John Simpson - Back for more 2014, Chapter Five

A new month and a new thread, please stop by and say hi.

Books Read in 2014.

JANUARY

1. Death of an Outsider - M.C.Beaton
2. A Cold Day for Murder - Dana Stabenow
3. The Forgotten Affairs of Youth - Alexander McCall Smith
4. Jump - Jilly Cooper
5. I, Michael Bennett - James Patterson

FEBRUARY

6. Dead in the Water - Carola Dunn
7. The Shock of the Fall - Nathan Filer
8. The Promise - Danielle Steel
9. Citadel - Kate Mosse
10. The Brethren - John Grisham
11. The Vintage Teacup Club - Vanessa Greene

MARCH

12. Notorious Nineteen - Janet Evanovich
13. Something for the Weekend - Pauline McLynn
14. Sold to the man with the Tin Leg - Philip Serrell
15. The Long Shadow by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
16. An Advancement of Learning by Reginald Hill
17. London by Edward Rutherfurd
18. NYPD Red by James Patterson

APRIL

19. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
20. Before I go to Sleep by S.J.Watson
21. Winter Games by Rachel Johnson
22. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
23. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
24. The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

MAY

25. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
26. Temeraire by Naomi Novik
27. Wicked Pleasures by Penny Vincenzi
28. Birdman by Mo Hayder

JUNE

29. Four Play by Fiona Walker
30. Theodore Boone : The Abduction by John Grisham
31. Styx and Stones by Carola Dunn
32. Season of Passion by Danielle Steel
33. Death of a Perfect Wife by M.C.Beaton
34. A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
35. Death of a Hussy by M.C.Beaton

JULY

36. The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
37. 12th of Never by James Patterson
38. The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

AUGUST

39. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
40. Right on Time by Pauline McLynn
41. Drop Shot by Harlen Coben
42. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
43. World Without End by Ken Follett

Books Bought in 2014.

JANUARY

1.The Einstein Pursuit by Chris Kuzneski £3.50
2.Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson £3.50
3.The Wood Beyond by Reginald Hill £0.50
4.The Wildcats by J.T.Edson £0.50
5.Hangman's Choice by Ralph Cotton £0.50
6.Pancho and Black Jack by Fred Bean £0.50
7.Paper Money by Ken Follett £0.33
8.Right on Time by Pauline McLynn £0.33
9.The Summer That Never Was by Peter Robinson £0.34
10.The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty £3.50
11.Philomena by Martin Sixsmith £3.50
12.Manna From Hades by Carola Dunn £2.25
13.A Colourful Death by Carola Dunn £2.25
14.Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn £2.49
15.The Shadow Child by Judith Lennox £1.59
16.Divine Justice by David Baldacci £1.49
17.The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher £1.99
18.Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik £3.49
19.Black Powder War by Naomi Novik £2.49
20.Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith £7.99
21.A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee £4.00
22.The Book Thief by Markus Zusak £7.99
23.The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer £4.00
24.Our Spoons Came From Woolworths by Barbara Comyns £8.99
25.The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce £4.00
26.The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore £3.00
27.Starry Night by Debbie Macomber £3.00
28.Pilgrim's Rest by Patricia Wentworth £2.50
29.Out of the Past by Patricia Wentworth £2.00
30.Earth by David Brin £1.50

FEBRUARY

31.Private Down Under by James Patterson £3.50
32.The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith £3.80
33.Something for the Weekend by Pauline McLynn £0.33
34.Belgarath the Sorcerer by David Eddings £0.33
35.Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings £0.34

MARCH

36. The Railway Man by Eric Lomax £3.79
37. An April Shroud by Reginald Hill £1.00
38. Chances by Freya North £1.00
39. Heresy by S.J.Parris £1.00
40. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings £0.40
41. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper £0.40
42. Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill £0.40
43. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell £0.40
44. Elephant Song by Wilbur Smith £0.40
45. Mick Grant, Takin' the Mick by Mick Grant £9.98
46. Shunt by Tom Rubython Free
47. Here be Dragons by Sharon Penman £1.50
48. When Christ and his Saints Slept by Sharon Penman £1.50
49. A French Affair by Katie Fforde £ 3.50
50. Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber £3.50
51. Mistress by James Patterson £3.50
52. Anathem by Neal Stephenson £1.50
53. Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins Free
54. Shatter the Bones by Stuart Macbride £1.79
55. Heirs of the Body by Carola Dunn £1.36
56. Paris by Edward Rutherfurd £1.36

APRIL

57.Patriot Games by Tom Clancy £1.25
58.Ultimatum by Simon Kernick £1.25
59.Irons in the Fire by Juliet E.McKenna £0.50
60.People of the Silence by Kathleen O'Neal Gear £0.50
61.Theodore Boone, The Activist by John Grisham £3.50
62.2014 Playfair Cricket Annual by £5.99
63.The Honor of the Queen by David Weber £7.50
64.The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima £0.60
65.Scarlet Woman by Jessie Keane £0.60
66.Black Widow by Jessie Keane £0.60
67.Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen £0.60
68.The Lost boy by Camilla Lackberg £0.60
69.Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy £0.50
70.Punish the Sinners by John Saul £0.50
71.Boneland by Alan Garner £0.60
72.The Scrivener's Tale by Fiona McIntosh £0.60
73.The Yips by Nicola Barker £0.60
74.The Northern Clemency by Philip Henscher £0.60
75.Frith on Cricket by David Frith £0.60
76.Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan £4.00
77.Everything to Lose by Andrew Gross £3.33
78.King and Maxwell by David Baldacci £3.33
79.The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton £3.34
80.The Sins of the Mother by Danielle Steel £0.33
81.Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel £0.33
82.Have a Nice Night by James Hadley Chase £0.34
83.Deception on his Mind by Elizabeth George £0.33
84.The Forgotten by David Baldacci £0.33
85.Dangerous Kiss by Jackie Collins £0.34
86.A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly £0.33
87.Void Moon by Michael Connelly £0.33
88.Death of Yesterday by M.C.Beaton £0.34
89.Otherland by Tad Williams £0.33
90.The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry £0.33
91.Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey £0.34
92.Revenge by Martina Cole £3.99
93.Recipe for Life, The Autobiography by Mary Berry £3.99
94.The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez £7.99
95.Storm Front by Jim Butcher £1.99

MAY
96.Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings £0.50
97.Guardians of the West by David Eddings £0.50
98.The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley £3.00
99.Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy £1.50
100.I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes £3.49
101.Home by Ronald Harwood £0.50
102.Godchildren by Nicholas Coleridge £0.50
103.The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell £3.34
104.Sea of Lost Love by Santa Montefiore £3.33
105.Secrets of The Lighthouse by Santa Montefiore £3.33
106.Private L.A by James Patterson £3.60
107.Underworld by Reginald Hill £0.50
108.The Case of William Smith by Patricia Wentworth £0.50
109.Sharpe's Honour by Bernard Cornwell £0.50
110.Seeress of Kell by David Eddings £0.50

JUNE
111. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare £11.99
112. Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer £0.50
113. Sharpe's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwell £0.50
114. Boycott the Autobiography by Geoffrey Boycott £0.60
115. The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind £0.60
116. Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw £0.60
117. The Shining Ones by David Eddings £0.49
118. Don't Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli £3.99
119. The Kills by Richard House £9.99
120. The Unpredictable Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell £3.34
121. Summer at the Lake by Erica James £3.33
122. The Country Escape by Fiona Walker £3.33
123. The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin £1.20
124. The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin £1.20
125. Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin £1.20
126. Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin £1.20
127. Swansong by Edmund Crispin £1.20
128. Buried for Pleasure by Edmund Crispin £0.99
129. The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin £2.00
130. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith £3.00
131. Bring Me Home by Alan Titchmarsh £4.99
132. The Village Vet by Cathy Woodman £1.30
133. Trust Me, I'm a Vet by Cathy Woodman £1.30
134. Must Be Love by Cathy Woodman £1.30
135. The Sweetest Thing by Cathy Woodman £1.30
136. It's a Vet's Life by Cathy Woodman £1.30
137. Vet's in Love by Cathy Woodman £1.49
138. An Immoral Code by Caro Fraser £1.70
139. Judicial Whispers by Caro Fraser £1.70
140. The Pupil by Caro Fraser £1.59
141. Expose! by Hannah Dennison £1.70
142. Scoop! by Hannah Dennison £1.70
143. Exclusive! by Hannah Dennison £1.59
144. High Rising by Angela Thirkell £1.70
145. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell £1.70
146. Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell £1.59
147. The Truth by Peter James £1.00
148. Host by Peter James £1.00
149. Possession by Peter James £1.00
150. Twilight by Peter James £1.00
151. Prophecy by Peter James £1.00
152. Alchemist by Peter James £1.00
153. Denial by Peter James £1.00
154. Faith by Peter James £1.00
155. Sweet Heart by Peter James £1.00
156. Dreamer by Peter James £0.99
157. Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey £0.50
158. Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey £0.50
159. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich £3.99
160. The School Inspector Calls by Gervase Phinn £3.99
161. After You With The Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli £4.50
162. Something Nasty in The Woodshed by Kyril Bonfiglioli £8.99
163. The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery by Kyril Bonfiglioli £8.99
164. All The Tea in China by Kyril Bonfiglioli £8.99

JULY

165. White Heat by Dominic Sandbrook £2.50
166. The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer £1.99
167. Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope £3.34
168. My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott £3.33
169. Sycamore Row by John Grisham £3.33
170. False Start by John Francome £0.33
171. The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum £0.33
172. The Lazarus Vendetta by Robert Ludlum £0.34
173. Sharpe's Sword by Bernard Cornwell £0.20
174. The Forests of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley £0.20
175. Severed by Simon Kernick £0.20
176. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell £0.20
177. The Forget-me-not Sonata by Santa Montefiore £0.20
178. Rumours by Freya North £0.50
179. Cry of the Halidon by Robert Ludlum £0.50
180. Lifeless by Mark Billingham £0.50
181. Soldiers of the Mist by Garry Kilworth £0.50
182. Meet me under the Ombu Tree by Santa Montefiore £0.50
183. The Deaths by Mark Lawson £3.99
184. The Summer Without You by Karen Swan £7.99
185. Second Honeymoon by James Patterson £4.00
186. The God's of Guilt by Michael Connelly £4.00
187. The Pheasants' Revolt by Brian Viner £1.00
188. Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy £1.00
189. On Beulah Height by Reginald Hill £1.00
190. The Butterfly Box by Santa Montefiore £2.00
191. The Foreign Field by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles £1.50
192. The Winding Road by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles £1.50
193. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson £2.00
194. Open Season by C.J.Box (Freebie from Barbara (ameise1) )

AUGUST

195. Gone by James Patterson
196. In The Name of Honour by Richard North Patterson £1.00
197. The Warrior's Princess by Barbara Erskine £1.00

Just to let everyone know my current reading is:

World Without End by Ken Follett
Death in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-6-14 - 1834
Books added in June - 54
Books read in June - 7

Revised book total - 1881

Pages to read at 1-6-14 - 798,496
Pages added in June - 20,552
Pages read in June - 3,086

Revised total pages to read - 815,962

My reading stats after 6 months:

Books read - 35

Pages read - 16,245

Different Authors - 28

Female - 17

Male - 11

New Authors - 8

It is a lovely sunny day here in Walton, just updating my new thread and perusing others and am shortly going to do some housework.

