August 2024

The mini heatwave which saw out July lasted into August. It was nice to get some proper summer weather at last, although it didn't last and we've had some much cooler days too.

We had a couple of celebrations this month, firstly Mick's birthday on the 14th for which he received his very first Grandpa card, and then Jacob's birthday on the 27th. It's nice that all seven of us come together to celebrate each other's birthdays. There were many years when Daniel lived much too far away so I really appreciate the fact that we all live close by now and we get to see each other so often.

Mick took a two-week break from work this month, we enjoyed some days out during this time as you'll have seen in my August Holiday post, and we had other days out throughout the month too. I often see post box toppers on my travels, this one in Pickering really caught my eye, I just love Jess, Postman Pat's cat.

I've read two books this month.

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley.

"The six D'Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?

They only have one clue - an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe - from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland - uniting them all in their mission to complete their family at last.

In doing so, they will slowly unearth a story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago, when other brave young women risked everything to change the world around them.

The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in Lucinda Riley's multimillion-copy epic series."

I'm pleased to say that after being a little disappointed in the last book I read in this series, this one is back on track. A little different from the other books as we don't yet know who the missing sister is, but one of mystery and intrigue. It does leave a lot of questions unanswered but I'm hoping that all the loose ends are tied up in the next book. Another great story and now only one book left to read in this excellent saga.

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary.

"8.52 a.m. Siobhan's looking forward to her date with Joseph. Breakfast on Valentine's Day surely means something...so where is he?

2.43 p.m. Miranda's hoping that a Valentine's Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect way to celebrate her new job. But why hasn't he shown up?

6.30 p.m. Joseph Carter promised to be Jane's fake boyfriend at a dreaded engagement party tonight. But he's not here...

Meet Joseph Carter. That is, if you can find him."

The book is divided into chapters, each separately following the lives of Siobhan, Miranda and Jane. It was hard to tell where the story was going as it kept you guessing. There was a bit of a twist near the end which I didn't see coming but it was a little confusing and had me scratching my head trying to work out the sequence of events.

I've read other books by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed and though I did enjoy this book, I don't think it's one of her best.

I've been suffering with my eyes this month. At first, I thought it was hay fever, my eyes were so itchy and watery, but I think it's probably blepharitis as it comes and goes, my eyelids get so sore and a little gritty. I haven't seen the doctor, in truth I rarely go to the doctors, there's usually some over the counter remedy which will sort out most problems. Eye drops seem to help in this instance, along with bathing the eyes.

My tomatoes have been terrible this year. The seeds I started took a long time to germinate and then an age to put on any growth so I ended up buying a couple of plants from a local nursery, however, even those haven't done at all well. In fact, this is the first picking, harvested less than a week ago, and to be honest, there isn't all that many yet to come. I blame it on the weather. These are Rosella, a dark pink cherry variety which I haven't grown before, they're quite tangy in taste. The other plant I bought is a beefsteak variety but the few tomatoes that plant has produced are still stubbornly green.

I've started a new crochet project. Sandra Paul from the Cherry Heart podcast designed the Natures Walk blanket five years ago and since then, I've admired so many of the blankets I've seen completed, both on blogs and on Instagram. I'm not sure my crochet skills are really up to it but I really love the design so I'm giving it a go. I've managed the first two squares, I don't think they look too bad.

To round off the month we had another late afternoon trip to the coast, just as we did last month. We had a lovely walk on the beach at Filey followed by al fresco fish and chips and then we took a walk at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. If you look back at my July 2024 post you'll see the photo I took of a gannet with its baby. It was very cute and cuddly looking, covered in down indicating that it was in its second week of life. As the baby gannets age they turn a dark brown colour flecked with white and don't actually get their adult plumage until they're about four or five years of age. 

It's noticeably cooler in the mornings and evenings now as we head into autumn. The hours of daylight are getting shorter too. It's not my favourite time of year as we leave summer behind and with the colder months ahead of us. Still, September is my birthday month, I was born on the 3rd, so there's that to look forward to, though I'm not sure even that's something to celebrate as I get older, haha.