Various ramblings by the small hobbit

A collage of my crafting from earlier in the month:

It's not easy posting lots of photos using only one arm, so I've created a collage of the canal from earlier in the month, with views, swans, and water lilies.

 Tripped on a kerb on the way out for a walk. Fell and broke 2 bones just above my wrist.  Now have a plaster cast on my left arm. So if I'm a bit slow in replying, you'll know why!

Using a meme alexcat posted last month

A. Age: Over 65

B. Bed Size: King

C. Chore You Really Dislike: Dusting

D. Dogs: I only like a few

E. Essential Start to Your Day: A mug of tea

F. Favourite Color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5’6"

I. Instruments You Play: Played the clarinet and recorder years ago

J. Job: Retired

K. Kids: Two - The Son - dairy farmer 38, The Daughter - paramedic 35

L. Live: West of England

M. Mum’s Name: Mother

N. Nicknames: Hobbit

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Both times to have the kids

P. Pet Peeve: Incompetence - not being able to do the job you should be able to do

Q. Quote From A Movie: ‘I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship' - Casablanca.  My favourite quote from anywhere is 'What can possibly go wrong?'

R. Right or Left Handed: Right.

S. Siblings: No

T. Time You Wake Up: About 8 am in winter, 7-7.30 in summer

U. Uniform: I have a hoodie and polo shirt for Gloucestershire Bundles which I wear to the unit and if I'm helping at sales or doing a talk

VCR - do you still own one and dies it work? No, don't have a television either

W. What Makes You Run Late: Family - I'm the one waiting for them

X. X-Rays You’ve Had: Teeth every two years

Y. Yummy Food You Make: I can make cakes, but generally don't.  I do decorate the Christmas and Easter cakes though

Z. Zoo - Tiger


If you decide to have a go, feel free to change the categories to something you prefer.

Gloucestershire Bundles is the charity I volunteer with.  Recently we had a tea to thank all the volunteers.

Following on from yesterday's thefridayfive I'm now completing a meme thatjustwontbreak posted at the end of April:

This week I'm reading: Agatha Christie: An Autobiography, Maigret's Mistake by Georges Simenon, The Truth by Terry Pratchett, and Marked for Death by R O Thorp

My favourite book of all time is: I still cannot decide

My current favourite book (read or re-read in the last 3 months) is: The Retired Assassin's Guide to Orchid Hunting by Naomi Kuttner

The last book I bought was: Stories for the Twelve Days of Christmas a pre-order from British Library Women Writers

The first book I bought with my own money was: Probably something from the St Clare's series by Enid Blyton

The first book I received as a gift was: No idea, but I frequently received books for birthdays and Christmas

The last book I received as a gift was: Cranky Ladies of History by Tansy Rayner Roberts

The last book I borrowed from the library was: Marked for Death by R O Thorp

The book physically closest to me right now is: The Life of Mammals by David Attenborough

This or that
Physical book or e-book: Physical
Used or new: Used, which includes library books, although occasionally I'm the first to borrow a book so it could be described as new
Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Read at a coffee shop or at the park: Home, in bed
Paperback or hardcover: Paperback generally, library books may be hardcover
Romance or Crime: Crime

Yes or no
Stream of consciousness? No
Poetry? No
Memoirs? Sometimes
Philosophy? No
Thrillers? Yes
Chronicles? Probably not
Travel logs? Maybe
Dialogue heavy? yes

out_there  posted this nearly three months ago...

1. Bagels or donuts?
Donuts. 

2. Bar soap or body wash?
Body wash for the shower, bar soap when washing my hands

3. Being afraid or being embarrassed?
Embarrassed. The safer option

4. Big bash or intimate gathering?
Intimate gathering. Much better chance of getting to talk to those I like.

5. Board games or video games?
Puzzles on line

6. Bridgerton or The Crown?
Neither

7. Cardio or weights?
Cardio, if a brisk walk counts

8. Carpet or hardwood?
Hardwood downstairs, carpets upstairs

9. Clue/Cluedo or Monopoly?
neither

10. Cook or do the dishes?
I always do the dishes

11. Damp socks or a pebble in your shoe?
Pebble in the shoe, which I can stop and remove

12. Dragons or unicorns?
Dragons, every time

13. Family vacation or solo trip?
Family, specifically The Daughter

14. Fork or spoon?
Both

15. General admission or assigned seats?
Assigned seats, no need to arrive mega-early before someone spreads a coat across several seats to save them for 'friends coming in a bit'