Happy New Thread, John. Enjoy the sunny day.

Happy New Thread, John!

I noticed that you are reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabeldon. I love that series! I have An Echo in the Bone at home but haven't gotten to it yet. I will soon. It is good to see that men enjoy this series too. There is so much in them besides romance.

A few years ago I did a Jamie and Claire Fraser Revolutionary War tour of North Carolina. I visited the National Battlefield sites of Moore's Creek Bridge, Kings Mountain, and Cowpens. I also spent time in Williamsburg, N.C., and kept thinking about Jamie and Claire. This trip was one of the few trips out-of-state that I took with my Dad and I loved every minute of it because of the books, and because of my Dad. Those books are very historically accurate - as my trip proved out.

>11 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, I love books that weave true history with a good back story, glad you enjoyed the tour and with your dad. I just love the books and I probably read books that a lot of men would not consider, I read the back cover and if it grabs me then I will read it, Karen reads maybe 10% of my books whereas I read 95% of her choice of books.

I am at present watching the Grand Depart opening ceremony for this years Tour de France from the Leeds arena, God's Own County is embracing the Tour to an extent that I have never seen for a sporting event. The first two stages are taking in the best of the county and everywhere is decked out with yellow bikes and bunting and will be an awesome sight when seen by a worldwide T.V audience. I am very lucky that my birthday is on Sunday when the stage goes from York to Sheffield.

At present I am suffering from a grating pain in my ribs, on Monday as I got out of the shower my ribs tweaked and felt tender and sore but now the pain is worse, any slight movement hurts and getting up out of a chair or out of bed is excruciating, think I may have to go to the doctors as Karen is getting a bit worried that I have done something more serious, I can't think as to what may have caused this as I am very careful as I can't do much lifting etc,, because of the spinal arthritis that I suffer from, at least I am getting a lot of reading done as I am resting quite a bit.

Oh, no, John! I think I'm siding with Karen on this one - get thee to a doctor, if for no other reason than peace of mind about it - and possibly some pain pills... Feel better soon!

Happy New Thread, John.

Enjoy your weekend.

>14 scaifea:, Hi Amber, I dosed up on painkillers last night and then Karen suggested I sleep in the spare bed as I was on my back and starting to snore, I had a pretty good night and so did Karen and the pain has eased quite a bit, not sure I want to spend too much time in the spare bed though.

Today has been Hannah day and she has been so funny, she could see I was in a little bit of pain at one stage and she kept telling me to be careful and then after doing some baking with Grandma, grandma was putting things away in the wall cupboard, stood on a step stool and Hannah told her to be careful. I have always had first dibs on the cake mixture left on the sides of the bowl but I have now been usurped, Hannah had the spatula, holding it like a lollipop and loving the mixture, this was after having 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the cake mixture before it went into the baking tin. It is always lovely to have her for a few hours.

John, I hope you feel much better. I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Cake batter right off the mixing spoon is the best!

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and got some fresh Chilton County peaches. There will be a peach shortcake in my future. It will be the perfect desert for lunch after my plain cold cut sandwich. Then the phone rang and I got called into work as a student called in sick. So much for a long holiday weekend.

It must the be time of year for body troubles. My knee swelled up while I was in Las Vegas for the library convention and it is not really going down very fast. I am taking aspirin and hope that I don't have to go to the doctor for something stronger. Fortunately, I am not in pain.

I went to the Friends of the Library used book store before I went to the Farmer's Market and the place was full of people. It was the first Saturday of the month and it is "stuff a sack day." I got two books Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (I can't believe I have never read this one) for $2.00 and We Shall Not Sleep by Anne Perry. This is the last one in the Reavely family series and I want to read it before I pass it on to my mother. I also picked up two knitting patterns so my total for the books and patterns was $6.00. Not bad, I say.

Happy Birthday, John!! I hope it turns out the be the best one yet!

>21 Ameise1:, Thanks for the birthday gif Barbara, opened my cards and presents and am now watching the TDF before we go to the cinema.

>22 scaifea:, Hi Amber, thanks for the message, it has been a good one so far.

We had a lovely day yesterday, we went to Chester and really enjoyed our visit, we haven't been for a while and it was nice to visit again. The weather was hot and sunny and we had a pleasant time sauntering around the streets and shops, I managed to get two books, White Heat by Dominic Sandbrook and The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer.

Today I am having a steady day to celebrate my birthday.

Happy Birthday John!

>25 luvamystery65:, Thanks Roberta.

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy birthday, John! May the year ahead be your best yet!

A hot and sunny Chester yesterday.

My birthday cake by Karen.

More baking by Karen. This is my 1,000 post on my 75ers thread this year.

Mmm...those treats look delicious, John. I hope the coming year will be one of your best ever!

John, congrats on 1000 and the cakes look delicious.

>27 connie53:, >28 jessibud2:, thanks Jessibud2 and Connie for your birthday messages. I had a lovely day, opened cards and presents a light lunch and watched the TDF before we went to the cinema to see Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie. We had a good laugh at the film and then home to watch the TDF that we recorded while we were out.

This morning I went over to York to pay the wedding deposit for my daughter's wedding in October 2015 and now I am watching today's stage of the TDF, Cambridge to London.

Oh, the cake looks wonderful! Is there any left? I'll be right over...

It's your birthday? How wonderful. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

I had a nice long weekend and was sick for two days out of the three off and had to work a half day for somebody else who was sick. It ended up I didn't get much time off. However, I guess it turned out OK as I didn't feel much like going out anyway.

I went out to the U Pick blueberry farm yesterday and picked about 1/2 gallon of blueberries. The owners of the orchard said that on Saturday hordes of people descended on the place and stripped the berries from the bushes to the extent that they sent out an e-mail telling people to not come out on Sunday as there wouldn't be blueberries again until Wednesday. I didn't get the e-mail so will go again on Wednesday and try to get a gallon. (I like to freeze them and have them in my morning smoothie all year long.) It seems to me that the people of Alabama have finally discovered that fresh fruit tastes wonderful and that picking them can be a family outing. All this has happened at the expense of those of us who are long time customers and who, for dietary health reasons love the fresh fruit. This makes me think that there is a wonderful opportunity for somebody with the space to grow the bushes to provide the same service to the large number of customers who want fruit.

Scrummy-looking baked goods! And Chester looked lovely, too.

>37 richardderus:, Thanks Richard.

Just doing my Dr Doolittle impression here, found this little fellow with his/her head stuck in one of my bird feeders and body hanging down. Luckily head was far enough in so not all pressure on neck, managed to get it out gingerly and been nursing it since with my able assistant Karen. Just tried to escape but not yet strong enough to fly, hopefully will release in the morning.

Looks like you may make a great Dr. Doolittle.

>40 benitastrnad:, Thanks Benita, the little devil is currently sat in the food dish we have put in for it in the cat's vet basket. When I first found it, it was 80/20 against it surviving but it had a heart beat so I had to give it a chance, I gave it mouth to beak via a straw and water from a medical dropper. The things I do, I am a big softy.

John, you are a wonderful Dr. Doolittle. hugs xx

>42 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara, I was shocked when I realised what was on the feeder and I had to give it a chance, I feel good that we have done our bit and it will live to fly another day.

What a wonderful rescue, John! Just as an FYI, here are a couple of links that might hep in your future as Dr. Doolittle (I don't think it matters that our geography is different; the needs of the critters are the same):

http://wildliferehabber.com/content/found-wild-orphaned-baby-bird-or-songbird

http://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/pages/programs/babybirds/hotlinebabybirds.h...

Bless you for helping this little thing out. My best wishes!

>44 jessibud2:, thanks Shelley, after taking Karen to work and then doing the shopping I got back to fine that the bird had escaped out of the cat basket, after a quick look around I found it in the spare bedroom looking out of the window. I managed to get hold of it and took it out to the bird feeder in the front garden where I found it and put it onto the feed tray, it flew into the buddleia nearby where it took stock of things and then another bird came along and after a minute or two they both flew off, it flew well and so our nursing worked and it is back out where it should be.

Well done, Dr. Doolittle. I wish you a lovely day.

>46 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara, if you had seen the poor little thing when I got the feeder in the house you would have been ready to perform the last rites. I was panicking as to how to get its head out without doing more damage but I think someone up above was helping me and with some TLC it slowly recovered. Karen told me to get a straw and give it mouth to beak resuscitation and that helped. It was lovely to see it ready to go when I found it in Amy's old room and it just looked at me before I released it.

I do love a happy ending! Well done, Dr. Doolittle.

Happy belated Birthday John! Hope you have an absolutely wonderful year. And I don't know why, but I felt the need to star your thread. ; )

>49 Berly:, Hi Kim, thanks for stopping by my dear and now I am intrigued and will be popping over to see your thread and will be starring it.

