Skywatch Friday

The Three Kings, Cullen beach - taken on the 6 Harbours Walk - we still had another 5 miles to go at least at this point!

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It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I finished The Island Hideaway by Louise Candlish last night and I'm not sure what to read next.

Arriving on the windswept Ile de Re off the coast of France, Tabby Dewhurst is heartbroken and penniless, unable even to afford a room for the night. Then she overhears a villager repeating aloud the access code to her front door and, hardly believing her own actions, Tabby waits for the villager to leave and lets herself into the house . . .

And so she enters the strange, hidden world of Emmie, whose sudden offer of friendship is at odds with her obsession with her own privacy. Soon Tabby begins to form suspicions about Emmie, suspicions that will lead her back to England - and to a scandal with shattering consequences.

I have The Son by Jo Nesbo at the top of my library book pile - but it is a big thick book.

SONNY'S ON THE RUN
Sonny is a model prisoner. He listens to the confessions of other inmates, and absolves them of their sins.
HE'S BEEN LIED TO HIS WHOLE LIFE
But then one prisoner's confession changes everything. He knows something about Sonny's disgraced father.
SONNY WANTS REVENGE
He needs to break out of prison and make those responsible pay for their crimes.

Or I have a kindle freebie novella by one of my favourite authors - Here Come The Boys by Milly Johnson.

An exclusive ebook short story from top ten bestseller Milly Johnson. Also includes a sneak peek of her new novel The Teashop on the Corner.
Angie Silverton and her husband are taking a much-needed holiday on the cruise ship Mermaidia, so the last person she hopes to bump into is her one-time best friend Selina who stole the love of her life and married him twenty years ago.
And what she needs even less is to be marooned in Malaga with Selina when both of them manage to miss boarding the ship in port.
It will take three days for them to travel across Europe to catch up with the ship again in Croatia. And in the company of each other twenty-four/seven, a lot of old baggage is going to be unloaded.

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

Daily Snappers #143

Penny.

The change from my shopping today.

Daily Snappers #142

Purple.

Flowers in my local park.

Skywatch Friday

Cloud watching.

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Daily Snappers #141

Wait(ing) for the medicaltion to kick in :(

Daily Snappers #140

Zoom out.

The view from my house looking towards the hills.

Daily Snappers #139

Dish.

My healthy breakfast dish - plenty of fruit and fat free yogurt.

Daily Snappers #138

Retro.

Not sure what sort of car this is (number 2 son would be able to tell me in a flash) but it one one of a number of sports cars parked in  local hotel carpark at the weekend. We had seen them driving into town - have to day this one was the ugliest of the lot - but then again there were Ferraris, Lanborghinis, Maseratis, Porches and my favourite an Ausi r8 V10 Spyder - when I win the lottery!!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I've not been feeling very well this weekend (cannot remember the last time I was ill to be honest) meaning that I haven't been sleeping much. But every cloud has a silver lining and meant that when I couldn't sleep in the missle of the night - I could read.

Thursdays In The Park by Hilary Boyd has been on my Kindle forever - proabably because it was only 20p for ages (it's still only 99p now). Not sure why it took me so long to read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What do you do if you've been married to a man for half your life and out of nowhere he leaves your bed - permanently?

When this happens to Jeanie, she's furious and determined to confront George, her husband of thirty years. Is he in love with someone else? What did she do wrong? He won't tell her.

The brightest day of her week is Thursday, the day Jeanie takes her granddaughter to the park. There, one day, she meets Ray, kind, easy to talk to, and gorgeous - he is everything George isn't.

But does she have the courage, while facing opposition from all sides, to turn her life upside down for another shot at love?

Next on my library book pile is Bring Me Home by Alan itchmarsh. Alan is a TV gardener who has branched out as an author - and so far I have enjoyed all his books. This one is set in a castle in Scotland not too far from where I live - so it looks promising.

It seems a perfect afternoon in the Highlands.
Standing at the door of the lochside castle that has been his family's home for generations, Charlie Stuart welcomes his guests to the annual summer drinks party. Conversation, laughter and the clinking of glasses soon fill the air as friends and neighbours come together to toast the laird's happiness and prosperity.
But Charlie sees the truth behind the façade: the sacrifices made to safeguard the estate; the devastating losses that have haunted him for decades; the guilt that lies at the heart of it all.
And in a few hours, he knows, the perfect afternoon will come to an end. The past, with its dark secrets of love, death, loyalty and betrayal, is about to catch up with him. And it could finally tear his family apart . . .

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

Daily Snappers #137

Pack.

I love  Old Jamaica Light Ginger Beer.

You cannot get it in Tesco.

Asda do it in litre bottles only.

Sainsburys is the only place I have found that do it in a 6 pack of tins - shame the nearest Sainsurys is in Nairn - 40 mile round trip for a tin of juice!!

Daily Snappers #136

Tree.

A tree in my local park which I think was damaged by the Winter storms and has now had to come down. Didn't have time to count the rings.

Daily Snappers #135

Chips.

I can't remember the last time I had a bag of chips from the chippy. The rest of the family had fish and chips recently and I confess to pinching a few chips. But do yuo know what? They weren't as nice as I thought they were going to be - and I didn't like the greasy feel they left in my mouth afterwards.

Daily Snappers #134

Today I spoke to.........

Normally no one listens when I speak to them - they joys of teenage boys! But today I spoke to the hand! Am I bothered??

Skywatch Friday

A sunny walk along the Moray Coastal footpath - we watched this couple paddle around the coast before coming ashore to eat their packed lunch.

