It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I have almost finished The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell. I tried so very hard to keep my eyes open long enough to finish it last night - but failed.

I am thoroughly enjoying this one about a large family and their lives since the suicide of of one of the twin brothers. it is both funny and sad - but so absorbing.

Meet the Bird Family

All four children have an idyllic childhood: a picture-book cottage in a country village, a warm, cosy kitchen filled with love and laughter, sun-drenched afternoons in a rambling garden.

But one Easter weekend a tragedy strikes the Bird family that is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear them apart.

The years pass and the children become adults and begin to develop their own quite separate lives. Soon it's almost as though they've never been a family at all.

Almost. 
But not quite.

Because something has happened that will call them home, back to the house they grew up in - and to what really happened that Easter 
weekend all those years ago.

Pop over to The Book Journey and see what everyone else is reading today.

Skywatch Friday

One of several bridges we crossed on our walk along the disused railway line from Tamdhu to Ballindalloch.

Pop over to the Skywatch blog for more skies from around the world.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Although I had last week off work I didn't seem to get much reading done - apart from on the train journey into Aberdeen one day :(

I love a story set in Ireland and have two books by Sheila O'Flanagan sitting in my library book pile. The first one I am reading is Things We Never Say. So far the storyline is a little predictable but enjoying the characters and wondering if there will be a twist in the tale.

Abbey Andersen is the last person to go looking for change. Yes, it's tough that she barely sees her mother these days - but in San Francisco she has great friends, a steady relationship and a job she enjoys. When Abbey is contacted by Irish lawyer Ryan Gilligan she learns in an instant everything she believed about her roots is a lie. She must travel to Dublin to find out more - but she's scarcely off the plane when she's plunged into a new crisis. One that will change everything not just for Abbey but for the family in Ireland who had no idea that she even existed. Now Abbey has to make a choice that will affect everyone she knows. How can she be sure she makes the right one? And can life ever be quite the same again?

Pop over to The Book Journey and see what everyone else is reading today.

Skywatch Friday

A day late I'm afraid but I have just spent a few days having fun with my boys down in Glasgow.

I love walks on the beach - these were taken last weekend down at Roseisle.

Pop over to the Skywatch blog to see more skies from around the world.

Mojo Monday

After I completed the weekly challenge I dug out the 4 pages I started at my local crop - which was weeks ago! All 4 of them are from the most recent Quirky Kits - thought I had better break into it as I am sure the next one will be winging it's way to me soon.

The first two pages feature photos taken at Benmore Botanic Gardens taken last Summer - a beautiful place which is well worth the visit.

The last two are from last years trip all the way down to North Devon. Callum on the beach at Croyde and me and my very good friend Lou. We hadn't seen each other for about 10 years when this photo was taken - and we vowed not to leave it so long next time.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I have picked up my 3rd Santa Montefiore book of the year - Secrets of the Lighthouse - and I ma finding it quite different to the others. Reminds me slightly of Cecelia Aherns writing with an other worldliness about it.

Ellen Trawton is running away from it all - quite literally. She is due to get married to a man she doesn't love, her job is dragging her down and her interfering mother is getting on her nerves. So she escapes to the one place she know her mother won't follow her - to her aunt's house in rural Ireland. Once there, she uncovers a dark family secret - and a future she never knew she might have.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Macausland is mourning the future she can never have. She died tragically in what the village thinks is suspicious circumstances, and now she is stuck in a limbo, unable to move on.
And between the two of them is an old lighthouse - the scene of so much tragedy. Can each woman find the peace she so desperately longs for? And can they find the way to live again?

Pop over to The Book Journey and see what everyone else is reading today.

Weekly challenge

Managed to find sometime to craft this afternoon - between baking, catching up with Homeland and cross stitch.

I had read one of Shimelles recent posts on her blog about using up 6x6 pads (and I have plenty of those) She suggested using them as photo mats for your Instagram photos. I just so happened to have had some Instagram photos printed off from my recent break in Fort William.

This weeks challenge included using a sketch and using Autumnal colours - just up my street. We also had to use a book title on our page and use paints or mists. If you look on Amazon there is a book called On Your Bike but I failed on the last requirement. I do have some mists - but they were the wrong colours and I have no clue how to use them properly!!

