October 2024

Autumn has definitely settled in this month, though at some times it's felt more like winter. We've had some lovely bright autumnal days too though, it's nice when we get to see blue skies and sunshine this late in the year.

We've tried to make the most of every last little bit of sunshine we've had, enjoying days out where possible. We've visited Seaham and Scarborough on the coast, various National Trust properties, Pateley Bridge, Ripley Castle and Knaresborough, among other places.

There have been some Friday evenings out too. Something new we've done this year is head out, just as soon as Mick's finished work for the weekend, and enjoyed late afternoon or evening walks on the beach. It was good to still be doing this in October but now the clocks have gone back, we won't get the chance again until Spring arrives.

This last Friday evening's excursion was something special, we headed off to Fountains Abbey to see Fountains by Floodlight. This is an after-dark experience where you're able to wander around the Abbey's glowing ruins while a choir sings. The fact that it had been misty all day and into the night made it even more atmospheric. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

Wedding Fair season is upon us and we've had a few appointments with Daniel and Jasmine. I think they've just about decided on a venue now so once that gets sorted out it will be all systems go securing all the other suppliers needed to bring a wedding together. There's still a bit of time yet, the wedding won't be until 2026 but you do have to arrange these things in plenty of time.

I've read five books this month.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith.

"A chance meeting with the manager of The Great Hippopotamus Hotel leads the much-admired and traditionally built Precious Ramotswe to investigate what is going wrong with this previously successful country hotel. Guests have been unwell, clothing has disappeared from the washing line, and scorpions have found their way into the guest bedrooms. Mma Ramotswe drives out to the hotel with her irrepressible colleague, Grace Makutsi (97 per cent in the final examinations of the Botswana Secretarial College). What they find there are family conflicts that only the investigators of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be able to resolve.

Meanwhile, at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, Mma Ramotswe's husband, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, gets a visit from a middle-aged client who wants to purchase a fast Italian sports car. What should the conscientious garagiste do in such circumstances? Should the client's wife be told? Mma Ramotswe is used to wrestling with such tricky questions, but it is harder for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni.

And in the background is that beautiful country, Botswana, with its wide skies and its courteous people. In such surroundings, big problems soon seem small, and small worries fade away altogether."

This is the twenty fifth book in The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I often wonder if and when Alexander McCall Smith will call it a day with these stories but as long as he keep on writing them, I'll keep on reading as they're always so entertaining. A nice gentle crime series set with the slow pace of Botswana as a backdrop. What's not to love.

The Memory of Us by Dani Atkins.

"If she had been found moments later, Amelia's heart would have stopped and never recovered. Instead she was taken from the desolate beach to the nearest hospital just in time to save her life. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia's heart is beating, but the accident has implanted a series of false memories. These memories revolve around a man named Sam, and a perfect love story that never existed.

Determined to help her sister, Lexi enlists the help of Nick, a local vet who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia's dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.

But as love starts to stir between Lexi and Nick, they must navigate a complex web of emotions, How can Lexi fall for Amelia's dream man without hurting her sister?"

I had my reservations about this book as I was reading it thinking it was a bit far fetched, but I should have trusted the author. I've read all her previous books and loved them all and this story does work out in the end. Definitely one to tug at the heartstrings, make sure you've got a box of tissues handy if you decide to read it.

Nurses on Call by Donna Douglas.

"London's East End, 1957.

In the Nightingale Hospital, Matron Helen finds herself playing surrogate mother to her newly discovered French niece Catrine, while having to keep their family relationship a secret from the rest of the staff.

However, independent Catrine is determined to do things her way, and break the rules. But underneath it all, she is lost, still mourning the loss of her mother and struggling to get along with her new family.

Helen's own heart is aching since the breakdown of her marriage to David, which isn't helped when he returns to work at the hospital. Can she work side by side with the man she still loves?

Helen's isn't the only marriage that hangs in the balance, as Nurse Dora faces a shock that could mean the end of her own..."

This is another book series I follow. This is the thirteenth installment in the Nightingale series, and I've read this author's other books too. I like that even this far into the series, we're still following the lives and careers of some characters from the very first book, and there's plenty of new characters to get to know too. Another good read.

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths.

"A CHILD'S BONES are discovered near the site of a pre-historic henge on the north Norfolk coast, and the police ask local forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway to date them. Are these the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years ago?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for this missing child. Ever since she vanished, someone has been sending him bizarre anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice, quoting Shakespeare and the Bible. He knows Ruth's instincts and experience can help him finally put this case to rest.

Then a second child goes missing, and Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting ever closer to the truth..."

I've read many great reviews of this Elly Griffiths series so I decided to give this first book a go. I've had it on my bookshelf all year waiting to be read. I figured that if I enjoyed it, it would start me off on a new collection of books to read, there are actually fifteen in the series and Elly Griffiths has now announced that she won't be writing any more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, it's a bit different from those I've been reading recently. I did guess 'whodunnit' but I didn't mind that, it kept me entertained and I shall definitely be reading more from this author.

The Secrets of De Courcy Square by Ann O'Loughlin.

"When Cora Gartland learns that her long-term partner, Jack, has been killed in a car crash in Ireland her world falls apart. But she soon discovers that there was another woman in the car: a wife he'd never told her about.

Devastated, Cora flies to Dublin to try and make sense of Jack's secret life. As she grieves, Cora must find the truth and a way to move forward. But what else was Jack keeping from her and how will she ever survive this betrayal?"

An okay read which I expected more from. I just didn't find it believable that after discovering your long term partner who had been killed in a car crash was married, and heading from America to Ireland to find out more, you'd just slot into a life living in that couple's home, wearing the dead woman's clothes, and becoming involved in a campaign to save a community park from being turned into a carpark. The blurb was misleading, I should have paid more attention to the title. The book was more about the residents of De Courcy Square and not Jack's secret life.

Saying that, I did enjoy the story but I was waiting for a big reveal which never happened.

Today is Halloween. We had a trip to Lotherton at the weekend to visit their Halloween trail. You'll have seen many posts on my blog in the past about the Spooky Halloween event they put on there, it's similar each year but they do change things up a little. This year it's all about Scarytales, that's fairytales with a twist. Expect to see all your favourite characters from childhood stories in a different light! Mirror mirror on the wall...

Granny's little pumpkin. Jack's such a cutie in the hat I knit for him especially for Halloween. This is Sweet Pumpkin by Drops Design, a simple pattern to knit up. I used Drops Karisma in the Orange and Forest Green colourways, a DK wool yarn. He wore it when Eleanor and Jacob took him to the pumpkin patch to choose their pumpkins and it prompted lots of comments from people.

The clocks went back at the weekend so the dark evenings have now arrived. It's time to hunker down for the winter months. There's only one thing in the diary for November and that's Jasmine's birthday which we'll be celebrating as a family, but I'm sure we'll find other things to do as the month progresses. Christmas events have started popping up so perhaps we'll get to one or two of those, we'll see.