Category: All things books

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Just one of those months…..

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!

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📘 Recommended by….

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

Trying to work out how the characters ‘relate’ to each other

📘📘📘📘

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

Linking with Share your Shelf

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Dad’s fun but spooky poem….

My dad loved his daughters…..didn’t matter he longed for a son to carry on the family name…..he welcomed us all equally.
(He did eventually get a son – 4 years to the day our ‘little sister’ was born)
Everywhere we went he was up for fun – hauling us up onto the big gun for a photo in Ward Park Bangor had mum complaining we’d get dirty. Doesn’t matter he said, they’d had a bit of fun and would remember it

I think I’ve mentioned before he was an Irishman who loved to sing….I’ve never met one who doesn’t – I wonder if the breed exists??
We grew up in a house full of music
Never knowing when Dad would burst into song
or what would come out when he did

Belting it out at the pub

He could croon like Bing Crosby and Mum would pretend to swoon
There’d be the fun Irish songs
and then some days he’d come out with something by one of his favourite singers
Josef Locke
*********

Now not only did he sing but he was a dab hand at recitation
And what I was going to tell you about is what we used to call his spooky poem
One he performed with just the right amount of emotion and flair…..one we loved yet had us curled up together, retreating into the chair, anticipating what would come next

It began like this…..
Up the hairy mountain
Down the rusty glen……
Oh no, that’s not quite the way it goes but to very young ears that’s the way it sounded🤭

The Fairies – 1850
William Allingham 1824 – 1889

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren’t go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather!

The first verse is what we usually heard but now and again we were treated to the full poem. Which didn’t please mum as she said it upset us. Not quite true, we loved it – even if it is a little confronting for some children……..dad had fun reciting it and seeing our reactions to the words. It’s just right for Halloween!

Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide-foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain-lake,
With frogs for their watchdogs,
All night awake.

High on the hill-top
The old King sits;
He is now so old and grey
He’s nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist
Columbkill he crosses,
On his stately journeys
From Slieveleague to Rosses;
Or going up with music
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the Queen
Of the gay Northern Lights.

They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back,
Between the night and morrow,
They thought that she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.

They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag-leaves,
Watching till she wake.

By the craggy hillside
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn trees
For pleasure, here and there.
Is any man so daring
As dig them up in spite,
He shall find their sharpest thorns
In his bed at night.

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren’t go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather!

Irish poet William Allingham ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Allingham

Published in book form by Thomas de La Rue. Illustrated by Emily Gertrude Thomson
Fabulous photographs and text from the book can be found HERE

The book can be found HERE at Internet Archive (https://archive.org)

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It’s been a bit cloudy and grey recently…..

My waiting time view at Costco car park

*****

Out the front

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On the way to Healesville
A quick snap from the car coming home from Healesville – the blue sky over the newly growing vines gave a false sense of security

Because this is today’s forecast.
Certainly not cold but very grey and miserable……with a ‘promise’ of things to come

I took time in yesterday’s afternoon sunshine to calculate how many more squares I’d get from the ‘left over’ yarn. These have been easy (portable) knits which is what I’ve needed recently. Those in the group who do the putting together say they like 36/20x20cms all the same weight so I’m about half way through at the moment……adding more colours once these are done.
Making one now and again has been calming, only having to remember to stop increasing at a certain number then begin to decrease…….oh, and remembering once decreasing has begun not to count the stitches then begin to increase again because you think you hadn’t reached the target figure. You end up with a funny shape doing that🤭

Then a quick look at a ‘oh, you must read this – you’ll love it’ book.
Take a newly formed book club, the lives of the female members plus their families and the storyline starts there. I’ll see how I go but there seems to be an awful lot of relationships and situations to get my head around and that’s just in the first chapter

Pop over and see who’s been visiting Kat — Unraveled Wednesday

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Who said that…

It seems strange that the next book I picked up to read is this one by Geraldine Brooks.

An historical novel and love story set during a time of catastrophe, on the front lines of the American Civil War.  March, an idealistic abolitionist,has gone as chaplain to serve the Union cause. But the war tests his faith not only in the Union—which is also capable of barbarism and racism—but in himself. As he recovers from a near-fatal illness, March must reassemble and reconnect with his family, who have no idea of what he has endured.

Considering all the recent and ongoing problems in the world this is almost topical.  Relating to a time when it seems men were men and women were women  (and not all were equal) it covers history I’m not too familiar with.

We learnt a small amount at school but didn’t go into depth – ask me about kings, queens and relevant battles of the British Isles and I probably would have the answer, unfortunately the whys and wherefores of American history are a mystery.

Yes I know it is about a fictional character …..the absent father from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women…….taking that aside maybe I’ll ‘learn a little’ from reading it.

It’s been a while since I actually read Little Women although I’ve seen big and little screen versions which maybe glamorised the whole period but I loved the thought of sisters banding together helping their mother, worrying about their father, tolerating the rich aunt, doing good deeds, falling in love, accepting sickness.and gaining a little bit of independence.

So when I found this quiz online …..me,  usually wary of this sort of stuff, had a go; I didn’t get all the answers correct but then as I said it’s been a while and my memory isn’t quite what it used to be

Little Women – Which March sister said it

Why don’t you have a go and see if you remember the dialogue from the ‘well loved book’

Oh, and lovers of Mr Darcy and The Bennet sisters might be interested in this

Pride and Prejudice – Which Bennet said it

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Today is Friday – so lets have some Friday Fun with a Fun Quiz just right for the day we set aside to forget all the worries of the week

Don’t forget to tell me how you went!

To comment please click on post title and scroll down

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🧶 Bright is right….

Yes, that’s what she said……”Bright is right”.

I never fail to marvel at the connections people involved in charity ‘work’ have. I’m not talking about large so called Not For Profit ones where they’re all competing for your donation dollar (monetary or in kind) but small local groups like my knitting/craft one.

