John Simpson - Tea, Books and Friends in 2023 No 3

Please join me here to discuss books, tea, fountain pens and anything else that tickles your fancy.

Hello everyone, this is my Twelfth year being part of this wonderful group. I am John, 59 years old and married to Karen for 38 years and counting. We have two lovely children, Rob and Amy. Rob lives with his Fiancee Louise, daughter Hannah who will be 12 in February. Amy married Andy in 2015 and they now have a cat called Combie and Elliott who was born on Star Wars Day. We also have a mad Cat called Felix and we love him, he is nearly three and a half.

Please come along and leave a message and let's see what fun we have.

I love books and currently have 3,035 books on my shelves, and this doesn't include my Cricket collection which stands at about 450 books. While reading I do enjoy the odd pot or two of tea.

CURRENTLY READING

I just love Big Books, these are my 1000+page reads so far with more to add.

1.Shogun by James Clavell, 1243 pgs
2.Gai-Jin by James Clavell, 1578 pgs
3.Noble House by James Clavell, 1435 pgs
4.War & Remembrance by Herman Wouk, 1171 pgs
5.Whirlwind by James Clavell, 1343 pgs
6.Centennial by James A. Michener 1100 pgs
7.The Covenant by James A. Michener, 1080 pgs
8.Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, 1344 pgs
9.Homeland by John Jakes, 1138 pgs
10.Russka by Edward Rutherfurd, 1007 pgs
11.A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, 1474 pgs
12.Love and War by John Jakes, 1019 pgs
13.Texas by James A. Michener, 1508 pgs
14.My Life by Bill Clinton, 1000 pgs
15.Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine, 1086 pgs
16.Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, 1059 pgs
17.The Journeyer by Gary Jennings, 1219 pgs
18.Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton, 1144 pgs
19.Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton, 1235 pgs
20.Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, 1185 pgs
21.Wicked by Jilly Cooper, 1007 pgs
22.The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, 1412 pgs
23.London by Edward Rutherfurd, 1299 pgs
24.The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 1076 pgs
25.A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, 1391 pgs
26.World Without End by Ken Follett, 1111 pgs
27.Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, 1,015 pgs
28.The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, 1,056 pgs
29.An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, 1,065 pgs
30.New York by Edward Rutherfurd, 1017 pgs
31.Hawaii by James A.Michener, 1130 pgs
32.The Company by Robert Littell, 1281 pgs
33.The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F.Hamilton, 1225 pgs
34.Spangle by Gary Jennings, 1276 pgs
35.Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1024 pgs
36.Alaska by James A. Michener, 1073 pgs.
37.Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson, 1180 pgs.
38.Chesapeake by James A. Michener, 1132 pgs
39. 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster, 1070 pgs.
40. The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch, 1156 pgs.
41. The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton, 1259 pgs.
42. The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton, 1244 pgs.
43. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, 1104 pgs.
44. The Source by James A. Michener, 1032 pgs.
45. Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon, 1220 pgs.
46. The Stand by Stephen King, 1325 pgs.
47. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, 1006 pgs.
48. Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer, 1401 pgs.
49. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, 1073 pgs.

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN JANUARY

1. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, PB - 1073 pages.
2. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, PB - 420 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN JANUARY

1. Appetite by Ed Balls, PB - 320 pages.
2. Murder at the Theatre Royal by Ada Moncrieff, PB - 247 pages.
3. Marple by Various Authors, HB - 272 pages.
4. The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page, PB - 275 pages.
5. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, PB - 378 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN JANUARY

1. Shattered by James Patterson.
2. The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley.
3. Death Has Deep Roots by Michael Gilbert.
4. The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths.
5. The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths.
6. The Vicar Of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
7. Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
8. The Forty-Five Guardsmen by Alexandre Dumas

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN FEBRUARY

3. Kate Hannigan's Girl by Catherine Cookson, PB - 350 pages.
4. The Games by James Patterson, PB - 366 pages.
5. A Rose Petal Summer by Katie Fforde, PB - 387 pages.
6. Worth Dying For by Lee Child, PB - 511 pages.
7. A Three Dog Problem by S.J. Bennett, PB - 388 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN FEBRUARY

6. 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan, PB - 396 pages.
7. Death and the Lit Chick by G.M. Malliet, PB - 270 pages.
8. The Country Business by Max Hardcastle, PB - 270 pages.
9. Deadly Desires of Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB - 292 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN FEBRUARY

9. Thrown by Sara Cox, PB.
10. Steal by James Patterson, PB.
11. Run Rose, Run by James Patterson, PB.
12. Blue Heaven by C. J. Box, PB.
13. The Foot Soldiers by Gerald Seymour, PB.
14. What am I Bid? My Life Under The Hammer by Philip Serrell, PB

BOOKS READ IN MARCH BY JOHN

8. The Reckoning by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, PB - 486 pages.
9. Festival in Prior's Ford by Evelyn Hood/Houston, PB - 210 pages.
10. Heat Wave by Penelope Lively, PB - 215 pages.
11. 21st Birthday by James Patterson, PB - 401 pages.
12. A Leap of Faith by Trisha Ashley, PB - 322 pages.

BOOKS READ IN MARCH BY KAREN

10. Death of the Alma Mater by G.M. Malliet, PB - 260 pages.
11. Murder at Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles, PB - 358 pages.
12. What am I Bid by Philip Serrell, PB - 240 pages.
13. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Matsukawa, PB - 217 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN MARCH

15. Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles, PB.
16. Mother's and Daughters by Erica James, PB.
17. Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB.
18. Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB.
19. Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB.
20. Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB.
21. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, PB.
22. At the Captain's Table by Gervase Phinn, PB.
23. Star Island by Carl Hiaasen, PB.
24. Visibility by Boris Starling, PB.
25. Groundskeeping by Lee Cole, PB.
26. Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison, PB.
27. Murder in Minature at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, PB.
28. A Pen Dipped in Poison by J.M. Hall, PB.
29. No Plan B BY Lee Child, PB.

BOOKS READ IN APRIL BY JOHN

13. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear, PB - 412 pages.
14. Never, Never by James Patterson, PB - 338 pages.
15. Reckless by Andrew Gross, PB - 519 pages.
16. Changes by Danielle Steel, PB - 380 pages.
17. Death of a Poison Pen by M.C. Beaton, PB - 287 pages.

BOOKS READ IN APRIL BY KAREN

14. A Death in the Dales by Frances Brody, PB - 369 pages.
15. At the Captains Table by Gervase Phinn, PB - 381 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN APRIL

30. Blow Back by James Patterson, PB.
31. Vera Wong's Unsolicited advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto, PB.
32. Desert Star by Michael Connelly, PB.
33. Death and Fromage by Ian Moore, PB.
34. Date with Evil by Julia Chapman, PB.

BOOKS READ IN MAY BY JOHN

18. The Spellsong War by L.E. Modesitt jr, PB - 656 pages.
19. Class- Welcome to the Little School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan, PB - 262 pages.
20. The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick, PB - 371 pages.

BOOKS READ IN MAY BY KAREN

16. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto, PB - 381 pages.
17. Pianos and Flowers by Alexander McCall Smith, PB - 179 pages.
18. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar, PB - 295 pages.
19. Under a Greek Moon by Carol Kirkwood, PB - 338 pages.
20. High Rising by Angela Thirkell, PB - 276 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN MAY

35. Sharpe's Revenge by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
36. Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
37. Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
38. The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer, PB.
39. The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw, PB.
40. The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan, PB.
41. A Home from Home by Veronica Henry, PB.
42. Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry, PB.
43. Christmas for Beginners by Carole Matthews, PB.
44. An Endless Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley, PB.
45. The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham, PB.
46. All That Glitters by Danielle Steel, PB.
47. A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle, PB.
48. Murder Most Royal by S.J. Bennett, HB.
49. The Sweet Remnants of Summer by Alexander McCall Smith, PB.
50. The No-Show by Beth O'Leary, PB.
51. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman, PB.
52. Original Spin by Vic Marks, PB.
53. The Wisden Book of One Day International Cricket 1971 - 1985 by Bill Frindall & Victor H. Isaacs, HB.
54. Across The Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn, PB.
55. Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn, PB.
56. We Can See You by Simon Kernick, PB.
57. The Greatest Battle: The Fight for Moscow 1941 - 42 by Andrew Nagorski, PB.
58. Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop by Kiley Dunbar, PB.
59. One Summer's Night by Kiley Dunbar, PB.
60. Summer at the Highland Coral Beach by Kiley Dunbar, PB.
61. Death in a Desert Island by Andrew Wilson, PB.
62. Echoes in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope, PB.
63. A Terrible Village Poisoning by Hannah Hendy, PB.
64. Dear Little Corpses by Nicola Upson, PB. (Signed Copy)
65. My Shed and How it was Built by Donato Cinicolo, HB.
66. Beryl: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete by Jeremy Wilson, PB.
67. First of The Summer Wine by Harry Pearson, PB.
68. Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer, PB.
69. Triple Cross by James Patterson, PB.
70. The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver, PB.

BOOKS READ IN JUNE BY JOHN

21. An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy, PB - 305 pages.
22. The Midwife Murders by James Patterson, PB - 309 pages.
23. Coffin Scarcely Used by Colin Watson, PB - 204 pages.
24. Sycamore Row by John Grisham, PB - 516 pages.

BOOKS READ IN JUNE BY KAREN

21. Stealing The Crown by T.P. Fielden, PB - 304 pages.
22. The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley, PB - 416 pages.

BOOKS READ IN JULY BY JOHN

25. Ultimatum by Frank Gardner, PB - 440 pages.
26. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar, PB - 291 pages.
27. The Affair by Lee Child, PB - 526 pages.

BOOKS READ IN JULY BY KAREN

23. Going Dutch by Katie Fforde, PB - 406 pages.
24. A Year in the Life of a Flower Shop by Sally Page, HB.
25. These Names Make Clues by E.C.R. Lorac, PB - 250 pages.
26. The Sweet Remnants of Summer by Alexander McCall Smith, PB - 227 pages.

BOOKS READ IN AUGUST BY JOHN

28. Exile by Richard North Patterson, PB - 699 pages.
29. A Spoonful of Murder by J.M. Hall, PB - 325 pages.

BOOKS READ IN AUGUST BY KAREN.

