Wow, it’s Friday again! The weeks seem to whizz past so quickly these days. Anyway, for once I have some lovely ensembles to show you. I decided to go from one extreme to the other – a small 45cm gavroche, then a large 145cm shawl – both by Hermès.
Let’s start with the gavroche: Alice Shirley’s Zebra Pegasus…
Outfit of the day 20/03/23 with Hermès’ Zebra Pegasus gavroche
The gavroche size, 45x45cm, is neat and cute. It just adds some colour and interest to a navy cotton jumper from Lands’ End.
Here is the full scarf:
Zebra Pegasus gavroche by Alice Shirley for Hermès
The colours of the scarf are among my favourites: teal, navy, purple and blue. Perfect for my wardrobe!
The large 140cm Hermès shawl is, of course, the incredible Plumes en Fête. I have shown this on here many times. As the weather is now beginning to warm up, I decided to wear it a couple of times. It will soon be put away for colder days.
These are the two outfits, based around my lovely purple cashmere jumper from Pure Collection…
Outfits of the week with Hermès’ Plumes en Fête shawl
The photo on the left was taken last Sunday, Mothers’ Day in the UK, and the one on the right was taken yesterday. I actually went out yesterday and, even though it was only for a blood test, I decided to dress up a little. It made me feel a bit more confident and Lovely Husband definitely appreciated the effort. The scarf was tied in a loose cowboy knot and I wore navy cord trousers, navy shoes, purple jewellery and my gorgeous purple Africa leather Selene handbag by Massaccesi.
I have shown the shawl dozens of times, but I shall do it again!
Plumes en Fête shawl (H243433S 04)
And I will also insert a picture of the lovely handbag!
Midi Selene in purple Africa leather by Massaccesi
I am really looking forward to lovely Spring days ahead. It is my favourite time of the year with daffodils, tulips and the gorgeous blossom. I also have some scrumptious scarves that are just perfect for Spring.
Welcome to this week’s Reading Roundup post! Today, I am going to write about a trilogy that I enjoyed during that horrible bout of shingles. I was really struggling to read anything. Pain made my concentration levels sink to the floor, so I needed something that could hold my attention and imagination.
These were the books:
Strategos series by Gordon Doherty
Friends are probably well aware that I consider myself to be a staunch feminist. Many feminists who I know will not read books written by men and also become annoyed when there are few female characters in a work: books, plays, TV series etc.
This particular series, Strategos by Gordon Doherty, has a bare handful of women: a murdered mother, a friend, an empress, a rather scary ancient crone/goddess, and a group of stereotypical jolly prostitutes. Most of the exciting action belongs to the male characters who spend a lot of the book either fighting each other to the death or joking and drinking in groups or with the aforementioned jolly prostitutes!
What fun and games!
Of course, there is much more to these books and I enjoyed the historical background, pure escapism and the fact that they helped me forget my situation for a while.
Anyway, here is the blurb for the first book, Born in the Borderlands:
“When the falcon has flown, the mountain lion will charge from the east, and all Byzantium will quake. Only one man can save the empire . . . the Haga!
1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion’s life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness.
Yet a hunger for revenge burns in Apion’s soul, and he is drawn down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages.”
Generally, an absorbing and exciting read. Obviously well-researched by the author, with lots of historical context. I enjoyed the book and it enabled me to escape my current issues. There were also plenty of flaws and clunky writing in places. Despite this, I have ordered the rest of the trilogy and I am looking forward to reading these books.
Now I will move straight onto the second book: Rise of the Golden Heart. This is the blurb:
“Stay strong, Haga, for the Golden Heart will rise in the west. At dawn, he will wear the guise of a lion hunter. At noon, he will march to the east as if to conquer the sun itself. At dusk, you will stand with him in the final battle, like an island in the storm . . .
1068 AD: the armies of the Seljuk Sultanate tear at Byzantium’s borders, poised to strike the death blow that will bring all Anatolia under their yoke. Alp Arslan’s armies grow stronger with every passing season, while the beleaguered Byzantine soldiers defend for their lives, the hope in their hearts guttering its last.
This war has been Apion’s mistress for many years, casting a dark shadow across his soul. When the mysterious crone comes to him, she can offer him only a glimmer of light. But at the darkest of moments, the smallest chink of light can be blinding. It will sweep Apion into the heart of the empire, Constantinople, and then onto the arid plains of Syria. It will taunt him with trust, betrayal, intrigue, love and brutal conflict. But, above all, it will offer him hope.”
I must admit that, in my current state, I enjoyed most of this book. The sheer escapism was just what I needed! The characters and historical setting were well drawn and the plot held my attention throughout.
Finally, we have the third book, Island in the Storm, and this is the blurb:
“The storm is upon us, Haga. The answers you seek dance within its wrath . . .
1071 AD. Emperor Romanus Diogenes has rekindled the guttering flame of Byzantium. Yet in the eastern borderlands, two vital strongholds hang in the balance. Manzikert and Chliat must be won to secure the empire’s fragile frontiers and vanquish the would-be usurpers who covet the imperial throne. But Sultan Alp Arslan and his vast Seljuk armies look to those twin fortress-towns also, resolute on seizing them first.
Apion rides by the emperor’s side as they march east, marshalling Byzantium’s armies for the conflict that is to come. He knows only too well that the threat posed by the Sultan’s hordes is well-matched by malevolent forces within the Byzantine ranks. Thus, the road to war is a savage one, but one he cannot refuse. For at its end, Fate beckons, taunting him with a choice of two futures.
On the plains of Manzikert, one great power will rise and another will fall. On the plains of Manzikert, Apion will face the storm.”
I must admit that I kind of spoiled this book for myself before I even read it. I was so intrigued by the first two books’ plots that I looked up and read the historical background. This was a mistake because I then began the tale with full knowledge of how it all turned out!
Just as well that our hero was fictional. At least I could have some surprises at the end. The whole series was very well researched, although not so well written or edited. The books improved as the author honed his skills and I am sure that he will be more widely read in the future.
OK, so that is all I have to report this week! I have now gone back to my usual kind of reading: random choices from the Library Service or Amazon, or following well-loved authors or series, and going off at tangents when I feel like it!
Yesterday was Mothers’ Day in the UK and I had a lovely time, thanks to my three “chaps”. Elder Son had been planning a spectacular afternoon tea (that I had in the evening, like last year) and also surprised me with a present. Both sons also gave me beautiful cards and Younger Son sent his brother a contribution towards the costs. Lovely Husband also supported the day as he always does.
As I am still recovering my “normal” strength, I spent the day in bed, but I am hoping to be able to get up more this week and take some gentle exercise. I also have a delivery to look forward to – what could it be?
Anyway, here is a photo of the truly amazing afternoon tea. Please note that it was large enough for three people, especially the cakes! ES never does things by halves…
Mothers’ Day afternoon tea 2023
See what I mean? Definitely enough for at least three people! Yummy cakes! Elder Son can be such a sweetheart ❤️❤️❤️.
These are the spectacular earrings – I think he is also a lover of extreme bling! Takes after his Mum…
Earrings by Lovisa
I am not sure if I am glamorous enough to be able to wear them, with my grey hair and wrinkles. What do you think?
I will be back on Wednesday with the usual Reading Roundup post. Until then…
Well, this really isn’t the post that I expected to write today. All week, I have been planning a lovely set of outfits based around a particular cashmere jumper and I had hoped to be strong enough to get out of bed and wear them. Unfortunately, although I am a lot better than last week, I am still not recovered to the extent that I can get dressed properly. Perhaps I will have recovered enough by next week.
Anyway, this is the jumper in question: a purple cashmere crew neck from Pure Collection:
Outfit of the day 18/03/22: with Hermès’ Le Premier Chant and Pure Collection’s purple jumper
The photo above is from a year ago, almost to the day! In fact I had planned to wear this same scarf, Le Premier Chant, with the lovely jumper this week. Well, it will work next week just fine. Here is an image of the scarf in full:
Le Premier Chant by Hermès
Regular readers may remember that purple is one of my favourite colours and that I have quite a few accessories in shades of the colour. I must try to wear some of them soon – here are a few:
Purple suede boots by Duo BootsPurple accessories
And my amazing and gorgeous Hermès cashmere and silk 140cm shawl, Plumes en Fête, also has plenty of purple elements, so will look great with this jumper:
Plumes en Fête shawl (H243433S 04)
OK, that is as much as I can manage today. I hope that you all have a great weekend!
This week I will write about two more books that I was able to complete whilst I was ill.
Terms of Restitution by Denzil Meyrick
The first book was a completely random choice from the County Library’s ebook service: Denzil Meyrick’s Terms of Restitution. For once, we have a detailed blurb. I wish all books could come with something lengthy like this!
