Hello, lovely readers of this blog! We have now reached 12, yes 12 weeks of this amazing and wonderful “two stuck in bed” situation. Yes, that was sarcasm.
To be honest, there’s not much to say about it this week. We have made some progress, but nothing much has happened really. Elder Son had a very short break away and Younger Son has moved house. So that’s all.
To cheer myself up, I have been browsing the new Hermès scarves for the Autumn/Winter 2023 season. One or two have caught my eye, as usually happens. Here are some of the scarves that I like so far – not all of them are available yet. With some scarves I like multiple colourways, so I would have decisions to make. With others, one colourway stands out for me. They are in a range of sizes from 45cm to 90 cm.
I am sure that more gorgeous scarves will pique my interest over the following weeks and months!
Happy Weekend to you all.
Love and best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
P.S. I just spend ages searching for, and typing, every name and size under each scarf in the slideshow above, but they all disappeared! Please let me know if you want any of this information and I will tell you in the comments.
I hope you have all read some great books in the last week or so. Unfortunately, in the present situation, I am finding it very difficult to read as much as I would like. It’s quite difficult to concentrate when you are sharing a bed like this: almost eleven weeks of enforced togetherness!
Anyway, I did manage to finish one book:
A Sliver of Darkness by C J Tudor
This was yet another completely random choice. I thought that it would be a nice change to read some short stories. This collection was very enjoyable indeed. Here is the blurb for A Sliver of Darkness by C J Tudor:
“A creak of the floorboard, a shiver down your spine, the feeling that you’re not alone . . . _________
Join a group of survivors who wash up on a deserted island only to make a horrifying discovery.
Meet a cold-hearted killer who befriends a strange young girl at a motorway service station.
Travel along eerie country lanes in a world gone dark, enter a block of flats with the most monstrous of occupants and accompany a ruthless estate agent on a house sale that goes apocalyptically wrong.
These eleven twisted tales of the macabre from the bestselling author of The Chalk Man and The Burning Girls are your perfect companions as the nights draw in . . .
An excellent collection of short stories. I had never read anything by this author before, but, now that I have, I will be seeking out her full-length work. Also, as someone familiar with Nottingham, I really enjoyed re-visiting it in some of the tales and also the introductions.
Well worth reading if you like a mix of horror, thrillers and a very dark sense of humour.
Edit: well, that was silly! I just went and checked her other books and saw that I have read two before this one. My memory is dreadful!
Hello and welcome to yet another Friday post on this subject: we are now eleven weeks into this nightmare!
Yes, Lovely Husband and I are still stuck upstairs in bed together. He is making slow progress in getting himself stronger, but is also becoming very miserable about the situation, understandably. I am trundling on in the same way that I have been: I can manage the stairs carrying trays of food and drinks a few times each day, I can try to keep things tidy and organised downstairs, and I am able to contact the outside world using my iPad and mobile phone.
Unfortunately, both of our sons are currently going through their own issues, and they need some support from us. I had to force myself to go out of the house to be with Elder Son for an appointment, which was extremely taxing, but absolutely necessary. Times are indeed very hard!
Could we please see some glimmerings of light at the end of the tunnel?
OK, that’s the end of the grim part of the post!
Now for something completely different, as they used to say on Blue Peter when I was a child and on Monty Python’s Flying Circus when I wasn’t…
I am very pleased to be able to report that I purchased a new iPad this week! Whoop! My older one is still working, so I have passed it over to LH who is doing really well learning to use it to access his own interests. At the very least, we have the means to keep ourselves amused, entertained, busy and connected.
Oh, and this is the dress that I wore when I went out this week. I bought it from Marks and Spencer last year and it is so comfortable in warm weather:
Dress by Marks and Spencer
Now, I had better find some opportunities to wear my other Summer clothes!
Welcome to today’s Reading Roundup post! I have really enjoyed my book this week. Only one, but it was quite long and complex. Here it is:
The City by Stella Gemmell
I was really pleased when I came across this book: The City by Stella Gemmell. Some of you may know that David Gemmell was one of my very favourite authors. Well, Stella is his wife. When he died part way through a book, Stella finished it. So, she then went on to write her own books. This is her first one:
“Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast. Over the centuries, it has sprawled beyond its walls, the cause of constant war with neighbouring peoples and kingdoms, laying waste to what was once green and fertile.
