Come live love and laugh with me
I had a little bit of a giggle when I saw this old Pickles cartoon the other day……since his eye surgery The Golfer hasn’t been allowed to lift anything so it’s been me bringing all the shopping in from the car.
I think that might be my final answer as well 😎
Not the best of months as I sort of knew it would be but we survived……
Thankfully The Virus and all it entailed that had me low for a while has now moved on its merry way – a month ago The Golfer (who doesn’t deal well with sickness in any form) was driving and back at the golf club a week after his first cataract operation – then last week had his second eye surgery…
The day started with an admission time of 7.30am in a day procedure clinic about 25kms from home, take it from me I wasn’t too impressed when the heavens opened just as I reversed up the drive. Contending with early morning traffic while its bucketing down isn’t my idea of fun…..there’s always that one driver who wants to get ahead of everyone else and lane hops all the way up the road….so there was a big sigh of relief when we finally arrived
….it was a more complicated procedure than the first….A Vitrectomy which means I’m still on ‘drops duty’ ….4xdaily for one – reducing frequency for the other – and he is certainly not happy after learning the restrictions on this one could last a while. e.g. no flying, no driving, no golf, no gym, no gardening (digging) or lifting anything heavy – these are just a few- until the inserted ‘air bubble’ has disappeared.
But look, there’s been some laughs…..putting his spectacles on and wondering why one lens was all fuzzy – forgetting his sight on that side had been ‘restored’ – then trying to wrangle the very well secured lens from the frame. With luck (fingers crossed) new ones won’t be needed as there was cataract surgery on the 2nd eye as well
Another good thing to come out of all this sitting around keeping him company is I’ve used up several lots of excess wool ….Voila..…36/20x20cm knitted squares…..with (as requested) long ends left for sewing together to make a large sized cot blanket. Win/Win situation!
Our weather has been changeable revolting…..Spring has been ghastly – Summer starts in two weeks time ……hopefully some dry sunny days will turn up and I’ll not need to turn the heating on again
Last Sunday (Nov. 9) was a miserable cold wet day just right for more bingeing on outback noir…….so after introducing TG to audio books on Libby I set to and enjoyed some of Garry Disher’s ‘Peninsula Crimes’ series where Detective Inspector Hal Challis plays the lead role.
Most of the action – and there’s plenty of it – takes place south of Melbourne on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula..(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Peninsula)….
an area enjoyed by the rich and famous as well as ‘ordinary Australians’.
📘 The Dragon Man
Peninsula Crimes #1
📘 Kittyhawk Down
Peninsula Crimes #2
📘 Snapshot
Peninsula Crimes #3
November is Novella time so I’ve a couple lined up to see the month out
The Girls on the Shore – Anne Cleeves
(A very short tale featuring Matthew Venn)
The Catch – Mick Herron
(A little bit of spying going on)
Plus
Walk the Blue Fields – Claire Keegan
(Very short stories about life)
See you soon!
Now many of us (and I bet you’re one of them as well) make a note of ‘interesting sounding books’ we see or hear about- especially those read by other bloggers. And sometimes we forget to note the place or a name (guilty as charged 🤭)
October is a good month for me – the start of a new birth year – so what better than to look at my list and read all things new to me. Authors as well as series
(Being laid low for weeks with a virus wasn’t on the cards though. I’m still not right , coughing like crazy, dozing at the drop of an eyelid, feel as though I’ve been run over by a truck. I did manage to keep my eyes open to read recently (and prepare a couple of posts)……stayed away from SM & blogs – but am not planning ahead for this month)
So, at the beginning of October I picked these three up from the library – with no idea of where or by whom the recommendation came
We all want impossible things – Catherine Newman
Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self?
* I’m sorry but I couldn’t get past chapter 2…..there must be plenty who enjoyed it but as the saying goes ‘Just not for me’
Rites of Spring – Anders De la Motte
Southern Sweden: Beautiful countryside, endless forests, coastal walks, dark days – and even darker nights. But beneath the beauty lies a dark heart . . .
* It seemed a good idea – a ‘new to me’ author recommended as a good crime writer. Unfortunately…..yes, another that didn’t hold my interest. It’s actually available on Libby so maybe I’ll have another try sometime- the book font was quite small so with online adjustments it could be easier to read (and absorb)
A month in the Country – J. L. Carr
This haunting novel, set in the summer of 1920, is the story of a war survivor who spends a month in the quiet of the English countryside, living in a church in the North of England, uncovering and restoring an historical wall painting.
* So so good….so so short…..just over 100 pages of a peaceful summer with so much more included…..enough to remind you of the horror of war, the losses that come with it – both physical and mental – plus the overwhelming desire for attitudes to change as well as things to be better afterwards. One I’ll definitely be rereading – please try to find a copy, you won’t be disappointed
There was a film adaptation (1987) starring Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh in the lead roles which if interested you can watch HERE
(Original English dialogue- just ignore the Spanish subtitles)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Month_in_the_Country_(novel)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Month_in_the_Country_(film)
*******
I moved on to a couple of easy comfortable reads (located online) that were also ‘on the list’ followed by one passed on by hand
Tea on Sunday – Lettice Cooper
Alberta Mansbridge has invited eight people to have tea but doesn’t open the door when they arrive……..because after a police forced entry she is found at her desk – strangled
* Now this was one I certainly enjoyed.
Written (and set) in the 1970s it seemed to have an older feel to it. Each chapter allows Inspector Corby aided by Sergeant Newstead to methodically learn more about the lives, loves and relationships of each of the suspects. Just a little bit of right/wrong – true/untrue facts are revealed as the chapters pass by….…. enough to have you wondering. I was still wondering right up to when I twigged during the last chapter. Good read!
Ordinary Life: Stories – Elizabeth Berg
In this superb collection of short stories, Elizabeth Berg takes us into pivotal moments in the lives of women,……….
* And that’s what it was- a really good collection of short stories featuring women. Thank you whoever it was who recommended this author, I’ll be on the lookout for more works by Elizabeth Berg
The Reading Group – Elizabeth Noble
Its members are as different as the books they read. But each woman has secret hopes and fears – for a new lover, a straying husband, an ailing mother, a tear away teenager…… and each woman finds laughter and support in the group’s monthly meetings.
* This is the ‘oh, you must read this – you’ll love it’ book I spoke about a couple of weeks ago, now I really don’t want to give up on it but it’s hard going with so many characters (young and old) appearing right from page 1,
It’s bitty (a bit about this one – a bit about that one) so trying to keep track of what’s going on in the life of each of those people is confusing plus as mentioned in the earlier post there’s an awful lot of different relationships and situations to get my head around.
I don’t dislike it……I’m just putting it to one side for now
📘📘📘📘
Then I remembered reading/hearing others (not sure where/who) saying……
”Oh if you enjoy XYZ, you really should try this….you’ll love it”
So going on those words decided to try these new to me series
📘This Side of Murder – Anna Lee Huber
Verity Kent Mysteries #1
📘Unforgiven – Sarah Barrie
Lexie Winter #1
📘Cutters End – Margaret Hickey
Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti #1
📘Dead Simple – Peter James
Roy Grace #1
Of the four I will probably (at some time) continue with the Roy Grace series. I read the other three but there was just something about each of the main characters that didn’t appeal. But then as they say……nothing ventured – nothing gained…..other books in those series might make better reading than the first one did
Still Waters 