My social worker acquaintance that I helped out previously (here and here) has made contact with and approached our leader with a request for simple woolies for slightly older babies. Her young mums and bubs group are struggling financially and are worried about not having warm jumpers/cardigans for next year.
Second hand is all they have known – tiny sizes are passed on more frequently because babies grow so quickly but not so for, say, 12/18 month because they will usually last a season. And that’s the size her little ones will be when it starts to cool down again.

Could you make them bright please she said, bright is right…..
the brighter the better
My ladies have enough ‘dark’ in their lives.
And if you could manage a bit of fun, that would be good😊

Lovely to enjoy flowers on the deck again

There had to be a reason I was gifted those balls of Orange. They’ve been sitting there for a long time….now is their time to shine.
I have plans for fun…..later!

*******

And then there is this…..
something else that was gifted to me a while ago. Overlooked when I packed for Bowen so now’s its chance to entertain me. Self published so not a lot online except the back of the book blurb:-

A Handful of Pebbles is a mystery-thriller where consequences of events occurring during the final months of World War Two shatter the peace of the early fifties. Innocent people, and a small ship trading along the south coast of England, are engulfed in a web of smuggling and murder, bringing lies and deceit, which makes the truth hard to find…at any price.

Should be good…..I’ll find out soon

******

What do you have tucked away in the background of your life that needs to come out of hiding and shine

Sharing with Unraveled Wednesday

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📘 Crossing them off the list….

It looks like I spent an awful lot of time with my nose in a book this past month – well you’d be sort of right…..but the truth is most of these (apart from one) were fairly short, easy to read or ‘gallop through the pages’ page turners

Starting with a Seasonal Read, followed by Travel – Crime – Passion.
All of them published a while ago

Spring in September – Ursula Bloom 1983
Timeless Classics Collection
* When Janet meets a fascinating older man, she thinks he is the answer to all her problems. But they are only just beginning

What you might call a ‘sweet read’ following along as young Janet – just finished her final term at boarding school with her life opening up in front of her – finds out that all is not as it appears when our ‘grown up’ ideas don’t pan out the way they should have…..a coming of age story with a happy ending

The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler 1985
* How does a man addicted to routine – a man who flosses his teeth before love-making – cope with the chaos of everyday life

A twisty turny humourous tale – my first Anne Tyler read – which I thoroughly enjoyed

Death of an Airman. – Christopher St. John Sprigg 1934/2015
* In full view of a half dozen witnesses, the flying instructor of the Baston Aero Club goes into a tail spin, crashes, and is killed.

I usually enjoy these old ‘golden age’ crime novels but this one was a slog. The first few chapters flowed along nicely but then it seemed like too much was going on and the reader ( me) became quite confused – once an international drug smuggling operation entered the plot it got even more confusing so that in the end I never really cared how George Furnace came to die ( because it wasn’t the way it seemed in the beginning)

Harnessing Peacocks – Mary Wesley 1985
* Living happily alone in a seaside town in Cornwall, lovely Hebe supports her son at an expensive boarding school by cooking and discreetly making love for profit, until the unexpected happens

Witty and unconventional is how I’d describe Mary Wesley’s writing – never fails to please me. The 1993 ‘made for TV film’ (John Mills) is based on the novel…..similar but not the same.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harnessing_Peacocks

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Then onto ‘the next instalment’ which reignited my completist leanings……I’m determined to finish those series I’ve begun – recent ones as well as those begun a few years ago and left floundering in the TBR spreadsheet (of which there are quite a few!)

I had a serving of tartan noir last month (Stuart MacBride) – this month I’ve been bingeing on outback noir…….continuing with more from Garry Disher’s ‘Hirsch’ series featuring Constable Paul Hirschhausen’s life in a one-man station in a small, dusty South Australian town where amongst the ordinary day to day some very extraordinary can appear. If you can find them – pick up and enjoy.

📘Peace
Hirsch #2
📘Consolation
Hirsch #3
📘Days End
Hirsch #4

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My next was one of those elusive books, the ones you look for but can never find – the first of a series I began quite a few years ago now. A surprise find at the library when I popped in to pick up a reservation. What’s the betting all the others turn up now – I read somewhere recently they are all now available online so that might be my next move

And to be able to finish another Australian series, I’ve just begun the last of Jane Harper’s books featuring Aaron Falk. Unlike many in my ‘reading group’ I didn’t exactly rave about the first two so I’m hoping to find this one holds my interest.

  • Exiles – Jane Harper
    Aaron Falk #3

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And this 👇has been my thoughts over the past few weeks

Do you ever feel that way?

Sharing with Share Your Shelf

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🧶 But for the want of…..

Not a nail but those two little balls of brown wool!

If I’d remembered them – If I had put them with the rest of the garment then Mia’s present would be finished. Looking on the bright side there’s only a little more work needed (apart from making up and the neckline) and then it’s finished. And there’s plenty of time between now and Christmas to do that.

Lookee here my friends- what did get finished while we were away is this – sized for a 4yr old (24”) rather than the larger one I’d planned. Not intentional- just a case of realising (after working several rows) I’d cast on the wrong amount of stitches – so decided it was easier to carry on rather than faff about adding more😊

And here’s the next one – in the same design ….because I forgot to put the other patterns in (sigh) …..finished apart from making up and doing the neckline that is

🧶📘🧶📘🧶📘

Now all you crafty ones – what about this for a new hobby!
This came home from the library so I could find out what it was all about. There were lots of instructions – easier to read if enlarged

A little bit of fun but I’ll give it a miss – somehow it just doesn’t look as calming as conventional needle knitting…also, what do you do if you need to go to the loo in a hurry????

🧶🧶📘🧶📘🧶

Pop over and see who’s been visiting Kat — Unraveled Wednesday

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🧶 Ta Da….

Guess what…

I think I have lost my dislike of fine yarn and thin needles. 
This little 4ply jumper sized 20”/51cm/12 month has turned out much better than I expected…..so I may even make another 😊

In the meantime…..

…..there are a couple of similar sized cardigans waiting for the button bands to finished.

It’s those finishing touches that take time, knitting the final rows – joining the two together then attaching to the neckline

I’m old fashioned- not a top down knitter – preferring bottom up with seams – so know what I’m up for when I get this far.

Just have to find some buttons when we get home and into the box they’ll go, joining others waiting for their new homes

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Now this might be of interest to those who need to know who’s who, what’s what and where’s where…....

Some of you probably remember the little map in the front of the Milly Molly Mandy books

Many younger readers may never have heard of the little girl in the striped dress or the books featuring her (that a lot of us read in our childhood) so you won’t know that at the front of each book there was a map of the village where Milly Molly Mandy lived with her Mother and Father, in the same little cottage as Aunty and Uncle along with Grandma and Grandpa.  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milly-Molly-Mandy

The explanatory map isn’t a new idea – lists of characters and surroundings are quite helpful at times……especially in family sagas and novels filled with Eastern European characters 😊

I had a little smile recently when I opened a library book and discovered a similar who’s who in the village map . The fictional village of Tindledale is the setting of a light cosy series called (what else but) Tindledale!
https://www.goodreads.com/series/250305-tindledale

The Great Christmas Knit Off is the first book in the series…..

…..it tells the story of Sybil, a jilted bride who anticipates a lonely Christmas but instead finds herself in the tiny village of Tindledale, where the residents share her obsession with knitting.

When life unravels, it’s time to knit…

The idea of decorating a LYS window with hand knit Christmas themed sweaters turned into a much bigger venture than Sybil anticipated.
A fun lighthearted read that filled a need at a time when I craved something light.

I wouldn’t say life has been unraveling lately, just a bit restricted so craft (and reading) has been very light. No complicated plots or patterns……what about you – how’s yours been?

*****

If you’d like to see what others are knitting, reading and talking about just click on ‘Unraveled Wednesday ‘…….

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📘 Watcha reading…..

Source – Oxford English Dictionary

So rather than asking watcha reading I’ll put it another way…..because I’m sure our Mums wouldn’t like the watcha word

What have you read recently….

After enjoying my first Stuart MacBride stand alone early last month I found this 3 book series (online at Hoopla) which I devoured one after the other in quick succession. With the same characters appearing – much humour injected into unthinkable situations along with police procedures (of good bad and ugly proportions) they were enjoyable- couldn’t put downable but enough for the time being I think

Ash Henderson Series – Stuart MacBride
Birthdays for the dead

A song for the Dying 

The Coffin Maker’s Garden

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I’m not sure what the problem has been with my attention span recently, several books from various sources came into the cabin over the past few weeks but I couldn’t settle on any of them so resorted to looking online for older unread publications – comfort reading!

  • The Far Country – Nevil Shute 1952.
    This and others available to download free here at Faded Page

One of Shute’s Australian novels.
Set in England and Australia it looks at life in both countries during the 1950s. Jennifer Morton is given the chance to visit some distant relatives living on a sheep station where she discovers she is capable of far more than she ever anticipated
I enjoy Shute’s style of writing in a very understated way yet understandable on many levels

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Those two winter reads from last month I had lined up for this one didn’t happen- one had a dual time line that became more confusing the more I read and the other lost it’s appeal after a few chapters……so I chose this instead

  • The Woods in Winter – Stella Gibbons 1970. Hoopla
    Republished by Furrowed Middlebrow/Dean Street Press 2021
    A different sort of read about a ‘take me as I am, basic, no nonsense, see the bright side of everything’ person- left a small (very dilapidated) cottage in a village close to where she was born and raised. She moves to live a solitary (by choice) life in the cottage taking a rescued dog plus very few belongings.
    AI Overview
    The Woods in Winter” by Stella Gibbons, is a novel focusing on Ivy Gower, a middle-aged charwoman who inherits a cottage in the English countryside. Despite her initial desire for solitude, she finds herself impacting the lives of her neighbors in unexpected ways, including a runaway boy, a mourning spinster, and the local gentry. The story blends humor and poignancy, exploring themes of old age, solitude, and the unexpected connections that can form in a rural setting. 

    *****
    Lots of smiles when I found another Mary Wesley on line……I’m definitely a Wesley reader and will be on the lookout for more….listed here
  • Not That Sort of Girl – Mary Wesley 1987/2006
    Internet Archive
    Ned Peel has died, Rose his widow has left the house (which now belongs to their son) and has gone to a hotel where she reflects on her life……lived with two men. One completely oblivious of the other.
    Recommended reading

    ******
    I’m not sure where I first saw this authors name but books by her came up on an online site….this one sounded interesting
  • Time of Flight – A. C. (Christina) Koning 2016
    Internet Archive
    republished as Murder at Hendon Aerodrome 2023
    It is 1931, and the world has taken to the air: ’You couldn’t switch on the wireless these days without hearing news of the latest feat by Miss Johnson or Commander Kidson; the newspapers, too, were full of their exploits…’For blind First World War veteran Frederick Rowlands, the craze for flying holds little interest – after all, he is unlikely ever to set foot in an aeroplane himself.

Then I saw reviews of what sounded like the same book under a different title, (same author similar name) and realised it was part of a series. The Blind Detective.
Part of a series that really definitely should be read in order.
Lots of early aviation details – good……lots of social history relevant to the post WW1 years in England- good……several murders – the author obviously thought they were necessary- then several characters and events that were part of earlier books appeared/ were alluded to. I had no idea who what or when it was all about so much so it meant lots of page flipping yet wondering if I’d missed anything
I finished the book but only because I wanted to reassure myself I’d sussed out the murderer correctly

******
What are you reading now…….

Another piece of light relief found in the laundry room

What do you think you’ll read next…….