27. A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss, PB - 290 pages.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN JUNE

71. The Exquisite Art of Getting Even by Alexander McCall Smith, PB.
72. A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare, PB. (Proof Copy)
73. Listen To Me by Tess Gerritsen, PB.
74. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith, PB.
75. Promise Me by Jill Mansell, PB.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN JULY

76. Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood, PB.
77. Circle of Death by James Patterson, PB.
78. The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham, PB.
79. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, PB.
80. Stroke of Genius by Gideon Haigh, PB.
81. These Names Make Clues by E.R.C Lorac, PB.
82. Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer, PB.
83. Wish You Were Here by Catherine Alliott, PB.
84. Sharpe's Battle by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
85. Sharpe's Devil by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
86. Sharpe's Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell, PB.
87. Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell, PB.
88. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell, PB.
89. After the Rain by Lucy Dillon, PB.
90. A Special Delivery by Clare Dowling, PB.
91. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, PB.
92. Legacies by L.E. Modesitt jr, PB.
93. The Web by Jonathan Kellerman, PB.
94. Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, PB.
95. Hush, Hush by James Patterson, PB.
96. The Inn by James Patterson, PB.
97. Blood and Memory by Fiona McIntosh, PB.
98. Ticket of Leave by Georges Simenon, PB.
99. Maigret Mystified by Georges Simenon, PB.
100. Maigret at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon, PB.
101. The Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford, PB.
102. Private Screening by Richard North Patterson, PB.
103. Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen, PB.
104. Death of an Author by E.C.R. Lorac, PB.
105. A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith, PB.
106. The Enigma of Room 622 by Joel Dicker, PB.
107. Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin, PB.
108. The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed, PB.
109. The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont, PB.
110. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths, PB.
111. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths, PB.
112. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths, PB.
113. Jan Ullrich, The Best There Never Was by Daniel Friebe, PB.
114. The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani, PB.
115. All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle, PB.
116. Bluebell's Christmas Magic by Marie Laval, PB.
117. Murder on the Caronia by Edward Marston, PB.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN AUGUST

118. The Ghost Way by Tony Hillerman, PB.
119. In The Frame by Dick Francis, PB.
120. Banker by Dick Francis, PB.
121. Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce, PB.
122. Rogue by Trudi Canavan, PB.
123. L'Auberge by Julia Stagg, PB.
124. All The Broken Places by John Boyne, PB.
125. Theodore Boone - The Accomplice by John Grisham, HB.
126. A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss, PB.
127. Murder by Milk Bottle by Lynne Truss, PB.
128. The Man That Got Away by Lynne Truss, HB.
129. Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson, PB.
130. Past Reason Hated by Peter Robinson, PB.
131. The Hanging Valley by Peter Robinson, PB.
132. Careless Love by Peter Robinson, PB.
133. Bad Boy by Peter Robinson, PB.
134. When The Music's Over by Peter Robinson, PB.
135. Mr Bowling buys a Newspaper by Donald Henderson, PB.
136. Private Beijing by James Patterson, PB.
137. Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson, PB.
138. Charity Ends at Home by Colin Watson, PB.
139. Lonely - Heart 4112 by Colin Watson, PB.
140. A Tale of Two Tests by Richie Benaud, HB.
141. Yorkshire County Cricket Yearbook 1996 ed by David Warner, HB.
142. Yorkshire County Cricket Yearbook 2011 ed by David Warner, HB.
143. Yorkshire County Cricket Yearbook 2012 ed by David Warner, HB.

MAY'S READING STATS

Books Read....................... 3

No of Authors.................... 3

New Authors...................... 1

Male Authors..................... 1

Female Authors.................. 2

Pages Read....................... 1,289

Daily Avg........................... 41.58

Book Length avg................. 429.67

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-5-23 - 2,948
Books added in May - 34
Books read in May - 3

Revised book total - 2979

Pages to read at 1-5-23 - 1,207,867
Pages added in May - 12,316
Pages read in May - 1,289

Revised total pages to read - 1,218,894

Thread is now OPEN.

>5 johnsimpson: That is quite a list. I have read a couple of these and some day hope to finish Sarum.

>21 mnleona:, Welcome Leona, my first visitor to this thread, i am known for my love of Big Books (Chunksters), and especially super Chunksters, my dear.

Hi John!

From your last thread, yay for the Bookextravaganza’s 14 books for you/Karen and 6 for Elliott. Lovely pics of Elliott’s haircut and playing at yours – especially the one with you and Elliott. The shades are way cool.

Sorry about Felix’s sore paw, gads to £500, glad the injection seems to have worked. I’m glad to hear that you’re going to get your Miner’s Pension …next month?...

Belated Happy Birthday to Karen.

>14 johnsimpson: One of Karen’s books, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers intrigued me because of the title, and I’ve just bought it from Amazon.

Sending love to you and Karen and miaows from Inara and the two gingers.

Photos from the Blacker Hall Farm Big Machines and Farm Animals event.

Happy new thread, John.

>24 johnsimpson: That is one huge tyre!
Great to see you, Karen and the little fellow looking so well.

>24 johnsimpson:, Hi Paul, the little fellow is lovely but he is so like his uncle Robert at times and he was a little bugger, lol.

Happy new thread, John!

>24 johnsimpson: Elliott has a big smile on all pictures, good you took him there!

Happy new one!

Excellent photos. Looks like everyone was having fun in the big tractor!

>27 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, thank you. Elliott absolutely loved it there, both the trucks, tractors and the animals.

>28 figsfromthistle:, Hi Anita my dear, Thank you. We all had a good time and he loved the tractors and we had a good lunch.

happy new thread, John! Elliott is quite the handsome guy!

Happy new thread! That farm event looks like a lot of fun and that is one adorable little guy you have with you there :)

Happy new thread, John!

Happy New Thread, John--love the pictures--tell Elliott I want a pair of those Spiderman shoes, too!

Happy new thread, John!!

And ohmygosh, Elliot is *such* a cutie!!

>31 drneutron:, Hi Jim, i won't say that he takes after his Grandad, i think he is more like his Uncle Robert, he was a cute little lad and when we were in Australia, all the girls and ladies loved him, i could have hired him out to guys for $50 a time (it was 1989) and guaranteed they would pull within 30 minutes, lol.

>32 RebaRelishesReading:, Hi Reba my dear, i may be biased but he is a cute little fella and has an eye for the ladies. He loves watching music videos on you tube, his favourites are Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor. I think he takes after his Uncle Robert, as he was a cute little fella and he loves his Uncle Robert.

>33 DianaNL:, Thank you Diana my dear.

>34 kac522:, Hi Kathy my dear, he just loves his Spiderman Crocs that Grandma got for him, especially when he jumps up and down and the eyes light up.

>35 scaifea:, Hi Amber my dear, he is a cute little fella, just like his Uncle Robert was at that age.

Happy New Thread, John! Great pictures of you , Karen and Elliot!

>41 vancouverdeb:, Thank you Deb my dear, i think Elliott is the star though, such a cutie, even though i am biased.

Happy new thread! Love the pictures of the three of you. Elliott is a sweetheart!

Happy new thread John!

>24 johnsimpson: What a darling Elliott is! What huge trucks too! He looks like he's in little boy heaven.

John, if you were Stokes would you have declared or gone on to trying to create something of a record score. I'm not sure what the weather forecast is but surely the fans would have liked to see Brook, Stokes and Bairstow have an hour each of the strike - another 40 overs could have yielded another 300 runs with those players at the crease. A test score of over 1,000 runs would have made the Aussies blanch I am sure.

>43 witchyrichy:, Hi Karen my dear, Thank you, we had a lovely day there and although i am biased, he is a cutie and he knows it, lol.

>44 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, Thank you for the thread comment, Elliott is a little darling even though i am biased and he knows it lol.

They are big trucks but not on the scale of your Rigs, even though it was a Scania bonnetted truck, not like the Kenworth, Peterbilt and Mack trucks that i covet. Elliott loves tractors and the trucks were a bonus and he loved them all.

>45 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, the forecast for Saturday and Sunday was warm, dry and sunny so i might have given them a chance to get some batting practice in before the ashes. I am not sure that i would have gone for a record score against the poor Irish b ut would have gone on to 800 i think.

The biggest positive was the sportsmanship of Andy McBrine, 14 short of a Century at Lord's and McCollum was padded up with his protective boot on, wanting to go out and enable McBrine to get his Ton and McBrine refused as he didn't want to cause anymore damage to McCollum. He did say that if he was one hit away, he might have said yes, what sportsmanship, thinking of a teammate rather than the glory he would have got.

On a sad note, Leach is out of the Ashes completely due to a lower back stress fracture, who comes in for such an important series.

Finished book 21 of 2023 yesterday evening, An Unexpected Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy, PB - 305 pages.

'TIS THE SEASON FOR GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MURDER....

Margery and Clementine Butcher-Baker are dinner ladies at Summerview Secondary School. Recently promoted to kitchen manager, Margery is determined to stay out of the way of the Christmas concert planning that has gripped the rest of the staff. However, when the stage lights collapse at the first practice, killing music teacher Mrs Large, Margery and Clementine are caught in the crossfire.

The Head of Drama, Mrs Smith, is the prime suspect. She is desperate for the Dinner Lady Detectives to clear her name. Mrs Smith is convinced that it's sabotage by her rival at Ittonvale Secondary, but there's evidence that points to her own misdeeds. Can Margery and Clementine trust their friend? And when things start to heat up in the kitchen, will they make it out in time?

>15 johnsimpson: Look at all those May books! Fun.

>24 johnsimpson: Great pics of the fam. So cute.

Happy new thread!!

>50 Berly:, Hi Kim my dear, thank you for stopping by and leaving your lovely comments, my dear friend.

Finished book 22 of 2023 late last night, The Midwife Murders by James Patterson, PB - 309 pages.

A MISSING PATIENT IS A HOSPITAL WARD'S WORST NIGHTMARE - UNTIL EVEN MORE PEOPLE DISAPPEAR...

Senior Midwife Lucy Ryuan is used to guiding expectant mothers through pregnancy. But when two kidnappers and a vicious stabbing happen on her watch, her focus abruptly changes.

Something has to be done, and Lucy is fearless enough to try.

As rumours and accusations fly around Manhattan, Lucy teams up with a sceptical NYPD detective to solve the case. But the truth is far more twisted than either of them could ever have imagined.

After a mixed week weatherwise, we are now at the end of day two of our "heatwave", from Monday until Thursday we had dry, cool days due to low cloud spread from the North Sea coast up to the Pennines, across the Pennines and most of the country had glorious sunny weather.