And at the heart of the City resides the emperor. Few have ever seen him. Those who have remember a man in his prime and yet he should be very old. Some speculate that he is no longer human, others wonder if indeed he ever truly was. And a small number have come to a desperate conclusion: that the only way to stop the ceaseless slaughter is to end the emperor’s unnaturally long life.
From the rotting, flood-ruined catacombs beneath the City where the poor struggle to stay alive to the blood-soaked fields of battle where so few heroes survive, these rebels pin their hopes on one man. A man who was once the emperor’s foremost general. A man, a revered soldier, who could lead an uprising and unite the City. But a man who was betrayed, imprisoned, tortured and is now believed to be dead…”
And this is my response to the book on Goodreads (and I gave it four stars):
I was delighted to see a two book series written by Stella Gemmell! As I hoped, she has her own style of writing, which I really enjoyed. Her scene-setting is excellent and very atmospheric. I could really smell the disgusting mess in the deep passages under the City and see the devastation of the lands around.
There were a lot of characters and story arcs in the book. The main ones were well drawn and interesting. In places, some of the plot became a little repetitive and could have been cut, but, in general, the story had a good pace.
I am really looking forward to reading the sequel and wonder if the author will set more books in this world.
To be honest, I have lost track of the number of weeks that we have been stuck in bed together! It seems interminable with no end in sight. Lovely Husband is trying to do his exercises regularly and diligently, and there has been some signs that he is getting stronger, but he still cannot manage the stairs.
On the other hand, I am a little better, but I am having the usual struggles with my health that I have had for some years. As I have mentioned before, I am now much more able to go up and down the stairs, although carrying heavy trays can cause difficulties. I am quite pleased with the improvements I have made and hope they will be permanent. Perhaps I will try using my exercise chair again and get rid of those bingo wings!
In addition to all of this, we are now going through a real crisis with another family member. This is causing a huge amount of stress and anxiety for all of us and we are very concerned about how this will all turn out. I won’t explain any further in order to protect this person’s privacy, but I have reached out to close friends and family members who have given us support from afar. This whole situation may hang over us for some time.
My shopping urges have not ceased, although I have managed to avoid buying new scarves! Instead, I have gone a bit mad purchasing a lot of brightly coloured mugs. We are using so many each day and the old ones were chipped and worn. I fell for these from Amazon:
Dawsons Living Multi-Coloured Stoneware Mugs Set – Amazon
I ended up getting two sets! Then, as LH loves very large mugs of coffee, I bought four in a lovely bright blue shade:
Smilatte 20 OZ Large Coffee Mug – Amazon
I don’t think LH is going to recognise the downstairs rooms when he can eventually get there!
Only joking!
Anyway, I think that is enough for now. Please keep us in your thoughts – we need all of the positive vibes that we can get.
Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup post! I must apologise for missing last week’s. With all that is going on here at the moment, everything became too much for me and I was very ill from Tuesday into Wednesday, so was unable to write. For that reason, I am creating the post a day early!
This week I am going to talk about three of the books that I have managed to finish during this enforced incarceration with Lovely Husband. Here is the first one:
The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields
I have read a lot of Helen Fields’ books and thought that this one, The Last Girl to Die, would be worth a look. Anyway, this is the blurb:
“The island watched and wept…
In search of a new life, sixteen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.
Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.
The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?”
I had found one of her recent books rather annoying, for various reasons, and that should have made me far more cautious! Oh dear…
I can’t say any more than that because of spoilers, but I suppose this is warning enough!
After that waste of time, things could only improve…
Storm Watch by C J Box
I have read almost every book in C J Box’s Joe Pickett series. This is #23, Storm Watch. Here is the blurb:
“Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett investigates a mysterious death at a secret remote high-tech facility in this riveting new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.
When a prominent University of Wyoming professor goes missing, authorities are stumped. That is, until Joe Pickett makes two surprising discoveries while hunting down a wounded elk on his district as an epic spring storm descends upon him.
First, Joe finds the professor’s vehicle parked on a remote mountainside. Then he finds the professor’s frozen and mutilated body. When he attempts to learn more, his investigation is obstructed by Federal agents, extreme environmentalists, and Governor Colter Allen.
