot manage quite as many books as I used to. My target for this year is 50 and I read ebooks on my iPad because the stroke left me with some vision issues.
So, what did I read this week and did I enjoy it? Well, there is more than one story to be told…
No Less the Devil by Stuart MacBride
Long term visitors will have realised that I am a huge fan of Stuart MacBride. I think that I have read most of his books, so I was really looking forward to this one: No Less The Devil. Let’s begin with the blurb:
“‘We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.’
It’s been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.Now isn’t the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn’t have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one’s ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he’s back on the streets again – battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy ‘They’ are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.It sounds like paranoia, but what if he’s right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy’s ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn’t the only monster out there? And what’s going to happen when Lucy goes after them?”
This book appears to be a standalone and is not from one of the author’s brilliant series. Anyway, this is my response on Goodreads:
I am struggling to find the right words to describe this book. Usually, I love MacBride’s work. The dark humour and twisting plots are amongst my favourites. I don’t think I have ever struggled to finish one of his books or contemplated stopping reading one altogether!
I really enjoyed a large part of the book. MacBride’s storytelling, characters and amusing but grim plot was as gripping as ever. Then I got to about the 80% mark of this particular book. Having read many of the reviews on here, I am definitely not the only person who was shocked by the change of tone. It took a real effort to finish, something that has never happened to me when reading the work of a favourite author.
After getting through the – I’m not sure what to call it – obstacle, perhaps? The book did reach a quite satisfying ending. But I am now rather nervous about reading another book by MacBride!
As for the star rating. I could give it anything from none to almost four, so I haven’t a clue what to click!
Now, I was feeling very ill as I read the book, but my response was not affected by that as many others on Goodreads have reacted in a similar way. Anyway, I think I will choose something very different for my next book!
Hello and welcome to today’s post. This week a new scarf arrived. What a surprise! Well, no it isn’t really because, as regular visitors and friends know, I am a total scarf maniac!
Usually these days I buy scarves from brands that are familiar to me. This time, however, an advert caught my eye and I fell into a whirlpool of, well what should I call it, stupidity or foolishness?
Why? Because I didn’t research the company before I purchased the scarf! Luckily for me I still like it and my own experience with the company was without any issues, but do read on…
First we have the reveal:
The packing box – OK, not very exciting!The opened box – this looks interesting!The rather nice card inside the boxWhy am I so obsessed with this box?
Here are the images from the website…
Views of Vesuvius scarf by Camilla
Aren’t the colours lovely? We have blues, aqua, turquoise, a golden brown and white. There are bronze silken tassels at the corners and tiny glittering multicoloured crystals. The whole scarf is very pretty and glamorous. Even the pretty labels match the scarf! By the way, there are other items available in this fabric: kaftans, dresses, blouses etc.
I took some quick photos and put them into a slideshow…
Then, I tried on the scarf with two of my cotton short sleeved jumpers from Lands’ End, one in cobalt blue and the other in turquoise. I also have summer dresses that would work too.
Cobalt blue top – Lands’ EndTurquoise top – Lands’ EndViews of Vesuvius with cobaltViews of Vesuvius with turquoise Views of Vesuvius with cobaltViews of Vesuvius with turquoise
Here’s one of my summer t-shirt dresses from Marks and Spencer, which would work with this scarf…
Jersey V-Neck Midi T-Shirt Dress – Marks and Spencer
Right, so now you have seen the good things about this scarf and the company, Camilla (the link is to the UK site). Now to the rest of the story. Let me emphasise that the scarf arrived, well packaged, with no issues. I had explored the Camilla website, looking at all the gorgeous prints on scarves, clothing and accessories. The prices are very high, but I could afford a scarf. My first issue is that the fabric of the scarf doesn’t feel like silk, although the website says that it is. The material is crepe and feels like polyester!
The second issue is totally my fault for not reading properly. I thought that the company is based in Europe, but it turned out that my parcel was shipped from Australia! Not very Green of me!
Then we have the third issue. As I said above, I had no problems with Camilla’s service, but when I looked at the reviewing sites like Trustpilot I had quite a shock. There are loads of very negative reviews, mainly about customer service.
So, have I done something idiotic? Well, I will certainly learn something from this and retrieve my librarian instincts!
Wednesday’s Reading Roundup post has arrived again! In last week’s post I mentioned that a lovely friend had recommended an author who might help me during my gloomy moments. Fortunately, I found one of the books on our library’s ebook site and here it is…
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
The book was Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. Here is the blurb:
“Breaking up is hard to do. Especially when he’s left his wife for you . . .
What to do if Matthew, your secret lover of the past four years, finally decides to leave his wife Sophie and their two daughters and move into your flat, just when you’re thinking that you might not want him anymore . . .
PLAN A: Stop shaving your armpits. And your bikini line. Tell him you have a moustache that you wax every six weeks. Stop having sex with him. Pick holes in the way he dresses. Don’t brush your teeth. Or your hair. Or pluck out the stray hag-whisker that grows out of your chin. Buy incontinence pads and leave them lying around.
PLAN B: Accidentally on purpose bump into his wife Sophie. Give yourself a fake name and identity. Befriend Sophie. Actually begin to really like Sophie. Snog Matthew’s son (who’s the same age as you by the way. You’re not a paedophile). Buy a cat and give it a fake name and identity. Befriend Matthew’s children. Unsuccessfully. Watch your whole plan go absolutely horribly wrong.”
Well, the book turned out to be just what I needed! A great way to dispel some of my dark thoughts! This is my response on the Goodreads website:
This was suggested by a kind friend as a way of lifting my mood. Whilst not condoning adultery, I found the book very amusing, especially the descriptions of the wayward husband. The group of nasty co-workers very also funny, although I am glad that I have never come across such a cabal in real life.
So, this served as a perfect pick-me-up! Many thanks!
Some people on Goodreads feel very strongly about the adultery in the book and have written very negative reviews, by the way. I just found Helen’s predicament very funny indeed!
After that, I have returned to the work of a favourite author. One who writes with very dark humour! Who is this? Well, you will have to wait until next week’s Reading Roundup post to find out!
So, it is Friday again and time for a post. It has been a bit warmer in this part of the UK, although we have also had grey skies and far too much rain!
Over the last few years we have had bursts of higher than usual temperatures, lasting for a few days. When the Summer months come around, the sun shines into our bedroom during the latter part of the afternoon and it gets very hot in here. As I spend so much time in bed, I decided to buy a more powerful fan, just in case we have a repeat of those higher temperatures in the coming weeks/months. Anyway, it has just arrived and I put it together straight away. I think/hope it will do the trick!
I have worn a couple of nicer outfits this week, although not with any of my Hermès scarves. Here is the first one with a lovely small scarf by Bien Abayé and a navy cotton top by Lands’ End…
Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abayé
This is a larger image of the scarf. More information about the scarf, plus a slideshow with closer photos, can be found in this post.
Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abayé
In addition, I decided that the cute hummingbird earrings that I bought the other week from the John Franklin Jewellery sale would work well with the colours in the scarf…
Hummingbird earrings by John Franklin Jewellery
Another outfit this week incorporated some elements from Ancient Greek architecture: columns! I didn’t take a selfie, but here are the t-shirt and earrings.
Classical Order t-shirt by Identity InventoryIonic column earrings by Meg on Ko-fi.com
Last week I promised to wear my gorgeous Hermès scarf Dans un Jardin Anglais. I haven’t managed to do so this week but I will get it out of the box in anticipation!
Welcome to the first Reading Roundup of May 2024! Some of you might remember that I have been struggling to read books for a few weeks. I seem to have lost the ability to focus and concentrate on reading my usual type of ebooks – science fiction, thrillers, crime, fantasy – usually with a dark twist. Instead, my mind has been flitting from worries to fears to trivia found on social media to horrors in the news to card games on my iPad.
So I put out a call on here and Facebook last week for more soothing and easy books and had some helpful responses. I also had a look through my ebook collection and chose something that I thought would be a suitable distraction…
Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice
The book was Realm of Dragons by Morgan Rice, #01 Age of the Sorcerers. After the previous week’s attempt to re-acquaint myself with Anne McCaffrey’s work, dragons must have been lurking in my mind! Anyway, the book appeared to be a fairly straightforward Young Adult fantasy. Here is the blurb:
“REALM OF DRAGONS (Age of the Sorcerers—Book One) tells the story of the epic coming of age of one very special 16 year old boy, a blacksmith’s son from a poor family who is offered no chance of proving his fighting skills and breaking into the ranks of the nobles. Yet he holds a power he cannot deny, and a fate he must follow.
It tells the story of a 17 year old princess on the eve of her wedding, destined for greatness—and of her younger sister, rejected by her family and dying of plague.
It tells the tale of their three brothers, three princes who could not be more different from each other—all of them vying for power.
It tells the story of a kingdom on the verge of change, of invasion, the story of the dying dragon race, falling daily from the sky.
It tells the tale of two rival kingdoms, of the rapids dividing them, of a landscape dotted with dormant volcanoes, and of a capital accessible only with the tides. It is a story of love, passion, of hate and sibling rivalry; of rogues and hidden treasure; of monks and secret warriors; of honor and glory, and of betrayal and deception.
It is the story of Dragonfell, a story of honor and valor, of sorcerers, magic, fate and destiny. It is a tale you will not put down until the early hours, one that will transport you to another world and have you fall in in love with characters you will never forget. It appeals to all ages and genders.”
This is a very standard fantasy story aimed at the YA market. It was OK, but not an outstanding read. As the first book in a series, lots of characters were introduced and short chapters followed them in turn to advance the plot. I found this very confusing as it was difficult to remember so many characters. The main ones were the usual types: beautiful princess, brave prince, nasty prince, bookish prince, ill princess etc. Then some ordinary people. The plot was quite similar and certainly not anything outstanding or new.
I’m sure that some people will enjoy this author’s style, but it’s not for me and I won’t seek out the sequels.
Well, after that I am now reading a book suggested by a kind friend after last week’s post. I will tell you how I get on in next week’s Reading Roundup.
It’s Friday already! Today’s post is going to focus on the one Hermès scarf that I have been able to wear this week: Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs.
I like to wear this pretty scarf in the Spring, because the colours – yellow, blue and turquoise – are so suitable for the season. Here is an image of the scarf:
Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs by Hermès (90cm)
And this is my photo from this week. I wore the scarf with a turquoise cashmere jumper, a Halcyon Days bangle and my new earrings:
Outfit of the day 24/04/24 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf
I thought I would show you some outfits based around this scarf from previous years. My hair colour has changed a lot! If you click on any of the collages, you will be able to see a larger version.
Outfit of the day 18/04/17 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux FleursOutfit of the day 20/04/17 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux FleursOutfit of the day 26/04/18 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux FleursOutfit of the day 28/02/19 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf
The image of the scarf at the top of the post is very small and rather blurred and I cannot find a better one, so here is a slideshow showing some closeups of the details. The whole design is very finely drawn with tiny birds, flowers and plants.
Back in 2017 I wrote a Scarf of the Moment post profiling Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs. The other colourways and sizes are there, although it could do with a little updating. I will try to get around to it soon.
Next week, I am hoping to wear my other Spring scarf. This is one of my favourites: Dans un Jardin Anglais. I will think of a nice outfit to complement the lovely colours and the gorgeous design. Here is a quick taster:
Outfit of the day 25/08/18 with Hermès Dans un Jardin Anglais scarf
Here’s hoping for some lovely warm springlike weather!
Regular visitors and friends may be aware that we have been struggling as a family with a range of issues. Personally, I have been suffering from bleak thoughts and serious depression, brought on by these issues and my own state of health. All of this has meant that I have been unable to read books! My usual taste is often for dark themes in thrillers, crime, fantasy and science fiction. However, for the last couple of weeks, I have been unable to concentrate enough to cope with books, rather than flitting from websites to blogs to social media trying to escape from the darkness.
So, I tried something different. I went back to an author whose work I adored in my late teens and twenties: Anne McCaffrey. Over the years, I have read most of her books and collected many of the print versions. My favourites were the Pern series and also the Crystal Singer. As I am now in my sixties, I thought it would be interesting to revisit her work with the perspective of experience, age and time. My plan was to lose myself, and my present poor state of mind, in a nostalgic reading of my favourites from a better time in my life. Does that make sense?
Well, did it work? Yes, in some ways. No, in others.
The experiment certainly helped my mood in that I found myself amused by how dated my chosen book had become. The world has moved on so much. OK, we haven’t achieved the level of space travel, but the technology we have now in terms of computers has totally outstripped McCaffrey’s imagination of all those years ago. Also, attitudes to women’s roles have, thankfully, changed a great deal, even though we have still so far to go. There are other serious issues with her work when seen from a modern perspective.
I did finish one book and I have decided not to name it here. The experiment has been interesting but has brought me to the conclusion that I will just leave her work as a happy memory from my youth.
Now I need to find something uplifting and joyful to read. Some escapism that will leave me feeling optimistic and happy.
Welcome to today’s post. As I wrote on Wednesday, this has turned out to be a week of real ups and downs. There has been a lot of stress in the house and my health has been very poor. So, today I am showing you some miscellaneous scarves from my collection. Apologies for the quality of the photos. It’s difficult to do selfies when you feel this bad!
Chiffon scarf by LibertyA Feminist at Heart scarf by Karine AssafZebra Pegasus gavroche by Hermès
These pics were all taken during the week before I had my hair cut last Friday. On the left, the chiffon scarf is from Liberty of London. The central scarf is one of my favourites: “A Feminist at Heart” by Karine Assaf. On the right we have an Hermès gavroche (45x45cm), Zebra Pegasus. And, yes, I was sitting in bed and forgot to take my glasses off!
I am sorry to say that there isn’t a proper post today. Over the past week we have been struggling with family issues and my poor health, in addition we are trying to prepare for some building repairs on the house. Lovely Husband also has an important hospital appointment soon and he is very worried about that.
Because of all these issues, I have been unable to concentrate. I did try to read the first few chapters of several books, but nothing felt quite right. Either the plot was too grim for my mood, or I simply couldn’t get interested enough to carry on.
Anyway, I am keeping my fingers crossed for a more peaceful time and for the building work to go smoothly and not uncover something disastrous! We also need some good news about LH’s health issues.
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
It is a hard decision isn't it Anne? I have to say the more I wear this scarf the more…