Back from a blogging break

Well, when I say break it definitely wasn't planned I can tell you. Since the hubster retired one month ago, our feet haven't touched the ground - added to which this glorious weather we've been having of late was simply too good to miss. So, many apologies if I haven't caught up with you recently but hopefully I'm back on track now, just need to be organised and get myself into a routine again. As for housework - Mmmm that's another story. Oh well, live for the day that's my motto!

Anyway I've cobbled together a few piccies of some recent good moments during the last month.

A trip to Rochester in Kent - a place very synonymous with Charles Dickens. Wonderful Cathedral and we used our English Heritage passes to visit the Castle.

A much awaited visit to London's Royal Albert Hall to see my favourite Puccini opera La Boheme - simply wonderful!

Visited a local venue for an Artbookart book fair, where I met the lovely Sandie from Itchifingers who designed and created these wonderful journals - a very awe inspiring morning to say the least.

Several trips out in the campervan - stopping for a brew along the way. Do you like the jar of places to visit that my sister Helen gave me? She'd cut out lots of articles of local beauty spots from magazines - a lovely homemade lucky dip.

and of course it goes without saying that we simply had to partake in the obligatory Monday Munch! Look at the weather too.

Anyway dear friends, I hope to be back very soon. Wishing you all a lovely day today.


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Year in Books - March

Firstly I want to thank all you lovely people for the wonderful comments you left on my last post about John retiring. I/we were very touched by the encouragement and inspiration you gave us both. I love blogging - its a very special place to be.

Another book to read and review for the Year in Books challenge which you can find here organised by Laura at a Circle of Pine Trees. For the month of March I am reading

  Wedlock 
a biography by Wendy Moore published in 2008 

which tells the story of  Mary Eleanor Bowes who was the richest heiress in eighteenth-century Britain. A compelling tale of her life and loves, where the torrent of biography sweeps the reader along. The research that went into this book must have been phenomenal as the author relates not only to Mary's story but others who came in and out of her life and many more besides. Lots of factual history about life at that time.

Precocious and indulged, Mary Eleanor Bowes (a distant 3xgreat grandmother of our own late Elizabeth Bowes Lyon - HRH The Queen Mother) fell under the spell of a handsome Irish soldier, Andrew Robinson Stoney. When Mary heard her gallant hero was mortally wounded in a duel fought to defend her honour, she felt she could hardly refuse his dying wish to marry her. Yet within hours of the ceremony, Stoney seemed to be in the grip of a miraculous recovery....and Mary found herself trapped in an appallingly brutal marriage - a remarkable tale of triumph in the face of overwhelming betrayal. More about this when I have finished the book - otherwise I'll spoil it for myself.

Another book that I've begun on my Kindle is The Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien

(I know - I'm meant to be weaning myself off of historical novels - but this is part of the weaning off process !!)

Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. Again, I need to read the book through before I review it. More about this next month.

February's book East of the Sun which you can find here ticked all the boxes for me. As I mentioned before I chose it because of its setting in India. Well, I definitely recalled all the wonderful smells, sounds, sights and culture of that memorable holiday. This was an utterly engaging novel and one that I couldn't put down.

Happy reading

Back soon x

As one door closes.....

....another one opens.

Tomorrow 28th February 2014 John retires from work  - after commuting to the City of London for just over 50 years and working in both the marine and aviation insurance world - he's closing down his PC, handing back his season ticket and leaving the daily buzz of the City's financial sector behind him.

The blue building is 'the office'

He should have retired at 62 and was fortunate to be able to carry on for another five years. I say fortunate - he really enjoys his work and would have liked to carry on for another year or two on a three-day-a-week basis. But hey ho the powers that be felt that the time was right - a lot of his work now being sent to India!

So - a new chapter in our life is about to begin. Plans are being put into place -

projects to be mulled over

... camper van jollies to be had

...lots of walking

...even more gardening

maybe a holiday or two

new ventures

and time to relax

I retired at 57 so I've had plenty of  time to do my own thing, but who'd have thought when I graduated with my Degree last September and didn't know what to do next, that John would be finishing too within a few months.

A leaving 'do' has been arranged at his office tomorrow, when I shall travel up to the City to be a part of this slightly sad but memorable day.

See you soon x

Look what the postman brought me....

.....some beautiful loveliness in the shape of a giveaway that I won over at the lovely Gilly's blog -  Gilly Makes. My parcel arrived this afternoon and I'm over the moon with my selection of Cath Kidston goodies all wrapped up in pretty rosebud paper.

 with a handmade tag attached.

I was just so chuffed when I opened the parcel

So many gorgeous gifts

CK hand cream and tissues

A gorgeous CK pinny 

CK paper napkins and a pack of 12 mini clothes pegs

Look at these wonderful CK trimmed rubber gloves

pretty dusters

and kitchen cloths

(methinks housework will never be quite the same again!!)

Thank you sooooo much Gilly for this wonderful gift - I adore it. Your generosity is truly appreciated.  

Have a great weekend and I'll be back again soon x

A book to re-kindle memories

Hello everyone - just to let you know I'm w-aaaaaaay behind with my post reading at the moment but hope to catch up in the next day or two. Apologies though if I have missed you, this was not intentional, just a glitch.

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I have joined Laura at a Circle of Pine Trees in the Year in Books challenge which you can find here. Basically we have to choose a book at the beginning of the month (a bit late in posting mine I'm afraid) and post about our choice and maybe write a little about last month's book.  So - my choice for February is

 East of the Sun by Julia Gregson, published in 2008

As I said before, as much as I love them, I'm trying to wean myself off historical novels, so this fits the criteria - well almost. Set in Autumn 1928, three young women are on their way to India, each with a new life in mind. 