Meanwhile, Joe’s associate Nate Romanowski is rebuilding his falconry company, financing this through crypto mining. Nate is then approached by a shadowy group of local militant activists who are gaining in power and influence, and demanding that Wyoming join other western states and secede from the union – by force, if necessary. They ask Nate to throw in his lot with them, but he’s wary. Should he trust them, or is he being set up?
As a storm of peril gathers around them, Joe and Nate confront it in different ways – and maybe, for the first time, on opposite sides.”
Well, it was certainly a change from the previous book! This is my review on Goodreads:
What was good about this book: the return of well-known characters, such as Jo, his wife and daughters; the wonderful setting of the mountains and snowy weather; the fact that Mary-Beth works in a library; the animals; some of the plot, particularly the first part.
What was not good about this book: the confusing and weird conspiracy theories; right wing plots; the muddled plot lines; some stereotyped characters; the author’s increasingly paranoid imagination.
Yes, I loved quite a lot about the book, but the latter parts were very unpalatable indeed. Perhaps the series should change direction now or come to an end.
OK, so there was a slight improvement, with some major caveats. I then chose a completely different genre again…
Winchelsea by Alex Preston
My final book was Winchelsea by Alex Preston. First comes the blurb:
“The year is 1742. Goody Brown, saved from drowning and adopted when just a babe, has grown up happily in the smuggling town of Winchelsea. Then, when Goody turns sixteen, her father is murdered in the night by men he thought were friends.
To find justice in a lawless land, Goody must enter the cut-throat world of her father’s killers. With her beloved brother Francis, she joins a rival gang of smugglers. Facing high seas and desperate villains, she also discovers something else: an existence without constraints or expectations, a taste for danger that makes her blood run fast.
Goody was never born to be a gentlewoman. But what will she become instead?
Winchelsea is an electrifying story of vengeance and transformation; a rare, lyrical and transporting work of historical imagination that makes the past so real we can touch it.”
This was the most successful book for me and I awarded it four stars:
It has been interesting reading some of the other reviews on here. This seems to be a rather marmite kind of a book, but I like marmite and I also enjoyed the book. Well, perhaps “enjoyed” is not quite the correct word.
There was much to like: the brilliant main character, unique in many ways; the excellent scene setting; the satisfying conclusion. Some of the very dark scenes were a bit too much at times, but these were dark and terrible times. I found the writing very interesting and I wish there had been a glossary at the end.
Finally, I remember visiting many of the places mentioned in the book when I was a child, so it was intriguing to return to them: the towns of Winchelsea, Rye, Dymchurch and environs and the battle field of Culloden and the Scottish Highlands.
I am sure the book will remain in my thoughts for quite some time.
In actual fact, the book certainly has remained in my thoughts as I have had a couple of nightmares about it since I finished reading it! It is a very strange and atmospheric book.
At present, I am reading and enjoying something very different again and I hope that I am able to write about it next week. Until then…
It has been a rollercoaster week for us. We have now reached nine weeks of upstairs togetherness and are still holding on to our sense of humour, most of the time. Lovely Husband is occasionally very down and despondent, which is totally understandable. He was such a fit and active man in his younger days and this present situation is devastating for him. I am just holding on to the hope that he can regain some strength so that he is able to use the stairs and return to his former way of living.
Elder Son has been so brilliant over the weeks and we decided that he deserved a short break from all of his hard work and the pressure of looking after us. He had planned a quick holiday in Liverpool (he loves cities), so we let him go. Unfortunately, although I firmly believed that I could cope with everything on my own, I had a horrible relapse on Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. We were able to hang on (just), but asked ES to come home a little quicker than planned on Thursday. He is home now and I am breathing a big sigh of relief. I really do need someone else around!
So, all we can do is hang on as best we can and hope that LH is soon able to regain some of his abilities. We could really do with a miracle!
As you might expect, I took a little comfort in some retail therapy this week. It was a bit silly, really, because I am only wearing thin nightwear at the moment as it is quite hot here. Anyway, the colour of this dress caught my eye – I really love bright blue. Yes, it is loose and rather shapeless, but that is perfect for me in very warm weather!
Jersey dress in electric blue – Marks and Spencer
The purchase was this viscose jersey dress in electric blue from Marks and Spencer. Now, I must actually wear it, plus some of my other items in my Summer wardrobe!
Well, we have now reached eight weeks of enforced togetherness! It is really getting a bit much, but we are still speaking to each other. Elder Son is also continuing to do as much as he can to help.
