I can’t quite believe that it is the end of August already! Time really does whizz past quickly as you get older, even when you are not doing anything very exciting.
Today’s post is about this superb video that my lovely nephew linked on Facebook the other day. He wanted me to tell him my thoughts. Well, I did that and then realised that many of my readers on here would also find it interesting, if you haven’t already seen it. It is such high quality for a YouTube video…
What do you think? OK, I know it is long, but it is well-worth watching and I would love to know your reactions.
Before I sign off, I must admit that I have really got behind with answering comments on here again – apologies. I will try to sort that out tomorrow.
And I interacted with friends, rather than just family!
Hooray!!!
Some old friends were passing by, on their way home from their holiday and so we met up with them for a coffee in a local pub. Now, this kind of thing is commonplace to most people, but felt like a huge achievement to me. Lovely Husband was really thrilled too.
Anyway, here is the outfit:
Today’s outfit:
Navy blue cotton vest – Lands’ End.
Rose pink denim jacket – Joules.
Indigo jeans – Cotton Traders.
Bright blue crystal and silver earrings – Sonrisa Boutique.
Bright blue enamel and gold Agama bangle – Halcyon Days.
Navy leather shoes – Hotter.
Dark blue Africa leather midi-zip Selene handbag – Marco Massaccesi.
Silk scarf, 90cm, in navy, blue, lilac, pink, peach and yellow – Ianthe Star – Liberty of London. Tied in a necklace knot.
And on that cheerful and colourful note, I will sign off this post:
I don’t suppose that it will be hard to guess the titles of the two books I read this last week! After all, in the previous Reading Roundup I gave you all my verdict on John Gwynne’s A Time of Dread, part #01 of his Of Blood and Bone series. So, yes, here are my thoughts on parts two and three.
A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
First of all, let’s check out the blurb for A Time of Blood, part #02 Of Blood and Bone:
Defy the darkness. Defend the light.
At the battle of Starstone Lake, Drem and his friends witnessed horrors they’ll never forget. They saw magic warping men into beasts and a demon rise from the dead, creating something new and terrifying. So they flee to warn the Order of the Bright Star. But the demons’ high priestess, Fritha, is determined to hunt them down.
Concealed in Forn Forest, Riv struggles to understand her half-breed heritage. She represents the warrior angels’ biggest secret, one whichcould break their society. So when she’s found by the Ben-Elim’s high captain, he goes in for the kill.
Meanwhile, demonic forces are gathering a mighty war-host, to crush their enemies and rule the world of man. All while the Ben-Elim are fractured and facing betrayal. Like heroes of old, Riv, Drem and the Bright Star’s warriors must battle to save their land. But can the light triumph when the dark is rising?
Before I add my review, as posted on Goodreads, I will give you my usual apology for the poor quality of what is to follow. I am still suffering with short-term memory loss from my stroke and that means that the details of books fade very rapidly after I have finished reading. Please refer to other reviewing websites or use Goodreads as I do for better responses to these books as I really am not capable of properly doing them the justice that authors deserve.
This certainly didn’t suffer from the often experienced “middle book in a trilogy” syndrome! The first ended with various revelations and I was lucky that I was able to read the whole series at one go, without having to wait for each book to be published.
Some of the nit-picky flaws that I noted for A Time of Dread were toned down a little this time (repetitive descriptions), which was very pleasing. The whole book was one amazing, fast paced ride, moving from character to character as they moved around the chess board of the plot. I found myself turning to the map frequently as I attempted to keep everything straight in my mind
The book as a whole was great, with enough flashes of light to brighten up the dark events and themes, setting the reader up nicely for the final part…
So then I came to the final part of the trilogy: A Time of Courage. Let us first see the blurb:
Battle the dark
Reclaim the world
The Demon-King of the Otherworld is finally free. And armed with mighty new starstone weapons, Asroth prepares to lead his demonic war-host south. With the help of his dark bride Fritha, he plans to crush the warrior-angels and their allies.
