JohnSimpson - Once more into the breach 2015, Part Four

Welcome to thread Four and join the fun.

Another lovely day in Walton with temperatures racing to 86f.

Books read up to 199 pages.

1. Lambs to the Slaughter by Graham Yallop, 174 pgs
11.Something Borrowed, Someone Dead by M.C.Beaton, 198 pgs
21.A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh, 176 pgs
31.Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh, 191 pgs
41.Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith, 191 pgs

Books read, 200 to 299 pages.

2. To Davy Jones Below by Carola Dunn, 276 pgs
12. Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham 271 pgs
22. The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Carola Dunn 262 pgs
32. The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers, 297 pgs
42. How it all Began by Penelope Lively, 248 pgs

Books read, 300 to 399 pages.

3. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik, 391 pgs
13. Summer's End by Danielle Steel, 318 pgs
23. Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson, 372 pgs
33. Silent Night by Jack Sheffield, 334 pgs
43. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, 390 pgs

Books read, 400 to 499 pages.

4. The Chevalier by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, 414 pgs
14. Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer, 466 pgs
24. Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson, 491 pgs
34. Gone by James Patterson, 471 pgs
44. Toys by James Patterson, 449 pgs

Books read, 500 to 599 pages.

5. The Titans by John Jakes, 586 pgs
15. Love Hunt by Fiona Walker, 536 pgs
25. The Casual Vacancy by J.K.Rowling, 568 pgs
35. A Line in the Sand by Gerald Seymour, 510 pgs
45. The Cry of the Halidon by Robert Ludlum, 526 pgs

Books read, 600 to 699 pages.

6. Revenge by Martina Cole, 612 pgs
16. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, 670 pgs
26. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy, 616 pgs
36. Private Desires by Elizabeth Adler, 640 pgs

Books read, 700 to 799 pages.

7. The Apocalypse Watch by Robert Ludlum, 751 pgs
17. Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones, 742 pgs
27. A Glimpse of Stocking by Elizabeth Gage, 755 pgs
37. Flavour of the Month by Olivia Goldsmith, 764 pgs

Books read, 800 to 899 pages.

8. An Absolute Scandal by Penny Vincenzi, 890 pgs
18. I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, 888 pgs
28. Kiss and Tell by Fiona Walker, 883 pgs
38. The Decision by Penny Vincenzi, 877 pgs

Books read, 900 to 999 pages.

9. Duncton Quest by William Horwood, 916 pgs
19. Duncton Found by William Horwood, 978 pgs
29. Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy, 928 pgs
39. Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer, 915 pgs

Books read, 1,000 + pages.

10. New York by Edward Rutherfurd, 1017 pgs
20. Hawaii by James A.Michener, 1130 pgs
30. The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton, 1225 pgs
40. The Company by Robert Littell, 1281 pgs

BOOKS PURCHASED IN 2015

1. Private India by James Patterson
2. The Affair by Santa Montefiore
3. Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore
4. Death in Florence by Marco Vichi
5. Seagulls in the Attic by Tessa Hainsworth
6. Sanctus by Simon Toyne
7. The Key by Simon Toyne
8. The Tower by Simon Toyne
9. The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden
10. Warrior, Brother, Hero by Conn Iggulden
11. The Bourne Objective by Robert Ludlum
12. Arena by Simon Scarrow
13. Sworn Sword by James Aitcheson
14. Lustrum by Robert Harris
15. The Ancient Curse by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
16. The Coming of the King by M.C.Scott
17. Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith
18. Hannibal, Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane
19. Tackling Life by Jonny Wilkinson
20. The Legion by Simon Scarrow
21. Parky by Michael Parkinson
22. Oskar Schindler by David M. Crowe
23. Infinity's Shore by David Brin
24. The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman
25. Recalled to Life by Reginald Hill
26. Pictures of Perfection by Reginald Hill
27. Hunger, the autobiography by Sean Kelly
28. The Seafront Tea Rooms by Vanessa Greene
29. Texas Vendetta by Elmer Kelton
30. The Benevent Treasure by Patricia Wentworth
31. Vanishing Point by Patricia Wentworth
32. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
33. Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley
34. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
35. The Perfect Match by Katie Fforde
36. Silent Night by Jack Sheffield
37. Home to Roost by Tessa Hainsworth
38. Up With The Larks by Tessa Hainsworth
39. His Majesty's Hope by Susan Ella Maclean
40. Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Ella Maclean
41. Mr Churchill's Secretary by Susan Ella Maclean
42. Sidney Chambers and The Problem of Evil by James Runcie
43. The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan
44. Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
45. 10 for 10 by Chris Waters
46. A Cold Blooded Business by Dana Stabenow
47. Play With Fire by Dana Stabenow
48. Blood Will Tell by Dana Stabenow
49. Toll The Hounds by Steven Erikson
50. Invisible by James Patterson
51. The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth
52. A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
53. Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
54. In Enemy Hands by David Weber
55. Echoes of Honor by David Weber
56. Field of Dishonor by David Weber
57. Ashes of Victory by David Weber
58. The Storms of War by Kate Williams
59. One Mile Under by Andrew Gross
60. Honor among Enemies by David Weber
61. Flag in Exile by David Weber
62. The Short Victorious War by David Weber
63. Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer
64. The Noble Outlaw by Bernard Knight
65. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
66. The Evening Star by Larry McMurtry
67. The Paper Moon by Andrea Camilleri
68. O'Hara's Choice by Leon Uris
69. The Stand by Stephen King
70. The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth
71. Coyote Walks by Tony Hillerman
72. In The Presence of Mine Enemies by Harry Turtledove
73. Fortunes Favourites by Colleen McCullough
74. The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch
75. The Reckoning by Sharon Penman
76. The Brother's Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
77. The House on Carnaval Street by Deborah Rodriguez
78. Mystery in White by J.Jefferson Farjeon
79. The Lake District Murder by John Bude
80. Through the Wall by Patricia Wentworth
81. The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
82. Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
83. Esmond by W.M.Thackeray
84. Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon
85. Toast and Marmalade by Emma Bridgewater
86. To The Last Man by Jeff Shaara
87. Treachery by S.J.Parris
88. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
89. Private Vegas by James Patterson
90. The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth
91. Talking God by Tony Hillerman
92. Crowner Royal by Bernard Knight
93. Tideline by Penny Hancock
94. The Good Life by Martina Cole
95. The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah
96. Burn by James Patterson
97. Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy
98. Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
99. Still Alive by Lisa Genova
100. Sometimes a Great Nation by Ken Kesey
101. Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry
102. The Shadow Sorceress by L.E.Modesitt jr
103. All The Grey Cats by Craig Thomas
104. The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
105. Caesar by Colleen McCullough
106. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri
107. A Grave in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
108. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
109. Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber
110. 1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber
111. Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber
112. 50 Harbour Street by Debbie Macomber
113. The Fallen Kings by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
114. Falls the Shadow by Sharon Penman
115. The Dandelion Years by Erica James
116. Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley
117. Head of State by Andrew Marr
118. Grey Mountain by John Grisham
119. The Truth about The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker
120. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
121. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
122. Summer at Tiffany's by Karen Swan
123. Summer at Shell Cottage by Lucy Diamond
124. NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson
125. Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett
126. Time and Time Again by Ben Elton
127. Scenes From Early Life by Philip Hensher
128. Beaumont's Up and Under by Bill Beaumont & Mark Baldwin
129. The Summer Wedding by Debbie Macomber
130. Confessions- The Paris Mysteries by James Patterson
131. 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson
132. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
133. The Cornish House by Liz Fenwick
134. A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick
135. A Cornish Stranger by Liz Fenwick
136. Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen
137. Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen
138. For The Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen
139. A Death at the Palace by M.H.Baylis
140. The Tottenham Outrage by M.H.Baylis
141. Black Day at the Bosphorous Café by M.H.Baylis
142. Mrs Jeffries Plays the Cook by Emily Brightwell
143. Mrs Jeffries Takes the Cake by Emily Brightwell
144. Mrs Jeffries on the Trail by Emily Brightwell
145. Mrs Jeffries on the Ball by Emily Brightwell
146. Mrs Jeffries Takes Stock by Emily Brightwell
147. Mrs Jeffries and the Missing Alibi by Emily Brightwell
148. Mrs Jeffries Stands Corrected by Emily Brightwell
149. Mrs Jeffries Takes the Stage by Emily Brightwell
150. Mrs Jeffries Questions the Answers by Emily Brightwell
151. Mrs Jeffries Reveals her Art by Emily Brightwell
152. The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith
153. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
154. The Grim Reaper by Bernard Knight
155. The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

CURRENTLY READING

On Secret Service by John Jakes

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-6-15 - 2070
Books added in June - 23
Books read in June - 3

Revised book total - 2090

Pages to read at 1-6-15 - 900,142
Pages added in June - 11,095
Pages read in June - 3,036

Revised total pages to read - 908,201

More June reading stats.

Books read - 3

Pages read - 3,036

Book average - 1,012

No of Authors - 3

Male authors - 2

Female authors - 1

New Authors - 0

Today is a special day as it is the 20th anniversary since I started to note down my reading, over the years I have refined and added to how I record my reading habits. Below are the stats from my twenty years of reading with also a look at my reading since joining LT three and a half years ago.

830 books read
293 Authors, Male 168, Female 125.
396,460 pages read
Yearly average 19,823 pages
Daily average 54.27 pages
Average book length 477.66 pages
Average number of books read in a year 41.5

As I joined LT I had read:
605 books
290,656 pages
Yearly average was 17,615 pages
Daily average was 48.22
Average book length was 480.42
Average number of books read in a year was 36.67

Since joining LT my stats are:
225 books
105,804 pages
Yearly average 30,230
Daily average 82.85
Average book length 470.24
Average number of books read in a year 64.29

I had hoped to have reached 400,000 pages read by this date to give me a yearly average of 20,000 but I got close but as you can see, since joining LT my reading average per year has increased by 2,200 pages per year, just think what things would have looked like if I had joined LT right when it started. I hope you have enjoyed reading these ramblings of mine and here's to the next Twenty years.

Here are my top ten authors by pages read:

1. James Patterson ...... 33,112
2. Martina Cole ............ 12,107
3. Janet Evanovich ....... 9,379
4. John Jakes .............. 8,920
5. Diana Gabaldon ....... 7,938
6. Jilly Cooper ............. 7,487
7. James A.Michener .... 7,400
8. John Grisham .......... 7,310
9. James Clavell .......... 7,231
10. Gerald Seymour ..... 7,126

Here are my top ten authors by number of books read:

1. James Patterson ............... 79
2. M.C.Beaton ...................... 30
3. Janet Evanovich ............... 28
4 Alexander McCall Smith ...... 21
5. Martina Cole .................... 20
6. John Grisham .................. 17
7. Gerald Seymour .............. 15
8. John Jakes ...................... 13
9. Carola Dunn .................... 10
9. Graham Masterton ........... 10
9. Fiona Walker ................... 10

Here are my reading stats at the halfway point of 2015.

Books read ............... 30
Authors .................... 25
Male Authors ............. 13
Female Authors ......... 12
New Authors ............. 4
Pages read ............... 18,500
Daily Average ........... 102.21
Average book length .. 616.67

I hope I can jump in. Congrats on your new shiny thread. I'm overwhelmed by all your stats.
This week we have a terribly heat it's around 35C (95F) and it will get hotter each day. I don't know how to survive this with no AC.

>21 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara, all this gorgeous weather we are getting is coming up from France and Spain and I have seen the forecaster saying it is 40C (104F) in places so I am not surprised you have 35C, they are saying here that London could get 35C or 36C. I am with you about needing AC, luckily I have AC in the car and I am picking Hannah up this afternoon so I will make sure she is cool.

P.S, I am a stat crazy person, I just love them.

Happy reading anniversary, John, and happy new thread!

I am back from my library conference in San Francisco. The weather was beautiful out there and I so appreciated it, as it was miserably hot here in Alabama when I left. The flight back was uneventful. My colleague and I took the Red-eye and left San Francisco at midnight. We arrived in Atlanta with no problems but then were delayed for an hour waiting for some severe thunderstorms to pass by Birmingham. In the end I walked into my kitchen at home about noon. I am now unpacked and am trying to get my papers organized and ready to file for the university. I did not get a Cranswickian haul of books this time from the conference. I had only a modest amount of books. I did not get to spend much time talking with the publishers so only collected a few books from some of the events I attended. I did purchase 8 recorded books, so I will be able to listen to books for another year.

I got to play tourist for two evenings. We ate at a restaurant in China Town that was recommended by the hotel concierge. It was a Sunday evening and it was full of local people. It was good food but the selection on the menu was large and a little intimidating for my less adventurous colleague. I avoided the seafood and came out of that meal unscathed. On Monday night we took the cable car and went to the North Beach area of San Francisco. This was an area that was settle by Italian immigrants and we ate at a local place recommended to us. It was excellent food. Very rich but excellent. It was a great place to eat and the trip out there and back by cable car was quintessential San Francisco tourist.

I did get to meet Tim and Abbey (Tim is the founder of Librarything and Abbey is one of the first employees of the company) at the Librarything booth in the exhibits and got a little bit of a demonstration about their new TinyCat system for small libraries. They also have bar codes and bar code readers for home libraries that you can order from them. I was excited about that because I want to do an inventory of my home collection and these would be of a help in that endeavor.

All-in-all, it was a very busy conference with less time than usual for me to be tourist.

>24 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, sounds like you had a really good Library Conference my dear, I must say I am a bit jealous there for all the people you met and the inside info you garnered. Karen and I have said that San Francisco is one of the places we would like to visit someday along with a number of others.

It has been a very productive day here, after we had our breakfast we got on with clearing the garage of rubbish, we had two piles, to the left of the side door were things to keep and find places for and to the right was for the skip run or to be re-cycled. After about an hour and a half we were done and then it was time to load the car so that I could go to the council site. After going there I had to go to the supermarket to pick up a paddling pool for when Hannah comes and some medication for Karen's cold and I had a walk down the book aisle and purchased two books. Once home we had some lunch and then while Karen did the ironing I went to the doctors to put in our repeat prescriptions so that we are ok while on holiday. Karen went to a meeting of the bariatric support group and then I dropped her off at her ex sister-in-laws whilst I came home and had a bite to eat and then do this.

A short while ago I finished book Thirty-One, Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh. This is the second in the Inspector Alleyn series and I must say I really enjoyed it and look forward to the other three I have of these.

We have had a lovely day here in Walton, after a slight lie-in we had breakfast and were then putting the washing out when the phone rang, the call was from the travel agents to say that she had checked us in online and our boarding passes were ready to pick up. By the end of the call Karen had hung the washing out so she said let's pop into town and pick up the passes and she needed a couple of bits. So now we have all our travel info and passes, VIP lounge pass etc and as it is currently 9.55pm two weeks today we will be enjoying a drink in Madeira.

Once we got back from town Karen told me to get the sun loungers out whilst she made me a birthday cake (I will be 52 on Monday). Once she had put the cake in the oven with the timer set, we made a drink and plonked ourselves on the loungers, Karen took the cake out of the oven when the timer went and got back in the sun, we had a pleasant four hours listening to the radio and reading whilst lazing in the sun. Karen also rang a restaurant up to book us in for tomorrow evening even though it is two days before my birthday.

To all my good friends in America I wish you a very happy Independence Day.

Hi John, I wish you and Karen a lovely weekend.

I hope you have a lovely pre-birthday weekend, John!

>29 Ameise1:, Thank you for the lovely photo Barbara.

>30 scaifea:, Thank you Amber for the lovely message.

We had a lovely day yesterday, we had a lazy Saturday morning and during the afternoon I watched the Tour de France on T.V from 1pm until 5pm, Karen did a bit of reading. After the cycling had finished I had a shower and got my self ready to go out with Karen to a restaurant in Wakefield. We had a drink in a pub opposite the restaurant as we were a bit early and then went to the restaurant. Whilst we were waiting for our first course the restaurant manager called for attention as they had a young lady who was celebrating her 25th birthday and whilst we sang Happy Birthday she had to drink a cocktail straight down, after she had finished I said to Karen "do not dare do anything like this". After we had finished our meal and were enjoying a drink the manager passed near me with a cocktail on a tray with an end piece of lime with a candle in it, I thought nothing of this until he suddenly asked me if I was John, I looked at Karen and she just laughed. The manager asked me to stand up and then to wait a second as a colleague was getting a lady to do the same thing and then he announced that on Monday I would be celebrating my 52nd birthday and his colleague announced that the lady was celebrating her "21st" birthday (again) and that whilst everyone sang Happy birthday we also had to drink our cocktail down in one, mine was a cosmopolitan and it was very nice. I must say I did enjoy the gesture and looked at Karen to ask how she had done it, apparently when I gone outside to have a smoke she collared the manager and told him about my birthday, she is very sneaky at time is my lovely wife. We had a lovely evening and then made our way home.

Today we have had a lazy morning before going over to Robert and Louise's, unfortunately poor Hannah has tonsillitis and was asleep when we got there. They were having some fencing put up by a good friend and so I stood with them chatting and overseeing the work going on, lol. Before we left Louise gave me my birthday present and card and because she wouldn't be with us in the morning she made me open the card and present, Louise made the card as she love card making and it was lovely and then said not to blame her for the present as Robert had purchased it, I opened it and he had got me a gorgeous short sleeved shirt from Fat Face which will go lovely with my Fat Face shorts on holiday. After we got home I made us both a drink of tea and watched the last 50km of today's stage of the Tour de France and then we had homemade curry for tea, Karen makes a mean curry and had put in some our home grown Kale which was just like spinach in the curry.

Last night after we had gone up to bed after our meal out I finished book number 32 of 2015, The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers. This is a book I have really enjoyed and am certain Karen will love it. It is a compelling story of darkness and light and the fact that second chances are deserved. The Cleaner of Chartres tells the tale of the mysterious Agnes Morel who has a number of cleaning jobs for residents of Chartres and the Cathedral and her acts of kindness. She has had a traumatic life of serious downs and some nice ups but some people want to keep putting poor Agnes down for nothing but spite. Her tragic past is exposed and now Agnes must face up to the truth of her origins. I would recommend this book as a must read.

Wow, you had a great weekend. I'm so sorry to hear that Hannah is ill. I hope she get better soon. Give her my love, please. Hugs xx

>34 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara, I will give her your love my dear and we have had a great weekend, hope you have had a good one as well.

I have a copy of Cleaner of Chartres somewhere in my bookshelves. I may have to go hunt it down and read it. However, I am deeply involved in the Poldark series right now so it will have to wait.

I am going to pick blueberries this afternoon. It is wet, as it has rained all weekend, but at least it is cool and i don't think there will be very many people in the patch picking today.

Glad your birthday was fun.

>36 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita enjoy the Poldark series and when you get time you will enjoy The Cleaner of Chartres. It was lovely and warm yesterday and today we have had sun then rain and sun again and it is a bit muggy now. Yesterday was a pre birthday meal as my birthday is tomorrow when I get to open all my cards and presents. Sending love and hugs to you my dear.

I am just back from picking blueberries and it was a beautiful afternoon for it. It was nice and cool which is unusual for this time of year in Alabama. My only complaint was that it got quite crowded. I doubt that after this afternoon there is a ripe blueberry to be found in that patch! There are plenty of berries on the bushes so by Wednesday there should be more ripe ones for me to pick.

Oh, poor Hannah! Will she be having them out, then? I remember getting lots of ice cream in the hospital afterwards, so it's not all bad...

Happy Birthday, John. Wishing you a wonderful day. Love and hugs xx

> 40, Thanks Barbara, I have had a lovely day and got some nice cards and presents.

Happy Birthday, John. I hope you had a perfect day! I really enjoy reading about your days, they sound wonderful!

I hope you had a *wonderful* birthday, John!

>42 Dianekeenoy:, Hi Diane, I had a lovely day yesterday for my birthday, unfortunately Karen was working but I got a few bits done in the morning before settling down to watch the Tour de France on T.V and reading during the AD breaks. Karen had baked a cake for me so that was nice and then last night I set up and had a play with my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 that my darling wife got for me.

>43 scaifea:, Hi Amber I had a lovely day my dear and got some really nice pressies.

Yesterday I got some really nice presents for my birthday, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 + case and a Fat Face Polo top from my darling wife Karen, a Daler-Rowney travel watercolour set and two small watercolour pads so I can take it on holiday from Amy and Andy, a lovely Fat Face casual shirt from Rob, Louise, Shannon and Hannah and a gift card from Tina who is a really good friend.

Today it is back to earth and doing jobs and the upstairs housework before watching a bit of the Tour de France and a bit of reading.

Wow, you really *did* get some nice presents! And very well deserved, too. *grins*

>46 scaifea:, Thanks Amber, I am a really lucky boy.

Today has been a horrible day weather wise with rain for most of the day and this is July for crying out loud. After taking Karen to work I did the weekly shopping, we didn't want a lot this week and then it was back home to unpack it and put it away, after this it was time for me to have some breakfast and then I read for a while and listened to the Test Cricket on the radio as it is the first day of the Ashes series between England and Australia. When play stopped for lunch I got on with the downstairs housework and then made some lunch which I had whilst watching the Tour de France before going to pick Hannah up from Nursery.

Hannah is staying overnight with us and she is still not 100% and didn't have much for tea, Karen took her for a bath and then she came down for some milk before Karen took her to bed and read her a story. She is a bit unsettled and has just come down and so Karen has given her some Calpol and Hannah is sat on Grandma's knee.

Last night I finished book Thirty-Three of 2015, Silent Night by Jack Sheffield. This is the eighth book in this series of books about Jack's life as Headmaster of Ragley-on-the-Forest junior school in North Yorkshire. It is the 1984/85 academic year, a time when the Miner's were on strike, Band Aid was formed, Cabbage Patch dolls were the must have Christmas toy and into 1985 the strike ended, and Live Aid was the biggest event of the year. Various school events occur during the year and some combine with village events, the teacher's are busy with organising extra curriculum activities along with the usual events such as the Nativity, Easter egg hunt etc. Once again Jack leaves us with a cliffhanger at the end of the book, all have been different but related to characters in the village or an event that will affect the school or village. This is a lovely light read that reminds me of events that I have forgotten about but lived through and I look forward to the next to be published in September.

What a change from yesterday, the sun has been shining all day. Hannah woke Karen at 7.15 am and she went into Hannah's room to read to her and left me to sweet dreams until the alarm went off at 8am. When Karen and Hannah went down to sort breakfast out Karen opened the door to let Leo in and he took one look at Hannah and ran off. Later in the morning Hannah went outside and got her ball, she saw Leo and again he took off with Hannah shouting , "Leo, play ball", so funny. I went out and played ball with her and then showed her the dwarf peas that we are growing and she wanted to pick some. A short while later it was time to take her to nursery.

Once I got back home from taking Hannah to nursery, Karen made some lunch and we watched the Tour de France on T.V. until it was time for me to go to my physiotherapy session on my wrist. After the Physio examined me and had a chat about the problem it appears as if it is still my shoulder that is the root problem, he had me doing some movements and I winced a number of times when the pain in the shoulder occurred so he did a bit of ultrasound and he has given me some gentle exercises to do until I see him next which will be the 3rd of August as he is away next week and then we are away.

I have been to the Governors meeting at Crofton Academy this evening and Karen has had her best friend round for a drink and a chat.

A very lazy and relaxing day for the two of us, after breakfast we did a bit of pottering about and then Karen did some ironing before we popped to Costco to pick a couple of bits up and renew our membership and add Rob and Louise onto it. When we got home we had a drink of tea before Karen went to sort out what clothes she wants to take on holiday and I watched the cycling, eventually I was called to decide what clothes I wanted to take and after a while Karen decided that I had some socks that needed to be got rid of. At least now I know what I can wear between now and next Thursday without being shouted at for wearing something that would need washing so I could take it on holiday. Karen is getting really giddy now and has only five more shifts at work to do.

A glorious Saturday morning here in Walton, took Karen to work and then got back to put the first of the mini loads of washing on the line and did the next two loads and put them on the line. I have done some reading whilst listening to the cricket and waiting for my mini MP 3 player to charge and then going to check if my printer is working. Later I will see if I can load some new music on the MP3 player for our hols and then sort out my holiday reading and sort out my art stuff ready to be packed. Have a super Saturday everyone.

Happy Sunday, John and I wish you and Karen a wonderful holiday.

It has been a lovely day again here in Walton, after taking Karen to work I came home and read for about an hour before going into Wakefield to purchase some sandals for my hols as the pair I had were in a poor condition. I managed to find a decent pair and then made my way home, once home I had a drink of tea and read for a short while before deciding to mow the lawn and then as the forecast for tomorrow is poor I edged my lawn and then cleared all the weeds from between the paving slabs and brick pavers. The back garden looks lovely now and I may be able to mow the lawn on Thursday so that it won't be too bad by the time we get home. After picking Karen up from work we had a drink of tea whilst watching Djokovic V Federer on T.V. and then Karen put the Homemade Sheperds pie in the oven.

We are in the midst of a heat wave. It has been in the 90's F for all of last week with no rain and none in the forecast for this upcoming week. I went to the grocery store on Saturday and purchased grapes that I put into the freezer to provide that nutritious pop of coldness for a truly delightful snack. I stayed indoors for most of Saturday and did almost nothing but read. Late in the afternoon I did venture out to pick blueberries and even though the patch is in the shade there was absolutely no breeze. I was miserable and left before my bucket (one gallon size) was full. With this kind of heat and no rain the blueberries won't be there for long so I wanted to pick them while I could. I did finish three books. In three days I read the 350 page Throne of Glass the first in a YA fantasy trilogy and completed House of Tomorrow which was an Alex Award winning adult book recommended for YA's. Both were good books. Then on Sunday I finished A Kim Jong-Il Production which was a work of narrative non-fiction. I guess my weekend wasn't that unproductive after all?

My book discussion group meet yesterday afternoon so I did not do anything, including housework yesterday either. I did make a mango black bean salad for a memorial pot luck service that was held at a local tap room. A professor here at UA in Aerospace Engineering died unexpectedly. He was a member of the local music scene and played guitar for many years in the local clubs and as an extra with several bands when he could spare the time. He loved potlucks in bars and always brought a dozen deviled eggs. It was a sad but happy occasion.