A couple of quick picks from a library display

Death of an Airman – Christopher St. John Sprigg 1934
British Library Crime Classics 2015
*
The Accidental Tourist- Anne Tyler 1985
Reissued by Vintage 2016


Once again slow speed and dodgy whatevers have kept me away

So what are the watchas in your life at the moment ?
Have you read any of mine?

And do we share the same superpower 🤭📘🤭


Follow the link to find out what others are reading – What’s on your bookshelf

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🧶 Baby, look at me now……

Does anyone remember the big bag of blue yarn I had trouble with last year……when trying out a new to me pattern….it turned out much smaller than I expected

July 2024

So I found something else and began again…..

But once again it just wasn’t right and (once again) ended up like this….

November 2024

So since last November it’s been a case of let sleeping dogs lie (and rest out of sight) because it seemed whenever I touched the yarn it wasn’t happy……until early June this year when a little Aran jumper caught my eye. And you do know I just love the combination of stitches that go into that style

Peter Pan Baby Book 210. Sweater T213

Use 4ply it said, well, as the old saying goes….nothing ventured nothing gained …..so out came the needles and the blue yarn. Start with a sleeve – not so many stitches – use suggested 3.25/ uk 10 and see how it goes. Yes I could have knit a swatch but you know me….all or nothing

But, just for curiosity I did do a little row/stitch count when I arrived at the decrease spot and wouldn’t you know it…..it had knit to gauge. Maybe it was 4ply after all.


So it all came along with me and the rest of my supplies on the premis – ‘use it this time or definitely lose it’. Both sleeves and the back are patterned in a rather monotonous 4 x 4 box stitch and surprisingly knit up quite quickly…..it’s funny how when you have a regular stitch count like that you tend to count them in your head – so I’m not missing the little insistent voice saying knit 234, purl 234 over and over…..necessary because I’d forget to change from knit to purl/vice versa and end up with a half row of 4 x 4 and the rest in knit or purl!

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This week I’ve reached the armhole shaping on the front, just a few rows off dividing for the neckline so hopefully it’ll be a fast finish. Of course it’s still to be made up and the neck band sorted – picking up stitches neatly is not one of my talents so there might be a few choice words spoken. There’s also a little tidying up to do on the wrong side….some of the crossovers seem to be gaping a bit so a little sewn stitch here and there pulling them together will solve that problem

These two Fiona Lowe books were a ‘laundry room’ find……an Australian author I’ve never read before so aren’t quite sure whether it’ll be a ‘flick through- nah, not for me’ or sit down with coffee and become engrossed.
Her about me page shows mention of Ruby awards (Romantic writers) so I’ll open the books with an open mind. Both have mixed reviews on various sites so that’s another reason for an open mind, and if they turn out to be a bit too chick lit I’ve another Stuart MacBride waiting to be picked up. And of course, you never know what’s to be found in the ‘drop and swap’ book exchange in the laundry room 📚📚

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Unraveled Wednesday at Kat’s happens weekly on the First Wednesday – last Wednesday- and any Wednesday in between. Why not pop over and see what’s going on

I’m joining Min for Wednesday Words & Whimsy

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📘 Reading matters…..

I written very little about what I’ve read recently so here’s a look at some from the past few weeks – or couple of months if you’re really pedantic🙂

June arrived with its seasonal changes… Winter with its short days was a coming in so I decided on a couple of shortish reads to begin with…..


Great Granny Webster – Caroline Blackwood 1977
* I’ve no idea where I heard about it but this little book was a fun read about a larger than life character – available on Libby

Jumping the Queue – Mary Wesley 1983
Matilda Poliport, recently widowed, has decided to End It All.
But her meticulously planned bid for graceful oblivion is foiled, and when later she foils the suicide attempt of another lost soul – Hugh Warner, on the run from the police – life begins again for both
* An interesting read that flowed along from one ‘scene’ to another with no wondering why did that happen.
It’s one of those books you can’t put down and are a little disappointed when it ends but realise it really was the right length after all. With an ending I hadn’t anticipated at all.
Mine was a library copy but it’s available on Internet Archive.
If you’re interested there’s also a 1989 film version (Sheila Hancock as Matilda) HERE

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Then it was on to thinking about what was coming up in the months ahead with two very aptly named seasonal reads


A Winter Away – Elizabeth Fair 1957
Republished by Furrowed Middlebrow/Dean Street Press 2017. Hoopla

This was one of those very English books from the mid ‘50s about life in a country village – Maude who is staying with her cousin Alice (and her ?companion) has become secretary to Alice’s landlord – a very eccentric ‘lord of the manor. It was an easy gentle read, full of fun and misunderstandings, which filled the task of a seasonal read. I enjoyed it.

(Discovered while looking for something else)
Winter Holiday – Arthur Ransome 1933
Swallows and Amazons #4 – free download (faded page.com)

Two new children meet the Swallows and Amazon children and with a little bit of longing as well as trepidation take part in adventures they never dreamed about. Sharing skills, boosting self confidence, accepting differences – no sailing on water involved but because it’s set in winter (one harsh enough to freeze the local lake) there’s lots of sledging as well as ice skating also a planned expedition to an imaginary nearby North Pole.

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Which then brings us up to the end of that month- time to make our way north to the winter sunshine in a Queensland coastal town

See below 😎
Still thinking of the season these are what I’ve been working through since getting to Bowen

Winter Solstice
Rosamunde Pilcher 2000
* A longish but quite interesting read by an author I’ve struggled with previously. This time I enjoyed most of the wordy descriptive chapters dealing with Elfrida’s family & friends plus all the emotions, decisions and more that cropped up.