In the shadows of Forn Forest, Riv and the surviving Ben-Elim hold a war council. After the catastrophic events at Drassil, they are desperate to unite those who would stand against Asroth and his army. So they fly west, to join the Order of the Bright Star. But Drem and the Order are besieged by a demon horde – and their fragile defence may soon shatter.
Across the Banished Lands armies are heading south, to settle ancient grudges and decide the fate of humanity. Drem, Riv and the Bright Star’s warriors will need every ounce of their courage if they are to join the final battle. But will their combined forces be enough to face down their greatest foe?
OK, so this sounds interesting…
Interesting! It was amazing, brilliant, gripping and… and…
I must admit that I felt even more exhausted than usual when I came to the finish – here’s why:
One of the first things that I did on finishing this book, well after trying to breathe again, was look up the publishing date. I was gutted to realise that it was only published this year…
…this means that I will have to WAIT until John Gwynne can write another book…
Aaaaaaargh!!!
…flaps her wings in rage…
…(skin or feathers!!!)
I have given the book five stars because of the best written (in my fairly wide reading experience of almost 60 years) fictional battle scenes. The incredible build up and pace, the sheer invention, the surprises and heart-almost-stopping shocks, the sadness and joy, the retribution and disasters – all there in this book.
If you want to be transported outside of yourself and your concerns and worries, read John Gwynne. If you want to blot out your own personal disasters, read John Gwynne. If you want excitement, great characters, fantastic storylines, intriguing world building and satisfying reading, then John Gwynne is your writer.
I’m sorry that I didn’t post last Friday. It would have been my Mother’s 89th birthday and I felt so sad, thinking about how much I miss her. I simply couldn’t bring myself to write anything on here.
Mum and Dad on their wedding day in 1955
To be honest, I’m really struggling to think of things to write about at the moment. Wednesday’s posts are mostly OK as I can talk about the books that I have read, but Monday’s and Friday’s are becoming difficult to write. It’s easy if I have bought something new – Hermès scarves are a dream to write about! But now that I have spent so much money on a shawl, it will be ages until I can afford something else.
My life has become so very constricted and narrow this year. It has not been very exciting since I started this blog, but my stroke and then the dreaded Coronavirus lockdown have limited me so much more. Now, my days are mostly spent in bed reading on my iPad, wearing a vest and pyjama trousers, snacking and drinking tea, and chatting to Lovely Husband and Elder Son. I manage to go downstairs for a couple of hours, if I feel strong enough and my memory is so bad that I have probably written this post several times before!
So, perhaps I need to think about what I want from this blog and what purpose it is serving for me and the kind people who visit and comment. Is it worthwhile carrying on?
I must apologise again for missing last week’s Reading Roundup post. There are two books to write about this week and I am already halfway through a third.
A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay
A few weeks ago, I wrote about one of my favourite author’s books: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay. The book I am writing about this week is his latest book, A Brightness Long Ago, which is a prequel. Here is the blurb:
In a decadent, often violent world in which mercenaries destroy city-states for the highest bidder and women’s lives remain desperately limited, the lives of extraordinary figures play out . . .
Guidanio Cerra is the son of a tailor whose intelligence had won him entry to a renowned school. He goes into service at the dangerous court of a count known as The Beast . . .
Adria Ripoli, born to power, has rejected the choices offered to her, opting for a life of danger – and freedom – in the service of her mercenary uncle. But freedom always comes at a price – in this case a night-time encounter from which she is unlikely to escape alive.
And Danio, living in a chamber overlooking the waterways of a maritime city, looks back in time to relate his part of this sweeping tale that contains unforgettable characters in an extraordinary era, including a healer who has also defied life’s expectations of her, and the two larger-than-life war leaders, lifelong adversaries, whose encounters put the world’s survival in the balance . . .
As always, I love reading anything by Guy Gavriel Kay and this was no exception. I won’t say anything further as I will save my thoughts for my review on Goodreads:
Yet again, as I finish a book by GGK, I am left with my head both spinning and dreaming. The author does indeed weave bright stories, based around true events in history. In this case, I didn’t know anything about the real events, so just immersed myself in the interwoven tales of the main characters.