Tonight, when I get home from work, I will be making a papaya salad and a blueberry/cranberry appetizer for a Bastille Day party hosted by my wine club on Tuesday night. It seems too hot for wine, but the party is a tradition so I will participate. It simply is to hot to party.

Book Thirty-Four finished a short while ago, Gone by James Patterson. This is the sixth in the Michael Bennett series and I very much enjoyed it as it was finishing the story started in book five, I won't spoil it for readers.

I will be starting my next batch of BFB's whilst on holiday, I may not get them all read and so the last two may change if I haven't started them by the time we get home, they are as follows:

Private Desires by Elizabeth Adler, 640 pages
Flavour of the Month by Olivia Goldsmith, 764 pages
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens, 808 pages
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, 920 pages

The last two have been put in the luggage as they are small, they are pocket size books from the 1920/30's and have wafer thin pages.

I like the looks of your holiday reading list, John! I'm getting excited about our own holiday - and about packing my books for the trip, too.

>58 scaifea:, Thanks Amber, I will be amazed if I get through them all but you never know. I hope you put your holiday reading list up my dear. I have a list of addresses for holiday postcards to send, check your mailboxes towards the end of July.

Hi John, I missed out on a very large amount of posts. So I hope I did not miss anything important. Sending love and hugs to you and all of the family.

>60 connie53:, Hi Connie you haven't missed anything important my dear but it is always nice to see you on here.

thanks John, I just felt a bit overwhelmed with al the amount of posts on some threads so I skipped everything. I'm now hoping I can keep up! (Not)

>62 connie53:, you will be able to keep up with my thread for the next two weeks easily, I am taking my tablet with me but don't know how much posting I will do but I will try to keep up to date with how things are for us and how my reading is going.

Ah you are going away! good! I hope you will enjoy it!
We will leave somewhere in the next week for a few days stay in Germany.

>64 connie53:, Have a nice stay in Germany my dear.

Thanks, John!

John, wishing you and Karen a wonderful holiday.

I am beginning to plan my summer vacation as well. I will be driving to Kansas and then will take my mother on up to my sister's in Montana. From Tuscaloosa it will be a 2,400 mile trip there and back.

I'll work on getting my book packing list up at some point today. When do you head out for your trip? I know you've said, but I can't remember...

>67 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

>68 benitastrnad:, Benita that sounds like a heck of a long drive my dear but have a fabulous trip.

>69 scaifea:, Amber we leave home at 10am and our flight is at 2.25pm on Friday. We should be at the hotel by around 7pm just in time for evening drinkies.

Book Thirty-Five finished last night, A Line in the Sand by Gerald Seymour. It is a while since I last read a Seymour novel and so I was looking forward to it and I wasn't disappointed. Ever since I read Harry's Game and then saw it on television I have been a Gerald Seymour fan. Now I can start on my holiday reading with Private Desires by Elizabeth Adler first up.

Wishing you a safe journey, tomorrow. xx

>72 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara.

Happy Holidaying, John, and safe travels!

Thanks Amber, I seem to be having Internet problems here. Suffice to say that we arrived safely on Friday and it felt like we had come home. Saturday we went around a secondhand/home made market and Sunday we went on a trip to a market at Santa De Serra which was poor but the gardens were gorgeous. We sat around the pool most of today and then went to do a bit of shopping and have something to eat. I picked up a nice t-shirt and a polo shirt, Karen got Andy a t-shirt and Amy a nice cardigan to go with her earrings
Hopefully I will get a better net connection tomorrow and browse the threads.

Hi all, finally got a good Internet connection so I will make the most of it. The weather has been glorious and is set fair for the next few days so lots of sunbathing will done. Today we did a bit of shopping as we managed to get a little bit burnt on Monday.
The reading is going well and more will be done over the next few days.
I will apologise now for not visiting other threads because of the net connection.

HI John! Glad that you have found the Internet, and even more glad that you are on vacation and the weather is cooperating! Hope you two have a glorious time. : )

Where exactly are you at on your vacation? Somewhere in the Mediterranean?

>78 benitastrnad:, We have been to the Island of Madeira which is in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles off the Moroccan Coast.

We arrived back home at 1.20am this morning and were a little bit tired. We awoke at 9am and I went and made us a drink of tea to drink in bed, we eventually got up at around 9.45 am. Today has been spent mostly unpacking the holiday clothes and getting them washed but the weather here is pants and so some are on the airer and some in the wash basket waiting to go on the airer. I will give a bigger update of our holiday later as I seem to be having laptop problems.

Karen is going to send me some photo's from her phone and then I can load them on here to show views from our time in Madeira. We just need a lottery win so we can get a property out there as we just love the place.

Although I took four large books with me on holiday I had a poor reading time and did not finish one book, 484 pages of a 640 page book is all I did in two weeks. I will get back to normal service from Monday probably and maybe I just needed a short reading break.

Hi John! I am so glad you enjoyed a relaxing holiday!I think everyone needs a bit of a reading break from time to time! Thanks for visiting my thread! I am sure it will be a relief to get unpacked and everything washed and dried and put away. Holidays are wonderful but the packing and unpacking are a bit of a nuisance! My best to you and Karen!

I am on vacation as well and am not getting much reading done either. Maybe it is because I have other interesting things to do.

Tonight I am in Wyoming and am on my way to Bozeman, Montana. We drove 600 miles today and saw some very interesting country. Basically we followed the Oregon Trail up the Platte River Valley. We, my mother and I, stopped at a couple of the historic Oregon Trail sites, and got up to speed on that part of the history of the American West.

Hi John. Looking forward to those pictures you promised us. I'm glad you had a nice holiday. Love and hugs to you and Karen.

Welcome back, John! Can't wait to see your photos!

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-7-15 - 2090
Books added in July - 8
Books read in July - 5

Revised book total - 2093

Pages to read at 1-7-15 - 908,201
Pages added in July - 4,205
Pages read in July - 1,803

Revised total pages to read - 910,603

Back to reality today although I still felt in holiday mode. Karen went back to work this morning and I got back and put the last load of washing out before having some breakfast. After this I went into the loft to do a bit of tidying up before going into Wakefield to sort out some banking before getting home and a little bit of reading. At 1.30pm I set off to my physio appointment and then did some food shopping as the cupboards were a little bare and then it was time to pick Karen up. Back to the housework and reading routine, ha ha.

>88 johnsimpson: It always feels a bit surreal going back to the usual things after a holiday, doesn't it?

>89 connie53:, Very.

Finished book Thirty-Six a couple of hours ago, Private Desires by Elizabeth Adler. This tells the story of Leonie who is born into a world of poverty and hardship until one Christmas when she goes home to see her mother and has saved up as much of her meagre earnings to buy her something special and it is thrown back in her face. Her mother drinks and decides to be nasty about Leonie's father, added to this the mother's latest chap decides that as Leonie's mother is drunk he will sample the daughter, Leonie fights him off and spends the last of her money on a train ticket to Paris. With nowhere to stay as passenger gives her an address and this leads her to a job, friends and much more. It is an interesting tale and tells of how some mistresses were treated in late 19th/ early 20th century France. It has been a while since I last read a book by this author and I did enjoy it.

It has been a busy day and I hope I will get a good nights sleep, last night I couldn't get off to sleep. Last night my morphine patches needed changing so Karen duly obliged but due to my bit of sunburn it caused a little problem, the patches adhere well and so leave some adhesive residue and the only way to get it off is to use surgical spirit, unfortunately as she started to clean the adhesive off some skin started to come off and the spirit went onto raw skin, Karen sorted it out and we got into bed. Within about twenty minutes I was wriggling about as I was hot and bothered and then I became cold, this carried on until about 4.30 am and the alarm was set for 6.30 am. Surprisingly by 9am I had perked up and got on with my tasks for the day, I read for a short while and then sorted out some dead plants before going to Blacker Hall farm shop to get some of their lovely bread before going into Wakefield to pick up some things that Asda supermarket hadn't got. Once home I had a mug of tea and read before getting on with the upstairs housework and putting the cases into the loft. By this time it was time for something to eat before going to pick Karen up from work. It doesn't take long to get back into the old routine after a great holiday.

>92 johnsimpson: Painful, John! Hope you did sleep well last night!

>93 connie53:, Hi Connie, I had a lovely night's sleep. I think that because of little sleep the night before and being busy made me nice and tired and so I slept well. Hope you are having a good summer break my dear and getting some lovely reading done. Sending love and hugs dear friend.

>94 johnsimpson: glad you slept better, John.

And sending the hugs and love back to you and Karen

All the housework completed and mowed the lawn before having a bit of lunch and getting a bit of reading done. I picked Karen up from work and after a relaxing pot of tea we had a bite to eat before I took Karen to her bariatric meeting. On the way home from her meeting it started to rain a little bit, the first I've seen for at least three weeks. Tomorrow I will be picking Hannah up so we will have her for a few hours, if the weather is ok we will go to the Wintersett country park to stroll the Room on the Broom trail, she loved it last time we went. I can't believe that she starts school in September, where has the time gone.

Have a very nice day with Hannah, John. Kids grow fast, don't they. That's when you feel you are getting older too.

>97 connie53:, We have had a lovely day With Hannah.

After having breakfast I took Karen to her Nail appointment and I went on to pick Hannah up, by the time we got back to Walton Karen was ready to be picked up. We went home as the weather looked a little ominous and Hannah go some of her toys out and asked me to put a Peppa Pig DVD on. After about an hour or so the sun was out and we decided to pop into Wakefield as I needed some more underwear and some socks and then we would go onto the City's park. Hannah was very good in town and was excited when we said we were going to the park. When we got there she went straight to the big slides (she's not her father's daughter for nothing) and then we noticed a small fair next to the playground. Hannah wanted to go on the bouncy castle and she had a great time and then she went on a small ride before asking if she could have an ice cream. We got the ice cream and found a spot to sit but halfway through the ice cream she said she had had enough and gave it to grandma and then going back to the big slide. Karen wasn't too keen on the ice cream and so I ended up with it, after a short while we needed to leave the park as we were a bit peckish to which Hannah said she was hungry and could we go to McDonald's, we said yes and ended up with two Happy meals and I had a cheeseburger meal, this is not something we do for ourselves ( I think it was 2012 the last time I had a McDonald's and that was when we took the girls to Blackpool). We had our food and made our way home and Hannah played for a while before it was time to take her home. Whilst I took Hannah home Karen did some ironing, Hannah fell asleep in the car but awoke when we got there. I got home and we had a mug of tea before I took Karen to a 2 plus meeting for bariatric patients and I went home to watch the cricket highlights. We are now having a drink of tea and watching last night's Great British Bake Off opening episode, Karen is already thinking of baking tomorrow (Yippee).

My goodness, you had a busy day, it seems!

Good morning, John. I hope you feel better. Thanks so much for your lovely postcard. We got all the mail today. Get well soon. xx

>101 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara I'm feeling a little better. I am not sure what I've got but yesterday I just felt tired and queasy so Karen packed me off to bed. I slept in the spare bed to avoid passing anything on to Karen and today I was fine until I started to clean the windows and I suddenly started to get warm even though it has been cool and dull today and by the time I had finished I was soaked with sweat. I have managed to eat today so that is a good sign but I am not quite 100%, hopefully I will be back to normal tomorrow.

Poor fellow, I hope it's better tomorrow. I woke up this morning with a terrible headache. Non of my painkillers worked. Therefore, Thomas took me to the doctor in the late afternoon. I got some new meds. It's a bit better. I hope tomorrow it will be gone otherwise I have to go back to the doc. He told me so.

I'm so sorry that you're not feeling well, John.

>103 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

>104 scaifea:, Thanks Amber.

I had a lovely postcard waiting for me in the mail when I got home. Thank you so much. It is great fun to get those. I saw in one of the issues of Better Home and Gardens that they recommended sending postcards as a fun way to keep kids busy while on trips. I think anybody would be thrilled to get a postcard in the mail. And Madeira looks like a wonderful place to spend a holiday.

I think I only read about 100 pages in the ten days I was gone. Not much reading at all. I read more when I am not relaxing!

How are you, John? I hope you feela bit better. Hugs xx

>106 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita so glad you received the postcard, I thought you would enjoy receiving one.

>107 Ameise1:, Barbara I feel better than I did but then I tweaked my back.

Having not felt well on Sunday and being sent to bed I felt a little better on Monday and so I read for a while and pottered about before deciding to clean the inside windows. I managed to get the downstairs done before having to stop as I was so hot and sweaty. Today I read for a while before going into town to do some banking, I got home and had a pot of tea and read before starting on cleaning the upstairs windows, that done I started to do the cleaning and had just finished our bedroom when I tweaked my back and had to lay down for a while so tomorrow I have the bathroom to do as well as the downstairs.

Poor fellow. Get well soon. xx

>110 Ameise1:. Thanks Barbara.

A busy-ish day today, after taking Karen to work I then popped into store to do the weekly shopping then it was home to unpack and put it all away before having breakfast. Once I had had my breakfast I read for a short while before popping into town to pay a bill and then back to the supermarket to pick up and pay for a travel case that Karen had put to one side as it had been dramatically reduced. Once home I had a pot of tea and read for a while before cleaning the kitchen, dining room and living room and then it was time to pick Karen up from work.
I have struggled to read much as I am feeling tired when sat down and so am taking Metatone tonic as Karen thinks I am a bit run down and has told me that if I don't seem to improve then I have to go to the doctors. I seem to be fine when doing things but sitting down to read and I just doze off. Tomorrow we are having Hannah for a few hours and if the weather is good we will go to the Wintersett country park to follow the "Room on the Broom" trail again, Hannah loved it last time we went and wants to go again.

I hope you find your energy again soon, John, and have a lovely time with Hannah!

We have had a reasonably good day, we picked Hannah up this morning and she appeared to be full of beans but when she was in the car on our way to the country park she went a little quiet. Hannah seemed ok when we got to the country park and we set off on the "Room on the Broom" trail but as we got to the third carving she started to get a bit whiney and we had to coax her along so we could get to the right spot for our picnic. Hannah didn't really want to eat much even only having a small nibble of her chocolate. We coaxed and cajoled her to the end of the trail and after a toilet stop she seemed to perk up and wanted to go on the slides etc near the café. After we had a coffee and she played we made our way home and once in she got some toys down and asked me to put Thomas the Tank DVD on, she played for a while and then got herself a yoghurt and climbed next to me on the sofa to eat it and then she snuggled up and dropped off to sleep for about 75 minutes, meanwhile we watched the DVD. She woke up and once she had come round it was time to take her home, she was obviously not quite herself and it could have been the after effects of having her injections yesterday.

The weather was very good this morning but gradually dulled and cooled as the day wore on and now we are having short rain showers but apparently heavy rain is on its way overnight and tomorrow is not going to be good so we may not do much tomorrow.

We have had a lovely day, after a little lie-in we had breakfast and then put the washing out before filling the bird feeders, once this was done we popped to Aldi to pick up a couple of large sweet jars for Amy's wedding and then made our way over to Cliffe near Selby to Andy's auntie Lesley and uncle Graham's strawberry tea party fundraiser for Breast Cancer. All of Andy's family were there along with Amy and friends of Lesley and Graham, the sandwiches, cakes and pastries were absolutely wonderful, there were some items for sale and a raffle was held and in the end £250 was raised which was a really good effort for four hours of fun. It was really nice to catch up with Andy's family and to have a nice chat with his brother Adam's girlfriend Natasha who bakes some lovely cakes. When we left we gave Amy a lift home and made our way back to Walton.

It sounds like you've have a nice couple of days, John!

>116 scaifea:, Friday and Saturday were very nice Amber.

Sorry to see that you have been a bit lethargic mate. Take care and best wishes to you Karen and the rest of the family.

Finished book Thirty-Seven about an hour ago, Flavour of the Month by Olivia Goldsmith. It has been quite a while since I last read a book by this author but I must say I did enjoy this tale of the machinations of being an actor in Hollywood.

The weather today has been horrible, rain all day and it has been cold yet tomorrow it is going to be warm and sunny according to the forecaster. Today I have managed to get a decent amount of reading done and finished a book as well as doing the upstairs housework. After getting Karen home from work our hairdresser arrived and Amy also came for her hair doing, we have had a good chat with her.

A busy day for me, after taking Karen to work I popped into store to do the shopping and then home to unpack the bags and put it all away. Next it was time for breakfast before starting on the downstairs housework and then time for a pot of tea and a bit of a read before going over to Rob's to help him with a bit of gardening. Hannah was very surprised when I turned up and gave me a big hug, started to do a bit of clearing the weeds than Rob had to take Louise and Shannon to the hospital for Shannon's appointment. Rob got back and was just starting to make me a pot of tea when Louise rang to say they had been seen and could come home, off he went and I carried on with the gardening. They got back and I got my pot of tea and did a bit more before I had to stop as my back was killing me, I didn't think I had done too much but I had. I got cleaned up and went to pick Karen up from work and when we got home we had a pot of tea and then it was time to take Karen to her Bariatric group meeting, I am ready for my bed now to relax and try and get some relief from the nagging ache in my back, so frustrating when I can only do so much before I have to rest, jobs take a lot more time to do now.

I sympathize with your back issues - I've had problems with mine since high school and I still never seem to realize when I'm overdoing it, only to pay the price in pain the next day.

>122 scaifea:, Thanks Amber, pain is a price we pay sadly.

Well after being in pain yesterday, today has been nearly pain free. I took my meds last night and an extra med that I only use when in extreme pain and had a reasonable nights sleep (although I apparently snored badly according to Karen and she was not impressed) and woke up relatively pain free. After breakfast it was time for me to pick up some M&M's and then Hannah, once home with both Karen started to make M&M cookies with Hannah and some jam filled biscuits, Hannah got bored after a while and played with her toys. After some lunch Hannah wanted to watch Thomas the Tank Engine, we both enjoyed it and then Hannah climbed up beside me and went to sleep, we moved her to make her more comfortable and me and Karen watched the DVD for another forty minutes before Karen decided to do something and I turned it off and tuned in to the radio channel to listen to the Test Match. Hannah woke up just before 4pm and after a short while I took her home with some cookies and biscuits for her mum, Rob and Shannon.

Hi John, I'm so sorry to hear that you had another back pain issue. Take care. I've finished my first work week of the new school year. We have lovely weather and I hope doing some reading out side. Wishing you and Karen a lovely weekend. Hugs xx

Glad that you had at least one pain free day from back pain,John. Take it easy, friend!

>126 vancouverdeb:, Thanks Deb.

I am in the middle of a small crises. Late on Saturday evening I noticed that my refrigerator freezer was not cooling. The ice in the automatic ice maker was not solid. I notified my landlord and by this morning stuff in the freezer was partially thawed and there was water everywhere in the freezer from the draining ice bucket. With that there was no doubt about whether it was working or not. I have spent the morning doing the same thing I did when the tornado hit Tuscaloosa and I was without electricity for two weeks - I have transported the stuff from the refrigerator and freezer to the refrigerator freezer located in the break room/conference room at work. The landlord said she would get somebody out on Monday, but for a couple of days I will be without a vital modern convenience. And then I will have to transport the stuff back home. At least the weather forecast is for cooler temperatures so trucking the bags up two flights of stairs will be bearable.

>128 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, there is nothing worse than a freezer that is not cooling, hopefully your landlord gets someone out on Monday to sort it out. I hope the moving back of the food is not a difficult and warm job for you my dear.

The weather here is so up and down, yesterday and today started sunny and warm but by 5pm the skies went dark and we have had heavy rain and thunderstorms that run through the evening and night. Karen says the forecast for the next few days is the same.
Whilst it was nice and sunny yesterday I popped to Old Sharlston to watch Rob playing cricket for a couple of hours before I had to go and pick Karen up from work. Today after taking Karen to work I read for a short while and did a couple of small jobs and then watched some Athletics action from the World Championships in Beijing. It was nice to see Jessica Ennis-Hill become Heptathlon World Champion and Usain Bolt retain his World Championship.

John, nice to see that you had a quiet weekend. Here it started to rain in the evening. The forcast says that from Wednesday on we are back to the heat (30C).

>131 Ameise1:, Hopefully the forecast Karen has seen will be wrong and we will have decent weather.

I keep my fingers crossed for you :-).

I've been doing a bit of reading after doing my jobs and at lunchtime reached 400,000 pages read since I started keeping a not of what I have read, 20 years and 55 days to reach this milestone, onwards and upwards to get to a million pages read. I am currently reading my 838th book so my average page count per book is pretty decent.

Congrats on 400,000. What a milestone.

>135 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara. I am such a stat freak, next up could be 500,000 pages or 1,000 books, not sure which will be first.

Yet another dual weather day, sun and warm until around 4.30pm then rain and cold. After taking Karen to work and then having breakfast I did a couple of little jobs before doing a bit of reading and then I popped into town to do some banking. Once home I made a pot of tea, put the T.V on for the athletics and picked my book up, after a couple of hours I then did the upstairs housework, cleaning the bedrooms and bathroom before having another pot of tea and a read before going to pick Karen up from work. I have caught up a little on my poor reading over the last two months but now that our holiday seems but a distant memory ( I am buying lottery tickets to try and win enough for Karen to retire and then buy a property in Madeira, you have to have a dream and something to aim for) I can crack on with my reading and try and reach my targets.

I took Leo to the vets this morning for his yearly check-up, this was a couple of months late but he is fine, he has lost a little bit of weight as he had been a tad over before and he is healthy enough. The only slight dip is that he may be getting arthritis, I told the vet that he doesn't jump onto my lap but is a bit more considered about climbing up, she gave me some drops to see how he goes and he may need some glucosamine and chondroitin if it continues, he has just gone thirteen. Once home I read for a while before doing the downstairs housework and then had a pot of tea and read before going to the supermarket to do the big shop and then waited for Karen to finish.

Book Thirty-Eight finished last night, The Decision by Penny Vincenzi. This tells the tale of a love affair, a marriage, a child and a decision, Matt and Eliza seemed to be odd bedfellows but embarked on a love affair, they got married and then had a child and now the child makes a decision. The story starts in 1958 and follows Matt and Eliza as they embark on their lives and how their story entwines them and a number of other characters until the story ends in 1972. A lot is packed into those 14 years and not all is good and shows how attitudes were in Britain around this time period. I enjoyed this as I have enjoyed previous books by this author.

Happy Sunday, John. I hope everything is fine at your place.

My computer is in the double posting-clicking-etc mood.

>141 Ameise1:,>142 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

Yesterday Amy and Andy came over to spend the bank holiday weekend with us, after a bite to eat Karen did some baking while we watched the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final on T.V. Karen baked ginger snaps, lemon madeira cake, blackberry and apple cake, chocolate orange buns and orange buns. We had a lovely evening after a lovely tea and caught up with how the wedding is progressing and how Andy's family are.

Today we had a lovely Sunday lunch, Rob, Louise and the girls came over and they brought their dog Poppy, she is a Boxer and is a bit mad. Needless to say that when Leo saw the girls and the dog he made good his escape and we didn't see him again until after they had gone home. It was nice to have everyone in the house for a few hours.

Glad to hear that you had a wonderful weekend. Saw on FB that you were spoiled with gorgeous bakeries.

>145 Ameise1:, oh yes Barbara, Karen did quite a bit of baking yesterday and we have all been reaping the rewards of her efforts.

One week on and I am still waiting for the repairpeople for the refrigerator. They should be at the house tomorrow, so I hope I can start moving stuff back after tomorrow. Funny how much of my life centers around the refrigerator and food.

I love it when you describe Karen's Baking Storms! I'm planning on making a Banana Cake at some point this week - just waiting for the bananas to ripen properly...

Oh my, Karen's baking sounds so yummy! I'm chuckling a bit about the mad dog, Poppy the boxer! Maybe it's the name! We have a maltese /poodle cross and she is quite mad too!Truthfully, she will be 2 years old in late September and she is really calming down. I hope all the wedding planning is going well! Not long now. Best to you and yours. xx

Hi John, your weekend sound lovely and delicious!

>147 benitastrnad:, Hopefully your refrigerator will be sorted tomorrow, I feel the same about this appliance I can always find something in it to eat.

>148 scaifea:, Amber she never just bakes a few buns or just a cake which is good for me.

>149 vancouverdeb:, Deb the baking is yummy and between the family over the weekend most of it has been eaten. Poppy is a mad lovable dog who just wants to slobber you. The wedding planning is going well and not much to do now, only grating point is Andy's eldest niece who seems not to want to buy any new shoes and thinks her black ones will do, they are wearing navy dresses and all the others are wearing navy shoes. Sending love and hugs to you and your family my dear.

>150 connie53:, The weekend has been lovely Connie and lots of sweet stuff has been eaten, my waistline may have expanded.

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-8-15 - 2093
Books added in August - 8
Books read in August - 3

Revised book total - 2098

Pages to read at 1-8-15 - 910,603
Pages added in August - 3,715
Pages read in August - 2,281

Revised total pages to read - 912,037

I have been missing on here for the last few days but we have been a little busy.

Wednesday I took Karen to work and then popped into store to do the shopping, I then nipped next door to Aldi to pick up bits that are better quality than Asda and then got home. Halfway through unpacking the shopping and putting it away Robert rang me to say there was a major problem on the railway line and no trains were getting through and could I come to Wakefield station and pick him up and take him to work which I did after putting the remaining shopping away. By the time I got home it was 10.40 am and I then had my breakfast. I got on with the housework and by the time I finished it was time to go and pick Karen up from work. Karen had taken a change of clothes as she was going straight from work to meet a friend before going to her bariatric meeting, as she got in the car she had a message from her friend, who sadly had to cancel, we drove home, had a quick pot of tea and then I took her to her meeting. After getting home and having a quick bite to eat it was time to pick her up and then I had to pop out again, by the time I got back it was too late to fire the laptop up.

Thursday, we put the washing out and then popped to Blacker Hall Farm to get some fresh vegetables and bread after having to call into Asda and then just had time to get home and have a drink before Karen had to go to the doctors for her B12 injection, unfortunately the nurse was running behind and by the time she was out we couldn't really go too far so we went to Holmfirth which isn't that far from us. We found a lovely café for a bite to eat and a coffee, we both had Potato and Double Gloucester soup which was devine. We had a lovely time mooching around and bobbed into a couple of secondhand bookshops, we were good and only picked up a couple of books. We had been bad earlier in the week as we put an order in to The Book People and added twenty books. By the time we got home we had time for a pot of tea before Karen went to another bariatric meeting and then to a friends, again I had no time to go on the laptop.

