Hello, everyone! We are having a lot of “family problems” at the moment, which I won’t bore you with, but this means that I can’t write a full post today. Our issues have exacerbated my ill health and I am feeling very weak, stressed and tired. I hope that everything improves during the week so that I can write the usual Reading Roundup post on Wednesday and an Outfits of the Week post on Friday.
I saw this lovely set of photos on Twitter over the weekend and must share them with you:
In today’s post I have a couple of outfits to show you from the last few weeks. Unfortunately, there is nothing from this week as I have been really struggling, but I am pleased that I did manage to put two rather nice ensembles together from my wardrobe.
Here is the first one:
Outfit of the day 16/10/21 with Hermès’ Plumes en Fête shawl
Outfit details:
Mid-grey cashmere v-neck jumper – Marks and Spencer.
Grey cotton jeans – Lands’ End.
Grey crystal and gold earrings – Swarovski.
Multi-colour enamel and rose gold Hera bangle – Liberty of London.
Pewter leather white soled trainers – Hotter.
Cashmere and silk 140cm shawl in grey, purple, pink, blue and orange – Plumes en Fête by Hermès.
We were only leaving the house to have our flu vaccinations, but I have to take any opportunity to wear “proper” clothing and accessories! In addition, I carried my gorgeous Massaccesi handbag, which toned nicely with my new trainers from Hotter. Perhaps the handbag’s style is a little too elevated to be worn with such footwear, but the colours were spot on.
What do you think?
Diane handbag by Marco Massaccesi
Switch II in pewter by Hotter
The second outfit:
Outfit of the day 17/10/21 with Liberty’s Morris scarf
Outfit details:
Navy cashmere v-neck jumper – John Lewis.
Navy stretch cord trousers – Lands’ End.
Blue, navy, black and white enamel and rose gold Ianthe bangle – Liberty of London.
Cobalt blue crystal and silver earrings – Sonrisa Boutique.
Navy, blue and white silk chiffon scarf – Morris by Liberty of London.
Whilst writing this post, I have been glancing back through the blog to see how I wrote about some of these accessories in the past. It certainly made me think how fortunate I am to be able to afford such beauties!
Now, I just need to find enough energy to wear them more often.
On that note I will wish you all a very Happy Weekend!
This week’s reading has been a feast of the Fae, a festival of fantasy! Yes, I have immersed myself in further books from Sarah J Maas’s series: A Court of Thorns and Roses. Fine fun and fierce frivolity?
What the f…?
OK, that’s enough!
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
My first book of the week was the third in her series, titled A Court of Wings and Ruin. Here is the blurb:
”Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.”
Once again, I devoured this book quickly in an attempt to distract myself from my situation. I must admit that this series is doing a pretty good job on that front! This is my review written on the Goodreads site:
Well, how do I write this review? After my rather hyperbolic responses to the first two books, I am a bit stuck this time.
First of all, I did enjoy the read and the ride. There were many satisfying moments and scenes and several loose ends tied. Other storylines were left open for further books, although I think this series should have ended here. As this is such a long book, perhaps it could have done with some further editing and pruning to improve the pace. Some of the early chapters did drag a bit and the finale was wrapped up too quickly.
In addition, a good editor needs to get to grips with Maas’s repetitive use of phrases. Yes, we know that Fayre is Rhys’s “mate”. I think we have been told this often enough. Her coy language in the sex scenes is quite funny – perhaps this is to keep the books under the Young Adult label?
Anyway, I shall continue to read on. Books of this type really help with my current poor situation. Onwards to the next one!
While I was waiting for my reservation of book four in the series, I decided to read the novella, which is 3.1, fitting between three and four: A Court of Frost and Starlight. This is the blurb:
”Months after the explosive events in A Court of Wings and Ruin, Feyre, Rhys, and their companions are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.”
OK, so this was just a filler book between volumes 3 and 4. I am reading this series for pure escapism and I don’t expect high literary merit. Very simply, I enjoy reading about these characters and settings. The books take me away from my daily worries and concerns and succeed very well at those tasks.
So, read and enjoy if you like this series. Now, on to book 4!
