A Good Read

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Set in Cambridge, Case Histories is the first novel of the Jackson Brodie series. It follows private investigator Brodie, investigating three cold cases. Case 1: A little girl, Olivia goes missing from the family's garden. Thirty years later, two of her surviving sisters, each achingly lonely in her own way, reunite when their cruel and distant father dies. Going through their father’s belongings they discover Olivia’s favourite stuffed animal, which leaves them stunned and looking for answers.
Case 2: is about the unsolved murder of an 18-year-old young woman named Laura when a stranger walked into her office and killed her. Her father has spent years trying to find the killer.
The third case concerns a young family in which the wife was convicted of her husband’s brutal murder and their baby daughter Tanya was given to her paternal grandparents, but who as a teenager has disappeared.

The novel revolves around people who are related to these 3 cases.

There is also a fourth character, Binky Rain, a very old woman who has dozens of cats and who calls Jackson every time one of them goes missing. 

I enjoyed it and remembered all the characters!

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

x Polly x

A Panorama

Google photos created this lovely panorama from two photos I had taken.

I don't know how it happened, but I like it. I tried to create another in google photos on my chromebook but couldn't. After a while I realised I must have created it on my phone without realising I had pressed the panorama button!! Oh dear..... 

∼ Be warm and well∼

  Polly x

Haggis And A Victorian Fairy

On most Fridays throughout the year we have coffee mornings in the village hall to raise money for charities. Tea, coffee, delicious cakes and, now and again, scones and toasted teacakes are served. And lots of raffle prizes are to be won.

Last Friday I saw this jigsaw on the table and fell in love with it. A Victorian Fairy, her beautiful titian hair, porcelain skin, ruby red lips, the pretty butterflies in her hair, the reticule she is holding, and her fairy wings. The inscription on the side of the box reads

"Take the fair face of woman, and gently suspending,

 with butterflies, flowers, and jewels attending,

thus your fairy is made of most beautiful things"

The painting is by by Sophie Anderson (1823-1903).

As the numbers were being drawn I didn't think I would get it, then ...... the fourth number was mine!! I was happy.

Following on from that win I bought £5 of raffle tickets at the village Burns Night on Saturday, to no avail. Oh well, despite not winning the Scottish goodies hamper or the chocolates or any of the other lovely items it was a great night, haggis, mashed potato, mashed swede, cabbage and gravy, and clootie pudding and custard followed by lots of Cèilidh dancing.

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x

A Good Read

Six Wicked Reasons by Jo Spain tells the story of the death of Frazer Lattimer, narrated in part by his six children. I would have titled it Six Valid Reasons. The family is dysfunctional, made that way by the narcissistic and manipulative Frazer. One by one he systematically criticised, undermined and ridiculed his children, nothing was good enough for him. He was largely responsible for the death of their kind, gentle mother Kathleen.

In June 2008 twenty-one-year-old Adam Lattimer vanished, presumed dead. The strain of his disappearance broke his already fragile family.

Ten years later, with his mother deceased and siblings scattered across the globe, Adam turned up unannounced at the family home, followed by his reluctant siblings. But Adam's reappearance posed more questions than answers. The past is a tangled web of deceit, and, as tension builds somebody has planned murderous revenge for the events of ten years ago.

I enjoyed it but didn't work out who dunnit!

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

x Polly x

Lake View Bedroom

I bought Lake View house in July 2019, in the first blog I wrote about it I said  "I have grand designs for it, check back in about 4 years!!" And here we are just seven months away from that date and it's nowhere near finished! After doing the halls I sort of lost enthusiasm and eventually it was time for the talk - 'The longer I leave it the less likely I am to continue with it, so get your butt into gear and GET ON WITH IT'. I made a start on the bedroom and here it is.

It's very pink but it's what the Mrs of the house wanted and the Mr of the house is fine with that. Next time they decorate he will choose the colours! 😀

The doors on the back wall lead to imaginary en-suite and walk in wardrobe - miniaturist's license :-)

The first job was to build a wall between the bedroom and hallway, which was easier than I thought it would be. The larger piece of wood was in my stash and only needed a small amout of sanding to make it fit, the other one I made with two thinner pieces of wood glued together with an aperture for the door. I then papered and painted the wall. I made a frame for the door which I secured with tiny pins, one through the top of the frame into the top of the door, and another through the threshold into the base of the door. I then gently put the door in place into the aperture with a painted wood frame surround, and gently slid the entire wall into place.

This is the first time I have made an opening door so I was very pleased with it.

The flooring is wood strips on a peel off backing, painted with a diluted coating

of white paint in the bedroom, for all other areas I left them natural.

The wardrobe and chest of drawers were bare wood sprayed white

I painted the small apertures on the wardrobe gold and varnished them

then decoupaged with this pretty bird and flower paper.

The areas to be covered were too small to accomodate the whole pattern

so I had to reduce the image and then see which parts fitted best.

I wanted to get all of the bird in but couldn't decide which one to choose,

but I didn't like the look of them split in half like this.

Then finally decided to just have the top half of each one

which also meant having the pretty larger peony in as well.

Both birds wouldn't fit into the area of the drawers, so I cut the main picture in half.

The bed came with a mattress and two pillows, I made the bedding and added 3 more pillows and the runner. The rug is from some material I've had in my stash for ages.

I made the pictures, books and photos, the flowers, vase and perfumes I bought online.

I've added a key hook, table and plant in the hall and plan to add some pictures and a mirror on the wall to the left. I'm not happy with the table though, I used the wrong varnish, it's too dark so I will either try to sand it all off or buy another one, or I might have a go at making one. 

