May 2024

The weather finally perked up in May. After a cold, wet start to spring we got some beautiful days and it was nice to finally spend some time enjoying the garden and having some days out in the sunshine. Mind you, I don't know what's happened since as here, at the end of the month, we're back to cold, rainy days.

We were treated to the most spectacular natural light show on the 10th when a solar flare reacted with gases in the Earth's atmosphere allowing us to see the Northern Lights or aurora borealis. They're usually only seen further north than the UK but they were visible in many parts of the world on this occasion. It had been a lovely, sunny day and we were sat outdoors with the family so we didn't miss a thing. This photo was taken from our garden by Eleanor.

Archie celebrated his fourteenth birthday on the 13th. As you can see, he was rather bored with all the present opening, though he did enjoy the treats which were inside the packages.

I've read four books in May.

The Big Little Wedding in Carlton Square by Lilly Bartlett.

"When Emma's boyfriend Daniel pops the question with a ring the size of a small country, she suddenly realises just how different they are. She wants a low-key wedding in Uncle Colin's pub, while Daniel's mother is expecting a society do that their high-brow guests won't forget!

Then there's the fact her cross-dressing Uncle Barbara wants to be a bridesmaid, her best mate Kelly can't stand Daniel's best friend Cressida, and her dad is too proud to accept any help from Daniel's family towards the costs.

There's three months to go until the big day. Will Emma's happy-ever-after end in disaster?"

This book was in my Twelve Days Of Christmas 2023 parcel from my friend, Lisa. I'd never read anything by this author before but the cover drew me in, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Very light-hearted as you'd expect, but lots of laughs. I enjoy reading a variety of genres, it keeps my reading fresh and enjoyable.

The Pearl Sister by Lucinda Riley.

"CeCe D'Aplièse has never felt she fitted in anywhere. And following the death of her father, the elusive billionaire Pa Salt - so-called by the six daughters he adopted from around the globe - she finds herself at breaking point.

In desperation, and armed only with the scant clues her father has left her, CeCe begins a search to discover her true origins...a search that takes her to the searing heat and dusty plains of the Red Centre of Australia.

But what is her connection to Kitty McBride, a Scottish clergyman's daughter who lived there over a hundred years ago?

As CeCe unearths deeply buried and long-forgetten secrets, she starts to believe that this wild, vast continent could offer her something she never thought possible: a sense of belonging and a home."

I must admit that when I started this next instalment of the Seven Sisters series I wondered if this would be one story that wasn't for me, but I should have trusted in Lucinda Riley's captivating storytelling because once I'd read past the first couple of chapters I just couldn't put it down and it's probably the book I finished the fastest of the four in the series I've read so far.

I'm trying to pace myself, I'm half way through the series now but I don't want it to end so I'm reading other books in between. What I really want to do is devour the whole eight books in one go. A big thumbs up from me.

The Household by Stacey Halls.

"Urania Cottage reminds Martha of a doll's house, of a staged domestic life where, upon closer inspection, the fire is a pile of ribbons and the windows are pasted shut...

London, 1847. In a quiet house in Shepherd's Bush, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are secret, its residents unknown to one another, but the girls have one thing in common: they are fallen. Offering refuge for prostitutes, petty thieves and the destitute, Urania Cottage is a second chance at life - but how badly do they want it?

Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold. Her stalker of ten years has been released from prison, and she knows it's only a matter of time before their nightmarish game resumes once more.

As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price..."

One of the great things about reading historical fiction is that you learn new things along the way. When reading a book of this genre, I often Google to find out more, and I'm often surprised by what I learn. For instance, I never knew that Charles Dickens set up a home for fallen women. Urania Cottage, as written about in this story, was a real place and it was, indeed, funded by Angela Burdett-Coutts, British philanthropist and granddaughter of the banker, Thomas Coutts.

I was expecting good things from this book. I've read all three of this author's previous books and enjoyed them all and this one didn't disappoint either. The book follows several storylines and held my interest. Another good read from this author.

The Last Reunion by Kayte Nunn.

"BURMA, 1945. Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy are five young women looking for adventure, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle. Running a mobile canteen and dodging hostile gunfire, they soon become embroiled in a battle that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

OXFORD, 1976. At the height of an impossibly hot English summer, a woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese miniature sculptures. Despite a reward being offered, these exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again.

LONDON AND GALWAY, 1999. On the eve of the millennium, Olivia, an art dealer's assistant, meets elderly widow, Beatrix, who is hoping to sell her husband's collection of Japanese art. And when they attend a New Year's Eve party in the Irish countryside, secrets kept for more than fifty years will be spilled..."

I must admit that it was the lovely cover which tempted me to purchase this book when I saw it in The Works but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Dealing mainly with life in Burma towards the end of WWII, it follows the Wasbies (Women's Auxiliary Service Burma WAS(B)) who operated mobile canteens for the troops close to the front line.

It's such an interesting storyline with strong, female characters and beautifully written. I shall definitely look for more from this author.

We've enjoyed lots of meals out this month for one reason or another. A particularly nice one was at our local Italian, a favourite restaurant of ours, celebrating Daniel and Jasmine's engagement.

I visited Buxton Wool Gathering on the 19th, a yarn show I haven't been to before. It's held in the most stunning setting, Buxton Pavilion Gardens, a fabulous venue. We took Archie with us so the landscaped public park was an ideal spot for Mick to walk him whilst I was squishing yarn. It was a glorious day weather wise so they got to see the Victorian gardens at their best. I came away with just two mini skeins, one in pink and one in blue, the edging for a baby blanket I've got on the go. I shall decide which one to use after the baby's born. There was so much beautiful yarn there which I could have bought but I'm more mindful at the moment of the stash I've already got so I'm trying not to purchase yarn unless I've got a project in mind for it, or if I just really can't resist!

I got a lovely surprise phone call from Nectar at Sainsbury's. Apparently, there was a Cadbury's promotion running over Easter to celebrate their 200th birthday and because I'd bought some Cadbury's Easter eggs there, I'd been entered into a prize draw and won a chocolate hamper. It's stashed full of different Cadbury's products, there's more underneath the ones you can see here.

After reading Pride and Prejudice last month, I decided to look out the old DVDs I've got of two of the screen adaptations and rewatched them. One was a TV mini series and the other a film. More often than not, I prefer a book over a movie and I think that's because a book goes into so much more detail. Films have to cut short many elements in a story because time is limited but a TV mini series doesn't have these restrictions so much so perhaps that's why this one stays truer to the book than the film does and why I prefer it. Or, perhaps I favour it because I'm more partial to the cast. I think Alison Steadman and Julia Sawalha, amongst others, portray their characters so well, and Colin Firth will forever be my Mr Darcy.

Mick had booked this last week of the month off work but I started feeling unwell on Sunday, I've had a sore throat all week and now that's developed into a cold, so he ended up cancelling his holiday and he'll take it at a later date. It's good that I've got any illness out of the way as we're looking forward now to the month ahead when we're expecting an addition to our family. There's lots of excitement here as you can imagine.