So, that is all for this week. I am now going to return to my new book and try to fill my head with that. Today has been tough so far and I need to escape >>>>>>>>>>
Hello and welcome to a new week on this blog. Apologies for the lack of a proper post on Friday, but I hope I can continue as usual this week. My health is even worse than normal at the moment and I seem to be spending most of my time in bed. I have got a few posts planned, though!
Today I have some nice and shiny items to show you. They arrived last week and I wore them on Saturday when I went to the medical centre for the annual flu vaccination. In fact, I put together a really nice outfit, even though I would only be out of the house for a short while. I have to take any opportunity I can get! I will show you the full outfit in Friday’s Outfits of the Week post, complete with handbag and shoes.
Anyway, here are the new items…
Switch II in pewter by Hotter
I think these are a great colour and I love the metallic shine! OK, Hotter (link in the sidebar) may have a reputation for selling “granny” footwear, but, to be honest, I don’t care. Their shoes are comfortable and well made. If you choose carefully, you can find some nice designs. These looked great with one of my handbags!
They have a sale on at the moment…
Well, that’s all for today. See you on Wednesday for the usual Reading Roundup and on Friday for Outfits of the Week. Don’t forget that this is the fifth year of the blog, so there are a lot of other posts to explore, if you are interested.
I had planned to write a proper “Outfits of the Week” post for this evening. Unfortunately, I have been very weak and ill for a while and feel particularly bad today. So, I will postpone that post until next week and hope that I feel stronger on Monday.
Hello to all of you keen readers! I must admit that I have only finished one book this week – but what a book!!!
You may remember that Joe Abercrombie is one of my most favourite authors of all time. In fact, I believe that I have read just about all of his books to date and this one, The Wisdom of Crowds, is his latest…
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
The book is the final part of his The Age of Madness trilogy. Here is the blurb:
”Chaos. Fury. Destruction.
The Great Change is upon us . . .
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.
With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies . . . while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together . . .”
I really took my time to read this as I love Abercrombie’s work so much. None of that “skipping through to get to the good bit” – all of the “bits” are good! This is my review as posted on Goodreads:
OMG! Wow! Amazing! I simply can’t believe it! Phew!
Right, now that my first reactions are out of the way, what can I say about this book? Well, it was certainly packed full with brilliant writing, as I have come to expect from Joe Abercrombie. I love his dark and gritty humour, his beautifully written settings, his clever plot twists and his well-drawn characters. Reading the Kindle edition, it was so interesting to see other people’s highlights of particularly witty sections. But amongst the humour there is always tragedy and some of the worst traits of human nature.
For once, some of the plot twists had me gasping with surprise. With other authors, I usually spot them coming long before they arrive. In this book, there are some really shocking and, yes, bleak moments, but always leavened with that tone of sardonic amusement.
The characters are interesting and well-developed throughout all three books. I like the way that Abercrombie rarely writes wholly evil or totally good characters. Most are leavened with opposite traits, so that they appear like true human beings, flawed as we really are. Some of his characters may surprise the reader with unexpected good actions or, more often, the total reverse!
Now that I have finished the book, I am going to look through the list of Abercrombie’s work and make sure that I have read everything published to date. When I have done that, I will have to occupy myself with lesser writers until he gives us his next work.
I am so fortunate that there are so many other fantastic books to keep me busy! My life seems very dark and grim these days, so fantasy, thrillers and science fiction really help to take my mind away from my troubles. I have already started a new book and I will tell you which one next week (or you could just have a look at the Goodreads widget in the sidebar, which tells all!).
I do hope that you all had a good weekend. Lovely Husband and I are enjoying a few days of peace and quiet whilst Elder Son is away. I had hoped that we could take the opportunity to go out together, but, unfortunately, a very bad relapse has meant that I have had to stay in bed nearly all of the time. LH is being patient and kind, but is very worried about me. At least I have managed to keep myself entertained with my trusty (I hope) iPad!
Over a couple of days, I binge watched the brilliant BBC series Vigil which was amazing television. It nearly triggered my claustrophobia, but I managed to cope! I have also been reading a great book, which I will write about in Wednesday’s Reading Roundup post.
Now, I need to have another rest so I will leave you with the image below. Sometimes I find fashion totally baffling – perhaps this is intended!