16. Give or receive?
Both

17. Hot cocoa or hot cider?
Mulled cider is lovely in winter.

18. Iced tea or hot tea?
Hot tea, every day

19. Italian food or Mexican food?
Italian, one of my favourites

20. Long car ride or short plane trip?
Long coach ride

21. Mountains or beach?
Both

22. Movie candy or popcorn?
Neither

23. Musical theatre or concert?
Either

24. Nightlight or no light?
No light. But we have pale curtains, so the bedroom gets light with the dawn

25. Ninja attack or pirate attack?
Pirate attack. Then I can join them

26. Outer space or bottom of the ocean?
Outer space, it's fascinating

27. Painful truth or comforting lie?
Depends on the circumstances

28. Pancakes or waffles?
Pancakes.

29. Passion or friendship?
Friendship - lots more opportunity

30. Phone call or text?
Text.

31. Pizza or tacos?
Pizza.

32. Play or concert?
Play

33. Playlists or podcasts?
Podcasts, ideal for chores, driving and crafting

34. Puzzles or colouring books?
Puzzles.

35. Rain or snow?
Snow, since we get a lot less

36. Ramen or pho?
Ramen.

37. River or lake?
Either

38. Roller coaster or Ferris wheel?
Ferris wheel. 

39. Roller skates or ice skates?
Neither

40. Salt or pepper?
Salt.

41. Singing in the shower or singing in the car?
In the shower

42. Skinny fries or thick cut?
Thick cut. 

43. Sneezing or coughing?
Sneezing.

44. Snowboarding or skateboarding?
Neither

45. Snowmen or sandcastles?
Snowmen

46. Spicy or mild?
Mild. 

47. Street food or fine dining?
Fine dining.

48. Subtitles or dubbed?
Subtitles

49. Wine or beer?
Wine

50. Zoo or aquarium?
Either

Perhaps to my surprise, this has been a good writing month - 11K words bringing my total to around 49.5K and about back to averaging 10K per month.  If I can persuade myself to write something else this weekend I might add something more.

About 3.5K words are for an exchange pinch hit, so no details as yet.

Otherwise, my main output has been for whatif_au bingo, where I've completed another two squares.  Good guys go bad/Bad guys go good - The Theft of the Diamond Necklace which is Hercule Poirot and Characters as celebrities Castle Elsinore where the main characters from Hamlet are on a reality tv show.

I have also written for allbingo Greek Myths Bingo Death at the Spring Play (Miss Marple)

10 books, but that stretches over the second half of April as well, bringing my annual total to 43 books.

A Vow of Sanctity by Veronica Black
Third is the Sister Joan series, this one is set on the side of a lake in north-west Scotland.  I enjoyed the setting and the plot, where I was definitely wrong-footed, but in an entirely plausible way.  Things weren't as they seemed, but they did all make sense.  I'm definitely enjoying the series.

The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie
Poirot is preparing to retire and takes on a series of cases, each one of which will have a connection to the mythological labours of Hercules.  A really enjoyable collection of short stories.

Signed, Picpus by Georges Simenon
Back on my goal to read all the Maigret books in the library this year.  Maigret is in Paris and once again this is a very different story, which I enjoyed.

The Spring Begins by Catherine Dunning
One of the British Library Women Writers series, and one I could borrow from the library.  It was written in 1934 and set in the period.  The story of three women either working for the big house, or for one of the neighbours.  It looks at the limitations of their lives and how they finally find fulfilment in their individual ways.  I liked it because although the story felt more modern, it was accurate to the sense of the times, rather than reading back and importing more modern thoughts.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
Set in Seoul in South Korea, the characters are all struggling to conform in modern Korean society with the dominant work ethic.  I liked seeing the way the characters reacted with each other and how they were starting to grow, but would have no wish to visit the bookshop.

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa
Again set in South Korea, this is more of a fantasy.  It looks at the regrets of a number of people who have died and how they are given closure by the pastry shop.  It was easier to read than the previous book, feeling more positive in the outcomes.

Women on the Case by Sara Paretsky
Short crime stories by female writers with female protagonists.  Definitely a varied collection, but I only skipped through a couple of the stories.  Worth reading if you're looking for slightly different stories.

Maigret and the Tall Woman by Georges Simenon
Again set in Paris, a very different story from the previous one I read.  I do like the way the books bring in so many different people with different motives and behaviours, all of which feel very grounded in the setting.

Cranky Ladies of History by Tansy Rainer Roberts
This was given to me as a present and was highly entertaining.  Based on real women, but in short story format.  They were fascinating.  I'd very much like to have met some of the women, and am very glad I didn't meet others!

CWGC Battlefield Companion Somme 1916
Produced by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission this short book looks at the history of the battle of the Somme, mostly from the British and Commonwealth view.  The book itself is a guide to a number of the cemeteries in the region and looks at which regiments were involved in the fighting in that particular area.

Several pictures of the canal taken over the month: