Hello, everyone, and welcome to a new week on the blog. My life is rather dull at the moment, which may be a good thing in some ways. At least I can keep myself amused with my iPad, although I don’t know what I would do if it stopped working. Probably rush to the laptop and order a new one!
There have been some funny posts on my Facebook with old adverts from the 50s, 60s and 70s. They make me cringe when I remember the times! Here is one that I saved…
Funny advert!
What were the designers/manufacturers/models/photographers thinking!?!?
To counter that image, here is something amazingly beautiful that I saw on Twitter…
Roman blue glass cup
Isn’t that gorgeous? The colour is wonderful and I would love to see it in real life.
During my daily wandering around the web, I come across all kinds of marvels. This really set me thinking…
Ancient shark
I wonder what that incredible creature thinks about as they wander the oceans?
Well, I thought that the shark was going to be my final image, but I have just been on Twitter, found this and rushed to edit the post…
I can’t really believe that I have posted this many times on the blog! It was started as a way to occupy myself during my early retirement due to illness and I never expected any kind of response, traffic or engagement. So, a big thank-you to all of you who visit and respond, either directly on here or in other places.
Today, I can show you one outfit from the week. Yet again, I had to go to a doctor’s appointment for a new issue with my health. This has resulted in another referral to a larger hospital and I will have to wait to see what comes of further investigations.
Anyway, here is the outfit:
Outfit of the day 17/05/22 with Hermès’ Au Pays des Oiseaux Fleurs scarf
I was very pleased with this outfit as I adore shades of turquoise and the yellows and blues of the scarf are so uplifting. The cotton top is part of a twinset from Lands’ End and I also wore my pewter lace-up shoes from Hotter. Yes, I do really need a haircut but I am so unwell at the moment and don’t want to make an appointment, but then have to cancel at the last minute. It’s not fair to my lovely and patient hairdresser!
OK, I think that is all I can manage to write today so I wish you all a very Happy Weekend!
Welcome back to my Reading Roundup. I have two books to tell you about today as I have been too ill to read on many of the days whilst I had a break from the blog! Although I have almost finished a third book, I am not going to rush the ending so that I can fit it into this week’s post. It can wait until next week!
Anyway, here is the first book…
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
I was so pleased to see that our Library Service’s ebook catalogue had added another book by John Scalzi: The Kaiju Preservation Society. Here is the blurb:
”They’re big, they’re bad and they’re about to become extinct . . .
Jamie’s dream was to hit the big time at a New York tech start-up. Jamie’s reality was a humiliating lay-off, then a lowwage job as a takeaway delivery driver. During a pandemic too. Things look beyond grim, until a chance delivery to an old acquaintance. Tom has an urgent vacancy on his team: the pay is great and Jamie has debts – it’s a no-brainer choice. Yet, once again, reality fails to match expectations. Only this time it could be fatal.
It seems Tom’s ‘animal rights organization’ is way more than it appears. The animals aren’t even on Earth – or not our Earth, anyway. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures roam a tropical, human-free world. And although Kaiju are their universe’s largest and most dangerous animal, they need support to survive.
Tom’s ‘Kaiju Preservation Society’ wants to help. However, others want to profit. Unless they’re stopped, the walls between our worlds could fall – and the consequences would be devastating.”
Oh, I absolutely loved this book – hence the full five stars on Goodreads! This is my review:
I tagged this book as humour as well as science fiction, because this was a brilliant uplifting read that raised my spirits during a really difficult time. I love Scalzi’s work and this was a great showcase for his talents of interesting and ingenious storytelling, clever plotting and sheer imagination. My hope is that I can read more of his work in the future.
My second book was also fantastic. This time I chose a very long read and really immersed myself to take my mind away from my illness. The book was John Gwynne’s The Hunger of the Gods (#02 Bloodsworn Saga). This is the blurb:
“The Hunger of the Gods continues John Gwynne’s acclaimed Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance.
Lik-Rifa, the dragon god of legend, has been freed from her eternal prison. Now she plots a new age of blood and conquest.
As Orka continues the hunt for her missing son, the Bloodsworn sweep south in a desperate race to save one of their own – and Varg takes the first steps on the path of vengeance.
Elvar has sworn to fulfil her blood oath and rescue a prisoner from the clutches of Lik-Rifa and her dragonborn followers, but first she must persuade the Battle-Grim to follow her.
Yet even the might of the Bloodsworn and Battle-Grim cannot stand alone against a dragon god.
Their hope lies within the mad writings of a chained god. A book of forbidden magic with the power to raise the wolf god Ulfrir from the dead . . . and bring about a battle that will shake the foundations of the earth.”
My memory issues caused a few small problems at the beginning of the book as I struggled to remember some of the characters and the plot of the previous episode, but I soon got into the swing!
Another great book from the amazing imagination of John Gwynne. I am really enjoying this fantasy series set in a Viking-like world with strong male and female characters, the revival of dead gods and interesting creatures. The story is told from different points of view, which can get rather confusing, and I had to stop several times to work out where we were and refer to the map.
Gwynne’s writing gives the reader a very fast-paced and exciting rollercoaster ride through his world. I can’t wait for the next instalment! Just one issue. Perhaps this book was a little rushed or the editor didn’t get enough time with it. I found several errors, mainly homonyms, which should not have been there! Hence four stars.
Hi everyone! It’s lovely to be back here again. I am so sorry that there was such a long break from the blog, but I was very ill and unable to write, or even read much, for that matter. The “bug” was not COVID, but was pretty nasty on top of all the other unpleasant conditions that I already have. Anyway, I am now back to my “normal” and hope to be able to resume writing here as before.
During the time away, the new scarves for Hermès’ Autumn/Winter 2022 season have begun to appear on various sites. Luckily for fans, the brilliant scarf detectives on The Purse Forum have started a new thread for the season: …… Hermès Fall/Winter 2022 Scarves …….. This will be worth following, if you are interested.
Some images of the new designs have already been posted on the thread:
Hermès Autumn/Winter 2022 scarf selection
To be honest, I haven’t seen anything so far that really grabs me. But, I seem to say that every season, don’t I? Then, as the weeks and months go by, something comes to the fore and I find myself falling for a pattern, or a combination of colours. We shall see…
Planning to be back on Wednesday for the Reading Roundup.
Apologies, but there will not be a proper post today because I am still very ill. I hope that I am well enough on Wednesday to write the usual Reading Roundup.
So, it’s a fortnight since I last wrote a Reading Roundup post and I have read and enjoyed three books whilst I have been away from the blog.
This was the first one:
The Human Division by John Scalzi
Some of you may remember that I really rated the first few books in Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series. This one, The Human Division is #05. Here is the blurb:
“Lieutenant Harry Wilson has an impossible mission. He must help preserve the union of humanity’s colonies, in the wake of a terrible revelation.
For years the Colonial Union has protected its citizens from the dangerous universe around them. But the people of Earth now know the ugly truth. The Union deliberately kept Earth as an ignorant backwater – and as a source of recruits for its war against hostile aliens. Now, other alien races have formed a new alliance against the Union. And they’ve invited the incensed people of Earth to join them.
Managing the Colonial Union’s survival will take all the political cunning and finesse its diplomats can muster. And Harry and his team will be deployed to deal with the unexpected – for failure is unthinkable.”
And this is my review, as written on the Goodreads website:
I really love this series. Scalzi’s writing is brilliant with its humour, wit and blazing imagination. Quite often I think that I know where the plot is going, how the “dilemma” will be sorted out, but I am always wrong because Scalzi has something ingenious up his sleeve.
The format of the book, with its interlocking short stories, was interesting and helpful to my current issues with reading.
Of course, having read book 5, I simply had to finish off the series with #06!
The End Of All Things by John Scalzi
I always feel a little sad when I get to the end of a great series – The End of All Things is a fitting title. Here is the blurb:
“The Colonial Union’s Defence Force was formed to save humanity when aggressive alien species targeted our worlds. Now Lieutenant Harry Wilson has an urgent new mission, as a hostile universe becomes ever more dangerous. He must investigate a sinister group, which lurks in the darkness of space playing different factions against one another. They’ll target both humans and aliens, and their motives are unfathomable.
The Defence Force itself is weakening as its soldiers fall – without recruits to replace them. Relations with Earth have broken down and it will send no more troops, even as human colonies become increasingly vulnerable to alien attack.
Lieutenant Wilson and Colonial Union diplomats must race to keep the peace, seek reconciliation with an enraged Earth, and maintain humanity’s unity at all costs. If they don’t, it will mean oblivion, extinction and the end of all things.”
This is my short review on Goodreads. I am definitely planning to read more books by John Scalzi!
I must admit that I am sad that I have now come to the end of the series. The first book, Old Man’s War, was simply a random choice, probably chosen because I am now an old woman! I really loved that book and have continued to enjoy the rest of the series.
Scalzi has a fantastic writing style, full of wit and humour, and also an amazing imagination. He is able to think up complex scenarios, a huge range of alien species, and exciting and unexpected plot twists. I will certainly look out for his other work and I hope that he writes another series of such high quality.