It was a little confusing for me, at first, that this is a prequel to his previous book, Children of Earth and Sky, and that there were also allusions to his two books set in a fantasy version of Byzantium. I have only recently finished reading the former, but it is such a long time since I read the latter two and I, therefore, feel inspired to buy ebook versions and re-read them. My memory is very poor now and I struggle to remember events in books that I have only just finished, never mind read decades ago!
I suppose this could be seen as a gift and another reason to read GGK’s books repeatedly!
Having read quite a few of the other reviews of this particular book here on Goodreads, I must recommend them to other readers. Many are truly excellent and will give you far more insight than I can.
Ooh, I can’t wait to read another book by GGK, although I might return to an old favourite, when I have finished my current reading pile.
A Time of Dread by John Gwynne
I started reading John Gwynne’s series The Faithful and the Fallen back in June 2019. This series of four giant hardback books sort of grips you by the throat, shakes you around for a while, then hurls you across battlefields, forests, plains and mountains. If you are lucky, you might land on your feet at the end, although you will struggle to catch your breath! So, you can imagine that I was quite pleased when I saw that he had started a new series…
NO!!!!! I was absolutely thrilled!
OK, I will calm down now as I am sure that you will get the point. Here is the blurb for A Time of Dread, part #01 Of Blood and Bone:
Set in the same world as the Faithful and the Fallen quartet, the first novel in John Gwynne’s Of Blood and Bone series, A Time of Dread, takes place one hundred years after the end of Wrath.
The Ben-Elim, a race of warrior angels, once vanquished a mighty demon horde. Now they rule the Banished lands. But their dominion is brutally enforced and their ancient enemy may not be as crushed as they thought.
In the snowbound north, Drem, a trapper, finds mutilated corpses in the forests – a sign of demonic black magic. In the south, Rae, a young, tempestuous soldier, discovers a deadly rift within the Ben-Elim themselves. Two individuals with two world-changing secrets. But where will they lead? And what role will Drem and Rae play in the Banished Land’s fate?
Difficult choices need to be made. Because in the shadows, demons are gathering, waiting for their time to rise. . .
It’s always great to pick up the first book in a fantasy series, where you already rate the author. I had greatly enjoyed the Faithful and the Fallen last year, so I was thrilled when I saw that John Gwynne had a new series on the way. After finishing this book, I am not disappointed.
This new series takes place well over a century after the previous one and that knowledge brings some sadness in its wake. We have lost well-loved previous characters who we have grown to know in the previous books, although many of them are consistently referenced in this book. Instead, we are introduced to new characters very quickly. That does bring some problems to someone like me, who has severe memory issues. The new names and backgrounds are quite difficult to get a handle on at first. However, as the book developed, I was able to fit this new set of people and animals into the landscape, mythology and plot.
There are only a few caveats and these are reasons why I have not given the full five stars. I feel that the author needs to check on his repetitive use of phrases to describe his characters. Yes, we quickly realise that one constantly checks the pulse in his neck! This seems to be obsessive. We have also got the point that some warriors have a particular hairstyle – does it always have to be described in exactly the same way? These are just niggles really, but I did find them increasingly irritating.
But don’t let me put you off in any way. This series is building up to be another blockbuster! Enjoy!
At least the temperature has cooled down quite a lot over the last few days! Now we have intermittent thunder storms, rain showers and high humidity to cope with. So, it still looks as if my scarf wearing days are a long way off.
I am wearing those lovely sleeveless vest tops from Lands’ End that I showed on here a few weeks ago. The fabric is thick and the colours bright and saturated. They wash very well and my oldest ones still look good. Unfortunately, I feel too weak and ill to wear any jewellery on most days, so there is really no point in making Outfit of the Day collages. When the humidity drops, I am sure that my energy levels will improve and I will be able to make more effort to dress myself in something nice again.
