April 2025

The weather was beautiful at the start of the month and it hasn't been too bad at all throughout April. We've managed to get lots of jobs in the garden crossed off our list and spent plenty of time outdoors.

We've had some fabulous days out this month: National Trust properties Hardwick Hall, Nunnington Hall and Clumber Park; Halifax Piece Hall; The Deep in Hull; and on Easter Sunday we had a lovely day in Haworth. We visited the Bronte Parsonage Museum which was very interesting. There was an artisan market on in the park and all the independent shops on Main Street were open to look round. Later in the day there was a reenactment of the day the Brontes, Yorkshire's famous literary family, moved from Thornton to Haworth, which was exactly two hundred and five years ago to the day. The people involved were in period costume and it was a lovely way to round off our visit.

Granny's little Easter chick. Jack's ten months now and into everything. He's such a happy boy, we love him to bits. He had an eventful time on Saturday being rushed to A&E after his first taste of peanut butter, his lips swelled up and he developed a rash around his mouth. It seems he has a nut allergy and so he's waiting for a referral to the allergy clinic.

I've read five books this month.

We All Live Here is the latest book by Jojo Moyes. I'm a big fan, you never know what her latest offering will bring but I know I'll always enjoy it. This book did hold my interest and draw me in but I don't think it's one of her best. It's probably just me, I've enjoyed some of her other books more.

I only recently learned that Elaine Everest died last year. I've read every one of her books and I've thoroughly enjoyed the Woolworths Girls series, they're nice easy reads and good, original stories. A Christmas Wish at Woolworths is the latest in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the earlier books. It's good to catch up with characters you've got to know well. I believe there's another book due out this year which was written before her death. It's sad that the series is coming to a close.

Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths is the fifth book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series. The story, this time, is set in Lancashire, which is away from the usual setting of Norfolk. Nelson just happens to be taking a holiday around his old stomping ground in Blackpool so his path seemed destined to cross once more with Ruth's. Such good plots, I read these books so quickly, I could get through the whole series in no time at all, but I'm rationing myself, I don't want to finish them too soon.

I put The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey on my wish list just as soon as I'd read the first review. Having grown up myself in West Yorkshire during the period of the Yorkshire Ripper, I can relate to the fear and uncertainty of the time. I must have been around the same age as Miv, the protagonist, or perhaps a year or two younger. Although the story follows the timeline of the Ripper and his victims, the book is really about friendship and a community pulling together. I loved the characters in this book, I loved the story, I felt is was really well written and kept me wanting to turn the pages. Definitely my favourite book this year, so far!

Now I know I've just said that I'm rationing the Elly Griffiths books but no, I couldn't stop myself from reading a second one this month. The Outcast Dead has two storylines running parallel, the first from back in Victorian times and one current and up to date, however, they both have something in common, the deaths of children. Another great read, in fact I think this one was my favourite of the Dr Ruth Galloway series so far.

I've finished another little cardigan for Jack. It's my favourite Baby Aosta Cardigan pattern by The Knit Purl Girl and this is the seventh one I've now knit for different babies. Eleanor wanted a replica of the very first one I knitted for Jack in Sirdar Snuggly in the Twinkle Toes colourway ready to wear over the summer months. He'll be a year old in June so I started the 12M size but it knitted up very small, I've found Sirdar Snuggly to be a lighter DK weight so this will be why. I pulled it back and rather than going for the 18M, I've knit the 24M. If it's too big for him at a year old, he'll grow into it at some point.

Exactly a month to the day since Archie died, we went back to Lotherton. Although it's somewhere we've visited so regularly, we just couldn't face it before. It was Archie's place. A few tears were shed. It's so difficult wherever we go without Archie, he was always with us, but he loved Lotherton so much. It's a good few years now since he's been able to manage the Boundary Walk, it was a little too far for him in his later life, but it was a walk we used to do on a Sunday morning when he was young. We did that walk again, as well as taking a walk through the woodland which he always loved. Our grieving continues.

There are two bank holidays in May but we haven't got anything planned as yet. Mick's cricket season has started again so days out on a Saturday are a thing of the past until September's here but we'll still be looking to get out on our little jaunts whenever we can. The weather forecast looks very good for the start of the month, let's hope it continues.