Friday post 18/08/23: with mixed feelings

Posted on 18/08/2023 by The Librain

So, here we are again on a Friday! Earlier in the week, I was feeling quite excited about today’s post as I was planning to show you my hair. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a haircut since early May and had an appointment for this afternoon, but I felt too poorly to attend. So, I still have dreadful hair and I also feel upset.

This has been a pretty up and down kind of week. On the upside, we have had some more traders come to look at our porch which needs replacing. On the downside, we only have one actual quote for the work. There are loads more repairs, both large and small, that need to be done on the house and we decided to begin with the porch. So, let’s hope that we can eventually get started on this and then move on to the rest of the work!

Health-wise things have been pretty much the same. My hip and leg seem to be OK as I have been more careful about the amount of work I am trying to do. I have done my exercises as instructed by the physiotherapist and have stopped trying to carry so much up the stairs. Lovely Husband is doing what he can and we are now convinced that we will have to get a stairlift.

It probably looks as if we have been mulling over the same decisions for weeks and procrastinating like mad! I suppose that is true to some extent, but we are both struggling physically and mentally and rarely feel enough clarity of thought and determination on the same day. It is far too easy to put complicated or difficult phone calls off for another day. There are far too many things/issues to juggle: Elder Son’s, Younger Son’s, our health, repairs on the house, the garden, the car, and so on and so on and so on.

The scarves that I ordered last week from One Hundred Stars arrived the other day. One of them is for me and I will show it to you all next week, perhaps on Monday. I will try to take some nice photos of it as it is really beautiful and I am very happy with it.

Happy Weekend to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 16/08/23

Posted on 16/08/2023 by The Librain

Apologies fellow reading fans! I have been struggling to find the time to read this week. In addition, the book that I am currently enjoying is very long indeed: over 1000 pages. Therefore, I have to admit that I have nothing to write about in this week’s post.

See you next week…

… I hope!

Enjoy your reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 11/08/23: with more positive news

Posted on 11/08/2023 by The Librain

Well, for once we have had a more positive and pleasant week! Why? Because Younger Son has been visiting. It has been so lovely to have him around.

YS has really rolled up his sleeves and dived into the untidy mess in the house. Elder Son and I have been doing our best to keep things ticking over with cooking, cleaning and so on, but YS has made a massive difference. I now feel that I can show prospective cleaners around without feeling deeply ashamed. In addition, his support and upbeat attitude has really lifted our spirits and enabled some other positive actions.

Lovely Husband and I have been making lists of traders, with the help of the local Facebook group and other sources, to help with various household repairs. During the week, LH rang them all and we are getting quotes organised. I just hope that all of this works out. We need a lot of things doing, both large and small, to get the house in order with a view to eventually putting it on the market and moving on.

Health-wise, LH has not made much progress this week as he has had some other issues to deal with. I have had a pain free week as far as my hip is concerned and have been making an effort with my exercises from the physiotherapist. I hope that LH has a better time next week.

ES has been thrilled to see his brother and the two of them have been out for pub meals and to do the shopping. It has been so lovely to see them together again.

I am still waiting for the Hermès scarf that I like to become available online, with no luck so far. To tide me over, I has a look at the sales and spotted this lovely scarf below. As usual, with my luck, this was not actually in the sale but at full price! Never mind…

Kew Protea Scarf – One Hundred Stars

This is the Kew Protea Scarf in duck egg by One Hundred Stars. It is 100x200cm and made of a modal/cupro mix. The price is £36.00 plus shipping. I will let you know more when it arrives. Do have a look at the One Hundred Stars site. They have gorgeous kimonos, dressing gowns, dresses, throw overs and much more, in the most beautiful prints. I already have a short kimono and a dressing gown.

Outfit of the day with One Hundred Stars’ China Tree kimono jacket
Outfit of the day 27/05/19 with One Hundred Stars’ kimono
Kimonos by One Hundred Stars

That stork pattern is still on their site in some lovely colourways…

Happy Weekend to everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 09/08/23

Posted on 09/08/2023 by The Librain

Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup! I will be writing about one book today. I had thought that I would finish a second, but Younger Son is visiting (hooray!) and I haven’t had so much time to read. Anyway, this is the book that I did finish…

The Burning Girls by C J Tudor

I was really looking forward to reading another book by C J Tudor, so I chose this one: The Burning Girls. This is the blurb:

“A woman trying to outrun her past uncovers a great evil in the fourth riveting and psychologically compelling novel from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man.

Welcome to Keeper’s Croft. Five hundred years ago, protestant martyrs were burned at the stake. Forty years ago, two teenaged girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.

Reverend Alex Brooks, a single mother with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. She left Nottingham after a vulnerable child died. It’s a death she could have prevented, one that still haunts her. But Alex discovers that peace is the last thing she will find in Keeper’s Croft.

Instead, the previous vicar has left a message. An old exorcism kit and a suicide note instruct Alex to search for the truth about the village’s history and the girls’ disappearance. And when both Alex and her daughter Flo are troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel–apparitions that seem all too real–it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

But discovering the truth is hard in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the village’s bloody past and no one trusts an outsider.”

For once, we have a detailed description! I found the book gripping, intriguing and interesting and wrote the following response on Goodreads:

The Burning GirlsThe Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very well crafted and written book. I was gripped by the story. The whole thing was exciting with unexpected and shocking twists that, for once, I didn’t see coming. The main characters were interesting and quite unusual. I also enjoyed the two main settings, having lived in Nottingham for many years and also in more rural areas.

All in all, the book is well worth reading and I am sure that I will continue to enjoy further books by this author in the future.

View all my reviews

The book I am currently reading is a real classic. I first read it decades ago and it is very interesting to see it again through more experienced/older eyes. Next week I will give you my verdict!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 04/08/23: with the weekly update

Posted on 04/08/2023 by The Librain

Hi everyone! Oh, I will be so pleased when I can write about something else on a Friday! Please bear with me for this first part…

We have been stuck here in our upstairs bedroom now for very nearly 16 weeks. When I say “we”, I really mean Lovely Husband is stuck. I can get downstairs a few times per day, but we are still heavily reliant on Elder Son.

So, what has been happening this week? Well, we have had some ups and downs, with the downs leaving us very low and despondent. There was been some more positive news. So I will write about that first. Since a GP diagnosed me with osteoarthritis the other week, I have been very upset and low. To try to deal with the pain in my leg and hip, I have taken paracetamol and have adjusted the way that I sit in bed. In addition, I have tried to go up and down the stairs less frequently, carrying less weight and ES has really helped by stepping up his support. I haven’t yet had the results of the x-ray that was taken last week. LH and I were able to get a joint appointment with the NHS Physiotherapy service and they visited this week. I was put through some tests and exercises and their verdict was that I have a good range of movement for my age. It was also very pleasing to realise that I had very little pain during these exercises. It may be possible that the diagnosis may not be quite accurate! Let’s hope so, fingers crossed 🤞.

The situation with LH remains the same, with very little progress. He is going to try to increase his exercise levels and we have ordered some more equipment for him to practice managing stairs. We must continue to hold on to the hope that he can return to his normal levels of activity very soon.

Unfortunately, we have other major issues that are affecting the family, but I cannot explain them on here for reasons of privacy. Let me just say that we are struggling very much with all kinds of problems.

On a more positive note, Younger Son is coming over tomorrow for a few days! I am so happy about this and it will be lovely to spend some time with him. Also, he will be able to give his brother support and a much needed laugh!

I am still waiting for a particular scarf design to come onto the Hermès UK website! Loads of others from the new season are there, so why not this one? The colourways that I have seen so far are all lovely and I cannot decide which I will go for.

What do you think?

H984028S 01
H984028S 04
H984028S 05
Code not yet found
Au Royaume d’Helios silk, 70cm scarf – Hermès

As I wear a lot of navy, particularly during the colder months, I really like the one in the top right. The scarf on the bottom right has really pretty colours and would be a cute change from my usual choices.

If I am not careful, I will get too impatient and buy something else instead!

Anyway, I think that is quite enough for now. Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 02/08/23

Posted on 02/08/2023 by The Librain

Welcome to the first Reading Roundup post for August! I have read two very different books this week and here is the first one:

The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal

Yes, the book was Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Relentless Moon, #03 of her Lady Astronaut Universe series. I enjoyed the first two books so much that I couldn’t wait to read the final part.

This is the blurb:

“Two worlds. One humanity.

It’s 1963, and riots and sabotage plague the space program. The climate change caused by the Meteor is becoming more and more clear, but tensions are rising, and the IAC’s goal of getting humanity off Earth is threatened.

Astronaut Nicole Wargin lives two lives; one as a politician’s smiling wife on Earth, and the other as an astronaut on the newly-established Moon Base. But when sabotage strikes, she finds that her two worlds are colliding – with deadly consequences.”

And here is my response on Goodreads:

The Relentless Moon (Lady Astronaut Universe #3)The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! How I loved reading this book! In fact I was sad when I reached the end.

First, I was surprised by the change of main character, but could see why. It made a rather nice change too. Nicole was a person with different skills, issues and relationships, which gave the reader a new perspective. I also liked the fact that she was an older woman.

The setting on the Moon was well done and I am in total awe of the author’s ability to write a fiction book with so many scientific, mathematical and engineering concepts without weighting the story down. The pacing was great with steady and exciting momentum being built up towards the ending. The epilogue was very satisfying too and brought about a great conclusion.

All in all, this was a great read and I will certainly hunt out more by this author in the future.

View all my reviews

This was a truly terrific book and a great series. There are several shorter books associated with the series, so I may also read them in the future.

When I had finished this book I had a look in my Library ebook account and saw that I had three waiting for me that I had reserved some months ago. As a good library user, I always try to read popular books as quickly as I can so that the next person in the queue can get them swiftly. So, this was my next read of the week:

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish

My second book this week was The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish. This is the blurb:

“There’s the obvious story. And then there’s the truth.
 
Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale. Fine, so he’s not the most outgoing guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour.
 
That’s until Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. Now he’s always watching. Questioning. Struggling to hide his dread . . .
 
As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago, back in Alex’s twenties when he got entangled with a seductive young woman called Marina, who threw both their lives into turmoil.
 
And who sparked a police hunt for a murder suspect that was never quite what it seemed.
 
And it still isn’t.”

I read this one quite quickly and wrote the following review:

The Only SuspectThe Only Suspect by Louise Candlish
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good, but not outstanding thriller. By about half way through I was beginning to lose interest, but the pace picked up with some plot twists and turns. For once, I hadn’t guessed most of them so they came as surprises, which was good.

The writing style was OK and the characters interesting. I am sure I will pick up more ebooks by this author from the library in the future when I want some escapism.

View all my reviews

Well, at least it was a fast read!

I hope you are all enjoying your books: Happy Reading!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 28/07/23: health update

Posted on 28/07/2023 by The Librain

Welcome to Friday’s post. Some kind of progress has been made this week and I am feeling quite proud of myself!

Lovely Husband and I are still coping with being together in our bedroom for most of the time. He is continuing with his exercises and we have made an appointment with the Physiotherapist for next week for both of us. In addition, he is gaining confidence in using my old iPad and is entertaining himself with that as well as reading the newspapers.

Elder Son is being a fantastic help to us and we have been happy for him to go out on some days to have breaks from being a carer. He has also given me terrific support this week on two occasions in particular.

In a previous post I wrote about my new diagnosis of osteoarthritis in my right hip. Fortunately, I was given a very swift appointment for an x-ray at our local small hospital. ES came with me and, when it was over, we walked into town and had a drink plus treats in a café. It was so lovely to sit and chat with him for a while. I also spoke to some other people who we met during the afternoon. Thinking about this, I realise that it is ages since I last did such a simple and normal (for most people) thing! I may have overdone it a bit with the walking, but it was worth it.

ES and I also had to go into the doctors’ surgery for a couple of issues and, again, he was a great help. We are still hoping that Younger Son can come over soon.

We had a meeting at our house this week – actually in our bedroom! I wore these rather smart pyjamas…

Marigold block print cotton nightwear in cerulean blue – Toast

I adore that gorgeous blue!

That’s all for now. I am still keeping my eye on the new scarves for Hermès’ Autumn/Winter 2023 season. The one I like has still not appeared on the UK site, which is a bit annoying. I am so impatient!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 26/07/23

Posted on 26/07/2023 by The Librain

Welcome to my weekly post about the books I read and, hopefully, enjoy! I am only managing to finish one book per week at the moment because Lovely Husband is stuck here in bed with me. Yes, it’s a bit frustrating having to curtail my reading time, but needs must!

Anyway, I really loved this book:

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

This week’s book was the second in Mary Robinette Kowal’s Lady Astronaut Universe series, The Fated Sky. Here is the blurb:

“One large step for humankind…

It’s 1961, and the Earth’s gaze is turning to Mars. The Moon colony is well established, but tensions are rising on Earth—both from those who see themselves being left behind on a disaster-laden planet, and those who don’t believe in equality for all.

But even with personal sacrifices and political tensions, Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, dearly wants to go on the first mission to Mars—despite everything that stands in her way.”

And this was my review on Goodreads:

The Fated Sky (Lady Astronaut Universe #2)The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think that this was even better than the first book! The characters were more fully developed as were the relationships between them. New ones were added too. The elements of racism and sexism were also to the forefront.

The plot was excellent: engaging and exciting with some great nail biting moments. You can certainly see how much research has gone into the writing of this book, but it is all there in the background and doesn’t take over.

The only thing that jarred with me, as it did in the first book, was the rather twee sexual innuendo between The Lady Astronaut and her husband. Cringe-making!