Re: Amazing Bird Rescue

Great job, John.

Glad you had a happy and active day with Karen and Hannah.

Book Thirty - Six finished this afternoon, The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen. This is the second in the Rizzoli / Isles series and it did not disappoint. I enjoy these taut crime thriller's that keep me wanting to turn the page.

John, I wish you and Karen a fabulous weekend.

John, I am on here just trying to catch up. What a year this has been for me I barely seem to have time for reading and getting on LT. I kinda wish LT had a phone app like facebook does. I can at least see your posts on facebook on a regular basis :). I think of you often but have been busy with real life. This past week for instance I have worked 5 days today included had 1 day to get housework and bills done and help my parents with stuff and 1 day of relaxation with 2 of my co workers we had a girls day on one of my co workers boats did some cruising around the lake and on her itty bitty island getting some sun, having some drinks and swimming off of her dock. By the time I got home I ate dinner and fell asleep so much sun and fresh air I slept clear through til time to get up for work the next day :) I wanted to stop by and say hello and let you know I am thinking of you and sending hugs and smooches to you, Karen and Leo. I am on vacation after today for the next 13 days.. AHHH :) I have plans on traveling some fairly close to home places such as a casino one day, a Medieval fair one day and Amish Country in the Neighboring State of OH and of course hopefully getting some fishing in. We shall see what each day brings hopefully fun and beautiful days.

I didn't get much reading done this weekend. Went to my knitting class and since there is a huge sale on right now I purchased more yarn. (Knitting is my second best passion right now.) I don't really need the yarn but it is so cheap and I figured out some things to make for Christmas gifts so the yarn shouldn't sit around for very long.

I also did some cooking this weekend so now I should be ready for the next week's lunches and not have to do any cooking during the week. That should make the long hot humid days of summer go by a little faster.

What a lovely day it has been, spent the morning doing a few jobs in the garden before settling down with a catch up on LT whilst listening to Test Match cricket commentary on the radio. Whilst it was lunch at the cricket I went to the Hospice warehouse book sale and came away with six books and then when back in my village saw that the Junior school was holding its summer fair so I parked up at home and walked up to the fair, had a good look around and bought some raffle tickets and tombola tickets and found a book stall, came away with three books.

Before picking Karen up from work I caught up with the Tour de France on T.V and then we made tea together before watching Countryfile and then the TDF highlights, Karen has gone up to the bedroom to watch a film while I watch the World Cup Final.

Didn't the test match end in a draw today?

>57 richardderus:, Hi Richard, yes I am afraid so, the batting strip was like a road, ideal for batting but not offering anything for the bowlers, with a dodgy back and a stick of rhubarb I could have scored a ton on that track. Hope I haven't bored you, ha ha.

https://fbcdn-vthumb-a.akamaihd.net/hvthumb-ak-xap1/t15.0-10/1623274_77881328215...

It has been so hot here (middle and high 90's) that I am wondering why I picked up so many plants last spring and thought that I needed to plant them. It is too hard to water them in this heat. Besides, my morning glory topiary's blew over in the wind yesterday and now I can't get them to stand back up. I guess they will just be mounds of morning glories instead of tall shapely shapes of morning glories. I have never had that happen before, but these morning glories are all leaves and few blooms anyway. Oh well, that's the way it is with plants.

Another nice warm day with the temperature set to rise over the next two days but then violent thunderstorms apparently on Saturday. I have been a busy boy these last few days trying to get housework done, do some major tree and shrub pruning, do some reading and watch the Tour de France on T.V. I had the final governor meeting at the high school tonight for this academic year. It will soon be our 30th wedding anniversary and we go away the day before this, so looking forward to it and hopefully the saga of the sale of my late FIL's bungalow should be complete by the end of next week.

John, you have really been busy. We went out for dinner woth my in-laws in a nice garden restaurant. It was a fabulous evening.

The weather here in Alabama has been wonderful the last three days. It is cooler than it has been with low humidity. It is fun getting outside early in the morning before work to water the plants. They don't need so much watering either so I have had about 15 minutes extra to read the last few days. I went to pick blueberries last night and it was crowded out there. I think the people of Tuscaloosa have finally discovered the benefits of picking your own food. I don't like the crowds, but I am very happy for the U-pick owners. I have been making the most delicious smoothies with the blueberries and enjoying every minute of drinking them.

Hi Benita, glad you have some really good days lately and your smoothies sound wonderful, the weather here is glorious at the moment, 30c today and tomorrow could get to 32c but Saturday they are forecasting violent thunderstorms so we are going to have to take the rough after the smooth. My reading is going well at the moment and the garden is looking good.

Finished book Thirty -Seven about an hour ago, 12th of Never by James Patterson, the Women's Murder Club is back in business with a scumbag to prosecute and two killers on the loos, will Sergeant Lindsay Boxer come out victorious or will ongoing personal episodes keep her away from what she does best. Don't want to say too much in case others are reading this series and haven't got to this one yet.

Well the forecasters got the weather right again although we did have rain for about 30 minutes but it was still warm. We had Hannah for a few hours whilst Rob went to his step-daughters leaving assembly at school, can't believe she will be starting high school in September. Hannah was an absolute angel bless her, even when we had to take Karen to the hospital for her out patients appointment, things are good with her Lichen Planus so she won't have to see them for six months.

Karen and the girls had a good night last night and weren't too bad when I drove them all home, Karen is out again at her best friend Linda's, more girly chat and wine. The forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be not so good but we will wait and see how bad or good it is.

John, I wish you a fantastic weekend.

The forecasters got the weather right today, heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning, at least we had brightness this afternoon with the arrival of Hannah for a few hours. Managed to get a bit of reading done whilst watching the Tour de France, hoping it is sunny tomorrow.

Today was one of those days that nothing went right. However, all is well, as I didn't have any accidents or break any bones, I just didn't get much done because everything I started didn't go right. I did find two lovely pots at the garden store and they were on sale for $10.00 each. They are made out of that new resin and are supposedly cold hardy so I thought they were a bargain. The down side is that they were so cheap I bought two when I only needed one. That meant that I had to purchase a plant to go in the second pot so now I will have one more plant to water.

I did manage to get my niece's Christmas present purchased. The yarn shop is having a great sale on discontinued yarn and so I nabbed a huge amount for her and will give it to her for Christmas. She is a big knitter and so will enjoy having the yarn. I enjoyed picking it out and get real pleasure out of knowing that it is not going to be in my house, but in some other persons place of abode. But it was too pretty and too cheap to pass up.

>69 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, we sometimes end up doing that trick of finding bargain pots and then having to get plants to fill them up and so it goes on, at least as you say , no accidents or broken bones my dear. You sound like Karen, getting a Christmas present this early, when we go away next weekend if Karen sees something nice that would be a lovely present she will purchase and put it away although sometimes things have got forgotten and she has bought a present for someone and then found what she bought months earlier for that person.

The weather today has gone back to warm and sunny, we have just pottered about having a chill out day. Karen has been making lists for when we go away next Sunday. Before I met Karen in 1982 I got a Go-Go's album and one of the tracks was called, Girl of a Thousand Lists, this could have been penned for Karen. She loves the track and over the years must have compiled a thousand lists and it is mentioned occasionally when she says that she must make a list.

Managed to get some reading done whilst watching the Tour de France and listening to Test match special, so a good day had by me.

A gorgeous Monday morning and the forecast set fair for the next few days, managed to get a few jobs done this morning and a bit of reading but the best job of the day was getting an insurance quote for buildings and content after receiving my renewal on Friday. My existing insurance company sent my renewal which was for £459 and they thought it was good, I didn't so rang Karen's union who offer members good deals with UIA, they did a like for like quote with all details of my current insurance, all excesses the same, cover slightly better and they came out at £259. Think this is a no-brainer, £200 saving for the same cover, £200 better in my pocket than theirs.

That is a big savings in insurance. My sister is an independent insurance agent. Her job is to shop around and find the best deal for her customers. Even with her commission she often finds significant savings for her customers. She keeps preaching to me that it pays to shop around. You are an example that she is right.

A good start to the week for you, John, saving a bundle of money on your insurance. It's always a victory to find something like that.

>73 benitastrnad:, >74 rosalita:, Thanks girls, just got to sort out Karen's life assurance that we were taking out when we sorted out our mortgage and now after Karen having to have a medical report, they have obviously not fully read it as they are refusing for three months as they are worried about her blood pressure. Karen had to see doctors about her blood pressure after seeing the consultant who is going to do her plastic surgery op to take all the loose skin around her stomach after her weight loss due to her Gastric bypass op three years ago. Karen doesn't like hospitals and when they use the electronic blood pressure machine the readings are always high whereas using the manual cuff the reading is relatively normal, on top of this the worry she has had this last year with her dad's stroke and subsequent death all added to her blood pressure being high, the doctor took her BP and it was normal and then did it again three weeks later and it was normal, they think she has a problem but this is all due to her op, not impressed. Hopefully the bank advisor we saw will be able to sort it out if not we will look at other companies, Karen had a quick look online and answered questions and it looks like she can get cover elsewhere. At the end of the day she is far healthier now than she was in June 2011 before her Gastric bypass op, her bmi is at a good level and she is fitter and feels a lot better and has a lust for life. Sorry to go on but this is what I have had to try a deal with for her today.

I have been a real busy bee today, put the washing out first thing this morning, had breakfast then did my book work in my journal and record cards and files. Following this I checked my author files to update my author pocket notebooks, this has all the authors I really like and lists all their books and I star each book I have got or read by them so that when out buying books I don't duplicate. After this I sorted out my home insurance and saved £200 , Next job was to bag up all my saved small change to take to the bank then do a bit of reading.
After a spell of reading it was time to prune my two buddleia's and then load the car up with rubbish to take to the re-cycle centre after dropping my repeat prescriptions off at the doctors and depositing some of my small change at the bank. Once home it was time to do the lawn and empty out one of my waterbutts then time for a spot of lunch and then a spot of reading before picking up Karen from work.