Here’s a reminder of my Lands’ End vest collection:
Now I will return to my latest book for entertainment on this wet and rumbling afternoon.
First of all, I must apologise for the lack of a Reading Roundup post on Wednesday. The heat and humidity has been making me feel so unwell this week – I have been suffering from a very painful headache and nausea on top of my usual stuff. I think it has all been caused by a mixture of stress (family issues as usual), overheating and dehydration. The stress is now abating a little, the temperature is cooling down and I am trying to drink more water in addition to my usual multiple cups of tea.
I have managed to drag myself out of bed on occasion, but have not been able to dress in anything particularly nice. Basic Marks and Spencer vests with loose pyjama trousers have been my staple outfit all week, although I did manage to wear my turquoise linen-mix dress from Pure Collection on one day. Can I bear to upload a photo? I must admit that I look quite dreadful, but this blog is all about being truthful about my life, so here goes…
As we move into late Summer then early Autumn, I am planning to force myself to wear my nice outfits again and work my way through my very neglected Hermès scarf collection. After all, I bought my scarves to wear, not to store them in boxes!
This is an unusual Scarf of the Moment post in that it includes two amazing formats of one design. I have done this before, with the 90cm and twilly versions of Dans un Jardin Anglais, but I feel that this is on another level: here are the 90cm silk twill scarf and the 140cm cashmere/silk shawl versions of the gorgeous Plumes en Fête by Aline Honoré. Information about both will be interspersed throughout this post.
The silk twill scarf
In the Autumn of 2019, I had firmly decided that my small Hermès scarf collection was complete. There are probably loads of reasons why I shouldn’t purchase any more scarves: I am now in my 60s, I am very ill with multiple chronic conditions, I hardly ever leave the house so rarely get an opportunity to “dress up”, and storage space is getting very cramped. But the new season’s offer started to appear and I began to slide down the slippery orange slope once again…
So, let me introduce you to my purchase for the Spring/Summer 2020 season:
Plumes en Fête scarf by Aline Honoré for Hermès
Plumes en Fête, colourway #09, product code H003433S 09, designed by Aline Honoré.
Description of the silk twill scarf
On opening the iconic orange box and gently taking out the scarf, a swirl of beautiful feathers sweeps into view. They have a sense of movement around a central empty space, as if the wind has caught them in an eddy. With the scarf laid out flat, the feathers appear to begin from the top right and bottom left-hand corners, with a clockwise motion. Even the corners of the scarf are filled. There is no border to the scarf which also has a lovely contrast hem. The whole scarf is a study in pattern and movement. Each feather is drawn in amazing realistic detail with beautiful markings and use of colour.
I chose the colourway #09 because I love blues and, yes, there are many shades of that colour in this masterpiece. There is also a vivid green, turquoise, white, a subtle purple and pale orange. The contrast hem is another shade of purple. Some of the other versions of the scarf have more variety in their colours, others are more like the shades available in nature, some are vivid and fun, and others are subtle or pastel. I think that there is a colourway for almost everyone!
Colourways for the silk twill scarf
The colourway for my scarf is #09: Bleu Cobalt/Turquoise/Vert. These are all of the versions offered for the silk twill, 90cm, Spring/Summer 2020 season. If you click on any of the images, you will be able to see a larger picture with the Hermès purchasing code.
H003433S 01
H003433S 07
H003433S 03
H003433S 11
H003433S 06
H003433S 02
H003433S 09
H003433S 04
H003433S 10
H003433S 05
H003433S 08
During the Autumn/Winter 2020 season, this amazing 90cm exceptional scarf appeared online. As you can see, it is made of silk and covered with beads, sequins and embroidery, which apparently took over 135 hours to complete by hand. It is, at the time of writing, currently available for $4850 on the US website! Here are some images, the purchasing code is at the bottom of the first picture:
H593433S 02
Here is another photo, which really shows off the beautiful beading:
And a modelling shot:
The cashmere/silk shawl
During the Summer of 2020, the new scarves and shawls began to appear in discussions online. I had been thinking for some time that I had really run out of storage space for more scarves and that I should really restrict my purchases. Lovely Husband agreed that I should buy only a few more and so I decided that I would look at the extremely expensive cashmere silks and consider whether I could save up for one!