Yesterday was hot from the start, once we were up and about. I went to get my paper and then we had breakfast, our meds and vitamins and a coffee and then i put the washing out on the line. After the washing was out, i made us a pot of tea and then i checked on the garden and wondered why i had only put Onion sets in two square planters and not used the long planters. I put this right, I filled the first planter with soil from the bags of soil i had in storage, once it was at the right level, i put some onion sets in. I filled the next two planters and then put Onion sets in and realised i had enough left for the fourth planter. As i was doing this work, i was getting hot and sweaty, why was i doing this between 10.45am and 1pm as the heat was building. The phrase Mad Dogs and Englishmen came to mind. Anyway, all the Onion sets are in and i can concentrate on getting the veg plot finished and put in late summer and winter crops.

I took Karen to work and then did a couple of errands before i got home, once home i pottered about a bit and took short breaks to take on fluid, i.e pots of tea.

I had a steady evening and listened to the Champions League final on the radio and although a Manchester United fan, i was pleased for Manchester City on winning and completing the treble. The fact remains that the Reds did this first in 1999 and so we still have the bragging rights no matter what the Blue half of the city thinks, lol.

Another hot day for us, hotter than yesterday by a couple of degrees. We awoke with the alarm and i went and made us a pot of tea and let Felix in, he decided not to come in late last night and so spent the night on the prowl and then went into the garage to his nice bed.

We had Toasted fruit teacakes with Marmalade, a coffee and our meds and vitamins and then i put more washing out on the line.Once this was done i began to do a bit of tidying up in the garden and Karen made a White Chocolate and Raspberry cake.

As the weather got warmer, i took some breaks and made us a drink to keep up our fluid intake. Apart from these breaks, one included a treat of a Scone with butter and Jam and a piece of Lemon cake, i worked from about 11am through until 4.45pm and got done what i wanted to and it does look a lot better. I now have a boot full of bags of rubble and the remaining three concrete greenhouse base sections.

Once i was done and Karen had decided to get out of the sun, we both needed a good, cool shower before we had something to eat. Deciding what to eat changed throughout the day and we ended up having Sausage sandwiches followed by Strawberries and Cream.

I managed to get done what i wanted to and am getting a nice bit of colour, win-win for me.

Finished book 23 of 2023 late last night, Coffin Scarcely Used by Colin Watson, PB - 204 pages.

In the respectable seaside town of Flaxborough, the equally respectable councillor Harold Carobleat is laid to rest. Cause of death: pneumonia.

But he is scarcely cold in his coffin before Detective Inspector Purbright must turn out again to examine the death of Carobleat's neighbour, Marcus Gwill, former proprietor of the local rag, the Citizen. This time it looks like foul play, unless a surfeit of marshmallows had led the late and rather unlamented Mr Gwill to commit suicide by electrocution.

How were the dead men connected, both to each other and to a small but select band of other town worthies? Purbright becomes intrigued by a stream of advertisements Gwill was putting in the Citizen, for some very oddly named antique items...

You have been fairly quiet on the thread for the last couple of days and I wondered if you were still drinking tea or if you were no longer able to do so! :-)

My two week visit to Kansas to check on how my mother was getting along as turned into three weeks and counting. My mother has shingles and it is around one of her eyes. That makes it a serious case. It is getting better, but we had to see an optometrist and have medicine to take from both the medical doctor and the optometrist. My mother is cranky and out-of-sorts and hard to deal with right now. She is also discouraged and talking about how we should just take her out and shoot her, but there was improvement today - both in how she feels and her mental state. Her eye isn't as swollen and so she can see better and that is helping as well.

As for me, I am now getting lots more reading done than I anticipated. Sitting in doctors offices and waiting for them has given me lots more reading time than I would have had. I am now making Madeleine's for our churches spring tea party that got delayed until now. I like madeleine's with tea and thought that the other women would like them as well. I have time to make them, so I am baking enough of them for 35 people to have two each. I have the Shingrx shingles vaccination so I am set for the next three years. I got mine in 2021, and am so glad I did. It was easy to decide to get the vaccination when the alternative is getting shingles!

Tomorrow it is back to the doctor for an evaluation on how Mom is doing. She looks awful with shingles scabs all over one side of her face. I feel sorry for her, but I will get some more reading time!

Hi John!

>54 johnsimpson: Karen made a White Chocolate and Raspberry cake. Yum. Just… yum.

Sending love and hugs to you, Karen, and your stays-out-all-night-boy Felix.

>56 benitastrnad: Yikes Benita, that sounds awful for both of you. I hope she recovers soon!!

Has your weather cooled down some, John? We had a very strange hot month in May which is usually one of our rainy months. It was hot again at the beginning of June but it's raining now.

Looks like the mysteries are holding your attention lately. They're doing the same for me.

Wishing you a splendid Father's Day, John.

Ashes are off and running and I was fascinated by Stokes' declaration on the first day. I don't remember that happening in the Ashes before. It is a good job that Bairstow got runs given the couple of boo-boos behind the stumps.

>56 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita my dear, i am still tea drinking but one way or another, real life seems to get in the way of me being on here daily. The weather the last nine days has been hot by our standards and we have been making the most of it.

I seem not to be on here on a Wednesday or Thursday depending on how tired i am after Elliott's overnight stay, he is very active now that the weather is good and he can runaround the garden and investigate everything. Also i am getting a few jobs done but obviously being careful not to overdo things. Add to all this trying to get some reading done.

I am sorry to hear that your mom has shingles and it is on one side of her face and affecting her eye, i hope things can be sorted out for her and i can easily imagine the reading you are getting done while sat in waiting rooms, i had the same when taking Karen's dad to numerous regular appointments.

Sending love and hugs to you and your mom from both of us my dear friend.

>57 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, the cake was lovely and didn't last long and she has also made some biscuits recently and she has my birthday cake to finish off nearer the time.

Felix has had another night out but i think he spent most of it in the garage in his nice box bed.

Sending love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

>59 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, the weather is still very good, it has dropped a couple of degrees and thunderstorms have been across various parts of the country. These thunderstorms can be short and sweet or nasty little buggers, the nasty ones have dumped up to a months worth of rain in a short period of time and has caused some flash flooding.

We had rain on Saturday night but no thunder, it did the garden a lot of good and replenished my waterbutts. From today to Friday, we will have warm temperatures with the threat of thunderstorms and then temperatures are to rise from Saturday. Also we are apparently due to get the Spanish plume, which could raise temperatures to 34C and above for at least ten days.

I am careful in the sun but have got a decent bit of colour on my arms, Amy is annoyed with this as she has to be careful in the sun but does not seem to get any colour on her arms while driving and i do, what can i say, lol.

Sending love and hugs from both of us my dear friend.

>60 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, what a start to the Ashes, Crawley crunched Cummins to the fence first ball and that set the tone. The Aussies were shell shocked and when Bairstow and Root got together it was carnage. The biggest shock was the declaration, never been done before on the first day.

The Aussies then batted sensibly and got to within seven runs of England before the weather curtailed the third day with us two down. Today, Root tried to start with a reverse ramp shot, Boycott must have been having kittens, lol. England played a little carelessly, both Root and Brook needlessly lust their wickets and we eventually got a lead of 280.

By close of play the Aussies were 107 for 3, 174 needed by them and seven wickets by us, should be an interesting last day. Bazball is OK but they still need to learn how to bat sensibly at times, it could cost us the first Test, but that is how Stokes wants to play the game.

I had a nice Father's day and i hope you did as well mate. Love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

John, you talk to your friends here in such a sweet, kind way - I admire that enormously, and wish there were more of that in the world! Thanks for spreading such goodness. 😊

>65 PlatinumWarlock:, Hi Lavinia my dear, thanks for stopping by, i have made so many good friends on here but have only met three. Paul Cranswick and i were born three years apart from the same village and Paul found me not long after i joined and we have met numerous times when he has come back to the UK. I also Met Barbara Heckendorn and her husband when they were over in the UK and we got on like a house on fire and then i met up with Joe Welch and his wife Debbi when they came up to York, sadly my wife Karen was working.

I am pleased that you admire the way i talk to my many friends on here, even though we are unlikely to meet, i keep buying a lottery ticket in the hope of a decent win so that i can get over to the US to meet up with so many friends. I will star your thread and i hope that we will become friends.

Sending love and hugs from Yorkshire dear friend.

>66 johnsimpson: What a treat to get to meet several of your online friends! I've been able to do so several times, and it's an unexpected blessing. One of the upsides of the Internet. I have a Seattle friend who lives in York, so who knows... perhaps we'll get to meet in person someday!

>67 PlatinumWarlock:, You never know Lavinia my dear.

There is also a Portland meet-up from time to time -- not too terribly far to come down to :)

>69 RebaRelishesReading: My son is at U of O, so we get through Portland several times a year at least... definitely not too far!

Hello John, just dropping by to say hello. Hope you're all well? If ever I'm up in Yorkshire I'll try and give you a call, but not very likely at the moment. It has been very hot here today, but it's looking as if there's going to be a storm shortly and tomorrow is forecast to be much cooler, thank goodness

>70 PlatinumWarlock: Make it known when you'll be available and a meet-up can probably be arranged. The Portland LT'ers are good that way :)

>72 RebaRelishesReading: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Stopping by to say hi, John. I'm glad you had an enjoyable birthday! Best wishes on winning the Lottery so as to take a trip to Portland. Love and hugs to you and yours, John.

>69 RebaRelishesReading:, Hi Reba my dear, if i ever get over i will want to maximise the number of LTers to see. I think i will have to do a West Coast trip and an East Coast trip and if it is via a decent lottery win it will mean a few holidays and of course i will need to visit some Fountain pen retailers and arrange some online purchases to be delivered to where i would be staying. Sadly with the exchange rate and customs charges, what looks like a good deal becomes expensive and the US online retailers get some lovely limited and special editions.

>74 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, it's not my birthday until the 6th July, i was just mentioning the cake that has to be decorated yet. If i get a lottery win i will be sure to pay a visit to Vancouver and arrange a meet-up with you and others in the city.

Last Friday i picked up book No6 in the Cormoran Strike series in paperback, i can use it as a doorstop as it comes in at 1221 pages and i think i will make it my 50th, 1,000 + page book read.

Finished book 24 late on Wednesday night, Sycamore Row by John Grisham, PB - 516 pages.

As a child, Seth Hubbard witnessed something no person should ever see.
When he kills himself, he is an old, rich man.

In that moment, his revenge begins.

Disinheriting his wives and children, he leaves his vast, secret fortune to his housemaid. And in a town of vultures, he appoints the one lawyer worthy of his trust: Jake Brigance.

Now Jake must defend the will, whatever the cost...

I have had a pretty good weekend, yesterday, once we were up and about, i went up to the village pub Saturday market and got some fruit teacakes and a couple of Iced fingers before going to the shop to pick up my newspaper.

We had a steady morning, after i had my breakfast, coffee and meds, i put the washing out on the rotary airer. We had a couple more drinks before Karen had a bite to eat before it was time to take her to work. I dropped Karen off and then called into the Aldi to pick up a couple of bits and then i made my way over to Amy's.

When i got there, Elliott was asleep, Amy made me a drink and after i had finished and Elliott had woken up, we went into the front garden to do some major weeding.

I had brought over some old compost bags to fill up once the garden bin was full. Elliott wanted to help but sadly all he did was move my half full bags and empty them out. After a good hour, the garden bin was full and is due to be collected and emptied this week and all five compost bags had been filled up. I took three full compost bags and put them in the boot of my car and the other two were taken with the garden bin into the back garden. We washed up and got cleaned up and i made a coffee in my travel mug and then said goodbye and see you tomorrow, and made my way home.

Once home i emptied the three compost bags into my garden bin and my bin is due to be emptied this Wednesday. Once this was done, i brought the washing in and folded the towels up apart from two large bath towels that needed to go onto the indoor airer to air off. The rest of my evening was taken up with having something to eat, watching the Tour de France highlights programme and then watering the plants and feeding the hedgehogs. I did have time for a couple of pots of tea and a coffee before i made Karen's energy drink up and made myself a coffee in the travel mug and went to collect her from work.

Today we awoke with the alarm and i went and made us a pot of tea to enjoy in bed and after we had finished, we got up, washed and dressed and came downstairs to get everything sorted out. Karen set a load of washing going before toasting the fruit teacakes and i made us a coffee. We had just finished our breakfast when Amy, Andy and Elliott arrived with my birthday cards for Thursday and my present, a very large box. I said i would leave the cards until the actual day but open my present so they could see my reaction. They had got me a reproduction Vintage Turntable so that i can play my vinyl albums again, it has bluetooth facility and is ready to go. I was very pleased and surprised and love it.

We had a drink and the Amy helped Karen with making up the lasagne to go in the oven and prepare some salad. We had a lovely lunch but needed a break before having some of the gorgeous birthday cake that Karen had made. Rob called in a bit later and had some lasagne and gave me my birthday cards along with my present, a lovely framed and signed pencil sketch print of Scarborough Cricket ground by ex Gloucestershire and England player turned artist, Jack Russell. It is really lovely and we have found a place for it to be hung up. I will open my present from Karen on Thursday morning.

On a sad note, Louise's mum suffered a major stroke on Tuesday and so they have been at the hospital for most of the week, things are touch and go at the moment and so that is why only Rob came today.

Rob left to go back to the hospital and a short while later, Amy, Andy and Elliott left for home.

I am hoping to finish my current read by Wednesday night so that i can start my next book sometime on Thursday when we are up in Seahouses on our couple of days away to celebrate my 60th birthday. As we are quite near Alnwick, we will pay the obligatory visit to Barter Books and no doubts come away with at least 20 books as we have previously.

I am also hoping to get to Hexham and call into Cogito books, an independent bookshop that i have heard a lot about and see often on Twitter. I think our trip will cause me to buy enough books to tip me over 3,000 on the TBR pile, lol.

>79 johnsimpson: Wow, John, what lovely and thoughtful gifts for #60! Your children know you well.

>80 johnsimpson: Go for it! 🤣

I have had double tea parties in the last two months. On May 20th, my supper group decided to something different for our last meeting of the academic year (September - May) and have a tea party. I was in charge of getting the menu together and getting the teas. We had three different kinds of tea and we had savories, scones, and sweets for the tea. Each person who attended brought one item from the menu and we all had a great time. It turned out that our favorite tea of the day was a Darjeeling. I made Madeleine's that included ground up Earl Gray tea. They were delicious!

When I was at home (in Kansas) last month, our local church hosted a "tea party." We had 37 people show up. For our town that is a lot of people. I had made Madeleine's for another gathering in my home town earlier in the month and we had a great discussion about Madeleine's and their role in literature and in having tea. The woman who was coordinating the tea party called and asked me to make Madeleine's for the church tea party and give a short talk about Madeleine's. So I did. I even took the Madeleine mold with me so that people could see what was. Once they saw it, several of the ladies said that they had seen those pans in junk shops but didn't know what they were for. I made enough Madeleine's for each person attending to have two. We had very nicely decorated tables, three kinds of tea for people to choose from, and only had a sweets course, and we had a good time.

It wasn't a proper Afternoon Tea a la "Downtown Abby" but both were great fun, and I found some teas that I really liked, including that outstanding Darjeeling.

>79 johnsimpson: A turntable! What a lovely gift, and the bluetooth feature sounds very handy. My partner Jeff has been drooling over my mother's vinyl collection but has nothing on which to play them, so one of these days I may ask your advice about an appropriate purchase for him.

I see from your initial post that Louise is your future daughter-in-law; I'm sorry to hear about her mother... that's sad news indeed. If Rob is anything like you seem to be, I'm sure he's a loving and supportive partner for Louise and will be a source of strength for her.

I saw your pre birthday cake on Facebook and it looks fabulous , John! Enjoy! The Vintage Record Player sounds lovely! My brother has an old non-blue tooth capable vinyl record player and it has really good sound. I am sorry to hear about Louise's mother's stroke. Best wishes to her and her mom and family.

As a vinyl enthusiast, I am of course in full approval with the addition of a turntable, mate.

What a breathless last day at Lords. It is a shame for England but also for cricket that Ben Stokes couldn't quite get us over the line but what an innings! Your take on the Bairstow dismissal?

>80 johnsimpson: We went to Hexham in 2020 and I seem to remember it had about 3 bookshops - an amazingly large amount for the size of the town. I think we must have gone to Cognito books but my recollection is that it wasn't fully open because of Covid. So you could buy books but not browse. And there was also a good independent bookshop in nearby Corbridge.

I've missed so many of your life updates and those cute photos of your grandson I couldn't help but notice as I skimmed the thread on my way to the bottom to post a "hello." Hoping my life has slowed down enough now that I can keep up.

Looks like you are doing well for your 60th, John. Already presents and cake and a trip to look forward to. Hope you find lots of books on your travels.

Hi John..and Karen! Can it be you are 60? And, can it be I am 70? Ten years older than you? I struggle with being 70. Where did the years go? My life has been filled with wonderful people. Like you, I find such joy in this LT 75 challenge group. I joined in 2008. A co-worker found an ad in Good Reads, and joined the 50 book challenge group, more as a means to record books and not as many of us do in the 75 challenge group, ie connect with wonderful people who feel like family.

I very much like how fluid LT is. We can use this as a means to record books, and jump in the water and get to know people, or simply record our books.

I find such joy in people such as you and Karen! Diane Keenoy mentioned your thread and how much she enjoyed your narrative of your days. And, I agree with her. You have a wonderful way of sharing your days and inviting us into your life. Thank you for that!!!

I haven't visited threads as much as I would like, and I hope to visit more often. Increasingly, I find it difficult to take care of a house and the small and large items that need attending to. Technically, I can live in the downstairs large space, but I also very much like the upstairs loft and bedrooms. My neighbors are wonderful, and when Will died in 2019, they were here in the house gently sharing his transition and providing emotional support to us in the journey. In particular, a wonderful friend, Andres who lives two doors down with his wonderful wife and highly intelligent nine year old son, is a constant source of assistance to me when I need repairs around the house.

I will always remember his silent tears as they gently fell from his eyes, down his cheeks as he said good bye to his friend Will. He stood at the bottom of Will's bed and paid tribute to him by his gentle homage of soft, gentle tears. Throughout the years since Will's passing, he and his family became my family. When I acknowledged Andre's phone call to me every day or night..I acknowledged his looking out for me and for grand daughter Kayla who lives with me. He told me something I did not know...He said he calls me every day because before Will died, he promised him that he would check on Kayla and me to be sure we were ok.

My life is good when there are such wonderful people to share the storms, and the sunshine. Thank you for your gentle presence in this group, and sharing your love of "clunkers."

Thanks to you and Karen for the gentle, kind souls you are!

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy birthday mate.

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy Birthday John!

>24 johnsimpson: Great pictures, John! Thanks for sharing them!

Happy birthday to you, John!

Happy birthday, John! I hope you are well-celebrated by your loved ones and enjoy every minute of your day.

>81 kac522:, Thanks Kathy my dear.

>82 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita my dear, I like the sound of your Double tea parties, they are just up my street. The Madeleines made with Earl Grey tea sound delicious my dear.

>83 PlatinumWarlock:, Hi Lavinia my dear, the turntable is lovely although with going away i haven't had time to get some vinyl down to play, i am looking forward to getting some Heavy Rock albums down while Karen is at work.

Rob and Louise have been together about 15 years and have still not got around to getting married, they are engaged but to be honest, i don't think they will marry. Rob is very much like me in some respects but takes after Karen's side of the family.

On the evening he rang up after i had got back from taking Hannah home, he told us some good news, he has got a job with West Yorkshire Police in the offices and has to go on a 16 week training course. It turns out that he had been made redundant in January and they paid him off with three months salary. He applied for the Police job in March but with the checks they go through, they can be long winded. He applied for other jobs and should have started today but got word about the Police job and so gave back word to the other employer and starts soon with the Police. When i was dropping Hannah off to get changed, he made out that he was working from home and i never queried it as a lot work so many days at home, the sneaky devil, lol.

>84 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, the cake was lovely and we gave the kids some to take home, the turntable is lovely but as yet i haven't got it out or got some vinyl down from the loft. I will get some Heavy rock albums down and play them when Karen is at work.

Louise's mum is still in hospital, not much change. when they gave her the blood clot drugs she had another stroke and half her brain is practically dead so the prognosis is not really very good.

>85 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul mate, i have missed being able to play vinyl and when i get it out and set up, i will get some Heavy rock albums down from the loft and play them when Karen is at work, lol.