Friday we had breakfast and then I filled up the bird feeders before we had to go to Diva's dress shop for Karen to pick up her jacket for the wedding that had been altered, from there we dashed through to Robs to meet Louise so that she could show us the school for when we pick Hannah up on our own, Hannah started school this week, just half day on Thursday and Friday, she was so excited that her mum, grandma and granddad were picking her up. We walked back to their house and Hannah got changed before we took her back to ours, Hannah played with toys and watched Thomas the Tank Engine cuddled up to me. After having some tea I took her home and when I got back had something to eat ourselves, I was just getting settled down to watch a bit of T.V. and come on here when the phone went and it was Rob who asked if I would pick him up from the railway station and like a soft parent I said yes, by the time I got back in it was too late to come on here and I had missed a programme I wanted to watch.

Saturday, Karen had to go in early but would finish early and when I got back I put the washing out and had breakfast. I read for a while and then did a bit of pruning in the garden before doing a bit more reading. After a pot of tea I had to pop into town to pick a parcel up and then went to pick Karen up from work. Now I have time to catch up with LT and look through all the posts.

Wow, John, what a week. It's great that Hannah is at school now and I'm glad she loves her school. Do you have regular problems with the railway?
Well, it looks like life keeps you very busy. I wish you a relaxed Sunday. Hugs xx

>154 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

Morning everyone, the day started dry and cool but now the sun is out and it is warming up a little bit. After taking Karen to work I chopped up some branches that I cut late last night and then made a pot of tea and read for a while. I am currently listening to the Royal London cup semi-final between Yorkshire and Gloucestershire at Headingley, Yorkshire were put into bat by Gloucestershire and are currently 104 for one after 18 overs. Hopefully this start will lead to a Yorkshire win and a cup final appearance at the home of cricket, Lord's and on Wednesday Yorkshire play Middlesex in the county championship and as long as they avoid defeat they will be crowned county champions for the second successive year with two championship games to go. The saying goes that if Yorkshire are strong then England are strong, not quite sure on the national team side just yet but Yorkshire have certainly be re-vitalised since Jason Gillespie took over as coach, even losing players to the national side has not dented the team with a good crop of youngsters coming through and stepping up to the plate. A very proud Yorkshireman at the moment, might have to invest in a membership ticket for next season.

Whoa, you *have* had a busy week!

Sadly Yorkshire's good start could not be maintained and they ended up with 263 for 9 after their 50 overs, Gloucestershire then got off to a good start and then lost two wickets but their overseas player who only flew back into the country yesterday hit a sublime 137 not out and in partnership with Marshall took Gloucester to a match winning 264 for 2. Out of the last 22 semi final appearances by Yorkshire, they have lost 16 now. Apart from this I have still had a good day and we can still win the championship.

Today is a national holiday, so I am sitting in Barnes & Nobel enjoying the free WiFi and air conditioning. I baked some blueberry scones today and spent some time knitting, but it is so hot here that I really don't feel like doing anything. I went to the university swimming pool yesterday and enjoyed the hot afternoon by the pool. The weather here is not unseasonable as it is usually hot and humid here this time of year, but I was very surprised to learn that yesterday was the last day the pool would be open. Since the temperatures are still in the middle 90's I thought they would keep it open longer. When I inquired why it was closing I was told it was for economic reasons. Earlier this summer the pool started closing at 6:00 p.m. and that made it hard for me to get there after work so I quit going. Gosh, I am going to miss the swimming pool! It is one of the few things that made life tolerable here in the American South.

John just one word to start with.......CHAMPIONS!

What a fantastic team Yorkshire is. We have the best squad of players in memory and even though arguably our best bat didn't play at all we still won the title with loads to spare.
LYTH, LEES, ROOT, BALLANCE, GALE, BAIRSTOW, RASHID, BRESNAN, PLUNKETT, BROOKS, SIDEBOTTOM is a team that would beat England for sure. Patterson, Rhodes, Leaning, Middlebrook, Hodd and the overseas players have contributed wonderfully too.

Note that you are close to a million unread pages on the shelves mate. I am not sure congratulations are quite in order but that is not so far behind me with about 1.3 million.

Love to Karen.

>160 PaulCranswick:, CHAMPIONS, it just runs off the tongue for proud Yorkshire folk, I agree that our best side would beat England in under four or five days.

I am dangerously near to a million pages to read and having done a Facebook test about my reading just before I moved to 912k to read, it said as long as I bought no more books and read at the rate I had put I would read up by the time I was 84 years and four months old. This gives me a lot to aim for and to keep me going.

Love to Hani.

The weather has been poor for most of the day but a fabulous time has been had, Karen organised a party day for the younger bridesmaids who won't be going on Amy's hen night. Karen spent most of yesterday baking and we put up homemade bunting last night and then this morning Karen made scones before we had breakfast and then laid the table in the dining room before making sandwiches. I went to pick up Shannon and Hannah and when I got back Amy, Leni and Natasha had arrived, shortly afterwards Andy's sisters Julia and Dawn arrived with his niece's Emily and Charlotte and then Andy's mum and dad arrived with the other two niece's Felicity and Eva and then Tina arrived and Danielle (the chief bridesmaid) and her sister Ashley also arrived. Whilst festivities went on Me and Mike (Andy's dad) went to a model railway shop, when we got back they had saved us some food. By around 4pm people started to leave for home, I took Shannon and Hannah home and then around 6.30 I took Tina home whilst Karen tidied up the toys that the girls had been playing with. Karen informed me that there is lots of food left, some has gone into the freezer but she has left a bit out for me to eat, how good is that. Only 48 days to go before I give my little girl away, only seems two minutes ago that I was having my first cuddle after she was born.

You're getting close to the wedding, John! Glad you had such a lovely day! It sounds lovely but a fair bit of work! I understand what you mean about giving your little girl away, though in our case it was our son. I still wonder where did all the time go? I hope you have a lovely weekend, John and Karen!

>163 vancouverdeb:, Thanks Deb.

The weather here was wonderful today. It finally cooled off.

I tried to do some baking today and failed miserably. I had a cookie cookbook with a recipe I wanted to try. I had some of the ingredients in the freezer and when the refrigerator/freezer went belly up I decided that I needed to get some of that stuff out. I wanted to bake these cookies today and I simply couldn't find the cookbook. I looked everywhere. I never did find it. I thought I could remember the recipe well enough to reconstruct it, so I went ahead and tried. It didn't work. The bar cookies taste good but they crumble and simply won't hold together. They aren't anywhere good enough to take to the afternoon tea to which I have been invited. I called the host and she laughed with me and since I wasn't expected to bring anything I am in the clear. But I am still puzzled about the location of my cookbook. It is one I use fairly often and I would hate to loose it.

>162 johnsimpson: I have that feeling too when I see the kids growing so, John. Proud but in a wistful way, no?

What is your take on Jeremy Corbyn's sweep to power at the helm of my old party? Could he actually win the GE?

Have a lovely weekend mate and give our love to Karen.

>166 PaulCranswick:, Paul I am not sure about Corbyn as he has some ideas that can not be implemented but as I said to Karen this morning, he has been an MP for 32 years and has seen many things and I am sure he cannot be that naïve to think that he can exit NATO for instance. We will have to see how he goes and how he performs against Cameron at PMQ's. The mood in the country may come down on his side depending how things go with the Tories, from what I have heard today the unions don't expect everything to go their way but it's early days yet. All this guff about a Northern Powerhouse is hot air by the Tories, lots of promises and then a hundred days later there is a shortfall in funding and so all the good ideas are paused, I see projects around the London area are going ahead, seems to have got votes for ideas but then throws it all back to us.

Hope you have had a good weekend mate, give our love to Hani and the kids.

Finished book Thirty- nine late on Friday night, Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer. This was a really good read following the life of Sam Damon, from rural Nebraska to the first world war, the inter war period and then the second world war and then through to the start of troubles in Asia in the early sixties. It is a very thoughtful book and describes warfare extremely well if harrowing at times.

>168 johnsimpson: This title takes me back John. Years ago my sister, Mom, Dad and I read The Last Convertible by Myrer and we all loved it. That was great as we didn't often read and like the same things. If I remember right it takes place after WWI to Viet Nam. It's hard for me to believe, but I'm the only one in the family still living. For old times sake I'm going to look for a copy of it and reread it. I'll find a copy of Once an Eagle as well, I'm sure it will be as good.

>169 clue:, Clue I really enjoyed Once an Eagle and have The Last Convertible in hardback in the loft, in fact it originally was my wife's along with a number of other hardback books which I think she got just before we met or after as she was a member of the Book Club Associates (BCA) until about a year before we got married. I hope you find a copy and I am sure you will enjoy it again.

Karen and I are watching the latest dramatization of J.B.Priestley's An Inspector Calls, we have a connection to this as the producer is Howard Ella who co-writes and produces the Joseph Rowntree Players Christmas Pantomime that we go to see and usually stars my future son-in-law Andy. Howard is a lovely chap and his wife Leni came to the young bridesmaids party we held yesterday.

Hi John! So nice of you to write all these lovely posts so I can catch up on everything in your neck of the woods. I am ever so glad you have a goal which will keep you occupied until you are 84 and 4 months, LOL. I think you may have a few more pages to read in your house than mine. ; ) Hugs to you and Karen.

Myrer is a new name for me. I'll keep an eye out.

I read both Once an Eagle and Last Convertible. Last Convertible was my favorite but Once an Eagle was good too. After reading Last Convertible I thought that Cristobel was a wonderfully lovely name. Once an Eagle was made into a TV mini-series back in the day. I believe Last Convertible was as well. I remember my family glued to Once an Eagle on the TV.

The weather this week is going to be a mix of rain, wind and maybe a little sunshine, the day started early for us as Karen had to get up by 6.45am to get her breakfast and a hot drink as after 7.30 am she couldn't eat anything and then could only have water up until 10.30am as she was having surgery this afternoon. After having breakfast she came back to bed but was no sooner in bed when the phone rang, it was the hospital wondering where she was, she told them that she had rung last Friday and was told to come in as per her letter at 12.30pm and would be first on the list in the afternoon. She put the phone down and it rang again and the lady was very apologetic and annoyed that she had not been told someone had already rung Karen and not told her, if she had she would not have disturbed us. We got up around 8.30am and I had breakfast and we put some washing on and watched a bit of T.V. Karen put the washing on the airer and then it was time for us to set off to the hospital. I went with her to the day case ward and sat with her until the nurse came and then made my way into Wakefield to do some banking and then came home and read for a while. Karen texted me a few times to let me know what was going on, I made a pot of tea and read again and around 3pm I got my last message from Karen to say the anaesthatist had seen her and she would be going to theatre shortly. I went to the chemist for a couple of things that Karen had texted me to get and around 5pm just as I had made myself another pot of tea I got another text from Karen to say I could pick her up at six fiteen. Karen has had knee surgery to wash out some pieces and to repair a lateral tear at the back of her knee.

When I got to the ward to pick her up she had a very large bandage on her left knee and she was in a bit of pain, the piece of fragment they took out was the size of a cent coin and they had done the tear and some other remedial work. I managed to get her dressed and into a wheelchair and then down to the car, she gingerly got in the car and then out at home and with crutches she got into the house and then we spotted the blood leaking down her leg, enter Dr Simpson. I got her sat on a chair and cleaned up the blood and then managed to lift her bad leg up onto a small stool so I could fully look at the problem, some packing had got soaked with blood probably with the movement from the ward to the car then from the car into the house. I put some fresh gauze dressings under the bandage and sorted things out and then between us she got upstairs and onto the bed, I put some old towels under her leg in case it started bleeding again and then made her a pot of tea whilst I got her things out of the car. I put all her things away and then made her some porridge and another pot of tea and took her some biscuits up and her tablets. She is resting now and the pain has eased a bit.

Hi John, what a day. I hope Karen feels much better today. Please give her my love and gentke hugs. xx

Day 2 of employing my nursing skills, Karen's knee is still very tender but then it is only just over 24 hours since her op. I had to get up a little bit early this morning as I had a physiotherapy appointment so I had breakfast and then got Karen downstairs and made her some breakfast and a pot of tea and made sure she was comfortable whilst I was out. I attended my appointment and then called into work to drop her sick note in and then went to the doctors to drop off a letter for her GP from the hospital. After I got home I made sure she was ok and then made a pot of tea for the pair of us and shortly afterwards her brother and his partner came to see her.

After we had some lunch Karen started to tire a bit so I got her upstairs and onto the bed so she could relax, whilst she was resting I read for a couple of hours just breaking off to make us a pot of tea. I put the homemade Shepherds pie in the oven and then shortly before it was ready Karen wanted to come downstairs. We had a lovely tea and now we are both relaxing watching the Hairy bikers' Northern Exposure on T.V.

I forgot to mention that I hope to go to the PBFA book fair at York Racecourse on Friday, Amy is coming over as she is off on Friday as it is her birthday so I should be able to leave Karen in her capable hands. This book fair is the largest in the UK with over 220 book dealers from all over the country, they will have books ranging from a £1 to some up to £2,500 or even more. I shall be looking for old Wisden Cricket Almanacks within a certain price range of course and whilst I am in the area I shall pop to the Hotel where the wedding is to be held and make the final payment

Thinking of you and Karen, John, and hoping that Karen is feeling better today.