Just trying to get all the little jobs done before we go away for a few days to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Salisbury and while we are there hope to meet up with Barbara (ameise1) in Bournemouth which is not far from where we are staying, all I all it should be a good few days and I shall be buying books.

My goodness, you've been busy! Your yesterday has been tired just reading about it!

Another warm and sunny day here, Karen is hoping that the weather stays the same for when we go away on Sunday. A steady day for me, did the shopping although we didn't need much so I added a couple of books into the trolley, a quick breakfast and then off into town to see the advisor at the bank. Once back home I got on with the household chores so that I could relax with my book and watch the TDF on T.V.

Karen has finished work now for 10 days and she has more or less packed even though we don't go until Sunday morning. I just need to decide which two books I am going to take with me to read although I will probably come back with a few more.

I finished a book last night. This was one that I have had on the shelves since 2010. It was a travel book Spice Necklace about the eastern Caribbean. I have never been to the Caribbean islands and decided it was time for a vicarious trip. The book did take me there and since it is also partly a cookbook it made me want to take a journey into my kitchen and do a little Creole cooking!

I went to the library and tried to find a Caribbean cookbook and only found one. It was published back in 1956. Not a good beginning for exploring Caribbean cooking beyond this one book. The down side is that now I have to keep Spice Necklace on my shelves because Creole cook books apparently aren't that easy to come by.

>78 johnsimpson: Only two books, eh? I always have good intentions of limiting the number of books I take with me on a trip, but I always break down and pack what seems to be half the home library. What if I suddenly become a speed reader and run out of things to read?!

>80 scaifea:, Speed reading, I wish, taking two books is a start as we will be calling in somewhere on the way down to Salisbury on Sunday and if I fail to purchase we will be shopping in Salisbury on Monday and I will definitely have bought books by the time we get back to the hotel so I will not be short of reading. There is also a plus as Karen is a voracious reader when she has time and is in the right mood so she has at least three books with her and they are ones I will probably read so won't be short of reading matter my dear.

Book Thirty-Eight finished about half an hour ago, The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. I have read these in the wrong order and Eighteen years apart. I really enjoyed War and Remembrance and I must say that I enjoyed this one and I can remember watching the mini-series of these books in the late Eighties, this is alos the seventh in my 900+ page book challenge.

It has been a very traumatic/ dramatic day today, Karen woke me up at 6.45am in absolute agony as her left knee had locked up and she could not straighten it at all, she has suffered with knee problems for quite a while and after the last time it locked up this bad I made her go to the doctors who sent her for an MRI scan. She is currently waiting for the results but this morning she was in agony, I did try to massage gently her knee and also to gradually straighten it but her screams made it sound as if I was murdering her. She rang the doctors to cancel her blood test appointment and told the receptionist that she couldn't stand up or get out of bed because of this, the young lady told her the doctor would ring her back for details, he rang and she explained what had gone on and he said he would have to send an ambulance as she probably needed to go to A&E. Between us we managed to get her dressed and I quickly went to get breakfast and get her, her tablets.
The ambulance arrived within half an hour and the paramedics were brilliant, they brought up a small wheeled chair for Karen as by this time she needed to go to the toilet, they got her to the toilet and by the time she had finished and moved slightly to pull her knickers up her knee had unlocked and she was embarrassed that she had dragged the paramedics out but they said they were prepared with gas and air to get her downstairs and to the hospital and not to worry but in their opinion it sounded like she would need keyhole surgery as it was probably a cartlidge problem that the MRI would show up.

Karen has been resting up all day as she thought it was going to put our holiday in jeopardy but I reassured her that it wouldn't but she now has some paperwork from the paramedics that she is taking with her just in case we end up in Salisbury general hospital and they will be able to access her MRI results should it be necessary. Apart from all this we have had a relaxing day, I confirmed the change in my household insurance and have saved a total of £250, we watched some action from the Commonwealth games and the TDF and her ex-sister -in-law came for tea with us. Hopefully Karen will have a good nights rest and be okay in the morning, looking forward to going to Salisbury on Sunday and seeing Barbara (ameise1) on Tuesday.

John how awful for Karen. That is terrible she is going through so much. I do hope you get to enjoy your holiday and I am so excited you get to meet Barbara! Hugs to you both.

>84 luvamystery65:, Thanks Roberta, we always seem to have something happen before we go away but she will be ok as long as she rests up and we will go out for a really nice meal on Monday to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

>85 johnsimpson: Make sure you take a nice photo on Monday and post please.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Karen's knee! Here's hoping that if she needs to have something done, it'll be an easy fix.

Having experienced a locked knee in a milder form I am cringing in sympathy for Karen. It is just the worst. I hope the MRi will show something that can be easily fixed.

Oh, poor dear Karen! That is just horrible, locked knee and paramedics and kerfuffle galore.

Sending hugs to you both, chin up! Tits out! Glare this rough patch down, old man.

I hate to say it - but if they suggest the orthoscopic surgery, do it. Recovery time is minimal and the relief of not having that happen again is worth it. A relative of mine fought this for years and finally did the surgery. Afterwards she wondered why she had waited so long.

Very excited, only one more sleep to go before we set off for Salisbury, it is 10.28pm so will soon be sleeping, everything packed, all the essentials, books for me , books for Karen, my two author note books so I know what books by a particular author I need to purchase, money for books, debit/credit cards in case actual cash for books runs out and clothes. I have not missed anything out have I guys and gals, ha ha.

I will post whilst down there and will hopefully post photo's of our meet up with Barbara (ameise1).

John, we're looking forward to meeting you and Karen :-). Wishing you a safe journey.

John--As a fellow knee sufferer, I sent best wishes for Karen and her knee! I hope you two have a great time on your trip. Totally jealous about the meet up. : )

You must post photos of the meet-up as I anxiously await seeing them. And longish posts about what you find in the bookshops. I am so totally loving your vacation already.

Here we are in Salisbury, we called in at Banbury first, what a nice little market town it is. We went and took photo's of Banbury Cross and the white lady on the horse and then went for a coffee and a bite to eat. The coffee was nice and my sausage in a muffin was nice but it loosened my crown and that came out, had to buy some superglue to fix it. One or two charity shops were open and I managed to pick up The Crippled God by Steven Erikson, first of my Salisbury book haul.

After a good look around and another coffee we made our way to Salisbury and checked in, booked a nice restaurant for tomorrow and went to the pub restaurant next door for our meal tonight, the tooth came out again, obviously not enough glue on it, re-glued and it seems ok. Looking forward to opening our cards in the morning and presents off Amy and Andy.

>93 Berly:, Hi Kim, Just hooking up with Barbara to make arrangements for the meet up and Karen's knee seems to be ok so far.

>94 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, already bought a book (see post 95) and had a look in Waterstones in Banbury, although this is a national chain, stores vary in size so some stock more than others. Karen has made a note of two books that the kids could get me for Christmas, Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis. They are right up my street as they are historical fiction with a twist, the twist is that it is 2060 and the Oxford time travel department is sending people to Roman times, the crusades etc and some are going back to WWII Britain to observe the blitz but are shocked at what they find out. These really grabbed me and I can't wait to get them, hope Karen makes sure the kids know that I REALLY want them. Will keep you posted on my bookshop jaunts.

I have those two Connie Willis books on my wishlist as well. I have read her other book on the blitz To Say Nothing of the Dog and really enjoyed it. She has a wicked sense of humor. So glad you are enjoying your trip. Banbury Cross - Is that the place of Lady Godiva fame?

John, happy 30th anniversary. We are looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.

>97 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, Lady Godiva is Coventry's heroine, not fully sure about the White lady on the horse at Banbury. We are enjoying our trip so far, our daughter Amy and her fiancé Andy got Karen a nice pearl magnolia pendant on a silver chain and got me a cricket bat and ball pair of cufflinks. We ended up getting each other the same card but our message to each other was different.

>98 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara, just checking directions now and will be driving down rather than taking the train, too much hassle with the train, looking forward to seeing you both.

We have had a lovely day so far, went into Salisbury to have a look around and do a bit of shopping, Karen has got a couple of nice things and I have a nice hoodie, picked up some presents for the kids and grandkids and I have another book. Just having a cup of tea in our room and then getting ready to go out for a meal to celebrate the day. Karen has had a lot of compliments about her pendant from Amy and Andy.

Selfie taken whilst in the pub opposite the restaurant we had our fabulous 30th wedding celebratory meal.

We have had a fabulous meal this evening, we were recommended a place called Grillado, a fusion of Italian and grill and it was excellent. Karen had Sea Bass with saffron, Asparagus and herb salad, Dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal veg and I had Duck Breast on a bed of Spinach with Dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal veg. The Potatoes were superb, the sauce amazing and the Duck was in an Amaretto and orange sauce, we followed this with Ferrero Roche Cheesecake and we both had a nice Liquor coffee. What a way to end our 30th anniversary and start the next 30 years together. Hope everyone likes the selfie we took.

Nice selfie! You are up with the play on the lingo then? I suppose if even world leaders are taking them....

I love how you note down your book purchases, and the price. I enjoy going back and seeing how much I have spent, and how good a bargain I have got in the past. You are quite the bargain hunter- me too. For those prices are you shopping in charity shops, or do book places have such heavy discounts these days?

Lovely photo of the happy couple, John! And your dinner sounds mouth-wateringly good.

Oh, wonderful photo of the two of you - and that meal sounds amazing! So glad that you both had a lovely day.

Photo of Barbara (ameise1) and me at our meet up in Bournemouth, Karen and Thomas (Barbara's husband) were with us and we had a lovely time.

We met up with Barbara and Thomas and it was as if we had known each other for years, we had three and a half lovely hours with them, where did the time go. We all got on like a house on fire and swapped addresses and e-mail details and will be keeping in regular contact. Amazing what LT can do, meet ups are great and long term friendships made. Karen and Barbara hit it off from the start and me and Thomas got on great and me and Barbara hugged and kissed and had a real old natter. What a great day it has been all round, we drove to Bournemouth and shopped and looked around before the meet up, a great meet up and then on the way home we found a lovely country pub called The Bat and Ball, (you would approve Paul) and had a lovely meal. I had a South African dish called Beef Bobotie, a bit like Shepherds pie but the Beef mince was curried and it had a thin crusty bread topping and was served with a large portion of rice and salad, absolutely gorgeous.
I will post more meet up photo's when we get home in a couple of days as the wi-fi access we have here only allows for three devices and they are on Karen's camera and am unable to download to facebook etc at the moment.