Design by Christopher Aatonio, found on Facebook
And, no, this is not a new venture for my wardrobe!!! 😂🤣😂🤣😂
Apologies for the short post! I must admit that I was enjoying reading my latest book so much that I forgot that it is Friday. And Friday means an “Outfits of the Week post. I did actually manage to dress properly earlier in the week but, as I haven’t time to make a collage, I will show you the quick photo…
Outfit of the day 05/10/21 with Hermès’ Lazy Leopardesses scarf
Yes, we had intended to go out and I had a lovely outfit planned around my gorgeous pink bordered Lazy Leopardesses scarf. Unfortunately, I was very ill at the last minute. So, what I have decided to do is wait until next week and wear the whole outfit again then. And I will take another photo and make a proper collage to show you all of the elements, as they include a particularly lovely handbag and a beautiful coloured jacket!
Phew! Well, that’s all for this week. I do hope that you have a good weekend. Lovely Husband and I will have a nice peaceful time as Elder Son is going away on a short holiday. We both badly need a break!
I have really enjoyed reading this week. My first book was great and I can’t wait until I can get my hands on the next one in the series…
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
It took me quite a while to read Sarah J Maas’s second book in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series: A Court of Mist and Fury. It is a very long book, but I also took my time as I loved it so much! Here is the blurb:
”Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.
With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights”
This has been a very popular book on Goodreads and won their “Goodreads Choice 2016” badge. This is the review that I wrote on their website:
Wow! Wow! Wow! I have just finished this book and I can hardly breathe and my heart is beating like a drum! Better than the first book, this one has such pace, charging along from one event to the next, with passion, violence, beauty, dark horror and sheer excitement.
I am so glad that I found this series. It may be aimed at a Young Adult audience, but this aged crone has really enjoyed it, revelled in it and will, hopefully, continue to do so.
Thank you, Sarah J Maas, for creating this wonderful, magical, exciting world with such amazing characters and gripping plot. This book has helped me to forget my various health issues and immerse myself in fantasy.
Well, I think that shows what I thought of it!! 😁😁😁
Wild by Kristin Hannah
My second book of the week was another by Kristin Hannah, the third that I have downloaded from the Library’s ebook platform. First, we have the blurb!
”In the rugged Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest—nearly a million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this old growth forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past.
Having retreated to her western Washington hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates is determined to free the extraordinary little girl she calls Alice from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation. To reach her, Julia must discover the truth about Alice’s past—although doing so requires help from Julia’s estranged sister, a local police officer. The shocking facts of Alice’s life test the limits of Julia’s faith and strength, even as she struggles to make a home for Alice—and for herself.”
And here is my response. I gave the book three stars on Goodreads:
I found this book quite enjoyable in many ways. The central plot was very interesting and intriguing. Some of the characters were also. However, I didn’t think that the romantic sub-plots were at all necessary. Many of the characters were stereotypes and their personal quirks were too repetitive throughout the book.
In fact, the author seemed to be too repetitive in her writing in general with several scenery and character descriptions appearing again and again. In addition, the whole premise of “curing” the girl was squeezed into a shortened timeline. Surely, it would take far longer?
Like other reviewers, I was disappointed with some of the wording around autism. Kristin Hannah should research the topic more thoroughly before she uses the condition in her work again.
Anyone who has been following either these posts or my Goodreads feed may have realised that one of my favourite fantasy authors is Joe Abercrombie. I am so pleased that I now have a new book of his to read next: The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness #03). As soon as I have finished this post, I am going to pick up this book!
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
And on that note, I will end this post and sign off until next week’s Reading Roundup!
The moment that I first heard of this scarf I knew that I would be buying it! Anyone who knows me will be aware that, apart from gorgeous scarves (and my friends and family, of course), my greatest love is tea drinking. So, when I saw this design, it immediately went on my list.
Early in the Autumn/Winter 2021 Hermès season, I saw all of the 70cm designs for the scarf on The Purse Forum site. By the time that I had saved up enough money to actually purchase, all of the colourways had disappeared from the UK Hermès website. I was lucky enough to spot the reappearance of the orange/gris/blanc, colourway #08, of Tea Time by Jonathan Burton and immediately bought it.