“Gangland boss Zander Finn is so sickened by the brutal murder of his son in a Paisley pub, he decides to change his life. Following the advice of his priest and mentor, he moves clandestinely to London and becomes an ambulance driver. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down on a London street, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters determined to take control of the Scottish underworld.
Under the watchful eye of his charismatic mother, he must try to look after his lovelorn younger daughter and her older sister who is pregnant to his old enemy Joe Mannion’s son. His estranged wife, who has more than just a business relationship with Mannion, and his remaining son, crippled while serving in Afghanistan also require his attention. But most of all, he must take back what is his.
Facing the forces of law and order under Detective Chief Superintendent Amelia Langley, a ruthless gang of Albanians and a beautiful but deadly Italian woman, Zander Finn struggles for survival in a rollercoaster ride of brutality, tenderness, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The path to redemption is a perilous one, and it begins to look like Finn should have stayed in London.”
I awarded the book three stars and you will see the reason why in this response:
A real hit and miss of a book for me. An exciting plot, a well written setting and some memorable characters. Very violent but absorbing. But, a lot of the writing was very clunky, some characters were simple stereotypes and the editing was quite poor with homonyms and bad spelling. A gripping read but not an author I will return to in the future.
My second book of the week was another episode of a favourite series: Bad Apples by Will Dean, #04 Tuva Moodyson Thriller. I had already read the first two books and am waiting for the third book, but then this one popped up on my waiting list. Eventually, I will go back and read the third.
Anyway, this is the blurb:
“It only takes one…
A murder
A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated
A festival
A cultish hilltop community ‘celebrates’ Pan Night after the apple harvest
A race against time
As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…”
This was a really great read, worth five stars, and I wrote the following on Goodreads. Yes, yet again I should apologise for hardly writing anything! I was very poorly at the time…
This is the best in the series so far, in my opinion. Dark, grim, creepy, quirky, gripping and terrifying in parts. There is also more than a hint of surrealism. I am really enjoying this series and I will certainly continue to read more of the books.
I am still stuck in bed, recovering slowly. Most of the horrible pain and itching from the shingles has now faded, so I am nearly back to my “normal” state of illness. I have sorted out a lovely set of clothes and accessories that I want to wear when I can next go downstairs. Everything is arranged on a hanger which I can see from my bed as a kind of motivation! I just hope that I feel strong enough very soon.
My life seems to have shrunk down so much. Thank goodness that I have the means to reach out beyond my bedroom and keep in touch with what is happening in the world. It would be so limiting without my iPad and mobile phone! I can catch up with news, read and write emails, look at various websites and Twitter, write this blog, browse Facebook, whizz through Instagram, watch TV, download and read ebooks, keep up with my friends’ activities and phone Younger Son for a chat. I am entertained, amused and kept busy all day!
Apologies, but I don’t have much else to say today, so I will leave you with this…
Screenshot from @womensart1 on Twitter – accessed 01/03/23
Daffodils always make me smile – I think that they must be my favourite flower because they are just so cheerful after a bleak and cold winter season!
I will be back on Wednesday with the usual Reading Roundup post and on Friday I am planning to show you one or more outfits from this week. That’s my aim anyway.
Way back in September last year, I received an email from Marco Massaccesi (handbag designer and craftsman extraordinaire) with the following image:
Croco leather offer – Massaccesi
Those leathers! Those colours!
Here were more of the colours:
Croco leather colours – Massaccesi
Gorgeous! I fell for the Pavone colour as it looked like a perfect turquoise that would compliment so many of my outfits. As I already have a handbag in the Croco leather (not real crocodile but stamped calf leather), I knew that it would be lovely.
Anyway, I had to wait a very long time for my bespoke handbag, although this didn’t really bother me because I knew that the result would be stunning. It arrived a couple of weeks ago, right in the middle of the worst of this shingles attack!
Here it is: Selene midi zip in Pavone Croco, with silver hardware and a marine lining:
Selene zip midi in Pavone Croco by Massaccesi
Well, I suppose your first thought is “turquoise”??? That was mine! Yes, the bag is a pale blue with a hint of grey. Not turquoise at all!
However, as I continued to gaze at the bag, I fell in love with it. The colour compliments so much of my wardrobe and looks gorgeous with my two base colours of navy and grey. Then I also realised that this twilly – Hermès’ Dans un Jardin Anglais – matches it perfectly. They could have been made for each other!
Dans un Jardin Anglais twilly – Hermès
I have enjoyed gazing at this superbly made bag, as it hangs on my wardrobe door, throughout my enforced bed rest. Now I need to get better so that I can venture out of the house and actually carry it!