View all my reviews

Yes, I gave it the full five stars! I am now well into the third book and may, eventually, read some of the shorter stories which are part of this series. However, I have some brilliant ebooks in the queue, so will have some difficulty making my next selection.

What fun! There is always something to look forward to when you are an avid reader.

Happy reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Friday post 21/07/23: it’s a difficult time for us

Posted on 21/07/2023 by The Librain

Hello and welcome to my blog. Yes, this is a really difficult time for my family. I will quickly recap what has been happening:

About three months ago, Lovely Husband fell over near our back door. He had to be helped upstairs by our neighbour and has been stuck in our bedroom ever since. Physiotherapists gave him exercises to do and the doctor prescribed painkillers, but LH is still unable to go downstairs. He is now a little stronger, but is fearful for the future and we are contemplating getting a stairlift installed.

As regular visitors to the blog will know, I have had a long list of serious health issues for many years and have been struggling to keep myself cheerful and occupied. Over the past few months, I have really tried hard to support LH and have been doing far more physical things, such as carrying trays up and down the stairs, cleaning, tidying and general household tasks.

During all of this Elder Son has been an absolute star! Despite his own issues, he has taken on the tasks of shopping, food preparation and much more. We are so proud of him. In addition, we have asked Younger Son if he could come over for a few days to give his brother some support and relief and he has agreed. So, that will be a great help to us all.

Unfortunately, I have had some frightening news this week. Last weekend I developed excruciating pain in my right leg. I managed to get an appointment at the local hospital and ES accompanied me over there by taxi on Sunday. I was devastated to find out that I am developing osteoarthritis in my right hip joint. To be honest, I have enough serious health conditions already and adding a new one nearly tipped me over the edge!

I spent a few days in the depths of despair, snapping at LH and ES, which was totally unfair. The doctor has set some things in motion for me, physiotherapy and medication, but I am really frightened by the thought of eventually needing a hip replacement. Over the last couple of days the pain relief has really helped and I have also reduced my use of the stairs in an attempt to rest the joint. I am so upset, though. I had been so proud of the efforts I was making and the improvement in the support I could give to my family. Now, I will have to dial all that back again.

Apologies for moaning, but I began this blog to document my life and it has served as a way of keeping my memories available to me since I had the stroke. I have seen the, quite understandable and expected, drop in visitors. Let’s hope I can soon return to modelling lovely scarves once again!

Before I go, here is the outfit I wore on Sunday. I have to take any opportunity to put on something nice…

Outfit of the day 16/07/23

Please excuse the horrible hair! Yes, I need a haircut 😂🤣😂. The pearl necklace and earrings are from John Lewis, the kimono top from One Hundred Stars, the navy vest is Sainsbury’s Tu, the shoes are Hotter and the linen trousers are Isle Collection.

Please send us good vibes for next week and have a lovely weekend yourselves!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 19/07/23

Posted on 19/07/2023 by The Librain

Once again, I have only managed to read one book this week. Lovely Husband and I are still stuck in our King-sized bed, so I only get about an hour each day! Aargh! Not enough time for a reading fanatic!

At least the book that I did read was a very good one…

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

I have been intending to read a book by Mary Robinette Kowal for some time and I chose this science fiction one, The Calculating Stars, Lady Astronaut Universe #01. I also have one of her fantasy books in my “to read” list.

Anyway, this is the blurb:

“One woman. One mission. One chance to save the world.

It’s 1952, and the world as we know it is gone. A meteorite has destroyed Washington DC, triggering extinction-level global warming. To save humanity, the world unites to form the International Aerospace Coalition. Its to colonise first the Moon, then Mars.

Elma York, World War Two pilot and mathematician, dreams of becoming an astronaut – but prejudice has kept her grounded. Now nothing – and no man – will stop her from reaching for the stars.”

I really enjoyed the book and so wrote this review on Goodreads:

The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut Universe #1)The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this book, which may be surprising to anyone who knows me well! I have to admit to a very poor science education so a lot of the detail in the book went straight over my head. However, the main ideas were excellent and very well written. The characters were interesting and it will be good to follow their development in the next book in the series. The horrible sexism of the time was also well written and raised my hackles at several points. I had heard of the female “computers” and found those parts of the book fascinating.

I remember the real race to the Moon in the 1960s quite well, although I was a small child at the time. How different it might have been!

View all my reviews

In fact, I liked this book so much that I immediately downloaded the sequel, The Fated Sky, and I am already well into that! As the series is a trilogy with lots of short novellas too, I think that I will be entertained by female astronauts for quite some time.

OK, I will probably read some other stuff in between!

Happy Reading to you all.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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