You can see more skies from around the world over on the Skywatch blog.

Daily Snappers #133

Jump.

Had to employ the services of youngest son for todays photo - amazing what a bribe can do!

Daily Snappers #132

Tiring.

All the tiring running, cycling and walking has paid off as I got my Silver Body Magic certificate last night at Slimming World - and another all important shiny sticker on my book.

Daily Snappers #131

Train.

This is me at the half way point of out bike ride at the weekend. I thought we were going on our usual 5 mile circuit which we complete in just over half an hour. Hubby had different ideas and said he would take me on a different route. 1 hour 40 minutes later and having circumnavigated the whole of Elgin I arrived home having cycled just over 13 miles!!

When I look in the mirror is still see the old fat me - I don't see any difference (apart from my clothes now being too baggy) even though I have lost 2 1/2 stone. But in this photo I can see how I have changed - and it is all for the better :)

Daily Snappers #130

Cleaned up.

The weekend sadly always involves housework - although it was number one son who had the hoover out to clean his room. Will miracles never cease!!

Daily Snappers #129

One of a pair.

Struggled with this prompy - luckily my fruit bowl id always well stocked.

Daily Snappers #128

Socks.

Waiting to go for a run after work with my local Jog Scotland group. We have picked our first challenge - a 3K race around the local park in June.

Daily Snappers #127

Learn.

We are in the middle of exams with number 1 son sitting his Highers (equivalent to A levels) So far he has done English, Maths and Chemistry with Biology to go on Friday and then a break of a couple of weeks before Geography.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

I am reading a local author to where I live - Stuart McBride and his latest offering A Song For The Dying. He has 2 series of books featuring different character - one of which is  Logan Mcrae and they are set in Aberdeen which isn't too far from here.

A bit gory (which is I think why I gave up reading them a while back) and dark - but it make a change from the chick lit!!

A heart-stopping crime thriller and the fourth consecutive No. 1 Bestseller from the author of the Logan McRae series and Birthdays for the Dead.

He’s back…

Eight years ago, ‘The Inside Man’ murdered four women and left three more in critical condition – all of them with their stomachs slit open and a plastic doll stitched inside.

And then the killer just … disappeared.

Ash Henderson was a Detective Inspector on the initial investigation, but a lot can change in eight years. His family has been destroyed, his career is in tatters, and one of Oldcastle’s most vicious criminals is making sure he spends the rest of his life in prison.

Now a nurse has turned up dead on a patch of waste ground, a plastic doll buried beneath her skin, and it looks as if Ash might finally get a shot at redemption. At earning his freedom.

At revenge.

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

Daily Snappers #126

Wildflowers.

Spotted on my lumchtime walk over to the library.

Daily Snappers #125

Pearl.

These pearls used to belong to my Mum - I think my Dad gave them to her many years ago - and now I have them.

Daily Snappers #124

May the 4th be with you.

The force was with me - 15 miles walked for the 6 harbours charity walk.

Skywatch Friday

On Sunday Caron and I took part in the annual  6 Harbours walk. This is a 16 mile walk along the coastal footpath visiting the 6 harbours at Portsoy, Sandend, Cullen, Portknockie, Findochty and Buckie. Weather was mixed and we might have made it back in the dry if we hadn't stopped and a lovely little cafe for coffee and scones a mile from the finishing line - but we thought we deserved it.

Have a feeling we will be doing it al over again on 3rd May 2015.

There is even a Youtube video of the walk and some of the participants - I pop up (looking non to happy) at the 4 minute mark - but we did enjoy ourselves honestly.



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It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

Not my usual genre. I picked up Pack Up Your Troubles by Pam Weaver at the library some time ago and it has to be returned soon - hence the reason I picked it up.

Set at the end of World War II it tells the story of 2 friends and I thought it would be the usual war time saga. But there are some darker undertones to the story - ones which make me want to keep reading. Not a bad thing.

Connie and Eva are best friends but their families are the worst of enemies…

During the VE Day celebrations, two women meet completely by chance. As Connie and Eva talk they discover they are from feuding families, the Maxwells and the Dixons. But when they both begin nurses’ training, they can’t deny their natural bond of friendship and become more like sisters.

Their lives intertwine as Connie starts courting Eva’s brother, Roger, a bomb disposal expert. In her heart, Connie holds a torch for local artist and freespirit Eugene, but a dark memory from her past makes her wary of trusting any man.

The two women are determined to uncover the secrets that have plagued them and kept the two families at war for so long. But can their friendship survive the shocking truth?

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

Daily Snappers #122

.... is with me.

The frost was with me when  I went for my run this morning. My car was white over with frost. But I have to say it was only 7am and was minus 1.

Daily Snappers #121

Bird.

I have a bit of a thing about owls :)

Daily Snappers #120

Looks like ......



there wouldn't be a lot of privacy at this convenience!! For some strange reason this sat outside the door of a house by work for several days.

Daily Snappers #119

Music.

I only listen to music in the car (although that is something of a lie as I have to listen to number one sons music by defaukt as he plays it so loud!!) When I was buying my car I test drove a Peugot 208 - lovely little car - but they lost the sale due to its lack of CD player. I was told I could sync my i phone to the steroe. Which would be OK if I had an i phone......

This is the latest CD I hae bought recently - to play in the car becuase I can - and its pretty damned fine.

Skywatch Friday

A resting place on our walk last wekeend - I could have sat there for ages.

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