When I had finished these two books, I decided to have a complete change of genre…
The Woman in the Photograph by Stephanie Butland
The Woman in the Photograph by Stephanie Butland was a fairly random choice from the ebook catalogue. As an ageing feminist, I thought that it would be interesting to read about a period that I remember from my own young days. Anyway, this is the blurb:
“1968. Veronica Moon, a junior photographer for a local newspaper, is frustrated by her (male) colleagues’ failure to take her seriously. And then she meets Leonie on the picket line of the Ford factory at Dagenham. So begins a tumultuous, passionate and intoxicating friendship. Leonie is ahead of her time and fighting for women’s equality with everything she has. She offers Veronica an exciting, free life at the dawn of a great change.
Fifty years later, Leonie is gone, and Veronica leads a reclusive life. Her groundbreaking career was cut short by one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century.
Now, that controversial picture hangs as the centrepiece of a new feminist exhibition curated by Leonie’s niece. Long-repressed memories of Veronica’s extraordinary life begin to stir. It’s time to break her silence, and step back into the light.”
This was another five star book for me and this is what I wrote on Goodreads:
What a fantastic book! I really enjoyed revisiting so many of the iconic feminist and historical moments of my youth and young adulthood, seeing them through Vee’s, the photographer, eyes. The structure of the book was complex, moving forward and back in time, but I was able to work my way through it as everything came together.
As someone who has had a stroke and still suffers from holes in my own memories, I feel that those parts of the book were written really well. The searching in your mind for what is lost. The occasional triggering of distant events which suddenly surge forward in bright colour, only to fade in an instant.
This book has affected me very much and I think I will remember it and its impact for a long time.
So, this time away from the blog roughy me some very fulfilling and enjoyable reading. Three books, each worth five stars! And I am presently deeply immersed in another fantastic book, which I will return to when I have finished writing this post. Such is the joy of reading!
Hello to you all and welcome to the blog. I really needed last week’s rest and I hope that I can continue to post without having to take another break for quite a while.
A couple of weeks ago, I spotted something really lovely on eBay – first we have the auction photos:
Hera chiffon scarf by Liberty of London
Yes, one of my favourite Liberty of London designs: Hera. This time the scarf is a gorgeous silk chiffon, known as mousseline in French. The beautiful peacock feather design in the centre is coloured in orange, purple and pale blue on a black background. The design shades outwards into a lovely teal border. One of my favourite colours!
The size of the scarf is 110 x 130cm.
At the time of writing, a similar version of this scarf is still available on the Liberty of London website. The images can be seen below:
Hera chiffon scarf by Liberty of London (green colourway)
In my opinion the colours are more attractive in the eBay version. The colourway on the Liberty website makes the scarf look rather muted and washed out. In fact, I have seen this many times before, but the rather dull shades didn’t attract me. In my opinion, the scarf I have acquired is a richly coloured and very beautiful addition to my collection.
These are two quick modelling photos:
Hera chiffon scarf by Liberty of London
I am really looking forward to wearing the scarf. The fabric makes it more suitable for warmer weather, but the clothing that it would enhance is mainly stuff that I wear in the colder months! The teal twinset above is an almost exact match (unfortunately my iPad camera makes the teal look more blue than in real life).
I hope you have enjoyed today’s post. Wednesday’s will be a Reading Roundup, as usual.
Hi everyone! I’m going to take a short break from the blog until next Monday (25/04/22). My mental and physical health are both poor at the moment and even everyday things are a real struggle.
Just in case you are interested, one of my many “conditions” is sarcoidosis of the lungs. This graphic from the SarcoidosisUK explains some of the issues:
Image from SarcoidosisUK
When I have better moments, during my break, I will try to work on a couple of posts that I have planned for the blog. I will also try to read several ebooks and play with my gorgeous scarves!
I am looking out of my bedroom window at a beautiful sunny day, but I am stuck indoors again. This morning, I have been feeling even more ill than usual but have recovered enough to write a very basic post.
On Monday, I showed you my latest Hermès purchase: Regina designed by Leila Menchari. I decided to try it on Wednesday and pulled out a twinset that I hardly ever wear. Why, I don’t really know as it is a gorgeous bright pink! Anyway, the pink is very close to the colour in the scarf and I think that the twinset worked very well. I must work out some more scarf ties that will show off the beautiful bouquet…
Outfit of the day 13/04/22 with Hermès’ Regina scarf
This was a simple criss-cross knot using a mother-of-pearl scarf ring by MaiTai. My earrings were pretty silver butterflies – a present from Elder Son.
Here is a larger image of the scarf to remind you of the pattern and colours:
Regina by Hermès
I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and that those of you who celebrate Easter enjoy yourselves. Apparently, it is going to be warm and sunny for us in the UK.
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