Tea Time by Jonathan Burton for Hermès
Description
This scarf has a fun and whimsical design on a lighter, softer silk than its silk twill 90cm cousins. The smaller size has a more casual and playful vibe which matches perfectly with the subject matter.
First of all, we have a gorgeous shade of orange for the background. The rolled hem is in a slightly deeper shade with neatly placed white dots. Across the background, small white hearts are evenly spaced out. They must represent biscuits, as a few appear to have had a bite taken out! In addition, others are being “dunked” into pretty china teacups. Very familiar to British tastes!
In the centre of the scarf, there is a large heart shape. For this version of the scarf the heart is in white. We can see that behind the heart there is a horse, in grey, with a white plume on its head and a patterned bridle with even more hearts. The horse is rather strangely shaped because of the heart in front!
On the horse’s back ride the King and Queen of Hearts with their majestic crowns. He holds a steaming pink, orange and white teapot with “Hermès Paris” written on the side. She holds the matching teacup – the steam taking the form of a heart! Their hair is coloured in shades of pink and formed like stylised hearts. The Queen’s dress is in mustard yellow. The monarchs’ other clothing is depicted in shades of grey, with white, black, pink and a touch of red. Next to the Queen we can see a small pink and white butterfly.
To the left side of the central design there is a flagpole bearing a fluttering flag with name of the scarf “Hermès Tea Time”. Where the pole meets the ground line, the name of the designer, Jonathan Burton, appears. Amongst stylised orange clouds the Hermès copyright sign can be seen.
Colourways
These are the colourways for the Autumn/Winter 2021 silk 70cm scarves. I have added in the codes to help those of you who wish to purchase this scarf. The red one at the bottom is a special Hermès Tea Time Medaillons version, which is more expensive.
Also, there is a set of two twillies and a cute twilly ring!
H603203S 00H063782S 16H063782S 22Tea Time twillies and twilly ring
Design story
“What a surprising way to celebrate tea time! A prince takes his belle on a poetic walk through a field of hearts – a love affair, no doubt. In their wake, a discreet butterfly attracts the attention of some riders. What is their destination? Have they managed to escape from a card game or are they on a journey to the edge of their kingdom? Here, the English designer Jonathan Burton, famous for his fantasy universes often inspired by fairy tales, gives pride of place to dreams and romanticism.”
As you can see from this paragraph, I have interpreted the design slightly differently, bringing in aspects of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. I have a feeling that Burton, as an English designer, probably intended this! I could be wrong, of course.
Details
Here are some closeups of my scarf in a slideshow format:
How I wear the scarf
This is such a fun scarf that I have managed to wear it a couple of times since I purchased it. So far, I have mainly worn it with my grey clothing, but it would also look great with shades of blue and also white.
Outfit of the day 15/09/21 with Hermès’ Tea Time
Outfit of the day 04/09/21 with Hermès’ Tea Time scarf
Scarf ties
As this is a smaller scarf, I don’t think that I will choose the more complex scarf knots. Perhaps those wouldn’t work! Instead, I am planning to look around and see which scarf ties other people use for their 70cms. Anyway, here are a few quick and random attempts (I wish I could take better photos!):
Tea Time – scarf ties
I am not going to name them this time as most don’t have names! As you can see, I tried a couple with some of my MaiTai scarf rings and they seemed to work well. Funny how the horse’s legs keep on appearing!
Oh, I might as well log here that I bought a Halcyon Days bangle to go with this scarf, as I didn’t own any really suitable jewellery. I am also on the lookout for some gold or white heart-shaped earrings – perhaps I can persuade one of my chaps to buy me some for Christmas!
Here is the bangle:
Orange heart friendship bracelet – Halcyon Days
Background information
This is not the kind of scarf with lots of useful background details, but I have found the following. If I come across any more information, I will add it here…
Jonathan Burton jonathanburton.net His official website with loads of wonderful designs, including this one.
Here is an short “unboxing” video from YouTube showing one of the twillies:
I hope readers have found this exploration of Hermès Tea Time both interesting and useful. Once again, if you find any errors or have any additional information that I could add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
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 
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