Welcome to the first Reading Roundup post for March! It seems such a long time since I last wrote one of these. Unfortunately, I have been very ill, but I do have some books to tell you about. I will spread them out a bit over the next few weeks as I am unable to write very long posts as yet.
Here is the first book:
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
Our Library’s ebook service has loads of John Scalzi’s books at the moment and I was very pleased to find one that I hadn’t already read: The Android’s Dream. This is the blurb:
“When a human kills an alien during diplomatic negotiations, the fall-out is astronomical. To prevent interstellar war, humanity must deliver an extremely rare sheep for the aliens’ coronation ceremony – or face enslavement. So Earth’s government turns to Harry Creek: ex-cop, war hero and hacker extraordinaire.
It should be a straightforward mission, but there are others who covet the priceless animal. Ruthless mercenaries, a religious cult, and alien races eager to spark revolution. Harry’s mission will take him across the galaxy, as he tries to pull off the grand diplomatic coup of the century. There’ll only be one chance to save the life of the sheep – and ensure the future of humanity.”
Readers of Philip K Dick should get the joke! Anyway, this was my response on Goodreads:
An enjoyable, humorous read, but not quite as good as many of his other works. Amongst the clever and funny set pieces (the shopping centre section), there were long passages where I began to lose interest. Still, it was all wound up nicely with a very satisfying ending.
As always, I highly recommend Scalzi for his imagination and humour. Just start with Old Man’s War!
For my next book, I returned to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga, volume 8 this time!
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
I have really enjoyed this series so far and love Bujold’s clever writing and sense of humour. This is the blurb:
“After the audacious prison camp escapade described in Borders of Infinity, Miles is on the run from the Cetagandans, who aren’t about to take that kind of thing lying down. The worst of it is, Miles and his friends are starting to see double, and it takes a while to find out who is responsible.”
Oh dear, it is so short! Let’s see if I can find a better one…
“Miles is having enough trouble keeping his two identities separate — the charismatic Admiral Naismith of the Denarii Mercenary Fleet and a Vor lord of the Barrayan aristocracy — when assassination attempts begin. But are his enemies after Miles Naismith or Lord Miles Vorkosigan? The problem of split identities becomes even more confused when a clone of Miles is discovered, in this novel Booklist called “a first-rate sf tale that mixes court intrigue and galactic warfare.””
Not much better. Anyway, I wrote this on Goodreads and awarded the book four stars:
Yet another entertaining and enjoyable episode in this epic series. As usual, the author’s sense of humour was great and her story telling excellent. The character of Miles is well drawn and now there is an additional player on the scene! I will continue to read this series with the anticipation of having a great experience.
Sorry that this is such a short post today, but my concentration and energy are very limited at the moment. I should have a trilogy to write about next week, all being well, and I will try to expand a bit more on my Goodreads comments.
Hello and welcome to all of my friends and visitors! It is now four weeks since I was diagnosed with shingles and it has taken this long for me to even begin to feel better. There is still a long way to go, but I am going to try to resume my usual posting pattern.
I am stuck in bed, with both Lovely Husband and Elder Son waiting on me hand and foot as I am too weak to be able to go downstairs. Obviously, once the worst of the pain and itching have eased off a little further, I will need to make myself get up and do more, so that I can rebuild some of my strength. After all, I actually need to get dressed and wear some of my beautiful scarves!
Ebook reading has now resumed as I can concentrate much better, so I will restart the Reading Roundup posts on Wednesday with some of the books I have enjoyed. On Friday, I have a gorgeous purchase to show you, so I need to take some photos before then.
OK, that is all that I can manage to write for now, so I will leave you with this…
Screenshot from @met_greekroman – accessed 23/01/23
Hello friends and visitors! Unfortunately I am still too unwell to write a proper post. It is now three weeks since I first noticed the symptoms of Shingles. I am a little better than a week ago in that I can concentrate enough to read ebooks, but I am not yet able to write a post in my usual style.
So, I am extending this break by a further week and I hope that I improve enough to be able to compose a post about my latest arrival for next Monday. At the very least, I will try!
I leave you with this beautiful image from Twitter:
Screenshot from @ArysPan on Twitter – accessed 26/02/23
The sculpture must have been wonderful in its day! To have seen the full wings and the head would have been stunning, I am sure.
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
Dear Lauren, thank you for your comment. Yes, the scarf is gorgeous! Best wishes, Anne x