Here is how my page turned out -  pleased with it although as per usual everything looks squint! Used my new chevron punch from Stampin Up. The flower and leak die is from Sizzix, the journalling spot is a very old one out of a Maya Road tin, the alphas are by October Afternoon and the papers are Pyrus by Basic Grey.

Skywatch Friday

A couple of Instagram shots from one of my evening walks - I am lucky to have the countryside on my doorstep.

Pop over to the Skywatch blog to see more skies from around the world.

My Month in Numbers : September

Better late than never - here are my numbers for September.

Another good walking month with another 32.03 miles under my belt in 11 hours, 4 minutes ans 17 seconds, burning off 4261 calories. Weight lost has come to a standstill but I am feeling sooooo much better than I did 12 months ago.

Andy and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary (no I'm not sharing any embarassing wedding photos with you all - complete with curly perm and Deirdre Barlow glasses!!)

I am now the mother of 2 teenage boys with Callum turning 13 this month. Thankfully showing very few Kevin and Perry tendancies as yet!!

I read a total of 9 books this month which was quite good going - my favourites by far were the "Bob" books by James Bowen.

I actually managed to complete Learn Something New Every day - kept it simple and took 30 Instagram photos and shared them on my blog and over on Facebook.

In the kitchen I was very adventurous with a total of 7 new recipes tried out on the family - with only 1 of which being a disaster.

And now onto the Communal Count.

Julie asked us how far do we now live from the first school we attended. And as she rightly said I did need the help of Google maps. It turns out I live 481 miles from my first school in Bentley Heath in the West Midlands.

I even found some old photos of the school and found out it has now been turned into luxury apartments. I wonder how much they sell for? On my hunt for this information I found out that the old 3 bed semi I used to live in just up the road from the school now sells for over £350K - I could buy 2 up here for that money. Crazy!

Julie also asked how much does a pint of milk cost where we live. And how much of it did I buy this month. In Asda 2 litres is £1 but in Farmfoods I can buy 2 x 2 litres for £1.60. I did loose count towards the end of the month but I think that I bought at least 12 2 litre containers making a total of 24 litres drunk in this house. Not surprising really when you see how much cereal my 2 get through in a day. Might be cheaper to get my own cow.........

Please pop over and say hello to Julie and read about everyone elses Month in Numbers.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I have read a couple of books by Melissa Hill and enjoyed them and The Charm Bracelet is no exception. It is a feel good story and a nice light read.

Holly O'Neill knows that every charm bracelet tells a story. Many years ago she was sent one with just a single charm attached. The charms have been appearing ever since, often at challenging times, as if her mysterious benefactor knows exactly when she needs a little magic in her life. As a result, Holly's bracelet is her most prized possession. So when she finds someone else's charm bracelet, she feels she has to try to reunite it with its owner. Even if the only way she can is to use each charm to help discover more about them. In a search that will take her all over New York City at Christmas, Holly becomes ever more determined to piece together the details of this other charmed life. But what she doesn't know is that her quest may also lead her somewhere she never, ever expected...

I am starting to see the links between the 2 storylines of Holly and Greg and you can see exactly where they are both going - but that doesn't detract from the book - I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

Please pop over to the Book Journey to see what everyone else is reading today.

Skywatch Friday

A Sunday stroll across Cullen beach - admiring the wonderful cloud formations - and the fact that the beach was deserted except for ourselves.

Pop over to the Skywatch blog to see more skies from around the world.

LSNED #30

I did it - I completed this years Learn Something New Every Day!! I haven't made any scrapbook pages or a mini book - but simply posted an Instagram photo everyday. it worked for me - and I have had fun doing it.

Today I learned it's good to get out after work for a walk - I am lucky that I live right on the edge of town so have open countryside right on my doorstep. I am making the most of it while the nights are still light enough.

I learned that although it is the last day of September some shops have both Christmas cards and advent calenders for sale. What is that all about??

Thank you to Shimelle for running this class again - Instagram is definately the way forward for me.

LSNED #29

This isn't a lesson learned as I already know it - but I do live in a beautiful part of the country. Walked with a friend in the sunshine from Cullen to Portknockie and back. Good times.

I learned that you can find some unusual things in a local antique centre!

And I learned that I can make a proper "big" cake - it went down very well at tea time.