The Dead of Winter
Stuart Macbride 2023
* A novel by a brand new to me author shelf picked for its title……
Detective Constable Edward Reekie (plus his new boss DI Montgomery-Porter) set off on a cold snowy journey to deliver a dying prisoner to a small village in Scotland ……where they become snowed in along with the rest of the ‘ankle tagged’ community of ex convicts…….

Definitely a ‘couldn’t put it down, wonder what on earth is going to happen next, page turner’. A humourous crime novel is certainly a first for me so I’m on the lookout for more of Stuart Macbride.

Two down- two to go…..one more month of winter
so both of these below have been renewed ready to see the season out

The Winter Garden
Nicola Cornick 2022
The Winter Palace
Paul Morgan 2024

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AND in case you didn’t know…..the yearly JANE AUSTEN JULY event is in full swing again. She was born 250yrs ago this December and (by coincidence) died exactly 208yrs ago today – 18 July 1817.
As usual it involves various reading watching discussing challenges…..my book club decided we’d go easy this year and each do our own thing and then chat (me included) afterwards…….FaceTime is a wonderful thing!

So with school holidays bringing children to the van park last week I was able to share this little book about Jane Austen with a young girl staying next door.

Jane Austen – Vegara/Wilson 2018

Part of this series – https://littlepeoplebigdreams.com

She chatted away about loving to read and wanting to write – and was really interested in the ‘simple story’ about Jane’s life. Her mum wouldn’t allow photos so I took (and forwarded to the mother) this collage showing Jane ‘reading and writing’ ……there’s the note book I gifted her (for her little stories) plus the sand dollar she gave me ‘for being her friend’

My little neighbour was definitely a little person with big dreams – hopefully her dreams come true

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Years ago I watched reruns of the tv series Sanditon (Season 1) on iView – love a period drama – knowing it was based on the unfinished book Jane began writing in 1817


This year I thought I’d refresh my memory of the storyline by chasing up and finding the actual words to read – a big hooray for Project Gutenberg!
A free download of the manuscript can be found HERE.
Like Dickens, the language of Austen is a language of its own and the download actually has ‘clickable’ notes/explanations off to one side of words and phrases used/ added/substituted.

Something else I did find online was this free audiobook – for some readers listening to the words could be more helpful than trying to understand the language used in the written word.

About Jane Austen…..

July in Jane Austen’s World…..
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What’s on your bookshelf

Bookworms Monthly

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🧶So what are ‘you’ doing…..

It’s Wednesday again – what I think of as the halfway point of the week
Some days have been and gone- some have yet to arrive
It’s the 3rd Wednesday in July….middle of winter here – middle of summer elsewhere

Did you know January 1st this year was on a Wednesday so it’s 28 weeks since 2025 began
Or put another way July 16th is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 168 days remain until the end of the year.
It’s past the halfway point already (and I’m still asking what year it is when I date a form😊)

And here’s another little piece of information for you all – Christmas Eve is on a Wednesday this year….in 23 weeks time!

🎄🎄🎄😊😊😊 🎄🎄🎄

There are times when my grey cells works in strange ways…..you’d think with all those ‘supplies’ I packed I’d have been clear in what I wanted to do up here. Mackay (190kms/2hrs south on the Bruce) is the last ‘big town’ we pass through before reaching Bowen. About an hour before we got there I had a sudden feeling I wasn’t going to be content with my planned projects (all children sized rather than ‘baby/toddler’) so decided we’d drop into Spotlight-to see what they had – well we had to drive past so weren’t going out of our way (and they had a sale on) and you can never have too much….can you?

Luckily I had brought my ‘online ideas folder’ along – this simple boat neck pattern is sized for a 20” chest/18 mths but with the body being straight up and down (no shaping) it’s easy to make larger …more stitches/wider….more rows/longer…plus add extra stitches/length for a larger sleeve. With both sides the same – no front or back, I call them me do its.
Those favourite words of 2/3yr olds (apart from No and Why🤭)

As you can see the pattern is actually worked in a decorative stitch but often, like with these three from a while back, I make something that looks entirely different.

This time I’m working it the way the designer suggested, yes, in acrylic but so soft and definitely not scratchy.

The alternating 2×2 knit/purl interspersed with 2 rows stocking stitch is giving it a warm puffy/squishy feel that I hope looks just as good on the body – the yarn colour also has a rich warm look about it.

Reading remains a constant- always something on the go. This week it’s a selection of short (comfortable) stories (Flowers in the Rain and other stories– Rosamunde Pilcher)
I just finished Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens……Miles Franklin 2023 winner….a novel that made me – and hopefully if you find it and read it – you, think about life here (and maybe elsewhere) and how it’s changing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_Time_at_Cinnamon_Gardens

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Because of the recent weak signal in this part of town I’ve missed out on everyone else’s news….so I’m going to remedy that (in a cheeky way) by asking ‘what are you all doing?’

What are all you other crafters and readers up to – I’m interested to know what’s on your needles or hooks – under your sewing machine needles or even on your hoops – as well as beside your couches and chairs and on your bedside tables

Oh and Wednesday is also the day Kat hosts ‘Unraveled Wednesday ‘…….if you’d like to see what others are knitting, reading and talking about just click on the link

To comment please click on post title and scroll down
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🧶 Some days….

Well the least said about some days the better I think….

Blog posts that disappear- internet signals that are patchy – weather that doesn’t act the way you want it to…..

Anyway enough of that, this is just a little post to say we’re here and I’m sure it won’t matter too much if you don’t read about our journey…..that post is languishing somewhere out there – I know not where because it’s not in my published, drafts or deleted folder

So far we’ve just been taking things slowly, enjoying the change of pace and scenery, it’s definitely warmer in the daytime than at home – there has been rain (lots of it) but maybe not as much as at home (enough to stop a certain person from golfing on a couple of days though ) – the warm nights from last week have disappeared for a while, there’s been a rather strong cool southerly blowing (Blowin’ Bowen living up to its nickname) so the overnight tonight (and tomorrow) has dropped to 9c/48f – there’s a blanket on the bed and there might even be a sighting of a hot water bottle later this evening 😊

One sunny morning I managed to reacquaint myself with a favourite spot

And realised there’s even a sort of ‘magic’ about the spot on wet and wild days

And this is how I amused myself on those days
Toes wrapped in blanket – Needles at the ready – Book to read

All those supplies I packed come in handy now and again 😊

I’ts been a while since I began a book and just read and read and read losing all sense of time….Winter Solstice has had that effect on me. Something about it is keeping me engrossed and at the rate I’m going it’ll be finished some day very very soon.

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It’s the first Wednesday in July so I’m popping in to Kat’s – her Unraveled Wednesday link will be open soon. Click the (safe) link to see who’s been there and what they brought with them

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🧶 Last of the season …..

‘Want to come for a drive….
’What today….
’Yes, I need to go down The Bay…
’What today….
’Yes, I need to go to a golf outlet in Dromana ….
’I’ll buy you lunch while we’re out….
’Say no more, what’s another drive in the rain in the last week of Autumn…. as long as you promise I’ll get to see the sea when we’re there….

We left home under cloudy damp skies and returned to those same cloudy damp skies

10am
4pm

And true to his word I did get to see the sea
Under cloudy blue skies not a drop of rain to be seen
Just what I needed

And he did buy me lunch ~ sort of😊

My view of the sea (Port Philip Bay) from ‘our table’

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I’m finishing off the last of those seasonal knits (for the time being). I have these three newborn cardigans (similar to the ones given to nephew recently) they just need some work done on the neckline then they’re also off – not to the charity as planned but to a friend’s new gt granddaughter. A ‘tiny wee baby’ so she said, which means they’ll last a while I replied- no she’ll grow into them was her reply. Reminded me of turning up hems and rolling under cuffs when mine were little.
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And this has been the lucky last of my seasonal reads
Early Autumn – Louis Bromfield 1926

A really good well written read – well at least I thought so!

A family saga relating the goings on in the lives of a wealthy upper class family in post WW1 New England – too much for me to summarise. The wiki article sets it out better than I could ever do.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Autumn



Kat has open house on Unraveled Wednesday . click the (safe) link to see who’s been there and what they brought with them

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🧶May you be loved…..📘

May is the third and last month in our autumn, a time when some days are still ‘shiny bright’ compared to others which are cooling down (definitely colder overnight) preparing for the real go slow part of the year.
I’ve been feeling a bit that way this past few weeks – some days were great with a bright and shiny go get ‘em attitude evident from morn to night……others a bit cold and dreary, need to stay home and hibernate. Mind and body have played up so (as per usual) I retreated mentally as well as physically ‘into my shell’ until I felt safe enough to face the world (IRL as well as online) again.

As you can see, the charity box was going to benefit from my sit down and rest calming knitting sessions (top photo) then our youngest nephew became a father…..of a daughter instead of the predicted son….I gifted them a couple of newborn sized cardigans (lower photo) and laughed at their remarks about babies not being concerned about boy/girl clothes as long as they’re warm and comfortable so followed up by sending them a slightly larger one in a traditional girly pink shade. ‘Love it, so pretty’ was the new mother’s reply……sounds like she isn’t as modern as I thought!
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What has been on my mind is that the garden certainly suffered over the hot summer months. There’s still so much ‘catch up’ to do outside which is going to have to wait a while because even though things are slowly improving I still can’t get down enough to clear and weed….those forecast rainy days haven’t been that rainy out our way but the soil has softened a fraction so once mobility becomes a little easier let’s hope rose pruning and maybe a bit of ground clearing will be achieved

We’re on track to make our way up north about the middle of next month and if the pruning is done that’ll keep them happy until growth begins again in the spring – and honestly what’s a few weeds between friends😊
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As well as needing ‘simple easy’ craft to occupy my mind during that time I also wanted – what else but – something ‘uncomplicated’ to read so ended up rummaging around various online sites (going to the library meant I had to actually socialise with people) and found these with a seasonal flavour- that is they had autumn in the title

  • Quartet in Autumn – Barbara Pym (Libby)
    An easy to read, relatable 1977 Pym novel about the lives of four people in late middle-age – Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia – who work in the same office, are all nearing retirement and suffer the same problem – loneliness. A really good read!

  • A Breath of Autumn – Lillian Beckwith (Internet Archive)
    A ‘delightfully soft, humorous at times and very descriptive’ story by a new to me author of life on a small island in the Hebrides owned and inhabited by Kirsty McDonald along with her small son plus a stepson.  The regular pattern of her solitary slow life changes with the seasons and as strangers appear needing her help and involvement in their lives other changes happen.  Some she slowly welcomes- others she spends a great deal of time contemplating. One of those ‘could not put down’ books where even though the pace is slow you can’t wait to read more
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Beckwith

    Excepts can be read HERE

  • The Autumn After Next – Margaret St Clair (Project Gutenberg)
    What can I say – this is exactly what it is about … a different, interesting sort of read that makes you think

    Famous and Classic Science Fiction Novel
    Being a wizard missionary to the Free’l needed more than magic—it called for a miracle! 

    The Autumn After Next” by Margaret St. Clair is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The story explores themes of magic and cultural dissonance through the experiences of Neeshan, a wizard missionary trying to teach a lazy and indifferent tribe called the Free’l about the proper use of magic. The novella highlights the challenges of bridging different worldviews, especially when one party lacks the motivation to engage with the teachings being offered. source

And look here, as well as being able to read the very short story on screen – you are also able to listen to it being narrated by William Sky

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This post has become rather on the long side – word brevity has never been my strong point – so thank you to anyone who has reached here.

I have to say that one thing that helped me a lot over these past weeks were the simple thoughts of loving kindness meditation (directed to myself) and I often found myself muttering or repeating them silently ‘in my head’ adding love into the mix ~ it’s strange how unloved one can feel even when surrounded by it.. The Golfer would have a fit if he heard me say that because supportive is definitely his middle name

My love to you all – thanks for reading- see you soon
Cathy

I know this isn’t exactly whimsical or crafty but I’m joining Min’s link up as well as Kat’s as a way of saying ‘I’m back’

Wednesday Words and Whimsy

Unraveled Wednesday

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🧶 Autumn Activities…..

So what do you do when you think the longed for rain is on it way but when some actually arrives it fizzles out two seconds later leaving everything slightly damp but not wet…….and not as warm as you’d like it to be?

Looking for something to do sounds good (wash clean cook iron…..no definitely not those sorts of things 🤭 ) something like rustling up a book plus something to keep your hands busy while you wait a while in a comfy armchair until the front has passed and some warmer air plus sunshine arrives

I gave up on A Lesson in Dying very early on. Couldn’t relate to it at all, picked it up – put it down- after a while decided I wasn’t in the least bit interested in who did the headmaster in. So……chose Lying beside You from ‘the pile’…..see this post

Here it is propped up by contents of my knitting bag (a very handy book rest – if the balls of wool wouldn’t move each time I turned a page).

Starting to renew my acquaintance with Cyrus and Evie (this is book 3 in the series) it’s been a while since I read the first two so some revision in the form of glancing at online reviews had to take place. The back of Mia’s jumper also got an airing and some rows added. The pattern says knit 102 rows then shape shoulder……by golly it seems to be taking forever to knit them. But then my mind has been elsewhere ……concentrating on the charity knits from a couple of weeks ago

Ta Da……Two boy’s shirts are finished – there are plans for more
when I get round to it

Slightly off topic…..

Not me…

Our cooler Autumn nights now mean changes to nightwear…..sleeveless cotton nighties have been retired, arms (and legs) need covered so my silky pyjamas have made their seasonal appearance once more. Why the emphasis on silky ones?

So I can roll over in bed is the answer 😊

For some reason other pyjamas cling to the sheets which means I’m waking up feeling a bit ‘strangled’ in places, floundering about straightening tops and bottoms and having to sit up to roll over. Any attempt to do it lying down often results in some strong language coming out of my mouth as twisting can cause discs and nerves to come in contact with each other – I’m certainly not happy when that happens

It’s a different story when I wear my slippery silky pyjamas – they just slide and glide over the bottom sheet so there’s no friction at all.
And they have a smooth sleek s*xy feel to to them as well…..nothing wrong with that is there🤭😉

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Unraveled Wednesday … ..hosted by Kat encourages bloggers to chat about their craft, reading and life in general – pop over, see who’s come to visit- stay and say hello.

(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)

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📘What’s it all about……

Well, what it was all about is the fact that some of the books that were ‘on order’ at the library…..yes, you’ve guessed it. They all turned up together!
A mix of old….. in publication dates and new ……in previously unread series
So, it’s been eyes down reading, that way I didn’t have to try to renew and be disappointed when I discovered someone else wanted to read the same one and it had to be returned

What are you currently reading?

A Lesson in Dying – Ann Cleeves 1990
Inspector Ramsay #1

Several of Ann Cleeves older works were reprinted recently so there’s been a renewed interest which is why I had a very long wait for the first of her Inspector Ramsay series.
The version I picked it up on Wednesday (see below) only has 165 pages so I’m looking forward to an Easter weekend in Northumberland finding out ‘who dunnit’!

What did you recently finish reading ?
Not sure why but not a great deal at all.
Just these three plus The Chocolate Factory which I spoke about HERE

Bitter Wash Road (Hell to Pay) – 2013 Garry Disher
Hirsch #1

Oh, you must have…the reaction from someone at book club when I admitted to not having read any of Australian author Garry Disher’s books. Nor Chris Hammer – oh the shrieks of dismay when I said that…..which changed to smiles when I said yes to Michael Robotham, Christian White and Mark Brandi.  Shame about the blank looks I got when I mentioned Peter Temple, John Marsden and Peter Carey (all Australian)…….tastes vary I suppose.
So to keep them happy (and satisfy my curiosity) and because I’m in a series mood I chose the first book in Disher’s Paul Hirsch mysteries. .

A modern western set in an isolated Australian bush town with a soaring crime rate, where a local constable with a troubled past must investigate the death of a teenage girl whose murder threatens to set the dusty streets ablaze.

  • It reminded me of the Raymond Chandler I read recently, Disher’s writing was direct, easy to read and to the (at times humorous) point, might be short on words but I loved every one of them, the ones he wrote counted. They told the story without it being padded out, uncovered a whole lot of unusual happenings in the rural town and surrounding district and definitely left me wanting to know more. As the saying goes ‘do yourself a favour’……and read this book. You won’t regret it! #2 is on order!

The Defector (Betrayal) – 1981. Evelyn Anthony
Davina Graham #1

A ‘chance remark’ with a friend about knowing an author, knowing you’ve read them but can’t remember what had me trawling the library and online for books by Evelyn Anthony. I’ve still no idea what I’d read previously but the library came up trumps with this unread series!

A man and a woman have arrived at an English country house to spend a quiet weekend in the depths of Wiltshire. The man is top KGB agent Ivan Sasanov. The woman is Davina Graham, one of British Intelligence’s key operatives. Between these two very different people a strange, emotion-charged relationship has developed. The only person with whom Ivan feels any rapport is Davina and Davina is falling in with him. Leading to an almost impossible mission, ringed by treachery and counter-treachery.