>103 LovingLit:, Hi Megan, a lot of my books are from the charity shops although there is a secondhand book dealer on our market and he has now taken a stall in the indoor market and his books are 50p each so I do get my bargains.

>104 rosalita:, >105 scaifea:, Thanks Julia and Amber for your lovely messages, we are having a lovely time and got a LT meet up in as well. The meet up was great.

Thanks a lot John, for this fabulous afternoon. We enjoyed it very much. Indeed, time was running and we had the feeling to know you both since ever. Hugs xx

*sigh*
So very jealous of (but happy for) both you and Barbara...

All of you look like you are having a wonderful time while the rest of us are stuck at work! That selfie of you and Karen is great.

I loved the photo of you and Barbara. You are right about the friendships here on LT. Talking about books and knowing some of the things going on in our lives from reading these threads provides a great platform to get to know people. In many ways it reminds me of penpals in the old days.

I also have to say that I love the names of pubs in your part of the world. The Bat and Ball - who thought up that one? It's simply great. You probably told all of us somewhere back in your threads but I wondered why you chose Salisbury, Banbury, and Bournemouth as the area in which to spend you anniversary trip? A couple of years ago I read Ghost Knight by the German children's author Cornelia Funke and that book was set in the cathedral in Salisbury. Other than that I don't know anything about that city. Is the area special to you? If I am prying just say so - my feelings won't be hurt.

Oh, thank you for sharing the pictures! Totally jealous of the meet up, but happy for you, really! Happy 30th. ( I love that you got each other the same cards--perfect.)

Love the meet up photos John. So glad you had a nice outing and got to meet Barbara and Thomas. Also, I am glad that Karen's knee is better and you were able to enjoy your anniversary and this trip.

Karen and I have had a lovely day, we went to Bradford on Avon first, a nice little market town and I came away with three books and then we drove onto Trowbridge where I picked up another two books. After this we drove back to Salisbury as Karen had a top to pick up that had to sent from another branch nearby and I ended up with a nice lightweight summer jacket.

We are now deciding where to call in on our way home tomorrow, lots of places to be considered and all with easy access to various motorways that will get us home, I might even add to my modest book haul. We were both still talking about our meet up with Barbara and Thomas yesterday, I can see lots of mail both electronic and real passing between us over the coming years. Karen suggested to Barbara that next time they arrange to come to the UK she must let us know so we can sort out a break that would lead to another meet up, Karen and Barbara really hit it off, I may be sidelined, ha ha.

>107 johnsimpson: I would indeed approve John - the place sounds grand and just my cup of tea or more properly mug of beer.

Not surprised to see that you got on so well with Barbara and her husband and Bournemouth I'm sure made a convivial setting.

Interested to see what books you've picked up on your travels.

John, you're definitely NOT sidelined even though I had a good chatty time with Karen. Today we are leaving for London.

>111 scaifea:, Thanks Amber.

>112 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, we chose Salisbury as we went there last year for my 50th birthday and we really loved the place and within a short radius there are lots of places to visit. We wanted to visit places we didn't get to last year so it was an easy decision to make. We always stop off somewhere on a long journey as only I drive, Banbury was one of a number of places we could have stopped at and we haven't been there before.
As for Bournemouth, that is on the coast and was the nearest place where I could meet up with Barbara (ameise1) and we have never been there before, a nice place to go and look around and only a 45 minute drive away from Salisbury. Anything you want to know Benita just ask my dear, I like to talk about where we go and what we do.

>113 Berly:, Kim it was a pure accident we got the same card, there was not a lot of choice for Pearl cards and this one said everything in the verse printed and we obviously put our own personal comment in, I can get a bit soppy but I love my lady and would marry here tomorrow.

>114 luvamystery65:, Hi Roberta, we had a great meet up and had a lovely time in Salisbury, Karen's knee has held up pretty good but she has made sure she rested when she could and wore her knee strap as much as she could.

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-7-14 - 1881
Books added in July - 30
Books read in July - 3

Revised book total - 1908

Pages to read at 1-7-14 - 815,962
Pages added in July - 16,125
Pages read in July - 1,884

Revised total pages to read - 830,243

So, back home from our jollies eventually, after we checked out we decided to go to Chippenham, this is a nice small market town only eleven miles from Bath. We had a lovely couple of hours there and then we decided to drive to Swindon. The outlet place there is next to STEAM, a rail museum dedicated to the Great Western Railway, so we thought we would be able to kill two birds with one stone. We had a great time shopping but left too little time for the museum.
Unfortunately that is where the nice things ended, as we approached the M4, we heard of traffic problems where I intended to go so I went towards London knowing I had one or two options of how to get home. From the M4 I joined the M25 to head for the M40 or the M1, M40 had problems so opted for M1, everything went well until a quarter of the way home we got stuck in traffic, could see nothing but stuck for over an hour, then things cleared up a bit and then slowed. We stopped at the services for a bite to eat and then got stuck in roadworks and then more roadworks, what should have been a four hour journey turned into a six and threequarter hour journey.
Woke up this morning a little bit tired but we were having Hannah for a few hours, Hannah was a bit grumpy and so she matched granddad, although mine was due to tiredness. Just relaxing now before I go to bed to read for a while and can have a lie-in tomorrow.

For all that I've heard about London-area traffic (and to be fair, "all I've heard" = episodes of Top Gear in which Jeremy grouses about it), it seems like a nightmare. Glad to hear that you're home safe, even if it did take a bit longer than planned.

Glad to hear that you guys had a wonderful trip. Thanks for keeping all of us posted.

I am on a road trip of my own. I am in a Starbucks in Columbia, MO right now, making use of their free WiFi as I drive back to Kansas. I will be there a week and leave the day after I attend a cousins wedding. While I am driving I am listening to the recorded version of The White Princess by Philippa Gregory so while I may not be in Merry Ol' England, I am wandering around that countryside with Queen Elizabeth and Henry VII while traveling down Interstate 70 headed west into the High Plains. No Stonehenge here. Only football stadiums. I drive past three of them. One in Nashville, TN. One in St. Louis, MO., and one in Kansas City, MO.

Glad you finally made it home safe and sound. Traffic sucks. : )

This on of Leo's sleeping haunts, oh to be a cat. Leo will be 12 tomorrow so a special treat for him awaits.

Yesterday was a steady day for us, we had a lie-in to catch up on sleep lost on Thursday and Friday. After a nice breakfast we caught up on a few little jobs and then watched the Men's cycling road race which was quite thrilling, Amy rang to say they were going to the cinema nearby and would call in at about 5.30pm if that was ok, Karen said fine and did they want to eat with us so we had a late Sunday lunch with Amy and Andy and they could open their presents we had brought back from Salisbury for them.
It was nice to see them both and after Sunday lunch we had a good natter with them both and caught up with all the latest news, only managed a little bit of reading in bed.

Today I have been a busy bee, after taking Karen to work I got stuck into today's jobs, cleared all the bits and pieces out of the third bedroom and then took apart the single bed which has seen better days, starting to look more like the library/study space we are hoping to make of it. Packed all the timber and rubbish bits into the car and the mattress and then off to the tip. Got back and gave it a good hoover and dusting and put some things back in. After a tea break it was onto the buddleia pruning again. Karen will be pleased with my efforts today, brownie points earned.

Well done, John. What are your plans for today.

>128 Ameise1:, Morning Barbara, more housework to catch up on after being away and the lawn could do with a mow. Just having a break with some reading and catching up with LT news then back to the grindstone or else Karen will not be a happy bunny.

Have a lovely day today my dear and I look forward to your facebook posts.

Oh what a beautiful morning here in Walton, the sun is shining and I am smiling. Catching up on all things LT and listening to cricket commentary on the radio before I start my jobs for the day, hope all my LT friends have a lovely day whatever they are doing.

Morning, John! Wishing you a good day!

>131 scaifea:, Thank you Amber and the same to you my dear.

Have a nice day, John! Alway nice to read about your day. Give Karen my love!

>133 connie53:, nice to see you on here my dear, I will pass on your love to Karen.

It has been a mad day for me, took Karen to work and then did the monthly big shop, darned things had moved things around and altered some of the products. Then off to the checkout and I couldn't get everything on the belt as there were some big items, packed the bags in the car and back in store to give Karen her discount card back and realised the time, not a happy bunny. Got home unpacked the car and then put all shopping away and it was 9.45am before I had breakfast, I don't function well until I have eaten.
Then it was on with the housework before taking a single mattress over to Rob's and he got me to help with some weeding, by this time I had forgotten lunch. Then off to pick Karen up and a mug of tea before Karen got changed to go to her gastric bypass support group meeting so it was nearly 6.30 before I got something to eat, I have made up for it since. I get to be a grouch when I haven't had food, Karen always knows when we are shopping that it is time for a food break as I start to be grumpy and if she asks for my opinion she can't trust I am saying things are lovely or if I am just saying to move on for food.

All the housework done so when Karen goes to meet a friend tomorrow I can just relax and read.

Ooof, I've had those days, too, when you're so busy that you forget to eat, or don't have time to eat. Hopefully a handful of leisurely days are to follow for you, John...

39. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Finished book Thirty-Nine a couple of hours ago, I really really enjoyed this book and would recommend this to everyone. It is a delightful tale of a retired man who gets a surprise letter from a long lost colleague, he decides to reply and on walking to the post box to post the letter decides to go see the person. It is told in a lovely way and we see all facets of human kindness. I wont spoil it by adding more but it is well worth a read.

I don't think I've posted here, I tend to lurk more than I post overall. Wanted to say I totally agree on The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, it was one of my favorites of last year. I have just started a book you recommended awhile back, An Auctioneer's Lot and know I'm going to enjoy it and it's sequel. I live in the southern U.S. and often attend an auction held in a small town nearby on Friday nights. It is the best entertainment ever!

