April 2024

It's been an exciting month for us, and especially Daniel and Jasmine after He Proposed. They've been rather busy with other things they had planned this month so the ring shopping and engagement celebrations are yet to take place but we're all still thrilled to bits with the news. 

I mentioned in my Gadding About post that we rarely take note of the weather forecast as it's often wrong. Well, on the second Saturday of the month we'd planned a trip to Derbyshire, we've never visited Ladybower Reservoir and we were keen to see the two giant plugholes, or bellmouth overflows which drain water, while we had a nice walk. When we looked at the forecast that morning it said Derbyshire was due heavy rain all afternoon. Not being put off by this we set off but as we approached the reservoir you can see how dismal a day it was. We decided not to bother getting out of the car after all, apart from jumping out to take a quick photo. This area must look stunning on a beautiful day. Not to be beaten, we decided we'd still take a drive around the area. We ended up in Castleton, a popular tourist village which we've never visited before. Many visitors to the village set off from here on the moorland and hill trails, and there's many cave systems here too. We're not quite so adventurous so we stuck to the village itself, but we were rewarded with some fine weather, quite different from the forecast or what we'd encountered just a short time before. Afterwards we travelled on to Bakewell, the largest town in the Peak District and a favourite of ours. It actually turned into a successful day out after a shaky start.

Eleanor had her baby shower. She hired a local bar and decorated it with a Winnie the Pooh theme, same as the baby's nursery. Everyone had a lovely time and her guests were very generous with their gifts. Less than two months to go now to the big day, we're counting down.

We had another trip to the coast, we seem to be visiting fairly regularly this year. Though the sun was shining there was a chilly wind which made it really cold. Archie didn't seem to mind though, he enjoys a walk on the beach but he does tire easily now so we don't stay as long as we used to.

I've read three books this month.

The Shadow Sister by Lucina Riley.

"After the death of her beloved adoptive father, Pa Salt, Star D'Aplièse is at a crossroads. Her father has left each of his six daughters clues to their true heritage, but Star - the most enigmatic of the sisters - is hesitant to step out of the safety of the close relationship she shares with her sister CeCe. When she finally decides to follow her first clue, it leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and to the start of a whole new world...

A hundred years earlier, headstrong Flora MacNichol vows she will never marry, She is happy and secure in her home in the Lake District, living close to her idol, Beatrix Potter. But when machinations outside her control lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society's most notorious players, Alice Keppel, Flora is pulled between passionate love and family duty.

As Star learns more of Flora's incredible journey, she too goes on a voyage of self-discovery, finally stepping out of the shadow of her sister and opening herself up to the possibility of love.

The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding the Seven Sisters series."

Another brilliant read, I'm loving this series. The dual timeline and how the story is interwoven is done so well. I like how each book in the series sends you off in a different direction and the history aspect leaves me wanting to know more. The fourth book is already waiting for me on the bookshelf.

Peter Pan by J M Barrie.

"The story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, captures the lost magic of childhood and has been loved by generations.

As Peter flies in through the window and spirits Wendy and the rest of the Darling children away from their London home and on a journey involving epic battles, fairies and pirates, their adventures conjure up a world of joy and freedom far away from the responsibilities of adulthood."

It seems I know many stories from my childhood but have never actually read the books so I'm on a quest to put that right. Peter Pan was never one of my favourites but I'm glad I've now read the book and I did enjoyed the way it was written.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

"When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcey, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcey has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life."

Although I'd never read Pride and Prejudice before, I've seen several screen adaptations so I obviously knew the story. That didn't lessen the enjoyment for me though. I often think that a film doesn't do the book justice and I suppose that's because they can't fit everything which is in a book into a couple of hours of screen time but, having seen more than one adaptation of this story, I already had a pretty rounded view of it. I do enjoy Jane Austen's writing though so I found reading the book worthwhile.

The puffins have arrived at Bempton Cliffs, only a few so far, there'll be many more appear in the weeks to come. It's such a lovely place to visit, especially between April and July when the Puffins, Guillemots, Gannets and Kittiwakes turn up to raise a family. There's other birds here too, we saw two short-eared owls when we visited earlier this year and corn buntings, linnets and skylarks breed in the grassland which surround the cliffs. At the moment you can see the birds flying in with nesting material, we'll visit again soon in the hope we can catch a glimpse of some chicks.

I've been knitting so many things for the baby, I thought it was about time to cast something on for myself. I decided I'd join in with a knitalong which is being hosted at the moment so I've cast on a shawl. I looked through my yarn stash and came up with these two skeins from Fondant Fibre, a dyer who is no longer in business, I thought they'd look lovely together in the Rosa shawl by Collete Audrey, a free pattern on Ravelry. I haven't got very far with it yet, I'm still knitting for the baby!

I keep saying that I hope the weather warms up but it's now the end of April and perhaps we're just turning the corner. We've had such cold, wet weather these first four months of the year but we've just got into double figures this week and the forecast is looking better than it has for a long time. Fingers crossed that May is the month that we start to see some better weather.