Karen's knee after taking the bandage off, she had her op on Monday.

Another photo of Karen's knee after bandage taken off, not a pretty sight.

A busy day here at chez Simpson, set the alarm for 8.30am but awoke at 8.15am, cancelled the alarm and went down to make a pot of tea for the pair of us and took it back to bed. We got up at around 9.25 am and went down to have breakfast, as soon as I had finished it was outside to empty all the pots and planters and move the pots with shrubs and herbs in as Antony was coming this afternoon to start work on the new patio. I swilled off the soil on the crocks and placed them in the sink and liberally sprayed bleach on and filled the sink with hot water and covered so they could be cleaned and free of disease. Once this was done I put the pots and planters on the lawn and got the hosepipe out and cleaned them of soil and placed in the greenhouse.

After tidying myself up I went to the supermarket to do the shopping, not much was needed so I thought, I did the shopping and placed the bags in the car and then thought I need to ring Karen as I couldn't quite make out something she had put on the list for me to get from Aldi, before I could ring her she rang me, she asked me if I had seen the list on the pad after I had torn the sheet off with the list I had made, I said no as I thought it was for something else. Apparently she had started a list and this was it but after she had written things down she had turned the previous blank page down, she then asked me where I was and I said in the car park so I had to write on my list the things on her list and go back into the supermarket to get them, I went through the checkout I had recently gone through and Joyce the cashier thought she had done something wrong, she chuckled when I told her the tale. I then went back to the car, deposited the second lot of shopping in the boot and went for the few bits at Aldi. When I got home a friend had popped round to see Karen so I brought the shopping in and unpacked the bags and put everything away. Just as I was about to put the kettle on I saw Antony's truck approach so I went back out and moved my car so he could pull up the drive. Antony and his work colleague cracked on with lifting the old slabs and started to dig out the excuse for a base that was down and by the time they finished for the day that had done quite a lot and moved about 4 ton of material, they will be back in the morning at 8pm, I have given them a key for the garage so they can get to their tools.

As they left we made our tea and then Karen went up to bed as she was tired and acheing, but before she could relax I took off her bandage, cleaned the wound and put dressings on the two areas where the stitches are, the bruising is a sight to see, See photo's on previous posts. Karen is now settled in bed with tea and biscuits and watching the Great British Bake Off.

The Great British Bake Off - Season 2 is back here in the U. S. as well. It started last Sunday, but I didn't get to see it. It is great fun to watch.

Karen's knee looks pretty bad, but after the surgery bruising goes away it should feel much better and make walking much more pleasant.

>183 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, Karen's knee is a little better today, she was downstairs this morning for a while and then went up to bed to rest it and came down when I made the tea and then came up to bed again, I am sat at the side of her to keep her company.

What a day, the lads came to do more work on the patio, all the old soil has been cleared and they put down the water rill and pipe work into the drain. After this they put the hardcore down and wacker plated it to compact it and make it level. We have sorted out the step depth for the back door and the patio doors. After breakfast I went online to do a budget check to see how much we have coming in and what goes out before I rang the mortgage line to sort out the new rate for the next few years. What a palaver, the mortgage advisor and me ended at cross purposes, then I got angry at the way things were going as I thought it was plain and simple as to what I wanted. Then I tried to explain that things seemed to have gone awry but apparently this was nothing to do with our discussion so at the end of nearly three hours on the phone I am better off in one respect but not in another, my payment has come down but part has to be interest only so I will still have to find 12k in seven years time but after the discussion was ended, Karen and I plotted the course of action we will do over the next seven years and we ARE happy. We are going to be in charge of things and NOT the bank so WE are very happy.

After all this had been done Karen went back to bed to rest and I did the vacuuming and dusting in the living room, dining room and kitchen and tomorrow when Amy comes over I will do the bedrooms and bathroom. I also may still get to the book fair at York, yay.

This morning on DTW TV (German TV) there was a big news article about the World Rugby Championships that are being held in England. There were profiles on the teams from England, Wales, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and of course New Zealand. Apparently, the New Zealanders have taken England by storm, with a large number of fans everywhere they go. It was an interesting story, and provided this culturally poor American with a look at a very different sport.

I spent an enjoyable evening with my retired friends playing games. We have a good time and it gets me away from the stress of the workplace. We played a popular dominoes game last night and had a good time doing it.

>186 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, yes the Rugby Union World Cup has begun this evening with England taking on Fiji in the opening game. The USA are in Pool B with South Africa, Japan, Samoa and Scotland, New Zealand are the favourites to win the trophy but no nation has won successive World Cups so the pressure is on the All Blacks.

I must say that I enjoy a good game of Dominoes.

A nice steady day today, the lads doing the patio have really cracked on with it, all the paving slabs are down and I will be able to walk on it tomorrow, they are finishing everything off on Monday with the pointing and sealing and building the two sets of steps. We are very pleased with how it is looking.

Amy arrived around 10.30am after she had had her test spray tan done, she is pale skinned and just wanted to see how she looked with a bit of colour for the wedding. It is her birthday today so she opened the cards from us and her brother and her presents and then we had a good chat before popping out for a couple of bits and then we had some lunch. After lunch Amy and Karen got on with some wedding bits, sticking a blue button to small name cards that will adorn the small favour boxes filled with six small pieces of fudge. While they did that I cleaned the bedrooms and did the bathroom after Amy had had a shower to clean off the spray tan. Amy left just after 5.30pm to head to York as they had a Pantomime rehearsal starting at 6.30pm, she is coming back tomorrow with Andy and we will finish off some more small wedding bits. Also tomorrow we are having Hannah for a few hours so she will be pleased to see Auntie Amy and Uncle Andy.

P.S I did not manage to get to the book fair.

Sorry to hear that you didn't got time for the book fair. Happy weekend to both of you. Hugs xx

Hope Karen is healing nicely. Those photos looked awful! Good thing she has a top-notch nurse! Bummer about missing the book fair. Glad the patio is coming along and small pieces for the wedding. Wishing you a lovely Sunday with Hannah. : )

>189 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

>190 Berly:, Thanks Kim.

We had a lovely day yesterday, after getting up I popped to get a copy of the Yorkshire Post as I do every Saturday morning and then perused the sports section whilst having my porridge. I then put some washing on the line just before Robert dropped Hannah off with us. She went straight upstairs to get some toys before deciding she wanted to watch Thomas the Tank Engine as well, she had a little bit of a sniffle poor thing. Just before Amy and Andy arrived she started to get a little bit naughty and grandma had to have a stern word with her but she soon behaved when they arrived. We had a good catch up with Andy before the hairdresser came to do Amy's hair for the Downton Abbey themed 21st birthday party they were going to last night, whilst this took place I took Hannah to her other grandparents. Amy and Andy left around 5.30pm and Karen went up to bed to rest so I made a pot of tea and read. Karen came down at about 7.30pm and made Ham Omelette which I had whilst watching the opening episode of Dr Who, Karen is not a fan of the good doctor.

I watched the season 2 premier of Dr. Who with Peter Capuldi on Saturday night. It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, but it was entertaining. By 10:30 p.m. I was washed up for the night and went to bed to read. I read for about 15 minutes and then shut the lights out and went to sleep.

On Sunday, I drove over to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with some friends. One of my friends was being inducted into a National Honor Society at the University of Southern Mississippi for her work with the Aging. She had her knee replaced in July and is still having trouble driving so asked me to go with her to help with the driving. We had a great time driving over and talking. However, when we got there we found that the event had been postponed until October 4. Nobody bothered to send out an e-mail or make a phone call telling the inductees not to come. It is 150 miles from Tuscaloosa to Hattiesburg so it was really disappointing. However, we did have a nice lunch there in town, and did a mini-walking tour of the campus. We went into the University library there and had coffee at the Starbucks on the campus as well. Even with the problem it was a nice day spent with friends.

>193 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, I think the first episode of this seasons Dr Who was a slow burner, the viewing figures were down compared to his debut in 2014 and this may be a trend as the last season of Downton Abbey started on Sunday night but was up against The Go-Between by L.P.Hartley which is part of a season of British Literary Classics and the viewing figures were down for Downton.

I am so glad that you ended up having a nice day with friends on Sunday even though the event was postponed with you being let know.

We both wish that could start today again as it has been a testing day since just before noon, I cannot go into details suffice to say that by early evening Karen was at the end of her tether and it was nothing to do with me. Hopefully tomorrow will start well and progress well and not pear shaped and downhill.

Oh what a week it has been:

Tuesday, after a bad Monday and the weather was poor it was bright and the lads doing the patio came to finish it off, they have done a really good job and we are both well pleased. I had to pop into town to do some banking and pick a couple of bits up for Karen. The afternoon was nice and relaxed and so after a really good tea our hairdresser came, it doesn't take her long to do mine which was good as I was going along to the high school open evening in my role as school governor. The open evening was really good and it got better for me as I arrived, the queues were quite long of parents waiting to get in and as a governor I thought I am not queueing so I hung around near the entrance when a chap looked at me and mouthed my name, as I looked I realised it was someone I knew and then the penny dropped, it was an old work colleague who I haven't seen for twenty years. We had a quick chat and I arranged to meet up with him later. I went for a look around but I had an ulterior motive as I needed to speak to the textiles teacher who I know very well to ask if she could do some embroidery on four dressing gowns that Karen has bought for herself, Amy and the two senior bridesmaids. Luckily my charm paid off and she said she would do it, she did teach Amy so that was a blessing. I had a good look around and chatted with a lot of staff and then met up with my old colleague and we had a good chat and are going to stay In contact.

Wednesday, I did the shopping after breakfast after making sure Karen was ok and when I got back I unpacked it all and put it in the right cupboards. After a bite of lunch I got on with the housework upstairs before we had a quick snack. After our snack we set off to Selby to pick Amy up and then drove to nearby Stamford Bridge to collect Amy's wedding dress from the lady who did the last bit of alterations. After dropping Amy off we drove home and got in around 9.30pm.

Thursday, after breakfast I got on with the housework downstairs before having some lunch and then did a bit of pottering about whilst Karen folded and glued the small wedding favour boxes which will be filled with fudge. We had a quick pot of tea before setting off to Amy's for the ladies' make-up trial, I had to go up into Amy's bedroom out of the way. I read for a while until Danni's fiancé arrived and he joined me and we watched New Zealand V Namibia in the Rugby World Cup. Once the make-up trial had finished we set off for home and arrived back around 9.45pm.

Friday, Karen's leg did not look good this morning, the wound on the left hand side of her knee looked really swollen and her knee was a bit hot. Karen rang the daycase unit where she had her op and the surgeon was not there today and she suggested we go to Pinderfields A &E department. We arrived at 8.58am and sat around for thirty minutes before she was called in, she came back out and we waited to see the house officer. We went back in around 10.10am and he wasn't happy with it and wanted a superior to see it, the Senior house officer came in a few minutes later and saw the bruising and then saw the wound and thought it was a haematoma and thought it should be drained. He told us that he wanted an X-ray done and then we would be transferred to the Orthopaedic ward. The X-ray was done a short while later and we were transferred to the Orthopaedic ward. We waited a while and a nurse called us in and details were taken, a junior consultant saw us an hour later and she wanted to see her senior colleague so we waited again. Finally the senior colleague came and he seemed to dither and told Karen that he wanted a lightweight dressing put on from her ankle to mid thigh and then a leg brace to be fitted, he also asked if she wanted to stay in overnight. It seemed as if we had to make some decisions rather than the so called expert. We finally got out of the hospital at 2.30pm. We then went to pick Hannah up from school. Hannah was very good and asked grandma if she was ok with her poorly leg, bless her. I took Hannah to pick her daddy up from the railway station and I got home at 8.15 pm.

Hopefully the weekend will be better, Amy is having a hair trial tomorrow afternoon and I have to disappear for a couple of hours.

Dang it, John, Karen has had rotten luck with that leg! I really hope things start looking up soon.

The rugby championships are getting plenty of air time on DW TV. Sounds like it has been interesting for everybody in jolly old england.

I went to the Big Box Do-It-Yourself store this afternoon. It is conveniently located four blocks south of my front door. I purchased a quart of bright turquoise paint, and a brush and started painting my outdoor garden table and benches. The paint is a beautiful shade and when I get done it is going to look fabulous against the taupe of the siding on the house and the green of my plants. It is going to be very pretty when I am done.

Friday was quite a day -- Wish Karen's leg would just behave!! Hugs and best wishes for a wonderful Sunday.

John, I hope Karen feels better by now. What a mess with this knee. Happy sunday to both of you. Hugs xx

Hey John. Haven't heard from you in a while...hope all is well. Take care.

Andy

>197 scaifea:, >200 Berly:, >201 Ameise1:, Thank you ladies. The swelling seems to be reducing with the bandaging on but the knee brace is too painful for Karen so she has used her Knee support instead.

>198 benitastrnad:, 202, Hi Andy, all is reasonably well, busy with wedding bits for my daughter at the moment.

You have had a heavy week, John. I hope Karen is feeling better by now!