>138 clue:, Hi Clue, I was having a look at forthcoming books on the Waterstones books website and it appears that Rachel Joyce has written a sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, it is called The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and will be out in 63 days in Hardback.
I am glad that a recommendation has been taken up and I know you will enjoy An Auctioneer's Lot and its sequel, the author is still on T.V over here on antique shows as well as running his own auction house.

Today has been a trying one, this morning I hung two loads of washing out while Karen had a nice relaxing shower and did her hair before she went to meet a friend for the afternoon. After this I went to the supermarket to pick up a couple of things I forgot yesterday as well as a trampoline for Hannah which her dad had given me the money for. Things were going well, I took Karen to nearby Pontefract to meet her friend and after a quick look around I came home. After finishing my book I listened to the cricket on the radio and then decided to give the estate agents a ring to see how things were going with the sale of Dad's property, our buyers were all set but their buyer had to have a telephone interview yesterday about his mortgage, it turns out the bank turned him down so the sale has fallen through. Our buyers are devastated and have now put their property back up for sale with the same estate agents as ours and now ours is back on the market, we thought things were all going to be sorted by the end of next week at the latest but now everything has gone pear shaped.

Karen came home to tell me about her lovely afternoon and then I had to tell her the bad news, not a good end to the day. At least we have Hannah tomorrow for a few hours which will cheer us up and she will be going with Karen to see Karen's best friend for a couple of hours.

Oh, what bad news about the house sale falling through, John! I'm sure you and Karen are well ready to put that behind you and to have this happen at the last minute is so hard. Here's hoping you find another buyer very soon!

>140 johnsimpson: Oh dear, John, I am *so* sorry that the sale couldn't close. Here's to hoping that the next offer comes up trumps, and SOON.

Hug Hannah from me!

>141 rosalita:, Thanks Julia, the buyers of the bungalow are devastated that their sale fell through but are putting their property up with the same estate agents as ours so hopefully they will really push it to get their fees off them and us. It is a real shame as we were going to give the kids a little bit each and as Rob has recently passed his driving test he was going to get a car so he could take Louise and the kids out and about. Amy is going to use some of hers for the wedding and we have told her not to worry as the wedding is covered as we have an insurance payout due in October and no payments for the wedding till January.

>142 richardderus:, Hi Richard, hopefully it will sell soon, Our buyer Maureen is even considering re-mortgaging her house and then letting it to pay the mortgage so that she can buy the bungalow. I will give Hannah a hug for you my friend. She has been a little treasure today, it began to rain and gradually got really heavy and when I had to go out to the garage she told me to be careful and not to get wet, bless her.

So sorry to hear about the sake falling through. I hope it will get sorted out soon.

>144 connie53:, Thanks Connie, hopefully things will get sorted soon, we never do things the easy way my dear, there always has to be some sort of a blip.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about the house deal falling through. That must be so frustrating for you. Hoping that you get a new offer soon and that it goes through swiftly and easily.

Think I may have over done it today, took Karen to work and then came home to put the washing on and put the large trug, pruners and carriers and compost bags in the boot ready to tidy up the garden at the bungalow before any prospective buyers come to view. Just before I set off, Robert rings to ask if I would give him a lift to the cricket field, this I do. After getting to the bungalow I start to prune and tidy and after a couple of hours decide I have done enough but before I leave I need to pick some more apples from the apple tree. I filled two large carriers and so in the last two days I have picked about 70 kilos of apples and there are still more left to pick. When I got home I realised I done a bit too much as my back was starting to trouble me, was going to have a shower to ease it but decided against until Karen was home and if I had an accident at least she could help me, made a bit of lunch and a large mug of tea and then read.

When Karen came home she split the apples up and we gave our neighbours either side a decent amount and then Karen made a sizeable Apple Crumble and we have some apples left with more to come. The apple crumble is sumptuous as we had some after our tea. I shall be going to check on the blackberries that grow near the canal near to us so I can have apple and blackberry crumble as well but that will have to wait a day or two. Tomorrow is going to be a relaxing day and we are supposed to have really bad weather as well, the remnants of Hurricane Bertha, so reading will be the order of the day.

As the song goes "What a difference a day makes", yesterday was lovely, sunny and very warm. Today it is cool, raining and miserable. Oh well to lighten the day I will pick up a book and rest my back, it is not quite as bad as yesterday but rest will do it good.

40. Right on Time by Pauline McLynn

Finished book Forty about thirty minutes ago, this is the third in the Leo Street series and follows the trials and tribulations of a private detective in Dublin. She has the typical Irish family and the neuroses that go with all this, she has a boyfriend who she is not sure she wants and a menagerie of animals. Everyday life fascinates her and whilst trying to earn a living she has to do the mundane things life throws at you. A good read and will look out for the fourth in this series.

Oh John, I hope your back is much better today. Get well soon. I wish you and Karen a fabulous Sunday.

I am on the road back to Alabama and thought I would stop in.

I spent two days last week working with my sister to put up sweet corn to freeze. That corn was beautiful. It was perfectly ripe and came off the cob so easily and had such great flavor. It should make good eating this winter. Of course, we also had sweet corn at almost every meal, which is a good thing as I won't get any when I get back to Alabama. We also had cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupe free for the picking out of the field. All that abundance made me feel that my 1 gallon of blueberries was a poor offering at the table.

One of my cousins brought back peaches from Colorado on one of his weekly excursions to the doctor so we had peaches for desert as well. Every meal was a feast of late summer fruits and vegetables. I don't know what was better - eating the stuff or the communal work in getting it ready for the meals and the freezer. It was great fun.

Least you think all that food was fun - I do have to say that I did suffer for it. While doing the corn it the first day was over 100 degree F outside. Shucking that corn was hot dirty work. I went home and thought I was getting a heat rash. The next day I wore a loose skirt and by noon I told my sister that something was biting me as I was itching. By the time I got home that night I had welts all around my waist on my legs, and my arm. I had been sitting with the unshucked ears in my lap and I think I received an infestation of chiggers. Those darn burrowing critters cause individual welts that fester up and itch something fierce. By nightfall I was in misery. It took two days to get so that I was comfortable. I still have welts and it has now been a week. That corn will taste even better this winter due to all that misery!

>151 benitastrnad: & >152 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, you have been a busy bee, there is nothing better than feasting on summer fruits and veg and as you had picked it before tasting the rewards, what could be better. I remember when I had an allotment, sowing the seeds or putting in the plants and then watching them grow before harvesting as and when they were ready.
What are chiggers? Whatever they are you obviously suffered my dear and I am sure the corn will taste great although it will bring back the memories of the welts you suffered.

We have just finished the last of the apple crumble made with the apples I collected on Saturday, it was absolutely delicious, tonight we had it with vanilla ice cream as we had run out of custard. I will collect the remaining apples tomorrow or Wednesday and will also go along the old canal to see if the blackberries are ready.

Blackberries!! Oh yyyyuuuuummmmmmmmmmm

I haven't had a fresh blackberry in a long time, they cost the earth and I'm too cheap to blow that much on something ephemeral.

>155 richardderus:, Oh no Richard, I will not buy them, I agree with you they are so expensive for the amount you get. Where I live in Walton we have part of the old Barnsley canal not far from our house and it runs along what is now Waterton park, this was the home of naturalist Sir Charles Waterton. For years I have strolled along the canal path which is also part of the Trans Pennine Trail and picked blackberries but the last couple of years I have been a bit late getting to them as more and more people have also spotted the abundance of fruit, also I have found a source of sloe berries to make sloe gin although last year they were scarce.

A few years ago I took Amy with me, I told her to pick the ones on the canal path side whilst I went onto the canal side which in parts is accessible as it is a dry bed but obviously drops down from the path and we collected three two gallon bucketfuls, my MIL and Karen made lots and lots of Blackberry pies and crumbles, Apple and Blackberry pies and crumbles and stored them in the freezer. In another part of the village I have spotted a good source of crab apples which I will collect as Karen's ex sister in law makes excellent crab apple jam, hopefully I will be busy over the next couple of weeks if the weather is good.

I think people all over are discovering, or rediscovering, the goodness of just picked fruits. The farm where I do the U-Pick blueberries has been inundated with pickers the last two years to the point where those of us who have been picking for twenty years are being driven away because the bushes are simply over picked. Since I moved to this house with the nice yard I am going to plant blueberry bushes this fall and soon I will have my own. With them I won't have to fight of the other pickers.

Chiggers are a mite that lives in the grass in the mid-west part of the U.S. I am not sure what the scientific name for them is, but they travel up your legs and borrow into the skin where clothing restricts them from going any farther. Since I had the corn in my lap and leaned over it whenever I discarded the corn husks they gathered around my waist. They make a bump that itches like fury and if you scratch them you only make them bleed. In small children they will get infected and make a scar like a small pox scar. Altogether an annoying bug with an uncomfortable bite but fortunately not that dangerous.

My parents have a ginormous blackberry patch so I'm spoiled in that we get fresh ones every year, along with my mom's amazing blackberry cobblers and blackberry jelly. Yum!

John, we just came back from the morning session of the European Athletics Championships. Our seats are behind the (12 rows up) 100m start. So if you watch on TV you should be able to get a glimps of us. :-)

Hi Joh, just stopping in to say hello. The McLynn series sounds very interesting.

A good day was had yesterday, watched some of the European Athletics Championships in Zurich and got some reading done. Did my household jobs before picking Karen up from work and then her friend Val from the railway station. Val is over from the states to visit family and friends and so it was good to catch up, we had a nice evening meal and then a good natter before I took her back to her sisters where she is staying.

The weather in Walton today is a mixed bag, quite breezy with short rain showers and then the sun comes out for a while, think this is the pattern for the day. Took Karen to work and then did the weekly shopping, now I am checking up things on LT whilst watching more athletics before doing a bit of reading and then housework.

Update on my day, finished the housework and picked Karen up from work, watched some more athletics and done a bit more reading and now we are watching the Great British Bake Off, week 2. The problem with this is it makes me hungry and I am full at the moment and Karen is feeling a little under the weather.

A bake-off! Oh my heck. I'd be starving hungry by the second minute!

Cinnamon swirl quick bread for me.

Will they use any of Mrs. Beeton's recipes for the bake-off?

>164 richardderus:, Have a Cinnamon swirl for me Richard.

>165 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, the show is hosted by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, who are the Professional cooks and Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc are the T.V. presenters. They are set three challenges each week and one of them is either a Mary or Paul signature bake. This week it was biscuits and the signature bake was a 3D bake of biscuits, they were really good, at the end of each week the weakest baker leaves the contest and one of them is named star baker of the week.

Sorry about the sale falling through. Hope Karen is doing well. I have to leave now because you made me hungry!! ; )

I like the sound of the bake-off, John!

>167 Berly:, Sorry Kim.

>168 scaifea:, Amber, the bake-off is wonderful.

Today has been baking day, I went to the bungalow to get the remaining apples and came back with four large bags full so Karen decided to make an apple cake and then some apple muffins. They are delicious, quality control you understand, ha ha. Karen also blanched some cut apples to put in the freezer for a future date, she gave some apples to a new neighbour and another good neighbour has seen the posts on FB and asked if she can have some as she has picked some blackberries whilst down at her MIL's and wants to make an apple and blackberry crumble, Karen has said yes.

I will be going blackberry picking tomorrow, also I picked the pears that were also ready at the bungalow, don't know what she will do with these.

Karen went to the Doctor's this morning to get the results of her MRI scan, not good. It has shown that there are floating pieces of bone(which probably caused it to lock last month), a lateral tear of the ligaments and severe osteoarthritis which has changes apparently. She has now made an appointment with a specialist at the end of August. She also rang the hospital to make sure she had not been forgotten for her plastic surgery op and has been assured that she will be getting a date for surgery shortly, the op is apparently called an Apronectomy and then she rang Dr Raj's secretary to make sure that she had not been signed off and will be seen as she should have been seen a while ago for a progress report after her Gastric Bypass op in 2011. She has been a busy girl today, all this in the morning and then baking this afternoon.

41. Drop Shot by Harlen Coben

Finished book Forty- One a short while ago, this is the second Myron Bolitar book, I had forgotten how much I liked this character as it is quite a while since I read the first one. I shall be reading more over the next couple of months.

>170 johnsimpson: Oh dear, John, that's no fun for Karen or for you. Sending hugs!

Oh John, what a mess with Karen's knee. I hope she'll get help soon. Hugs xx

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Karen's MRI results. Here's hoping that the fix is relatively easy and painless...

Apple Cake is one of my favorites. Once again I find myself wishing that we were neighbors!

>174 scaifea:, Hi Amber, don't want to rub it in but just had another decent sized piece (big) of apple cake and it is still gorgeous. Shame we aren't neighbours.

John thank you for visiting my thread so often and sending me kindness. It really means a lot. Hugs to you and Karen.

I'm so sorry that your FIL house sale fell through. I am crossing my fingers that it works out quickly and to your benefit. Please tell Karen I am sending her positive thoughts for her knee and her plastic surgery.

I am glad Hannah continues to be a delight to you both. All this baking talk is making me hungry.

>176 luvamystery65:, Thanks Roberta, I will always visit your thread, it's what friends do, love and hugs.

We have had a lovely day, we decided to go for a drive and Karen said why don't we go to Lytham St Annes, we've never been. So off we went into enemy territory (Lytham is in Lancashire, the auld enemy) and when we got near to Blackpool the sign pointed to where we wanted to go, so we followed the signs and then things changed. The next sign said St Annes next right turn and Lytham straight on so Karen said go to Lytam as that is a bit further away, we got parked in Lytham at the old railway station and set off to the town centre and were in for a shock. The shock was that they were having a 40's wartime weekend, the town centre was all decorated, all the shops were involved and loads of people were in forces uniforms and lots of gorgeous ladies in 40's outfits. A lot of the charity shops had vintage outfits for sale and the atmosphere was superb, I will have to get Karen to transfer the photo's she took. After a pleasant few hours in Lytham we headed to St Annes which turned out to be a bit bigger than Lytham but nothing much happening compared to Lytham. We will go back to Lytham again hopefully with better weather, it was windy and showery. I did manage to get a couple of books.

Sounds like a fun day!

>178 johnsimpson: Oh, that sounds like a wonderful day!

I hope Karen can be helped in a simple manner, John. Give her my love! And for you too.

John, what a gorgeous weekend you had. I wish you and Karen a lovely start into a new week. hugs xx

A reasonably busy day for me today, after taking Karen to work I had to pop into Wakefield to do a couple of jobs then off to the bungalow to do a bit more tidying up of the garden as we have a viewing on Friday, hopefully they will put in a reasonable offer and we will be able to sell it and get final closure. In between all this I managed to get a bit of reading done and got some washing done and dried, it's all excitement here.

The trip to Lytham sounds like a real serendipitous find! There are lots of reenactments here in the U.S. but more for the Civil War, Revolutionary War, and Frontier Days types. Having a 1940's reenactment sounds like great fun. All those vintage clothes would put me over the moon. I love sewing and just seeing them would be great fun.

I spent Saturday working in the yard. I got a new lawn service! Actually, a friend of mine has a grandson who is trying to make money mowing lawns. I finally decided to give him a chance and he did a much better job than the neighbor I had before. I helped him but my lawn looks so much better than it ever did. He really tried to please me and I in turn was pleased to have him do the work. I really didn't mind handing over the money to him.

>184 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, it sounds like the friend's grandson is off to a good start mowing lawns, pleasing the customer leads to recommendations so I hope he keeps this up and you got a lovely looking lawn. Saturday in Lytham was really good and we will check out when the next 1940's weekend is and go over again, it is only a couple of hours drive away so it's easy to get to.

I have had a good morning and feel better about myself, but should have done it over 30years ago. Last night I spent a bit of time tracking down my first love, unfortunately I was checking which cemetery she was buried in as she was tragically killed in a road accident. Whilst checking this I also found out that her father had passed away last October. This morning I paid my respects to both Sharon and her father and apologised to her that it had taken 33 years to do this. We had lots of happy times but I foolishly listened to some college friends who said they had seen her with another boy and so we had an argument and parted, a short while later I tried to talk to her about getting back together but was rebuffed and rightly so but that was the last time I spoke to her or saw her. The relationship may not have lasted as we were both young. I was seventeen and she was sixteen and sadly a few weeks later she was killed. Karen knows all about Sharon and in the photo box I have a few photo's of us together and as Karen says she was my first love and she did not know her. I have righted a wrong as I should have visited a while after her funeral but I didn't and the years passed by but now I have rectified this and said what I should have said in 1980.

Hi John!
Glad you were able to track down the right cemetery and visit after all these years!

>187 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle.

My respects to Karen. So many women would have doubted your intentions or at the least wondered about your interest, but she shows great understanding, confidence and love for you by being stalwart.

>189 benitastrnad: Thanks Benita.

Another busy day but very rewarding with what I managed to get done, hopefully the garden is reasonably tidy for the house viewing on Friday. I will be doing more to get it ready for the winter in case we have more viewings. We have some friends coming round for a meal tomorrow so I will be Karen's sous chef at some point tomorrow and then on Friday we are having Hannah for a few hours.

John, I keep my fingers crossed that the house viewing will go well. This morning I was at the hospital for another byopsie. At the moment I've a lot of pangs. Hugs for Karen and you. xx

Hannah and granddads first selfie.

We have had a lovely Hannah day, Robert brought her over and after about an hour we had to nip into Wakefield, Hannah was very good holding onto grandma's hand while they went into a couple of shops. When we got home she played with the bubble blower we got and had us in hysterics with her antics. She really does brighten a day up bless her and I took our first joint selfie.

John, I wish you and Karen a fabulous weekend, hopefully full of reading. xx

Spent a lovely couple of hours picking blackberries this afternoon and by 7pm tasting the results of my labours with some blackberry and apple crumble, it is delicious. That is the good part of the day and that my gorgeous wife created this wonderful dish, the awful part is that I feel fed up with things and need to sort things out before I drift into a dark place again. hopefully things will not progress before I have Karen by my side for two weeks, she has three more days to work before she has holiday time.
I do not mention this for any sympathy, things seem to have built up over the last couple of weeks and I need to get back on track, I may take a facebook sabbatical to avoid seeing things that may set me back, some may think it is jealousy, envy etc but it is not these things. if things do progress to far I still have the tablets from the last time I got into a dark place, I will get back to my art to ease things, this does me good and I have things I want to paint, draw and create. I will be on LT as this is one of the positive things in my life. Apart from this I am ok, sorry to have to say all this but it helps, Karen is my rock and my love.

Sorry to see you are having a hard time, John! Hope you feel better quick! Glad to see that Karen is a big support for you!

>192 johnsimpson: So sweet! Happy smiles.

>195 johnsimpson: You take sabbaticals as and when you need to, from what you can't process, for as long as you need to. We're all behind that!

John, dear friend. My thoughts are with you and I send you a load of positive energies. We all are here if you need us and you know how to find me. hugs xx

>195 johnsimpson: John, so sorry to see you in such distress, dear friend. Lord knows I have been struggling with my own demons this year and we have to cling to the positives and those around us who care and support us.

Keep your chin up mate, you have a splendid missus and that delightful little Hannah to succour you.

By the way I found your post about the graveside musings for your first love extremely moving.

You have made so many firm friends here, John, and I am sure that all of us want to see that smile back on your mug as soon as. Could be worse - you could support LUFC!

>196 ChelleBearss:, >197 richardderus:, >198 Ameise1: and >199 PaulCranswick:, Thank you all for your kind thoughts, the changeable weather over here has acerbated my back pain and a couple of things have gone wrong and so deep dark thoughts have entered my space, I will come around but it may take a few days to get back on track. I love you all, that is what is special about being on here.

Keeping you and yours in my thoughts, John, as always. We're all here and pulling for you, friend.

A steady day for me, a bit of reading and then a nice walk along the old canal to pick some more blackberries, amazing how quickly a couple of hours pass by. Karen is not sure what she is going to do with them at the moment but blackberry vodka could be on the agenda along with other goodies. Karen is off work tomorrow so I hope the weather is going to be good as she fancies going for a nice walk.

John, I wish you and Karen a fabulous day tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed that the weather will be fine. hugs xx

>203 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara, hope you have had a good day my dear.

I've finished a book and started a new one. Now, it's time to go to bed because I have to get up early.

>205 Ameise1:, Night night Barbara.

Hi John, I'm so sorry that the weather at your place was so awful today. I hope you were able to read a lot.

I envy your blackberry picking. I have a cousin who lives in Washington State (Seattle area) and my grandmother would go there every year during blackberry season. She would come home with the most luscious blackberry jams. I have always wanted to go to visit my cousins during that time so that we could make blackberry jam together. Someday - maybe - it will happen. Nature is a very nice healing nurse.

Book Forty-Two finished late last night, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This is the second in the Hunger Games trilogy and sets things up for the finale well. The pace of the book is just right and I felt I could picture what was going on as I read it. I have not seen the films yet and will get them on DVD when I have finished the last book so that I do not spoil the reading pleasure.

A very interesting day today, took Karen to work and hoped she would be alright after having a mild attack of Labyrinthitis last night and then came back for breakfast. After this I updated my book file after finishing Catching Fire last night then filled all the feeders up for the birds. Popped into town to do some banking and called into the estate agents to chivvy them along, we have another viewing on Saturday, and then popped into another estate agents to get some info as we may possibly change agents soon, I got home and did a bit of checking on LT and then got a call from Karen that I needed to pick her up from work as she needed to go to casualty as she had fallen and the first aider thought she may have chipped a bone in her forearm. She was on her own this morning and was trying to do more than one thing and ended up falling over a tote box and fell onto another and down the side of a metal fence. Her arm had swollen up but after going to casualty it turns out that she has got a massive haematoma but nothing else, just need to wrap her up in cotton wool tonight. Things may be looking up a bit and my mood is lighting up now.

OMG, John - Karen is a real jinx with all her bruises during the last couple of weeks. I hope she is getting well soon. I'm very happy that your mood is lightening up. Hugs xx

Oh, dingdang about Karen! Here's hoping she's not too stiff and sore after the fact.

It was miserable yesterday so what do you do, bake.

>208 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, it was so enjoyable harvesting from nature's cupboard and if I had my overalls on I would have got a lot more. I know of another good blackberry spot and a source for crab apples, Karen's ex-sister in law makes lovely crab apple jam so that is where they will be going along with a load of jars as she also makes a lot of chutney but I don't like chutney.

Time for bed for Mrs S so she can rest her sore bits, bless her. She has been warned that her forearm could go completely black when all the bruising comes out but the bruise on her shin is looking really blue now. At least tomorrow is her last shift for two weeks so she is happy about that.

Thought I would update everyone on Karen's injury. She had a reasonable night's sleep although she did roll over on to her arm and woke up with a yelp but pleased to say that it was not too bad this morning before she went into work. Her day ended well yesterday when the hairdresser came and she decided on a new style which really suits her so that was the bright spot she was hoping for. I will make sure she doesn't do anything that will cause her pain and after today she is on holiday for two weeks.

It sounds like good timing for the two week holiday, John. I hope you both find it very restful. The important question: is the injured arm hindering the baking schedule?

Not sure Amber, will have to see how she feels although I make a good sous chef so I may be called upon to step up to the bowl.

Poor Karen! That's too bad that she had to go into work with that injury! I think a sick day should have been in order!

>219 ChelleBearss:, Hi Chelle, she was determined to go in after losing 4 hours pay yesterday by being told she needed to go to casualty as the first aider thought it could possibly be a chipped bone. She saw the triage nurse who made her wriggle her arm and told her it was badly bruised. She had a good day and now that is it for two weeks. Tomorrow she is going to wash the blackberries already picked and has got the vodka so she will be making blackberry vodka whilst I go to another good picking spot to get more blackberries for jam making, nature's cupboard is fantastic.

Hi John, have you made some plans now Karen has her holiday? I hope she doesn't feel too bad with her bruises. Usually the first few days are worse. Hugs xx

>221 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara, we have no plans but will probably go off on a couple of days to places we would like to visit and we have one or two little jobs we want to get done around the house. Karen is meeting a friend for drinks tomorrow night and then on Saturday she is meeting Amy in Leeds for a girly day. Love and hugs my dear.

Sounds relaxing :-)

More Blackberries picked this morning and Karen has started the Blackberry vodka and Bramble gin, when it is ready to be strained Karen is going to use the fruit for fools etc, they should be wicked after being in gin or vodka for three months. A very alcoholic Christmas is on the cards. After all this hard work we went to the local farmshop for a bite to eat before buying some wonderful produce.

Tipsy blackberry fool! I am *SO* spending xmas with y'all. :-)

>225 richardderus:, You would be most welcome my friend.

Even though I don't drink alcohol it looks like a tipsy gorgeous time will awaiting you :-)

>227 Ameise1:, it seems to be looking that way Barbara, hope you are well my dear.

I'm fine. Another work day ahead and than it's weekend, hopefully with enough reading time.

I'm sure you will find some reading time my dear.

Sounds delicious! Enjoy your weekend!

We have had a good day today, after a few traffic problems this morning we went to pick Hannah up along with Shannon and Louise to take them to Costco, after getting a few things we had a cup of tea with Louise before taking Hannah back to ours. Hannah had a good play and something to eat before it was time to take her home. Looking forward to going to Leeds tomorrow with Karen, she is meeting up with Amy for a girly shop while I have a mooch around on my own, I may come home alone and then pick Karen up from the station later in the day. I should finish my 8th Big fat book as part of my challenge to read twelve 900+page books this year, the one I am currently reading will be the fifth 1,000+ page book of the year.

Work was a real mess today due to the holiday on Monday. Everybody wanted the day off and the new boss gave it to them. That left only two of us to man the shop. Of course, this was the afternoon that the computers went haywire and everybody had gone home early to start the weekend! Not a good day for those of us who stayed because the library patrons didn't go home. They came to the library! Go figure.

Hi John, I hope Karen and you are fine. I wish you a gorgeous weekend.

>234 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara, we have had a good day today, we went into Leeds and met up with Amy, Karen and Amy went off for a girly day whilst I just mooched around. I joined them for a mid morning coffee and then we separated again. I made my way home in the early afternoon and then picked Karen up from our local station a couple of hours later. Karen got Amy a nice jacket for her birthday and picked up a nice skirt for herself, my only indulgence was a pack of coloured socks. I hope you and Thomas and the girls have a good weekend my dear.

It finally rained in Tuscaloosa. It didn't rain much and it is very hot and sticky but at least we know it hasn't forgotten how to drop water from the sky.

I think my parsley has died. It looked so good and then in the space of two days it wilted and died. I think it got too much water. I left the hose on too long last Sunday and I probably didn't give it a chance to dry out between waterings. This was planted in one of my new beds and i am still learning how to deal with this one.

It is a holiday weekend here (Labor Day) but I was on-call so had to stay in town today. I went to the public library's used book store and purchased 14 books for $27.00. I think I did well.

John, don't tell me you didn't bring home ONE book. Unbelievable! We wish yu both a lovely Sunday. xx

>237 Ameise1:, Barbara I was a very good boy but it wasn't for the want of trying. Hope you are having a good Sunday my dear.

So far it has been a good day, the sun has been shining all day and we have been relatively busy. After a lie-in we had breakfast and then I put the first load of washing out. Karen started to prepare the Blackberries and Raspberries ready to start jam making whilst I went for some jars. By the time I got back the fruit was progressing nicely in the pan and we have now got some lovely jam and Karen also made a Blackberry and Raspberry crumble which we have already tucked into, it is gorgeous. Whilst Karen was making lunch I got the lawn mowed and now we are chilling out doing things we want to do.

Just before midnight yesterday I finished book Forty-Three, World Without End by Ken Follett. This is also book eight of my Big Fat Book challenge, I really enjoyed this after reading The Pillars of The Earth by the same author. The story of the Kingsbridge folk has moved on two hundred years but a lot of things have not changed much in the intervening years. There are some new challenges for the inhabitants to be wary of, not least the regular visits of the plague and how it can be dealt with. I have a few more Follett's on the shelves which I will invariably get around to.

John, I love both books.

They are good Barbara, I could do with another of this series though.

Me too

Hi John. How is Karen doing?? I've just read about the arm bruising and the Labyrinthitis! (I had to find out what this last word meant, but I know now).
I hope she is doing better every day. Please give her all my good wishes (and take some yourself ;-)) )

Sounds like a wonderful Sunday! Hope you enjoy the rest of the day

>244 connie53:, Hi Connie, Karen is fine now, her arm and leg are still a bit tender but not as bad as on Tuesday, the bruising is coming out now and it does look worse than what it is, bless her. She is on holiday now for two weeks so that has cheered her up no end and we will probably go off on odd days to some nice places, if we do I will make sure we take some photo's. She has enjoyed doing things with the Blackberries and Raspberries and off course having Hannah on Friday was good. Hope you have had a good weekend and that all the family are well.

>245 ChelleBearss:, Hi Chelle, it has been a wonderful Sunday and with Karen off work for two weeks we will make the best of things, some jobs to do around the house and we will go off on odd days to nice places. Hope you have had a good weekend my dear and I love the Chloe photo's. Love and hugs to you and the family my dear.

Are you and Karen planning another excursion like the one you did in late July? Or is this a stay-cation?

>248 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, this is very much a stay-cation, we have things to do around the home and we are looking at changing Estate Agents in relation to the sale of the bungalow. I need to tidy up the garden a bit before any more viewings and to bed it down for winter. We would have liked to have gone away for a few days but need to look after the finances at the moment, we should be able to go off on a couple of days to some of our favourite places and this may involve looking at books and purchasing books, what a surprise there. Hope you are well my dear.

I am going to put up a new thread shortly.