Birthday Treat

Off to visit family, for another (slightly belated) special birthday celebration (almost got the full set now) 😊

We marked this one with a lovely afternoon tea - sandwiches (sans crusts), fruit scones, cream scones, lots of cake, and of course tea!  

And maybe a little something to toast the birthday girl . . . 

And here she is . . . looking very jolly!

Little and Large

 The biggest 'n' littlest from today's slightly overdue swede harvest . . .

In 2022 I Mostly Read . . .

So here's the reading list for 2022: 

December 2022 - And into the darkness of mid-Winter with a rather academic 'meditation on mortality' - Julian Barnes' Nothing to be Frightened Of - interesting and often struck chords, I think I'd hoped it would convince me that there was indeed nothing to be frightened of, but at least I could see that other people have some of the same thoughts on the subject that I have.  Probably not one to re-read but glad I read it!  Ended the year with a 'seasonal' and slightly more cheery offering, some P.D. James short stories The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories - classic murder-mystery!

November 2022 - Time to finally tackle some of the books that have been sitting on the shelf for far too long. Started with - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - a really interesting read, providing an insight into Aspergers - amusing and poignant at the same time.

August-November 2022 - More series re-reads, this time Gail Carriger's steampunk, with added werewolves and vampires, Parasol Protectorate series, ahead of its follow-up Custard Protocol books, which while they continued to story in some ways, I didn't feel were quite as good. Finished with the prequel Finishing School books, which were much better. Inventive, amusing and highly enjoyable.

July 2022 - Started on a time management lifestyle book Four Thousand Weeks, interesting to think that that is what we typically have in our lifetimes. Interspersed chapters of this with some comfort reading of Georgette Heyer Regency romances, including April Lady, Bath Tangle, and A Civil Contract, always a good value fun read.

June-July 2022 - Another series re-read, this time one of my all-time favourite series, Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise novels. I have read these so many times, but not in recent years - a bit like catching up with an old friend where it feels like you've never been apart - and that last short story Cobra Trap can still make me cry.

May-June 2022 - Back now to the Rivers of London series, picking up one of the novellas I hadn't read What Abigail Did Last Summer, a re-read of some back story, including Lies Sleeping and False Value ahead of the ninth installment Amongst Our Weapons. Really enjoyed the new one - back on form, lots of new background around the Sons of Weyland etc. (although enjoyed False Value more on a second read too).

March-May 2022 - A full re-read of the Sookie Stackhouse or Southern Vampire series - enjoyed revisiting the 12 I had read, and finally getting to the series finale Dead Ever After - good stuff!

January-March 2022 - Another 99p Kim Watt starter Gobbelino London & A Scourge of Pleasantries - a private eye with snarky talking cat sidekick (or is the human the sidekick?), with various other magical goings on - I really enjoyed this, so much so that I bought the rest of the series. Firstly A Contagion of Zombies - the classic zombie episode! A Complication of Unicorns - with added mythical beasts, and most recently A Melee of Mages which draws together some of the underpinning storylines. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Happy New Year

Welcoming in the New Year . . .  

. . . may it do better by the world than the decade thus far - really hoping it can't get any worse!

So, raising a glass to a healthy, happy, and affordable 2023.

(I know I haven't quite caught up with 2022 yet - keep looking back - but wanted to start as I mean to go on!)