  • Take happenings during the Cold War era, MI5 agents – spys , double agents, mix them all up, put them all together and you have a great read. Twists and turns with secrecy, trying to keep the news of a spy ‘coming over’ out of the news at the same time as trying to get him to reveal information about ‘the other side’ Well written, had me hooked from page 1

Darkhouse – 2005. Alex Barclay
Joe Lusschesi #1

Libby has a search feature where the reader can look for the ‘first in series’ and this caught my eye…..something that definitely wouldn’t have crossed my path beforehand. Seeing the book cover I’d have walked on past the library copy but seeing it on my screen I thought……why not give it a go

Book Blurb:-

In 1985 in a North Texas backwater, two teenage boys made a chilling pact that would unite them forever in a dark and twisted loyalty.
Now one lies dead.
And the man responsible is going to pay.

In this electrifying thriller—Alex Barclay creates a stunning array of contrasts—from the violence of a cop’s world to the fragility of an embattled marriage, from the danger of New York’s gritty streets to the quiet of a seaside Irish village. With brilliance and subtlety, Barclay delivers a nerve-wracking tale of a troubled family, facing a brutal danger rushing relentlessly out of the past.

  • Another novel about an American police officer moving to a small village in Ireland to ‘heal’ after a traumatic incident. Quite strangely the disappearance of his son’s Irish girlfriend and what happened in Texas become linked. Even with all the different storylines taking your mind in different directions it ended up being one of those ‘couldn’t put it down’ books.
    If you have access to Libby I recommend looking for it
    Darkhouse by Alex Barclay

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And what will I read next…

Well there’s a few here to choose from – a little pile I was gifted last week – Plus my ‘just arrived’ Ann Cleeves


eeny meeny miny mo…..which to pick I do not know

Suggestions anyone?

I’m interested in knowing what your answers are – Now Then & Next
You could let me know in the comments

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Click the link below to see what others have been reading 

What’s on your Bookshelf 

Book Worms Monthly – May

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🧶 As Carol King said….

Well, it was her along with a couple of others but here’s what they wrote….

Don’t you know that you can do anything
You can take anything and make it your own
Don’t you know that you can do anything
And you don’t have to do it alone

https://www.caroleking.com/discography/songs/you-can-do-anything

The song is in no way linked to handicrafts and the online community of crafters but the sentiment is the same…….

This week I’m back to filling my charity box with little knitted shirts…

……using a tried and true pattern from
a very old – pre 1972
(because it came with me to Australia)
well used now out of print book

……taking measurements and instructions as a base, making them my own

Like these made over the years

After an altercation with a shopping trolley last week in a very uneven supermarket car park ( my trolley would you believe it….acting like a 3yr old wanting to go where it wanted and not where I wanted it to go) which in turn stressed my spine, things have been very ‘ouch, ouchy, which means retreating (after doing ‘I don’t want to but I need to’ stretches) and not doing anything strenuous – knitting is always a good way to take my mind off other things…..result – two sleeves and one front finished plus the back begun.
So No.1 is nearly finished!

And to keep me company I’ve been contemplating knitting my own boyfriend Spotted on the library shelf this little book just had to come home with me

I could make him short and stocky or short and thin…..I rather fancy my own surfer guy – with his bleached hair and all over tan I think he’d be fun to have around…..but what about a computer geek, now he’d come in handy at times…..and the thought of my own action man has me wondering how high could I fly😊


But really I don’t need to knit one – I’ve got a real live one of my own

1961 – 64yrs yesterday


Unraveled Wednesday . …..Kat’s open house link up – click the (safe) link to see who’s there and what they brought with them

(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)

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🧶Inch by Inch….

The past few days have been pleasant
Sunny and dry – not hot – just comfortable
The sting has gone out of the sun now

Knitting has resumed…..
Outside on the deck where it’s certainly been calming
Appreciated because of a few things going on at home at the moment

Plain stocking stitch means I can close my eyes
Think of nothing……
Just concentrate on feeling my fingers ‘make the stitches’

Sounds great doesn’t it
‘Cept for these words that were rattling round my brain
Inch by Inch
Row by Row
(Gonna make this garden grow)


Where did it come from……I’ve no idea……those pesky little ear worms have a habit of just appearing
But…..
It could have been because earlier in the day I’d been measuring the first sleeve (in inches…..yes I’m old😊) plus counting rows to double check

Mia’s teddy jumper has progressed to the point of having both sleeves finished – the front (with Teddy waiting to have his bow started) is tucked away in the knitting bag for the time being……which leaves me working on the back…… inch by inch – row by row
In slow methodical eyes closed calming stocking stitch


Well that was the crafty part which has me feeling pleased because I thought I’d never get those needles moving again……want to see what’s going in the literary dept.?

What could be better- a book about chocolate manufacturing accompanied by the same chocolate…..and finding in my pantry a box of cocoa powder (age unknown) made in self same factory!

I got a bit fed up reading The Country Girls – yes I know that’s almost unheard of …I’ll get back to it sometime – so started The Chocolate Factory.
A novel whose storyline follows the early 20th century (1921) decision to build a Cadbury chocolate factory in Tasmania (which is still in use today) blending it with the fictional life story of one of the employees ‘brought out’ to start things off

Such an easy read I had it finished in a couple of days – the historical content was interesting, not just about the company but social history as well….attitudes to women post WW1, mental health of returned soldiers and more ( plenty of research put to good use)…the addition of industrial espionage seemed right as well (seemingly the ingredients for making Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate are still secret to all but a few employees)


This wiki entry is also a good read

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadbury_Chocolate_Factory,_Tasmania

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Kat has open house on Unraveled Wednesday . click the (safe) link to see who’s there and what they brought with them

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