Well after a horrible and busy Monday to Friday, Saturday was good. Robert came over with Hannah, Hannah was indoors with Grandma and shortly after they arrived Auntie Amy arrived for her wedding hair trial. Robert came over to cut my conifer hedge bless him, I just put the big sheet down and held the step ladder for him to do the top and upper section and then he did the lower part and as we moved along I cleared up the cuttings. This was ideal as it meant we were out of the way whilst the hair trial took place, at one point when Karen made us a drink of tea she asked me if I had ordered a good stock of tissues as I will need them apparently, Karen said she was near to tears looking at how her hair will be so I should be a wreck with walking her down the aisle. After a quick drink Rob and Hannah went home and so did the hairdresser after she had put Amy's hair back down. Amy stayed for a few hours before she left, whilst she was here after the hair bit I had to pop into town to take Shannon's wedding shoes back as they are too small, luckily Karen was able to order a bigger size. After Amy left we had a bite to eat before settling down to watch Strictly Come Dancing and then Dr Who.

Today has been a good one, after waking up and seeing that it was very misty outside we had breakfast before I popped off to the farm shop to get some nice fresh veg and some bread whilst Karen did some baking. I also called to get some Lamb steaks as we forgot to get something out of the freezer for dinner. Once back I made us both a pot of tea and sampled the baking before watching the highlights of the Japanese F1 grand prix and then putting the Men's World Road Race on from Richmond, Virginia. After having a lovely Lamb dinner we then did the labels for the favour boxes, Karen read the names out and I wrote them with my lovely handwriting, allegedly. Karen then cut the lengths of ribbon to tie the boxes and is now threading them and adding a name label ready for filling.

Karen goes for her stitches out tomorrow afternoon so hopefully the nurse will be able to have a good look at her knee. I need to get on with my speech over the next few days so I can practice it and see how many tears I shed.

I'm so glad to hear that Karen is up and baking again! And it sounds like you've had a good weekend, too.

Is wedding is just weeks away at this point?

Hi John. Good to read your weekend has been good!

Good luck with the speech and with limiting the tears! (Nothing wrong with some tears!)

>206 scaifea:, the weekend was good but maybe Karen did a tad too much (see below).

>207 benitastrnad:, Benita, as of now there are 32 days to my little girl getting married.

>208 connie53:, Hi Connie, I am a bit of a softee so tears will fall with happiness.

So after a good weekend we have had a slight blip. After breakfast I had to go to the recycling centre with all the conifer cuttings and then in to town to do some banking. I made sure that Karen was ok and resting up whilst I was out. After a bit of lunch we had to go to see the nurse who was taking Karen's stitches out, the first was no problem but the second was a bit tight due to a bit of swelling and the third was easy, the nurse listened to what had happened last Friday and told Karen she could ignore the knee brace but she would have to be bandaged from mid-thigh to her ankle until she goes to the fracture clinic on Thursday morning, Karen was not amused and the nurse also told her to rest on the bed more to keep her leg flat. After leaving the doctors we went to Costco as we needed a few things that are best bought in bulk and will last us quite a while, by the time we were leaving Karen was tired and in a little pain so I headed for home and Karen could rest up.

Karen is now in bed resting her leg and doing some more favour boxes so that she doesn't fall asleep to early, tomorrow we go to the hotel to drop off table plan etc and I pay the last bit off on the package we chose.

It must be frustrating for Karen to have to keep to the bed at this point - here's hoping the last bit of the healing process goes smoothly, and fast!

Sorry that you and Karen have been having such a difficult time of it. One never needs that sort of thing, but even less so close to a wedding. I hope all is well very soon! Best wishes for Karen's healing.

Sorry to hear the visit to the nurse was disappointing, John. And so badly timed. Give Karen my love and well wishes!

>211 scaifea:, Hi Amber, hopefully when she sees the people at the fracture clinic on Thursday she will be able to dispense with the knee brace.

>212 vancouverdeb:, Hi Deb, it is not a good time but we have a month to go yet, the most important at the moment is Amy's hen night on Saturday and she says she is going come hell or high water.

>213 connie53:, Hi Connie, things have not been good the last few days but there are signs of improvement and hopefully Thursday will see the knee brace cast away and she is looking forward to Saturday and Amy's hen night.

It has not been too bad a day, we had an early appointment at the doctors so Karen could get her sick note, he looked at the knee and said she needs another four weeks before going back to work and told her to do as she is told for the next few days. After getting home we had breakfast and then went to work to pop her sick note in and pick up some stretch leggings to go over the strapping and pick up some tray bake trays. Once we got home I put the washing on the airer and Karen relaxed and finished the favour boxes. We had a decent lunch as we needed to set off at 4.30pm to get to the hotel to meet-up with Amy and the wedding co-ordinator Daisy to go over the last few bits and hand music, table plan etc over. Once that had been done we went to where Andy used to rent a room to pick up his bike, it wouldn't fit in Amy's car but it goes in mine. After dropping this off at their house we set off for home and got back at 8.45pm.

Finished book Forty this afternoon, The Company by Robert Littell. This was the last in my fourth cycle and finished out at 1281 pages, it was a very good and interesting read about the machinations of the CIA, KGB and other spy networks over a fifty year period.

A nice steady day for all at chez Simpson, after breakfast I made sure Karen was ok and that she wouldn't do anything she shouldn't before going off to do the supermarket shopping. Once back I unpacked and put the shopping away and made us both a pot of tea then I got on with the housework downstairs. We had time for a bit of lunch before a work colleague of Karen's came to see her, Dawn brought Karen a lovely orchid in a pot which she loves. We have had a nice relaxing afternoon and evening since and now Karen is going up to bed to rest her leg.

I started Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith last night and am already a third of the way through it and am loving it.

I like Alexander McCall Smith's work. The recorded versions of his N. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books are a delight as the reader for them is perfect. I have found myself spending an enjoyable evening knitting and listening to the recorded versions of his books. I also had the pleasure of meeting him at one of the American Library Association meetings I attended. He was on an author tour and I got to have cocktails and with him. I especially like the Isabella Dalhousie books. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

>218 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, we both love Alexander McCall Smith novels, we started out with Mma Ramotswe and then got into Isabel Dalhousie and I love the Scotland Street novels and The Bertie novels, glad you like them as well.

Book Forty-One finished this afternoon, Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith. This is a stand alone novel about four people who are all strangers to each other who meet on a train and describe how love touched their lives in different ways. I loved this book and would recommend to everyone.

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-9-15 - 2098
Books added in September - 24
Books read in September - 2

Revised book total - 2120

Pages to read at 1-9-15 - 912,037
Pages added in September - 7,089
Pages read in September - 2,196

Revised total pages to read - 916,930

We have had a good day once again, after breakfast we went to the hospital for Karen's appointment at the fracture clinic, her appointment was for 10.30 but she wasn't seen until 11.20. The doctor had a good look at her knee and told Karen that she could dispense with the knee brace and bandaging and can start her exercises again. The swelling has gone down a lot and the bruising should dissipate by the time of the wedding but she told Karen to take her crutch when she goes on Amy's hen night on Saturday. We got back and I made Karen a pot of tea but I had to forgo as I had a physio appointment. I got back from my appointment and Karen made some lunch and I had my pot of tea, the physio is going to write to my doctor to let him know that my shoulder needs to be scanned as it is not healing. After we had lunch I popped out to get some food for Leo the cat and paid a bill before getting home and watching a bit of T.V although I read most of the time and finished my book. I will be starting How it all began by Penelope Lively when I go to bed.

>222 johnsimpson: Oh, I'll be interested in what you have to say about this. Its in my TBR pile and I've pulled it out a dozen times, and then put it back in favor of something else.

>223 clue:, Clue I am a third of the way through and I would say so far it is interesting and worth a read, hopefully I will have finished it by Monday morning so a review should be on here sometime on Monday, I hope.

Mate, I do hope Karen's knee improves (and your shoulder) in coming days and you can take leisurely strolls up from Walton to my birthplace in Crofton.

Take care of each other.

I saw on DW TV that England lost to Australia in the Rugby Championships. Sorry for you. But on my side of the world - Alabama won yesterday so all's right with the world.

>225 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, Karen's knee is slowly improving but my shoulder seems to be getting worse, I shall be seeing the doctor as the physio said he was going to write to him suggesting I had it scanned. We both just want to be fit for the wedding.

>226 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, yes England were beaten by Australia in the Rugby World Cup and so we just have one group game left and we exit the tournament. So glad that Alabama won so you are happy.

Not a bad weekend for us, yesterday we had a little lie-in before getting up and having breakfast. After breakfast I pottered about for a bit and did a bit of pruning before having a bit of lunch. After lunch Karen went to get ready for Amy's hen night, five others arrived at around 2.45 and then they waited for the taxi, unfortunately Dave the taxi was delayed from a previous job and his colleague was summoned and they set off at 3.20 instead of 3pm. Apparently he was a bit useless and Dave the taxi arranged to do a swap at a junction near the M62 and this worked out better.
I was left to my own devices and watched a bit of the Rugby World Cup before getting on with my Father of the Bride speech.
Karen and the girls had a really good time and Karen got back at 11.30pm, I made a pot of tea and Karen had a look at my speech and it passed muster and so I just have to write it out neatly and practice it.

Finished book Forty-Two late this afternoon, How it all Began by Penelope Lively. I spotted this one on the bedroom bookcase which has predominately Karen's reading matter although I will read them as well and thought I would give it a go and I am glad I did. It is a very interesting read and just goes to show how one small incident has repercussions among many lives and this was only a minor one. A very good read that I would recommend to all readers. Next book off the rank is Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, I have been looking forward to this series for quite a while.

I think that Penelope Lively writes about that kind of theme very frequently. I think it showed up in both of the books by her that I read early in the year for Paul's British Author Challenge. Both books were good, but I liked The Photograph better. It too is all about repercussions.

Morning, John! Now that things seem to be getting back to normal here at Scaife Manor, I have enough energy to post instead of just lurk here. Good job getting the Father-of-the-bride speech done already! And I need to get round to some of Lively's stuff soon...

John, I saw some photos of the hen night. It looks like they had a lot of fun. I'm glad to hear that Karen's knee is on the mend. Love and hugs for both of you xx

>230 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, glad you enjoyed the two Penelope Lively books that you read for the BAC, I have a couple more on the shelves in the loft that I may get to next year.

>231 scaifea:, Hi Amber, glad things are getting back to normal at Scaife Manor, I have a couple of additions to add to my speech when I transfer it to large record cards. Karen's knee is getting a little better each day but I am making sure that she doesn't overdo it before the wedding.

>232 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara, they had a really good time on the hen night and between the girls who were there, there are lots of photo's on facebook. Karen's knee is getting a little better each day.

We have had a steady day today, after getting up and having breakfast I popped into town to do some banking and to pick up a box of chocolates. Once home Karen wrapped the chocolates for me and we set off to the high school so I could pick up the dressing gowns that Miss Sally the textiles teacher had embroidered for me with the chief bridesmaids Christian names and one foe Karen and Amy and the chocolates were a thank you from us both as she had previously said she didn't want anything for doing them, it was her bit for the wedding. Miss Sally taught both Rob and Amy and I always go and see her when I go to the open evening in my role as a governor. She is a lovely lady who I have known for 17 years now. Once the gowns had been picked up we then drove to Andy's mums to see her and have a chat and also deliver a small television for Andy's brother Adam to use while he is recuperating at big sister Julia's after his operation next Monday. We had a lovely couple of hours or so with Pat before we set off for home. Since getting home we have just relaxed.

John, I'm a big fan of Penelope Lively and loved How it All Began , Family Album , but I was less keen on Moon Tiger . She is a wonderful author. I think I've read another of her books, but cannot remember the title off hand. Oh that upcoming wedding sounds like a lot of fun and a busy time. I hope Karen's knee is soon feeling better. I'm just making plans with my newly married son and his wife and our other son to get together for dinner. Always a bit of challenge as my husband works a 11 1/2 rotating shift of 4 days on and 4 days off, with no regard to holidays or weekends.

I loved Moon Tiger. It was so good at setting the mood of wartime Cairo.

Just another day of housework and then some reading at Chez Simpson and then my Book People order came and that made me a happy boy. The books are:
2015 Wisden Cricketers Almanack
The Woman who walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
Agatha Raisin, Dishing the Dirt by M.C.Beaton
Gingerbread Wonderland by Mima Sinclair
Mug Cakes by Lene Knudsen
and a freebie because our order was over £25
500 Tapas Dishes by Maria Segura

The Cricket Almanack came out at the beginning of April but has a price tag of £50 and the best I could get it to was £35 but I knew if I waited until the end of September, Book People would have it for £9.99 as they have done for the last four years. I would like it when it comes out at the start of the season but it is a bit costly although for next year I will sign up to have it sent every year and by doing this I will get it for half price and will get another Cricket Hardback of my choice free in the first year. I know it is expensive but I do collect Wisdens and currently have nearly fifty out of 152.

Finished book Forty-Three late last night, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, this is the first in the Peter Grant series and I absolutely loved it. This tells the story of Peter Grant who until January was a Probationary Constable in the Metropolitan Police Service and was looking at what branch he would like to get into at the end of his probationary period and who suddenly becomes a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard. This is a great story and I am eagerly looking forward to the next one and if you haven't read it, put it on your to read list.

>237 johnsimpson: Not surprised you put the Wisden at the top of your list mate. It is a great time to be a Yorkshire cricket fan.