So, what can I write in this update? Lovely Husband has now been given the results of his MRI scan last week. His long-term issues with his back were noted and he has been referred to a specialist. No additional serious matters have been found, which is great. Of course, we have no idea how long it will take to see the consultant.
A GP visited today, gave us further information and checked some other issues that were concerning LH. These were clearly explained and I hope LH’s mind was set at rest. He now has to continue with the exercises set by the physio and hope that he is soon able to get downstairs again.
There will be loud cheers heard from this house when that day happens!
Other news: I am getting stronger slowly and am now able to do much more “housework” than I could at the beginning of all this. So, that is one positive thing that has come out of the situation. We have decided that ES will go on his holiday next week as I feel confident that I can manage without him for a few days. He has helped me with quite a few tasks this week, including a mountain of washing, so that the decks have been cleared. We now have to stock up on ready meals as I still can’t do any proper cooking with my lung problems.
OK, I think I have covered everything, and now we have something different…
Screenshot from @artistescher on Twitter – accessed 15/03/23
I had a poster of the above image on my bedroom wall when I was a student in the 1970s!
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s quick catch-up on my reading! Yes, like last week, I am going to write about a couple of books that I have managed to finish during this enforced “imprisonment “ upstairs with Lovely Husband. I apologise for the brevity of these posts, but I am very tired from struggling down and back up the stairs all day!
Wolf Pack by Will Dean
My first book is Will Dean’s Wolf Pack, #05 Tuva Moodyson Mystery. Regulars will know that I have been really enjoying this series. Here is the blurb:
“When there’s a pack on the hunt, nobody’s safe
A closed community
Rose Farm is home to a group of survivalists, completely cut off from the outside world. Until now.
A missing person
A young woman goes missing within the perimeter of the farm compound. Can Tuva talk her way inside the tight-knit group to find her story?
A frantic search
As Tuva attempts to unmask the culprit, she gains unique access to the residents. But soon she finds herself in danger of the pack turning against her – will she make her way back to safety so she can expose the truth?
Will Dean’s most heart-pounding Tuva Moodyson thriller yet takes Tuva to her absolute limits in exposing a heinous crime, and in her own personal life. Can she, and will she, do the right thing?”
This was such a great read. In fact I read this latest Tuva Moodyson Mystery far quicker than the others. Somehow, it just flowed for me. As ever, the characters were intriguing and interesting, the plot had unexpected moments and twists, and the setting was well-written. As this was the fifth book, many people and places were very familiar, but the author’s writing has definitely become better and better throughout the series.
My second book was pretty interesting and enjoyable too, although more of a three star!
The German Messenger by M J Hollows
The German Messenger by M J Hollows was one of those random choices from the Library’s ebook service. I am glad that I selected it because it was a quite different take on the Home Front in WWII from my point of view. This is the blurb:
“As the bombs fall, the race to save her son begins. Liverpool, 1940. Journalist Ruth Holt is struggling in the terror of the Blitz when her young son is suddenly snatched away in broad daylight. Soon after, the kidnappers’ demands arrive. They are working with the Nazis, and she has no choice but to co-operate, or the authorities will learn that she is harbouring secrets of her own. Ruth’s job gives her access to critical information, and if she does not share it with Britain’s enemies, her child will face the consequences. Desperate, she falsifies information, lying to everyone: her employers, her family and her lover. But as the demands increase, the knife edge she walks on grows increasingly thin. If she falls, she will never save her son.”
I found the book interesting with a few flaws. The plot was set in the early weeks and months of WWII, in Liverpool. I had no idea that the area was so heavily bombed and, really, I should have known because Liverpool was a very important port and so was a target for German bombers. The best parts of the book were the excellent and evocative sections about the effects of the bombing raids on the people and buildings. How the whole feel of the area could change overnight with collapsed buildings and homeless people.
The writing of the main characters was less successful, to my mind. I found some aspects of their actions and personalities unreal and jarring. The plot was generally interesting enough to hold my attention. I did enjoy the book and may try more by this author in the future.
I am managing to read a little each day. Quite difficult when sharing a bed all day with LH! Anyway, I am planning to post again next Wednesday, if all goes well.
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 
Anne, Happy belated Mother's Day! That tea looks delicious and who does not love cakes! I'm glad you had a…