Rose, a beautiful but naive bride-to-be, is anxious about leaving her family and marrying a man she hardly knows. 

Victoria her bridesmaid couldn't be happier to get away from her overbearing mother and determined to find her own husband. 

Viva, their inexperienced chaperone is in search of the India of her childhood, ghosts from the past, and freedom.

Each of them has their own reason for leaving their homeland, but the hopes and secrets they carry can do little to prepare them for what lies ahead in India.

I chose this book as I was drawn to its location in India. We travelled to there five years ago for a ten day tour - known as the Golden Triangle where we visited Delhi, Jaipur and Agra (including the Taj Mahal) 

                              

At the end of the holiday we chose to tag on another five days to stay at the hill station of Simla, a beautiful old colonial town set high up in the foothills of the Himalayas which was once the official summer retreat for the British Raj.

                  

It was wonderful - the people, the culture, the history and the magnificent landscapes. 

Anyway - I digress

So you can see where I'm coming from with this book - I'm hoping to re-kindle some of the sights, sounds and smells of a fantastic trip with the added bonus that Viva herself travels to Simla too.

Anyway, last month's book Dissolution by C J Samson was definitely worth reading. I'm not a lover of crime novels but this had a slightly different edge to it as it was set in the era of the Reformation (which was right up my street so to speak). There are several others in the series which I would love to read - but for the moment will put them on the back burner for another time.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post and hope to catch up with you all very soon.

Once upon a time.....

....there was an abundance of Conifer trees 50ft high overhanging my (not so deep) garden at the back, giving us no end of grief with their sticky brown and dead needles falling onto my garden, leaving a mess and killing my plants as well as giving me no light in my kitchen which meant having the light on ALL  day. You might remember my post here here last year.

This is what the trees looked like last summer - straining at the leash towards the sun

Well - one day the nice tree surgeons lopped about 15ft off the tops for the lady who owns them. 

You can see (through my French doors) just how much was coming off

and this is them today after we had them 'shaved' on our side. Quite a difference don't you think. We wanted them taken right back but apparently they would have ended up just brown trunks and branches with no greenery so we've got to think seriously about what to do next. Anyway, this is the view from my bedroom window - they're still tall but nowhere as near as tall as they were

Now then - there is a story behind the house you can see here, also from my bedroom window. I haven't seen this view for several years - so you can imagine just how tall those trees were. This is the 16th century Thundersley Manor House.

Courtesy of Thundersley: A pictorial history

The current owner sold off a very large plot of land about 30 years ago and a small development of fifteen houses were built on the land. One of which is mine backing directly onto her side boundary. This old picture was taken around 1920 and if you look to the right you will see an old barn - well that is EXACTLY where my house now stands.

Thundersley Manor, was reputedly used by Henry Vlll as a hunting lodge when he frequently visited Hadleigh Castle a couple of miles away high up on the Benfleet Downs. His second wife Anne Boleyn once lived in the medieval market town of Rochford some ten miles away where her father Sir Thomas Boleyn owned the 16th century Rochford Hall - and it is thought that Anne used to accompany Henry on his visits to the Manor.

Inside the house there is said to be a Priest's hole - a secret chamber built into many Catholic houses of England which were used as hiding places for Catholic priests during the Reformation. This Priest's hole has supposedly an underground passage that leads right up to the top of the hill to our local church. I have been inside the house once and its quite amazing. 

It's quite surreal to think that King Henry Vlll and Anne Boleyn could very well have strolled through the grounds on a sunny afternoon - which 500 years later was to become my own back garden !!

See you soon x

The Year in Books

I am a book lover, always have been. My shelves are full of them - fiction, non fiction, reference books, guide books, history books. If I see a book I like the look of, then I buy it and put it on the bookshelf ready to read when the mood takes me. Like many things in life you have to be in the right frame of mind.  Sometimes I'll start a book or two (that's my trouble I'm impatient) only to find that other things get in the way and so I'll put it in my bedside drawer with the idea that I'll pick it up again soon. But do I? There are times when I simply can't get into a book. I'll read a couple of chapters and realise that this isn't the book for me. Other times I only have to read the first line and I know I'm going to love it. But, books can be expensive especially if you aren't actually reading them, plus there are only so many you can store.

So I've decided to make more use of my local library. There are three within a two mile radius of where I live, two of which are walkable (good for the exercise I keep telling myself I'm going to do more of). So today I'm going to take a look at what books take my fancy and I figure that if I bring several books home, there's got to be one that will have staying power!

With this in mind I'm excited to be joining in The Year in Books challenge which is organised by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees which you can find here. The idea is to choose a book at the beginning of the month and post about your choice and then maybe write a little about the last month's book. A great idea that will ensure that we make a space for reading in our busy lives and hopefully discovering more lovely books - either novels, poetry, non fiction, biography - whatever takes your fancy.

I read a lot of historical novels, I mean lots and I'm trying to wean myself of them gradually - not forever but want to read more of a variety.  Everyone has their own particular favourites. I recently joined a crime fiction book club which I'm afraid is just not for me. I don't mind a good old 'whodunnit' kind of novel but am not into serial killers with lots of blood and gore. Needless to say I won't be going back.

So - I'm a little late joining the group but this a book I've read during January - historical I know, but things are a changing!

Dissolution by C.J.Sansom is set in 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066. Henry Vlll has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. Under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries. There can only be one outcome: Dissolution.

Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death. Shardlake's investigation soon forces him to question everything he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes.......

A good 'whodunnit' novel where the sights, voices and the very smell of this turbulent age seem to rise from the page.

I've yet to choose my book for February but will be back - with what, I'm not sure?

See you soon

x