Pleased to see that you enjoyed Penelope Lively and I agree with Benita about The Photograph being on balance a more enjoyable read. She is good on Cairo as she actually grew up there. I studied briefly under her late husband at Warwick in the 1980s (Professor Jack Lively - although I never of course called him Jack!).

Have a great weekend mate and give our love to all.

Happy weekend, John.

Hi John. Good to hear Karen is doing fine now! Have a good weekend.

>239 PaulCranswick:, Thanks Paul.

>240 Ameise1:, Thanks Barbara.

>241 connie53:, Thanks Connie.

We have had a nice weekend and are now relaxing watching Antiques Roadshow on T.V. Yesterday we ventured out and made our way to Harrogate, I was careful to make sure that Karen didn't overdo it with this being her first major venture outdoors. We made our way down one of the shopping streets and I left Karen in Marks and Spencer's while I made my way to the secondhand bookshop I regularly frequent. I was pretty restrained and came away with only one book Revelation by C.J.Sansom and made my way then to Costa coffee shop where Karen had moved to, after a quick coffee break we had a mooch around the shops before taking a break for a spot of lunch. We did a bit more mooching around and again I left Karen in a nice shop whilst I went to the lovely stationary shop to peruse the Fountain pens before meeting back up with Karen. After a little bit more mooching we made our way back to the car as Karen was tiring a bit and I didn't want her to do much more. We had a lovely evening watching Strictly Come Dancing and then Dr Who on T.V.

Today we had a lie-in and then a leisurely breakfast before popping into Wakefield so Karen could return a dress she purchased yesterday but subsequently found was a bit snug. Once home Karen did some knitting whilst I watched the F1 grand prix from Russia before finishing off transferring my draft speech to record cards so that it will be easier for me when I do the speech in 19 days time, I will do a practice run through in front of Karen tomorrow. After this we made a late lunch and Karen did some more knitting while I watched some Rugby World cup (Ireland V France) before switching over to watch Countryfile and then Strictly Come Dancing, the results show and then Antiques Roadshow. I am just about 2/3rds of the way through my current read and should finish it tomorrow.

I can see that on some threads thoughts are turning to 2016 challenges and I have also been putting some thought to next year and after putting myself through my one to ten challenge this year I have decided not to have a set challenge and will just read what I fancy although I will aim to read 100 books. Of the books I will read, many will be from series I have started and I may complete some series which will be nice. As for this year I think I may get to somewhere between 55 to 60 books read which will be good seeing as July to September really knocked my attempt to complete seven cycles of ten with the last five books in each cycle being a minimum of 3,700 pages.

>243 johnsimpson: Looks like you and Karen had a lovely shopping day, John. Lots of mooching going on there! ;-)))

>244 johnsimpson: I'm looking at 2016 and the challenges too. So I know what you mean!

Sounds like you and Karen have had a lovely weekend, John. Lovely of you to drop in over at my place : ).

>243 johnsimpson: Interesting that you so enjoy Antiques Roadshow, John, given the passing this week of Hugh Scully who long presided over the show. It is comical when some greedy eyed hopeful is told that his/her expected to be priceless family heirloom is a worthless piece of crud but can be exhilirating when they discover occasionally something really worth a veritable fortune.

Book Forty-Four finished very late last night, Toys by James Patterson. Another fast paced thriller from Mr Patterson and a standalone to boot, this is set just over a hundred years from now and the Humans are a despised species that are soon to be eliminated unless a supposed Elite who turns out to be a Human with Elite strengths can save the day. But is he being played by both sides and can he sort out what is real and what is imagined. The main theme that becomes recurrent is that whatever you are, greed and power can still corrupt.

Not a lot done today, Karen had a bad nights sleep, she was thinking over things about the wedding and ended up coming downstairs at 6.30am to make a pot of tea and then came to bed briefly before the alarm went off. Once up we had breakfast and then I put a load of washing out, Karen decided to exercise her knee by going for a walk around the estate. When she got back I made her a pot of tea and then practised my speech for her, Karen timed it and waited for me to possibly get a bit upset. In reality it was Karen that had a bit of a tear at a certain point and she timed me at just over eight and a half minutes. I think I was ok because it was just Karen listening and I have no doubt it will be different on the day and I think I will shed a tear or two, as for the timing, I will probably slow down a little on the day but it will only get to ten minutes dead and Karen said the funnies I put in were good and the guests should enjoy them and the speech.

We had lunch shortly afterwards and then a little while later Karen went for another walk around the estate, it seems to be doing a bit of good and as the weather is to be reasonably good for the next few days she should be able to do more walking to exercise the knee.

Think it might be time for a new thread.

A day of two halves, started off well after we got up and had breakfast, I went off to get some baking supplies for Karen and make a doctors appointment. Once I got back Karen got on with getting all the ingredients mixed for this years Christmas cake and then she went on to make some Parkin. I read for a while and then got on with the housework upstairs, after I finished this I had a late lunch while watching Escape to the Country. Just as the programme ended I decided to check my e-mails and got one I did not really want, it was a message from the Academy school I am a governor at to let me know that our headmaster had passed away this morning after a long battle against Bowel Cancer. Needless to say that the day has now gone pear shaped and it has hit me hard, Jez was 55 years old and I have known him for nearly 20 years. The news has gone around like wildfire on facebook and the number of ex-pupils who have put on messages is a testament to the man who was respected as a teacher, deputy head and head. Tomorrow night there is to be a Lantern for Mr Horsley event that has gone massive and when we have details of when his funeral is it will have to be broadcast outside whatever church as I can see an enormous number of people will want to say their last goodbyes to this inspirational man who has left a mark on countless hundreds of pupils.

I am going to host some friends for Brunch at my house on Saturday so I am starting to get ready for that. I have a carport that is covered and will keep us dry so will have it rain or shine. The forecast is for good weather so I think we will have a great time. It is the day of a big art festival and we will all attend that after the brunch. I had planned this for a month ago, but enough people couldn't attend that we postponed it. My yard and patio looked much better last month as the plants were so much better. They were greener and plumper. Now they look pale and over-the-hill, but they still look nice enough for them to provide a good backdrop for the party.

Oh, John, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I'll be thinking of you.

>252 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita, hope all goes well for brunch on Saturday my dear.

>253 scaifea:, Hi Amber, thanks my dear.

Not a bad day today, after breakfast I went off to do the supermarket shopping, not a lot needed this week and while I was doing this Karen made the Christmas cake which will be all mine and she made some tasting buns. Once I got back we had a pot of tea and I listened to some cricket on the radio before having a bite of lunch. After this I got on with the housework downstairs whilst Karen had a shower and washed her hair, afterwards we watched an episode of Escape to the Country that we recorded and then it was a bit more T.V before we had some tea. The lanterns for Jez event was cancelled over safety fears and we got a message to light a candle at 7pm for the evening as an alternative, this we did and a giving page has been set up by an ex-pupil. The school have set up a book of condolence in the old library entrance and quite a number of flowers have been placed near the library. The school have been overwhelmed with the messages of condolence that they have received in the first 24 hours since they notified staff etc of Jez's passing. Tomorrow evening we have a full governors meeting which I suspect will be a bit sombre to start with and the messages on Facebook are still flooding in.

Karen and I are hoping for a good nights sleep after both having weird pre-wedding dreams, just over two weeks to go before the big day.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, John. Take care, both you and Karen.

Sad to hear of the passing of your friend and the Headmaster of your school. I used to think that my teachers were indestructible when I was in class.
I felt sorry for Adil Rashid. He should have debuted at the Oval this summer but instead is thrown in on the slowest pitch ever against the world's best against spin and ends up with the worst debut figures ever. Cook really is a bloody minded sod. Wouldn't surprise me that he wasn't trying to make a point in order to stick with the safety of Ali later on.

So sorry for your loss, John! Cancer is such a cruel disease. I lost a colleague a few weeks ago and it was very hard on everyone in our school. My thoughts are with you!

>256 lit_chick:, Thanks Nancy.

>257 PaulCranswick:, Thanks Paul, we all seem to think teachers are indestructible. I totally agree with your comments regarding Rashid but this wicket has been no help to him or any other spinner and he should be given more time to show what he can do.

>258 connie53:, Thanks Connie.

Last night's full governors meeting was a sombre affair to start with but as was said by the chair, the life of the school must carry on and that is what he would want us to do.

This morning I popped along to school with a sympathy card for the staff, they get forgotten about at a time like this and a card for Jez's family which they will address and post for me. After this I went next door to the library to write in the condolences book before going home to pick Karen up. Once I had got Karen we popped to the doctor's to pick up a duplicate sick note as she dropped a cup of coffee on the original and then we went to a lady nearby to pick up a couple of handmade Christmas baubles that are for Shannon and Hannah. Once the baubles were picked up we went to Blacker Hall Farm shop to pick up some vegetables and some bread, before we got these supplies we bobbed into the coffee shop for a well earned drink.

After our visit to the farm shop we went home and had some lunch and I listened to the Test Cricket on the radio before going to pick Hannah up from school. Once Hannah had come out of class we headed for the car and we were doing so Hannah said I was her favourite Princess, I was speechless. She chattered away to me in the car as we headed home and when we arrived she ran into the house shouting Grandma, Grandma. We had Hannah for a few hours before we went and picked up her daddy and I took them both home.

>260 johnsimpson: Blacker Hall Farm shop, that brings back memories mate, I must say.



I have to say that you are not my favourite princess, John, but the story is priceless!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

It was a lovely Saturday in the American South - or at least Tuscaloosa. I had friends over for Brunch this morning and the weather was perfect. It was one of those golden fall days. The food was great, with each person bringing something to share. Since I hosted I provided the drinks and made Campari and Orange Juice drink that was quite a hit. I am just about to put the second load of dishes in the dishwasher and will go to bed early. Tomorrow I plan on spending the entire day at a local art fair, and will probably spend some money as well. I have Christmas gifts to buy and art fair stuff is so unique that it makes perfect gifts.

>261 PaulCranswick:, I am so glad I am not your favourite princess mate.

>262 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita I am glad your Saturday brunch went well my dear and I hope you have a lovely time at the art fair and I am sure you will find some unique gifts for Christmas.

We had a really lovely day yesterday, after an early breakfast we set off to Skipton. Skipton is one of our favourite places and we visit four or five times a year. the weather wasn't too bad but I was a bit concerned for Karen as there are a number of cobbled streets and they might have hurt Karen's knee. We had a good look around and surprisingly I only picked up one book whilst we were there, Karen picked up a nice umberella and a jumper in a charity shop and a nice top in a quaint little gift shop. As we left Skipton it was only 1pm so I suggested we go to nearby Settle and have a mooch around there. As we were on our way I remembered that an old friend of Karen's lived near Settle and why didn't she give her a ring to see if she was around. Initially the call that Karen made said the number was no longer in use which surprised Karen. I asked her to check the number was correct and as she read it out we passed a sign for an estate agents and I realised that Karen had got the last two digits of the code the wrong way round. She re rang and got Janet's husband who said she was out but would be back shortly, Karen left a message and said we would be in Settle for a while.

We parked up and decided to have a bit of lunch before having a look around, we popped into The Naked Man's Café which is a favourite of ours and had a nice lunch. Just as we finished and I went to pay Karen's phone rang so she popped outside to take the call and it was Janet who was now back. As I got outside after paying for lunch Karen handed me the phone so Janet could give me directions to their house, I logged the directions and said we would be about 15 to 20 minutes as Karen needed to pick something up. Karen went to get some flowers for Janet and I popped into a secondhand bookshop and came out with two books, at first she couldn't find anywhere that sold flowers so came into the bookshop to ask the owner where she could get some. Once we knew where to go we set off and as we approached the place that sold flowers there were a number of tables set up with boxes of books for sale, needless to say I perused the books and purchased two more while Karen got the flowers.

We set off to Janet's and found their place easily, we had a lovely couple of hours with Janet and husband Andrew, catching up on things. Andrew took early retirement as a fireman last year and as he did this they decided to move to the Yorkshire Dales, they found a lovely attached cottage in Stainforth, it needed some work doing as it had been owned by two elderly sisters. Andrew is quite good at DIY so this did not put them off and they are doing a good job in renovating the property. Their daughter got married on the 1st of August (Yorkshire Day) and so he had done a Father of the Bride speech so we chatted about this, he put on the DVD of Nicola's wedding day and showed me his speech. It was good to look at especially as a couple of stories he told about Nicola are similar to the stories I will be telling about Amy. It was around 5.30pm when we left Janet and Andrew to head home and we will pop back and see them again with wedding photo's.

We have had a steady relaxing day today after yesterdays jaunt out. We watched the last two Quarter finals in the Rugby World cup and then had a late lunch. In between the rugby and lunch I managed to finish book Forty-Five, The Cry of the Halidon by Robert Ludlum. This was a good read and I much enjoyed it and look forward to more books by this author.

I'm sorry to hear of the passing of your friend John.

I started a NF thread for November. If you plan on reading any NF next month please join us.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/198771

Hi John, you had a wonderful Sunday. Is your speech ready to go by now. I hope Karen's knee will improve until the wedding. Love and hugs for both of you.

>266 luvamystery65:, Thanks Roberta, I will have a look at the thread.

>267 Ameise1:, Hi Barbara, the speech is good to go now and Karen's knee is improving. Just want to get rid of the wacky dreams we both seem to be having.

The new thread is up and running now, please pop along and join the conversation.