What a test at Lord's, on the Bairstow incident, Carey had chances to do what he did the previous three deliveries before he did the deed. I think he should have warned Bairstow of what he might do if he persisted, BUT by the letter of the law, he was out and the vast majority of players asked about it are of the same view. It has soured things a bit with the English crowd and they just go back to previous Aussie indiscretions. Cummins could have said no and then warned the batsmen and they may have lost the game but won the spirit of Cricket BUT would have been pilloried back home, no win either way.

>86 SandDune:, Hi Rhian my dear, we loved Hexham and called into Cogito books and had a good look around, they have a wonderful selection of books and gifts. I bought one book with a National book token i was given for my birthday and Karen bought a book for Elliott. We had some lunch in the Old Abbey Refectory before having a wander around that area. We popped into Penfax and i saw some lovely pens and Karen bought some cards and a writing paper set.

>87 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, i think we all get busy around this time and so don't visit threads as often as we would like, glad you liked what you had missed and we will all get back to visiting threads more often.

Life has been a little chaotic lately and I feel very behind on threads and reviews.

Happy belated birthday! A turntable is a lovely gift. I use mine almost every day. Makes me feel young.

>88 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, i have done really well with birthday gifts, along with the Turntable from Amy, Andy and Elliott, i got a lovely Cricket print of Scarborough by ex-cricketer Jack Russell and £20 from Rob, Louise and Hannah. On my birthday i also got £50 from our very good friend Tina, a £50 Waterstones gift card from our good friends Geoff and Linda and Karen got me a Fountain pen made by a chap in Northumberland, it is absolutely lovely and fits nicely in my hand, along with a Florence and the Machine CD and two lovely Polo shirts. I was spoilt to be honest.

>99 johnsimpson: Oh, that's exciting news for Rob - congratulations. I hope it's a good fit for him. I'm so sorry about Louise's mum, though... very sad, and certainly challenging for her and Rob. Sending peace to them both.

>106 PlatinumWarlock:, Thanks Lavinia my dear.

>89 Whisper1:, Hi Linda my dear, i love your post, it made me smile and made me cry but at the end it is a tale of friendships made, we may never have met, we may never meet but we value our friendship and the stories we tell. I always wondered if my narrative of our daily life would be rather boring, but boring is the reality of everyday life. The highs and lows may not be spectacular but they are honest, nothing made up, no lies written down but we pass on local knowledge and it may be useful for someone who is preparing to visit that area.

You are a very dear friend and i know i have said it before, i always felt as if i knew Will and his loss is still felt in our household, sending Yorkshire love and hugs to you and Kayla from both of us my very dear friend.

>90 quondame:, Thank you Susan my dear.

>91 PaulCranswick:, Thank you Paul, my mate.

>92 DianaNL:, Thank you Diana my dear.

>93 SandDune:, Thank you Rhian my dear.

>94 alcottacre:, Glad you liked them Stasia my dear.

>95 FAMeulstee:, Thank you Anita my dear.

>96 PlatinumWarlock:, Thank you Lavinia my dear.

JUNE'S READING STATS

Books Read....................... 4

No of Authors.................... 4

New Authors...................... 1

Male Authors..................... 3

Female Authors.................. 1

Pages Read....................... 1,334

Daily Avg........................... 44.47

Book Length avg................. 333.5

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-6-23 - 2,979
Books added in June - 5
Books read in June - 4

Revised book total - 2980

Pages to read at 1-6-23 - 1,218,894
Pages added in June - 2,407
Pages read in June - 1,334

Revised total pages to read - 1,219,967

Finished book 25 of 2023 late on Sunday night, Ultimatum by Frank Gardner, PB - 440 pages.

HIDDEN FROM PRYING WESTERN SATELLITES, IRANIAN SCIENTISTS WORK ON A BANNED DEVICE.

They are acting on orders of a renegade cell within Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose objective is to transform their country into a nuclear-armed nation, and so seal its domination of the Middle East.

Britain's intelligence agencies know something is up. Someone on the inside is ready to hand over information - but then the rendezvous with SIS officer Luke Carlton goed bloodily wrong. Luke needs to be extracted. Fast.

Forced on to the back foot after that fiasco, MI6 sees an opportunity to recruit an individual with unique access to the IRGC hardliners. Luke is chosen to reel them in. Going into Iran undercover is dangerous enough, but then there's a killing and a kidnapping and the British government is presented with a shocking ultimatum. With time running out, it seems only Luke can stop a cataclysmic new war in the Gulf....

I had a lovely 60th birthday, thank you all for your lovely messages both on here and on Facebook. On the day of my birthday, we got up at 7am and quickly got washed and dressed and came downstairs. We got our meds out, and Karen did Felix's dishes and got breakfast ready while i made us a pot of tea. Once all this was done i let Felix out and went and got the Hedgehogs plate and cleaned it up and then put the remainder of the foil tray of food and some semi-moist nibbles onto the plate and covered it up with a nappy sack and put it in the fridge. Our neighbour Margaret was looking after Felix and i had left her a message to put the Hedgehog food out that night.

When all this was done, we had our breakfast and then i opened my cards, i found a National Book Token from Margaret and Steve, a Waterstones Book card from Geoff and Linda, £20 from Rob, Louise and Hannah besides my print and £50 from our very good friend Tina.

We finished breakfast and washed up the plates, pots and cutlery and then put our small cases in the car, my cards were put in the ruckcsack and i had my Man bag, we both had a small flask of coffee and we also had a couple of bottles of water and then we set off.

We got to the A1 and set off on the long drive, we made a stop at the services just short of Durham and had a stretch and a coffee before continuing our journey. As we passed Newcastle, we decided to turn off and pop into Hexham for a look around. We found Cogito books, a lovely independent bookshop with a very large selection of books and a big Children's section along with a range of cards and gifts. I used my £10 National Book Token on a book for me and Karen bought a book for Elliott. We left the bookshop and continued having a wander around until Karen said it was time for a drink and something to eat. We found the Church and saw a sign for the Old Abbey Refectory cafe and went in and had tea and Scones with butter and Jam, the Scones were huge and tasted delicious.

After eating we left and went for a further look around and i found Penfax Stationers, they had a lovely selection of Fountain Pens and Karen ended up buying a card and a Writing set. We made our way back to the car and headed back towards Newcastle and the A1, and once back on the A1, we set off to Alnwick so that we could pay a visit to Barter Books. We had a good look around and came away with 14 books including one for Elliott. We left Barter Books and set off to our destination of Seahouses and to find our Apartment for two nights.

We arrived in Seahouses and found our apartment and brought our luggage in and the book purchases. We unpacked and hung up clothes for two days and then i made us a welcome pot of tea.

>114 johnsimpson: I glad you had an enjoyable birthday expedition. Daily life the reward for harrowing adventures and may not be the standard stuff for novels but one's own shouldn't be boring if one is engaged with one's people and activities. Making it interesting to others is a skill you've shown some facility with.

>115 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, thank you for your post, it means a lot to me.

After our arrival at the apartment we had a pot of tea or two before we got changed to go across to the Spice Lounge for my birthday meal. We had a lovely meal, both of us went with Bangladeshi dishes and then as i was on my way to the toilet, the owner stopped me and noticed my 60 badge. He asked if it was my birthday, i said yes, today and he then said that he would buy me a drink. On my return to our table, a fresh pint of Cobra lager was in my place.

We finished our meal and drinks and then paid the bill and i thanked them all for a lovely meal and my birthday drink and we left. We went for a wander around Seahouses before making our way back to the apartment.

On Friday we decided to go to Lindisfarne (Holy Island), we set off out of Seahouses and made our way through to Bamborough Castle and then onto the A1 and up to Lindisfarne. We had a nice journey and took the turning for Lindisfarne and made our way across the causeway, three miles later we got to the car park. After parking up, we checked the tide table and we had until 4.30pm before we HAD to leave unless we wanted to be stranded overnight.

We hadn't realised that it is a small community, there are about 200 residents, it has three pubs, a hotel and post office and numerous B&B's. We wandered towards the centre and had a comfort stop before making our way across to Lindisfarne Castle on the hill. We wandered across the cobbled walkway and up the slight hill only to find that the Castle is shut on a Friday, darn. We took a few photos and then made our way back to the main part of the island.

We found the hotel and went and had a coffee before going to look at the ruins of the Abbey and then the Church of St Aidan. We had a good look around before making our way back to the car park where we had an ice cream before getting in the car and making our way back along the causeway and back to the A1. It was still early so we decided to have a drive down to the little fishing village of Amble.

We had a wander around the high street and then went down to the harbour, we had a coffee and bought some sweets for everyone before picking some milk up and then making our way back to Seahouses. Once back at the apartment, we had a pot of tea or two before i was sent to collect a hat for a friend of ours in Walton who had stayed the week before in Seahouses and left it. Once the hat was back in the car i went across to the Elan, Italian restaurant to order a Meat Feast Pizza, while i was doing this, Karen was packing up all that she could ready for our departure on Saturday morning.

We had a lovely Pizza and a nice drink in the apartment and then watched some TV, i took the rubbish out and found that a birds egg had been dropped onto my car, just above the windscreen. I went back in and got a cloth and filled a plastic jug with hot water and went out and cleaned everything up. I was amazed at how far the yolk had splashed and it took me longer than expected, Karen wondered what i was doing.

Hi John! Sounds like you had a really good time! Good for you, and I would love to see Lindisfarne. Do you still have a day there? If so I wish you and Karen a nice stay.

I know I wished you a Happy Birthday on Facebook, John, but another belated Happy Birthday Greeting . I'm glad you and Karen had such a lovely expedition together. Dave and I need to do that too, sometime. Finding some one too look after our challenging dog, Poppy would be difficult , plus honestly , even these short trips add up around here.

Lindisfarne is one of those bucket list places I want to visit when I retire. If I retire… 😀

Sounds like you had a lovely day!

Finished book 26 of 2023 late last Friday night, The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar, PB - 291 pages.

She left for the getaway, but will she stay for the happily - ever - after.

JUDE CRAWLEY has a broken heart. After leaving her cheating boyfriend, she decides to go solo on their non-refundable holiday: running a tiny bookshop in the Devon harbour village of CLOVE LORE.

There's just one problem: six foot tall, brooding, gorgeous ELLIOTT has also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks...

As Jude and Elliott put their differences aside to run the bookshop, Jude finds herself falling for more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliott is running from - and why he's hiding out in Clove Lore.

Could this be Jude's romantic ending? Or will there be a final twist in this tale.