So, I had a look, thought for a while, and then dived in!
Plumes en Fête shawl by Aline Honoré for Hermès
Plumes en Fête, colourway #04, product code H243433S 04, designed by Aline Honoré.
Description of the cashmere/silk shawl
I have already described the artwork of this amazing shawl in the “Description of the silk twill scarf” paragraph above, so I will not repeat it here. I will say that the effect of the swirling feathers is even more beautiful in this larger version.
Since I changed my second wardrobe neutral colour from brown to grey, I have purchased quite a lot of clothing in shades of this colour, mainly for my Winter wardrobe. My scarf collection, on the other hand, contains very few scarves with grey even in small amounts. As I already own a Liberty of London shawl in blues, I decided that I should choose an Hermès shawl to look fantastic with grey.
My final choice was colourway #04: Gris Chiné, Mauve, Rose. That background colour is a light grey and the feathers are depicted in a lovely blue, pink, mauve, greenish-yellow, tomato red and orange. The contrast hem is a lovely deep orange. There are also touches of black and a bright white.
These colours are completely beyond my usual choices and I felt a bit uncomfortable when I opened the orange box. As Hermès scarfies will know, the images on the website are different from the real scarves, usually varying subtlely. But this time the difference is quite marked! See what you think when you see the “real life” photos further down this post.
Colourways for the cashmere/silk shawl
The cashmere/silk 140cm shawl colourways for Autumn/Winter 2020 can now be seen. Once again you can click on any of the images to see a larger picture with the Hermès purchasing code.
H243433S 02
Plumes en Fête shawl (H243433S 04)
H243433S 05
H243433S 09
H243433S 10
H243433S 11
H243433S 12
H243433S 16
H243433S 18
Design story
Details of the silk twill scarf
Here are some close-ups of my scarf in a slideshow format:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Details of the cashmere/silk shawl
Here are some close-ups of my shawl in a slideshow format:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
How I wear the scarf and shawl
At the time of writing this post (beginning of January 2020), I haven’t yet worn the scarf with any of my outfits, so have been unable to make my usual “Outfit of the Day” collages. When I do wear this gorgeous scarf, it will be with cobalt, navy blue and also with white. I might also see what it looks like with other shades of blue. I would be interested to know if readers of the blog would try it with other colours. There is a lovely shade of bright green in the scarf, but I don’t have clothing in that colour.
The same applies to the shawl, as the weather is not suitable for wearing it yet!
When I can make some collages, they will be added here.
Scarf ties
I have taken some quick photos of possible scarf ties. In truth, there really are endless ways of using this scarf to show its beautiful features. I think that the waterfall knot looks particularly amazing, although it’s not very practical for daily life!
Plumes en Fête – scarf ties
1) Top row L to R: simple bias fold, cowl knot, cowboy cowl knot.
2) Middle row L to R: waterfall knot, simple tie, edo knot.
3) Bottom row L to R: criss-cross knot, asymmetric wrap, half-bow knot.
Many of these scarf ties were made using a MaiTai mother-of-pearl scarf ring.
Shawl ties
Here are a few photos of my first attempts at tying this scarf – some more successful than others:
Plumes en Fête – shawl ties
Background information
I tried to find some information about the designer of the scarf, Aline Honoré, but was unable to track down very much worth linking to here. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful.
First, a video featuring Plumes en Fête:
HSCI Hermes Scarf Catalogue Aline Honoré
Some of the wonderful scarves designed by the artist.
Next, I have just seen that the amazing MaiTai also has a Plumes en Fète scarf. It is included in this interesting recent post on her blog:
I though that I would also include a detailed article about feathers…
Wikipedia Feather
Comprehensive article with links and references.
