To get over my blog boredom I think I'll aim for a photo a day. No words.
I just kinda like this photo. It's the scraps from making the bag and headband at the weekend. Very artistic. Unfortunately this has pretty much been my view for the last three days. I've been in bed with a horrible head cold. I catch colds very easily. I think this was the one my dad had when I was in Scotland. Tonight I discovered whisky is infinitely better than Lemsip.
Usually I alternate reading proper, adult fiction with an Enid Blyton. It's like cleansing the palate. I get so absorbed into a book that when I finish I'm not ready to leap straight into another, so I do some lighthearted EB for relief. It works really well. However, since I've had this cold I've read about five EB books straight. I tried reading a couple of A L Kennedy short stories but they were too SERIOUS for my attention span at the time. I'm almost finished The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage, with the greatly-named Mr Hoho-Ha, then I'll go onto adult fiction again. I can feel my brain returning so I'm looking forward to it.
I'm in Scotland for my sister's birthday, which was yesterday. We met in King's cafe before checking out the new swimming pool and swimming for an hour. Due to my strict diet, I allowed myself a little bit of celebrating and Jacqueline and I returned to Kings after the pool and indulged in these magnificent strawberry tarts.
It's really nice to be in Scotland again and see my family. I was beginning to feel hemmed in in Norfolk so it's been good to get perspective and step off the treadmill for a few days.
Hagos and I had a really lovely weekend before I came up. We did our usual Saturday visit to Ha Ha's and had brunch, before returning home and watching The Man Who Knew Too Much, a Hitchcock film. It isn't his best but I was in the mood for it and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I'm looking forward to seeing these two lovely beings when I return home tomorrow.
I'm so happy this book has finally been published. I've been waiting for it since I first heard Jane was writing it.
I absolutely loved reading when I was a kid, and particularly read Enid Blyton books, especially the Five Find-Outers (and Dog), the Famous Five, and the Malory Towers books. I re-read all of the Find-Outers books a couple of years ago and was transported back to my childhood when I had all the time in the world to read and dream and read some more (and play).
I've also re-read a couple of the Famous Five books and a Malory Towers book recently hoping to recapture that wondrous escape into adventure but felt mildly irritated by the sexism in the Famous Five (a result of its time, I know) and the xenophobia displayed by Darrell Rivers and her equally righteous friends in the Malory Towers series.
Anyway, what they all have in common, as Jane has demonstrated, is the authors' understanding of treats and baking in children's literature. It is so comforting to read about picnics and treats and cafes. All things I still get excited about today.
I've had the loveliest day, with Hagos and Meg and a proper Haggarty Saturday.
I love the variety of colours of the Hollyhocks we have in our garden. Some are very subtle, others are vibrant. There is one smoky tobacco hollyhock in a garden in town that I particularly love. I go to see it every year.