>118 EllaTim:, Hi Ella, we were only there on the 6th and 7th July and left on the 8th to make our way home.

>119 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, we had a lovely time in and around Seahouses and we visited a couple of small market towns on the way there and home.

>120 drneutron:, Hi Jim, mate, Lindisfarne is definitely worth a visit, and the church of St Aidan has an aura about it. If you wanted a few days of tranquility, you stay at the hotel or one of the Bed and Breakfast places and you can get of the island for a few hours to visit say Berwick-on-Tweed which is only 8 miles away but you need to know the tide times for getting off and for getting back on before you are cut off.

On the Saturday morning, we awoke in Seahouses for our last hour or so, we got up,washed and dressed and packed up the toiletries and went and had breakfast. We had a pot of tea, toasted fruit teacakes and our meds and then we washed up, tidied up and put the rubbish in the designated outside bin. We got the last bits in the case and then went out, locked up and put the key in the key safe and then packed the car and set off on our way.

We left Seahouses and headed towards Bamborough Castle and village to take a few photos, the local Cricket club and ground is at the foot of the Castle, what a place to play a game of Cricket. Once we were done we made our way to the A1 and headed south to the market town of Morpeth, a few miles from Newcastle.

We got parked up in Morpeth and made our way up the high street, first stop was a coffee stop and then when we had finished we perused the high street and the shops. We stopped to take a couple of photos ( i promise to post them on here) and then mosied on a bit more. I spotted an antique shop up an alleyway, sadly there was nothing for me but Karen picked up a nice French brooch.

We continued strolling along and came across two more antique shops, again nothing caught our eye and so we kept on wandering. We spotted and arcade with a few shops and i found a Waterstones bookshop, this was where we found out about Geoff and Linda's generous gift of £50 on a Waterstones gift card, i have a few books on my list for when they come out in papaerback. Karen went into a dress shop and they had a sale on and she picked up a lovely dress for a lot less than originally ticketted at. We left the arcade and went down the high street, i found a WH Smiths and picked up my Cricket magazine and then we made our way back to the car.

This was very fortuitous as once inside, the heavens opened, we had some coffee from our travel mugs before setting off to Darlington to visit Cousin Josie and her husband, Trevor. We stopped at the services for a toilet stop and a coffee, i also redeemed my free birthday cake slice reward from Costa Coffee. Once we were done we followed the satnav on Karen's phone and eventually arrived at Josie and Trevor's. We had a good chat and a nice pot of tea and fresh baked Scones before we left them and made our way home.

We got home about 6.45 pm on the Saturday night and first job was to make a pot of tea and then we got all the dirty washing out ready for Sunday morning to be washed and got all the books out, a grand total of 21 books purchased.

Sunday was spent relaxing and doing the washing and i watched the Tour de France stage.

As we have got everything washed and dried and ironed, we are now staring to pack for our holiday to Scotland. We are staying in a little flat in Kirkcaldy in Fife, St. Andrews is not that far away and we will get the train into Edinburgh. I have always wanted to cross the famous Forth Rail bridge and we will also cross the new Forth road bridge.

Trevor told us that the A1 from Alnwick is a nightmare towards Edinburgh and suggested that we go up the A1 to Scotch Corner and then take the A66 west towards Penrith and then go up the M6, M74 and onto the M8 from Glasgow to Edinbugh and then across the Forth road bridge to Kirkcaldy. We are going to do this and have booked an overnight stay in Penrith to save me so much driving on one day, on the way back i will come across the Forth road bridge and onto the A1 and head south as i want to pop into North Berwick on our way to our overnight stop in Gateshead.

As with a lot of things, pronunciation of place names can be tricky, Karen thought it was Kircaldy but it is pronounced Kur-KAW-dee, years ago we were in South West Scotland and called into Kirkcudbright, again Karen thought it was kir cud Bright but again it is pronounced Kur- KOO- bree. Even though we have lived in the UK all our lives, place names can be deceptive, how overseas visitors cope, i don't know. My son-in-law Andy was working in Boot in York and an American tourist asked for directions to Harogotty, Harrogate and also Wet Herby, Wetherby, understandable really if your not from round here.

We travel up to Penrith this Sunday and sadly the weather forecast for next week is not good but we will have a good time.

Last Monday, the 10th of July was a good day for us, i paid off the mortgage and with that, no more mortgage payments and so that will enable Karen to drop her Monday shift at the end of this tax year.

After paying off the mortgage, Karen went to Boots to pick up a couple of things and i transferred some money into the bills account and the everyday account, we met back up just outside Boots and then made our way to Althams travel agents, across the way and we booked our 2024 holiday to Madeira, staying again at the Quinta Bela Sao Tiago, two days after we land, it will be our 40th wedding anniversary.

I am now in the process of trying to find out how we go about renewing our wedding vows while we are there, i am hoping that it is not too problematical with Madeira being a Catholic Island as we are not Catholics.

>127 johnsimpson: Congratulations on the end of mortgage payments. Well done! We call the loans we take out on our real estate mortgages, but the banks call them something else. I'm not sure what the functional difference is.

>127 johnsimpson: Hi John! Lots of good news there! Congratulations on finishing your mortgage payments. Everything a bit easier financially. And a holiday booked, and looking forward to your 40th anniversary. Very nice, all of this!

>127 johnsimpson: What a happy day! Congratulations on the mortgage, John, as well as 40 years next year for you and Karen - how lovely!

Congratulations on getting to the end of your mortgage, John. Such a good feeling, isn't it? From your posts, it looks like you both have the travel bug. I enjoyed the posts about Lindisfarne, a place I'd never heard of. Best of luck on your Scottish trip and in learning how the place names are pronounced.

Congratulations on paying off your mortgage , John . It's a good feeling and frees up some money. I was happy when we did the same about 5 - 6 years ago. An you've already booked your 40th anniversary holiday! The Scottish trip sounds lovely. The paternal side of my family is of Scottish background, though my grandparents and perhaps even my great grandparents were born in Canada. My grandma did take a trip to Scotland and she was delighted to see it, especially Castle Forbes and Dunvegan, which is attached to my grandmas birth surname. I'm sure you will love it!

I hope you enjoy your holiday in Fife, John. We had a week there in 2021 and its a lovely part of the world. Some very pretty fishing villages - I’d happily go back.

Yesterday i picked up Elliott as usual and we made our way home, once Elliott was out of the car, he rushed into the house and straight to Karen and wanted a hug and was saying, i love you Grandma, bless him. Once i was in and having a pot of tea, my meds and vitamins and then my cereal, he came over to me, gave me a hug and told me that he loved me.

Once we were all finished with breakfast, Karen changed Elliott and then we set off to Calverley, a suburb of Leeds to visit Cousin Anne and her niece Kate, who she is staying with before she goes back home to Australia, next week.

We got there with no problems apart from Karen getting the house number wrong and no one answering the door, obviously. We backed out of the drive and then saw Kate waving at us. Elliott was a little overawed at first until he remembered who they were. We had taken some toys with us and he also played with some of Kate's daughter Violet's toys.

After hugs all round, Kate made us all a drink and we got chatting, Anne told us of her visit to friends in Sussex and her visit to Steyning where Julia Donaldson lives. She also told us that when the Post office was to close, she bought it for the village and then when the Hardware store closed, they extended the Post office and the Hardware store took up residence. Apparently she does book signings in the village but they have to be booked to stop the village being brought to a standstill with people and cars, she does them regularly.

We had another drink and continued chatting, Kate kept popping to the kitchen periodically to check on the Chicken for lunch. Both Anne and Kate loved Elliott and Kate took him upstairs as he wanted to have a look and she left him in Violet's room to play, he was very good and didn't leave a mess or damage anything.

Eventually lunch was ready, Kate had done a really nice lunch and there was plenty for all of us and she also plated up a meal for husband James who was working from home.

After a short break we had dessert and Kate put the TV on for Elliott but then he wandered back upstairs and we all ended up watching the Snail and the Whale to the end, lol.

We left just after 2.30pm and made our way to Rob's to collect Hannah, she was surprised to see both grandma and Elliott in the car, once she was in the car, we made our way home.

>127 johnsimpson: Wow! Congrats! it must feel like a huge relief!

>128 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, Karen came with me and gave a whoop when the transfer was made and the amount owing said zero. Since then we have had paperwork saying how much was owed which i had asked for but we got two copies, then we got a letter to say that the mortgage payments had been cancelled and was that correct and then we got a letter to inform us that our new payment from 1st August would be X due to the rise in interest rates, none of this needed to be sent. Yesterday we got a letter to say that our mortgage was closed and we should cancel any options for paying the monthly mortgage payment.

All this and yet they are closing bank branches to save money as they say not many people are using them, the branch in Wakefield is always busy when i go in, they should stop wasting money on stationery and postage that is not really needed.

>129 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, thank you, the 10th was a really good day although when i met up with Karen outside Boots and then said we are going to book our holiday, she said are we, to which i replied, yes i told you last week. I know we still have 53 weeks before we fly but i wanted it booked to get the dates we wanted and the room option.

I have emailed the hotel to ask them for the room we would like having been there three times in a Garden View room and that it is our 40th anniversary and aslo to ask for information of who i need to contact about renewing our wedding vows. I also have a friend in Madeira on Facebook and i have messaged her to see if she can help find out who we need to contact.

>130 PlatinumWarlock:, Thanks Lavinia my dear, mortgage free and Ruby anniversary holiday booked, we are happy bunnies, lol.

>131 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, it is a really good feeling to be mortgage free. We do like to travel around a bit, i chose Seahouses as it was for my 60th birthday and Karen was perusing Booking.com for somewhere in Scotland and came up with Kirkcaldy in Fife and told me what it was saying about the area and the accommodation and i said go ahead and book it. We are now looking forward to exploring Fife, we may go across to Tayside and visit Dundee and go to the V&A museum there as well as going into Edinburgh and i will be trying to visit as many bookshops as i can.

>132 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, being mortgage free is very good and i knew that when that was done, the next job was to book our holiday to Madeira for our 40th wedding anniversary. I have emailed the hotel to ask for a Garden View room and to let them know about our anniversary and also to ask for information about who we need to contact about renewing our wedding vows.

We are both looking forward to our Scotland jaunt, there are a few places we would like to visit and we have been given some good tips.

>133 SandDune:, Hi Rhian my dear, we are looking forward to visiting the Fife area, i want to go to St. Andrews and we may go over to Dundee to visit the V&A museum as well as a day in Edinburgh and of course visiting as many bookshops as i can.

Hello, i am back now after a nice week in Bonnie Scotland, the Fife area has lots to see and we will go back at some point to do and visit things and places we did not get to.

I had the laptop with me but the fresh air and driving about meant that each evening we just wanted to eat and then relax and check out where we were planning to go to the following day. I will give better descriptions of our days and post some photos.

Finished book 27 of 2023 late on Saturday night, The Affair by Lee Child, PB - 526 pages.

March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Mississippi. Just down the road is a big army base. Is the murderer a local guy - or is he a soldier?

Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercover. The county sheriff is a former U.S. Marine - and a stunningly beautiful woman. Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or doesn't she really want to find the killer?

Set just six months before the opening of KILLING FLOOR, The Affair marks a turning point in Reacher's life. If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn't, will the army be able to live with him?

>143 johnsimpson: I think that the only book I ever read in the Jack Reacher series was The Killing Floor. I may go back and investigate some of the other books. . .

Glad to hear you had a good time in Scotland!

I've really enjoyed seeing the picture of your trip on Facebook, John! It looks like you and Karen are having a lovely trip away! Continue to enjoy.

>145 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb my dear, we had a lovely time away, on the whole we had more good weather days than poor ones and we saw some nice places. We got back home mid afternoon on Sunday.

If you can do so please post one or two pictures from your Scotland trip here. I am so glad that you had a good time.

>147 benitastrnad: What Benita said, John! I would love to see the pictures, but I am no longer on Facebook.

Dropping in to wish you a wonderful weekend

Looks like you had a good time in Scotland, John. Did you visit many bookshops in Edinburgh?

Edinburgh Photos
Karen on Edinburgh Royal Mile

A young Bagpiper on the Royal Mile

Sir Walter Scott Monument

John in front of statue

We set off on our holiday to Scotland on Sunday 23rd July, it was a wet start from Walton and did not improve until early evening in Keswick. We stopped off at a farm shop just off the A66 for a short while and then continued on our journey. As we were staying the night in Penrith (more on that shortly), we decided to pop into Keswick before going on to our overnight stay.

I got parked up and we made for the high street, by this time we were a bit peckish and as there is a preponderance of Public Houses in Keswick town centre, the majority who served food, we had a few to choose from. The main problem we had was that it was just gone 12.30pm and the town was busy, we tried a couple who had a menu Karen could eat from, but they were full. We found a pub that had room albeit a small table with stools. We sat down and Karen went to order drinks and we had both decided on a Roast Beef dinner.

As luck would have it, just as we started our drinks, the table behind us became free and had proper chairs and so we quickly moved. Karen was expecting frozen veg and mashed potatoes to be served but she got a lovely surprise, it was all fresh cooked and they didn't skimp on the meat, the Yorkshire pudding was huge. Karen had asked for a small portion but even so, she passed some food onto my plate. The Roast Beef was fabulous, the roast potatoes were the best i have had for a very long while and all in all, it was excellent.

Once we had finished our food and drink, we left the Pub very full and satisfied and went for a mooch around the town centre. Along the way, four books found their way into the shopping bag but the weather was poor. We stopped off for a coffee before going into the New Balance factory shop, sadly they had nothing suitable for me and we made our way back to the car.

We sat in the car and i asked Karen for the postcode for our stay in Penrith so that i could put it into the car to direct me. As i waited i suddenly heard a gasp and was asked waht the date was, i told Karen it was the 23rd and she then said oh hell. It appeared that when she booked it just a few weeks before we set off, the date must have clicked over and it turned out that we were booked for Tuesday 23rd July 2024. She tried ringing the hotel, no answer, tried to get hold of Booking.com, nothing and then she went back to her booking and noticed that it said there was no refund on this place. I said it looks like we are sleeping in the car tonight, i was quite calm. Karen quickly went back on Booking.com and looked at hotels who had vacancies and had parking and found us a room at the Derwentwater Hotel with a breakfast. She booked and then gave me the postcode and we set off.

It was only a couple of miles outside Keswick and we arrived about ten minutes after leaving the car park. We checked in with a lovely gentleman, Karen explained that the payment had already gone through and he made sure that i wouldn't have to pay the car parking charge ( the car park was run by a private company and although not expensive it was something we didn't expect). He gave us our room key and directions to the lift and wished us a good evening.

It was a lovely room with an en-suite and we settled in, the hotel was lovely but a little tired, it just needed freshening up with a bit of decorating. We went down to the bar and had a bar meal and then went back to our room and settled down, plenty of tea and biscuits and we both had a good nights sleep before getting up and having a full English breakfast (well i did) after having cereal and some fresh juice. Not the start to our holiday that we expected but it turned out OK.

>151 johnsimpson: Great pictures. Thanks for sharing :)

>152 johnsimpson: Oh my! What a mix up with the hotel booking! Glad you were able to find a place to stay and that it all worked out and that you remained calm, of course ;)

>152 johnsimpson: Ah, New Balance - I have my 10yr old pair on just now, but have gone to other manufacturers because of "political" reasons. Alas Hotter no longer sells in the U.S.A.

Oh, wow, what an adventure! I'm glad everything turned out alright in the end!

>152 johnsimpson: Glad your room "issue" was solved OK and hope you have a lovely time in Scotland. We were there a few years back and had a lovely time.

Glad you had a great meal and that your reservations problem was resolved in an acceptable manner.

>157 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, sadly the reservation that turned out to be for next year has had to be written off and put down to experience. I now blame myself as we booked late, i told Karen to use the debit account rather than put on the credit card, we would probably get the money back via the credit card regardless of what they had put. You live and learn.

>147 benitastrnad:, >148 alcottacre:, first batch of photos are now up, dear ladies, more to follow.

>149 figsfromthistle:, Thanks Anita my dear.

>150 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, we had a lovely time in Scotland but apart from Waterstones, i didn't get to any other Edinburgh bookshops. I had made a list with addresses but they are so far apart and we wanted to have a mooch around the Old Town, i never got to any but bookshops in Fife were good to visit.

>156 RebaRelishesReading:, Hi Reba my dear, the room we eventually got at the Derwentwater Hotel was lovely as were the staff and we would stay there again. Once we got to our base in Kirkcaldy, we had a lovely time and with a rail service as well as good roads, we could explore Fife and go over to Perthshire as well as going West towards Stirling and that area quite easily.

>158 johnsimpson: Perhaps you could just go again next year and use that room you booked...?

>162 RebaRelishesReading:, Hi Reba my dear, sadly that is not possible, with it being a leap year it falls on the Tuesday and Karen will be at work and more importantly, on the Friday we fly to Madeira to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary two days after we land.

On Monday 24th July, we left the Derwentwater Hotel after a hearty breakfast and a farewell to the staff we dealt with. We got back to the A66 and made our way to the M6 motorway and headed to the Scottish border. After about 45 minutes we crossed the border and decided to pop into Gretna Green services and have a look around.

Since we last visited on our way to Galloway and Dumfries, the services have changed dramatically. We ended up at the new retail park and so missed seeing the famous Anvil used for marriages but we have seen it before. We had a coffee and comfort stop before mooching around the various stores, i dropped on lucky whilst in the Animal shop and picked up two nice t-shirts for our holiday next year and at 2 for £25, it was even better.

As we wandered around nothing else caught our eye and so we got back to the car and left the retail park and got back onto the M6 motorway. The scenery on this part of the drive is fabulous and soon we joined the M74 motorway heading towards Glasgow.

We needed a comfort break and saw a sign for services but it turned out to be a truck stop but next door was a Tesco supermarket and so drove into their car park and went into the store. We had a comfort stop and then did a bit of shopping for the next couple of days of our stay. Once we were done we got back in the car and got back on the M74.

We were on the M74 for just a short while before we needed to follow the signs for the M8 to Edinburgh. After about 45 minutes we followed the sign for the A92 across the new Queensferry Bridge that the late Queen opened about three years ago. Whilst i was driving and trying to admire the structure, Karen was trying to get some photos with her phone. Once across we followed the signs for the A92 and Kirkcaldy. We eventually arrived at the Kyles at around 3pm and got parked up outside the block of four flats where we were staying.

We got out of the car and went through he outer door and saw the key box we needed to get into to get our flat key. Sadly it would not open when i put the code in, we had visions of the day before, i tried various combinations of the code but nothing worked. Karen rang Stuart, the owner, but got no answer, she texted him and again no reply so she pressed the buzzer on the wall. I said that even if we got through the security door, we couldn't get in the flat. At that moment a chap approached the security door and opened it and asked if it was Karen to which she replied, are you Stuart. Once introductions had been done, he apologised about the door and said that he had been let down by his usual cleaner and so he had just finished and he hadn't set the code on the key box.

He set the key box, a different number to the one he had given us, again he apologised about that and then took us up to the flat and gave us a tour around. Karen had put the new code in her phone but we decided to keep the key with us at all times. Once Stuart left, saying we could contact him at anytime, i made us a pot of tea. We had our tea and then unpacked everything before we went in search of the remains of Ravenscraig Castle which we could just see through the trees.

We found the castle and Karen took some photos and then we went back on ourselves and went to the park and found the path down to the beach. Halfway down we found more ruins of the Castle and then eventually got down to the beach. A couple of chaps waited while Karen got down and said if we wander along the beach, it leads to an easier path back up to the main road. It was lovely walking along the beach and we found the path not far from the base of the ruined Ravenscraig Castle and we made our way back up. From the top it was a level walk for about half a mile back to the flat.

Once back inside, i made us another pot of tea before Karen warmed up our Curries and we had something to eat before settling down for the evening. We watched a bit of TV and decided to go to Edinburgh the following day by train as i wanted to go across the famous Forth Railway Bridge.

I'm so enjoying reading about your adventures, John - I love Scotland! Glad that the couple of accommodation hiccups weren't ruinous. 😊

>151 johnsimpson: Thanks for sharing the pictures, John! It is on my bucket list to get to Scotland one of these days.

>152 johnsimpson: Not the start to our holiday that we expected but it turned out OK. I am so happy to hear that!

>164 johnsimpson: Your adventures continue! At least, thus far, they have been resolved in your favor. I hope that continues.

I enjoyed seeing the pictures on Facebook, John and it's lovely to see them here too. Dave and I went out for Fish and Chips yesterday , as a late anniversary dinner. We enjoyed it . I had halibut and Dave had cod. Then we had a nice mooch around Steveston, part my city that is right on the water.

Hopelessly behind on threads but did stop to look at your wonderful pictures! I have fond memories of Keswick and the Lake District but did not get as far as Scotland.

Hope you are well!

Tuesday 25th July, we got up, washed and dressed and got breakfast sorted out along with our meds and some juice. Once we were done, we quickly washed the dishes, pots and cutlery and then got our gear together and left the flat and went down to the car. We got in the car and made our way to Kirkcaldy railway station, i got parked up and we went across to the station and purchased our return tickets to Edinburgh Waverly station.

We were both looking forward to this trip as we would be going across the world famous Forth Rail Bridge. We arrived in Edinburgh in just under 40 minutes and once the train stopped, we got off and made our way out of the station. It was at this point that i remembered that Edinburgh is hilly, what a climb out of the station.

By this time we wanted a coffee and after wandering along Princes street, finding a Costa Coffee with loads of steps, a coffee shop that you needed a degree to use the touch screen ordering system, we ended back at Waverly and the Costa, there. Once we had finished our coffee, we headed to the Royal Mile.

Karen wanted to visit the Camera Obscura and so we used our phone to get our bearings and set off to find it. We passed some nice shops along the way, some street performers and not far from our destination, we had a short shower of rain. We got to the Camera Obscura only to find that in the years since our last visit to Edinburgh, it is very, very popular and the only time slot that day was for 6.30pm, of no use to us, sadly. In fact the chap said that there were very few slots available for most of the week, if we had known it was so popular, we would have booked prior to setting off on our holiday.

We wandered back down the Royal Mile and popped into various shops and had a good perusal in them. We got further down the RM and called into Cafe Edinburgh and had a pot of tea for two and both of us had a Scone with Butter and Jam. The Scones were enormous and we had to ask for more butter, there was enough Jam for both of us.

After we had finished and paid, we wandered back up the RM a short while and then back down the street we had come up earlier and now we popped into some of the shops. Once we had done and got to the bottom of the street, we made our way back over to Princes Street and wandered over to St. James Quarter shopping centre. I left Karen and using my phone tried to find my way to Topping and Co bookshop. Eventually i realised that it was a distance away from where we were so i made my way back to Karen.

We had a wander around the shopping centre and eventually came across Pull and Bear, we first saw this store in Madeira and since our first visit in 2009, they are venturing overseas. We went in and i found a couple of nice T-shirts in the sale. Once we had paid, we left the store and continued wandering until Karen said she was feeling hungry. We decided to have some Thai food and found a restaurant and we were seated. We had a lovely meal and a drink before continuing wandering around the shops.

Eventually we both began to flag and i checked train time and there was a train leaving for Perth via Kirkcaldy at 6.40pm, we made our way to Waverly station. We had a short wait before we could board the train and then another ten minutes before it set off. By the time we got back to Kirkcaldy station and then got in the car and made our way back to the flat, it was 7.45 pm.

Once in the flat, my first job was to make us a nice pot of tea, we had our tea and watched a bit of TV before deciding where to go the following day. I popped out for a smoke and another two or three pots of tea later and a couple more smokes, we decided it was time for bed. I made us a pot of tea and we both read for awhile before lights out and a good nights sleep.

Wednesday 26th July, the day got off to a bad start as i spilt my coffee on the bedding, Karen washed it quickly and used the airer and radiators to put the bedding on to dry. I had already fathomed the heating and put it on, because of the outside temperature, it went on high for about 30 minutes and by this time the sun was streaming in through the windows and so this combination would dry the bedding so that we could put it back on the bed.

After all this upheaval, we got washed and dressed and then got breakfast ready, meds out and a pot of tea made. Once we had finished we washed up and left them on the drainer rack and then got our things together and went out to the car. We set off, first stop was the Asda filling station to fuel up and then we set off to St. Andrews. It was a lovely drive and once we got past the main towns the scenery reminded us of driving through to Settle and then onward to Ribblehead viaduct.

We drove onto the main high street in St.Andrews and got parked up, once out of the car and locked up, we headed to the Costa Coffee for a coffee. After quenching our thirst we then set off up the high street, i soon found a secondhand bookshop and after ten minutes, i came out with three paperback Maigret books. We then continued wandering and after turning left we saw in the distance the ruins of a castle along with some lovely buildings on either side of the street leading to the Castle.

Karen took some photos and then we wandered down the street passing some gorgeous building that the lucky students of St. Andrews study in. We took another left turn and came into a Quadrangle and to one side it looked as though a service of some kind was about to take place. The guests all looked lovely, the ladies wore some lovely outfits and some of the men were in Kilts. Along the top edge of the gorgeous paving stones, some lovely messages or just names with the year date carved into them but we had no idea what they were for or meant as they didn't follow in year order. A couple of gents who we assumed might know what the significance was were a bit busy and we didn't want to interrupt them. We left the quadrangle and came out onto the high street at the front of the church where the service would be held and saw a chap in full Highland dress playing the bagpipes. One of the gents we didn't want to interrupt came towards us and greeted a guest and then was free, we politely asked our question and he laughed as he apologetically said that although he had been there for quite a number of years, he didn't know the significance, so we were still no the wiser.

We left the church and wandered down the high street and soon found a Waterstones bookshop and went in. We had a very good look around and between us we came out with four books, i used my giftcard from Geoff and Linda to pay for mine but i got Waterstones points for all four books. We left the shop and continued our perusal of St. Andrews, we popped into a Whiskey shop although it also sold Gin, Vodka, Brandy and Rum. I saw a stand near the counter that had a range of special bottles of Whiskey of various ages and malts, the top row had a 35, 40 and 45 year old bottle of Whiskey and the prices were £10,000, £12,000 and £15,000 pounds, i asked Karen if we could spare £15k and she said no, oh well someone with that kind of money would buy the bottle of 45 year old Whiskey.

I had never seen so many miniatures in one place and we had a good look at them, Karen picked up four Gin Miniatures and after paying for them we left and continued wandering. We left the Whiskey shop and turned the corner and went down another lovely street, we popped into a number of charity shops and perused the books on offer, i picked up a couple and then found Karen in a lovely gift shop. Karen showed me a lovely little vase for the kitchen windowsill and i said she should get it, they made sure that it was wrapped securely for us.

After we left this shop we checked our phones for the location of Jannetta's Ice Cream parlour as we were told they were the best in Scotland. Karen popped into another shop and i went to the end of the street and looked up to see a street sign, i saw one and it was the street we needed to go along. Once Karen was back with me i told her the good news and then we checked a door number to see whether we needed to go left or right. As it turned out we need to go left. We wandered along the street passing some nice stores, we poped into a couple before deciding to look at them once we had had our Ice Cream. Along the way we passed a lovely looking Stationery shop, one to go into later. As we got nearer to Janetta's,i could see a queue and soon we were in the queue. We had been told that there is always a queue regardless of the time of day during their opening hours. I have to say that i managed to get us a seat inside while Karen queued for the Ice Cream, she knew what i would like and i wasn't disappointed, the Ice Cream was to die for, it was so delicious, we both had two varieties in out tubs and we savoured each mouthful.

Eventually we were done and left to go back along the street to look at the shops we had passed. We called into the Stationery store and although they had a lovely card selection and gifts, the majority of the shop was for the Artist, they had a wonderful selection of Art Materials but not the stationery that i had hoped for. We left and continued wandering and we pooped into one or two more shops before i spotted a street we had missed. As i could not find Topping and Co in Edinburgh, i did find it in St. Andrews by going down this street we had previously missed. I always thought that Waterstones bookshops were big but this was even bigger, what a selection they had over the majority of Genres. They had a massive selection of authors and we spent quite a bit of time in there, we came out with just one book but it was one we needed from the British Crime Library group.

We had another drink stop before we did the last of the shops on the way back to the car and once done we got in the car and headed back to Kirkcaldy via the scenic coastal route. Karen was looking forward to this but sadly she fell asleep in the car and i didn't want to disturb her as it is not often that she manages to drop off in the car when she is tired. She eventually woke up as we came out of Pittenweem and had to go inland slightly to carry on back to Kirkcaldy. I was berated for not waking her as she had missed what she wanted to see but agreed that it was for the best as she was tired and needed that bit of sleep.

Once back in Kirkcaldy, i parked up and we got back into our block of flats and made our way up to ours, i made us a nice pot of tea before we decided what to have for our tea. In the end we decided to have Fish and Chips and so i was dispatched just up the road to go to Rinaldi's Fish bar to get a Fish Supper if it was big enough for both of us. I got to the Fish bar after a ten minute walk, i asked how big a Fish Supper was and was shown the lady in front of me's Fish Supper, it was big enough. I ordered one along with some Mushy peas and a couple of Breadcakes. When i for back and Karen saw how big a Fish Supper was, she was amazed, there was more than enough Fish and the Chips were overflowing. As usual i ended up with quite a plateful and it was absolutely gorgeous. When we finished i cleared up and then made us a nice pot of tea and we relaxed watching a bit of TV and we decided to go to Dundee the following day.

Finished book 28 on the 21st August, Exile by Richard North Patterson, PB - 699 pages.

David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he is a successful Sn Francisco lawyer, he is soon to be married and he is being groomed as a future Congressman. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif - a Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair at law school - he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, while visiting San Francisco, the Prime Minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber: soon Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: will he, a Jew, represent Hana - who may well be guilty - or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?

David's questtakes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.

Finished book 29 a couple of hours ago, A Spoonful of Murder by J.M. Hall, PB - 325 pages.

RETIREMENT CAN BE MURDER...

Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their 'coffee o'clock' sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre cafe.

But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy.

BY THE NEXT THURSDAY, TOPSY'S DEAD.

The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder.

But they know ther's more to Topsy's death than meets the eye - and it's down to them to prove it...

>172 johnsimpson: Retirement can be murder? I'll skip it then John!

>170 johnsimpson: Sounds like a great fun journey - what were the flavors of ice cream you two had at Janetta's?

>172 johnsimpson: That one sounds fun! Into the BlackHole it goes!

>174 m.belljackson:, Hi Marianne my dear, i had Mint Choc Chip and Pineapple Cheesecake and Karen had Espresso Coffee and Ginger&Pecan, in a tub, it was delicious. Jannetta's has been in St.Andrews for 115 years and is run by the fourth generation.

Time for a new thread for the final third of the year and hopefully a new improved reading mojo for me.