Ooh, by the way, Hermès have produced gorgeous enamel bangles in the Plumes en Fête design! Here are a couple of photos:
I hope readers have found this exploration of Plumes en Fête, scarf and shawl, 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.
Best wishes,
Anne
💕💗💖💗💕
Updated 10/08/20 to add information about the cashmere/silk shawl, general updating and some new links.
Updated 14/09/20 to add details and photos of the exceptional silk beaded 90cm scarf.
Before I begin, I just want to say that it is so hot here today that I have virtually collapsed onto my bed. So those lovely visitors hoping for a full range of modelling photos will have to wait until the weather cools down a bit!
Yes, after a few years of collecting silk scarves from the famous and iconic Hermès, I finally succumbed to this…
First of all, the smooth and beautifully designed shipping box (I keep these just in case):
The shipping box is open – everything is well protected:
The lovely orange box, with its Bolduc ribbon, larger than usual for me:
The box is open to reveal:
The beautiful shawl is lifted out and unfolded a little:
More views of Aline Honoré’s gorgeous Plumes en Fête, the 140 cashmere/silk version in Gris Chiné, Mauve, Rose, (code number H243433S 04):
I am planning to take some better detailed shots of the shawl and also modelling photos over the weekend. Also, I am aiming to either add all of the shawl information (including photos and a full description) to the Plumes en Fête Scarf of the Moment post or write a separate one. What do readers think?
More information about this wonderful shawl will appear in Monday’s post, all being well.
Well, I have a confession to make – I didn’t finish any books last week! You see, I started one and read about a fifth of it then gave up (more about this below). Then I chose another one, read a few chapters and realised that parts of the plot were ringing bells in my mind and that, perhaps, I had read it before! At least that is another good reason to use Goodreads: I could check on there to see if I had reviewed the book – and I had, two years ago!
So, I then turned to a book that I had been saving for a “rainy day” and this book was the perfect choice. Thank Goodness! As I only started this one yesterday, you will find out which book it is in next week’s Reading Roundup.
Now, for the book I started after last week’s Roundup…
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
One of the wonderful things about books is that there is at least one for everyone, in my opinion. Well, I have to think that, as a librarian! I was brought up to finish every book that I started and to feel very guilty if I couldn’t. It is only recently that I have shrugged this daft idea off. I only have a limited reading life left, even less if I have another stroke, so I feel that I should be a lot more selective and only read books which I enjoy. Reading should bring pleasure, not pain and guilt.
On that note, I will post the blurb for The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry:
London 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Accompanied by her son Francis – a curious, obsessive boy – she leaves town for Essex, where she hopes fresh air and open space will provide the refuge they need.
When they take lodgings in Colchester, rumours reach them from further up the estuary that the mythical Essex Serpent, once said to roam the marshes claiming human lives, has returned to the coastal parish of Aldwinter. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, convinced that what the local people think is a magical beast may be a previously undiscovered species. As she sets out on its trail, she is introduced to William Ransome, Aldwinter’s vicar.
Like Cora, Will is deeply suspicious of the rumours, but he thinks they are founded on moral panic, a flight from real faith. As he tries to calm his parishioners, he and Cora strike up an intense relationship, and although they agree on absolutely nothing, they find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart, eventually changing each other’s lives in ways entirely unexpected.
Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, this novel is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different guises it can take.
Looking on Goodreads, I can see that several of my friends have reacted to this book. Some have really enjoyed it, others are more neutral. That’s exactly as it should be. I have decided that I won’t write a review for the book. I feel that it wouldn’t be fair when I didn’t read much of the book and gave up on it so soon. I don’t intend to put others readers off it as many people have truly loved it. In many ways, I am quite an immature reader in that I have to have action in my books. I don’t go for long descriptive passages and I need something to happen at fairly frequent intervals!
And there is nothing wrong with that!
Now, I can finish off this post and then turn to my lovely ebook that I am thoroughly enjoying…
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!
And a modelling shot:
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…