Ground floor before

and after.

I'm currently working on the kitchen and keen to get on with it,

so hopefully it won't take too long!! 🤞

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x

January

And now we have January, surely the strongest contender for the dreariest, most depressing month of the year. Here in the UK it's cold, dark and damp. Wherever I walk Rufus we encounter mud and puddles. Some days the house lights are on all day because it's so dark.

However not wanting to sound like a complete whining misery there are lots of little comforts.

Snuggling up on the sofa under a cosy throw

Scented candles

Inviting friends round for a winter tea party with sanwiches and cake, tea or mulled wine.

Visits to garden centres. They're often quiet at this time of year so it's nice to meander around getting ideas for spring planting.

Soup with crusty bread
Hot chocolate drinks with marshmallows and cream
Cosy hats, gloves and scarves, warm feet inside boots

Walking into a warm cafe and my glasses steam up!

I have a new pair of prescription glasses and I'm thrilled with them. I've been putting off getting verifocals for a few years but these are brilliant. It was a slightly more expensive prescription but worth every penny, and I have never hesitated over spending money on glasses because I need them.

I've been enjoying some excellent TV programmes. 'Three Pines' starring the wonderful Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache investigating a series of murders in the otherwise idyllic village of Three Pines in the eastern townships of Quebec. Running alongside these investigations Gamache is determined to solve the disappearance of a young indigenous woman. I'm looking forward to the next series coming out, hopefully this year.

I didn't realise I had missed the last series of 'The Detectorists', so I watched it all again, same with 'Ghosts', I love those shows.

I'm currently watching 'This Is Us' on Amazon. It's very good. 
And now I'm watching The Master's Snooker Tournament. I'm catching up on last night's match as I struggled to stay awake to watch it through to the end. I thought Hossein would win, he played very well. I did feel sorry for Mark Selby though, but that's the way it goes. There has to be winners and losers.

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x

A Good Read

Gallowstree Lane by Kate London

The novel opens with a fatally injured teenager, his life cut short in a single moment of rage in a tit for tat stabbing in Gallowstree Lane.
Detective Inspector Kieran Shaw is head of Operation Perseus - a covert police investigation into a powerful criminal network. For two years he's been painstakingly building evidence against the Eardsley Bluds, and now Shaw is about to make the arrests of his career. But then the brutal murder of a teenager threatens not only his case, but everyone with a connection to the boy who was killed on Gallowstree Lane. Shaw's priority is to protect his operation, an investigation into the killing can't be allowed to derail Perseus and let the master criminals go free.
But there's a witness to the murder, fifteen-year-old Ryan Kennedy. Already involved with the Bluds, Ryan has his own demons and his own ideas about what's important.
Shaw’s carefully crafted investigation is in danger of unravelling when loyalties collide and priorities clash, and then a chain of events is triggered that draws in Shaw's old adversary DI Sarah Collins which threatens everyone with a connection to Gallowstree Lane.

It's a compulsive, gripping read.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

A Round Up of 2022

The Last Igloo   Ghosts  Mount Coot-Tha 

Easter In The Cotswolds  Leonardslee Gardens  Highgate Cemetary

All Aboard  G'Day  A Very Sad Loss

Nidd Hall  Gunpowder Treason And Plot  Christmas Tree Festival

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x

Happy New Year

Dear reader, I wish you a happy and healthy 2023

✶ Polly ✶

Christmas

Merry Christmas

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays

Courtesy of freepik

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,

Please put a penny in the old man’s hat,

If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,

If you haven’t got a ha’penny, God bless you!

Beggar’s rhyme.

The musical sheet belongs to the writer Edith Nesbit (Bland) (1858-1924), the author of popular children's literature.

Here in England turkey has been the favoured traditional Christmas dinner for a few decades. At the turn of the century though not many people could afford turkey so goose was the popular choice. Often a family would raise a goose, fattening it up in time for Christmas.

The song also talks about the charity of the Christmas season. Beggars would hold out their hats for a penny from people walking by. If you didn't have a penny on you, you could always give a half penny (pronounced ha'penny). If you didn't even have a "ha'penny" then you needed some blessing because you were just as poor as the beggar!

🎄🎄🎄

Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, is usually credited with having introduced the Christmas tree into England in 1840. However it was actually his wife's grandmother 'Good Queen Charlotte', the German wife of George III, who set up the first known tree at Queen's Lodge, Windsor, in December 1800. Charlotte was born and raised in Germany, where the tradition of bringing a tree inside at Christmas time, decorated with lights and sweets, is believed to date back to the 16th century. As a child, Charlotte’s family always decorated single yew branches and laid presents for each other underneath. When she married King George III in 1761 she brought the custom with her to England.

🎄🎄🎄

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree has been an annual gift to the people of Britain from Norway as a token of gratitude for British support to Norway during the Second World War.

🎄🎄🎄

In 1647 Oliver Cromwell, an English Puritan leader, banned the festivities of Christmas for being seen as immoral on such a holy day. The ban was lifted in 1660. He was a dour man.

🎄🎄🎄

Santa visited the village this evening

 

accompanied by fairy light tractors.

Dear reader, I hope your Christmas/Holiday season is full of happiness.

🎄 Be safe and well 🎄

    Polly x

My Great Mince Pie Survey

Hello dear reader, it's that time again, I love mince pies, but you probably know that by now!

Aldi all butter infused with brandy, dry cider and ruby port.

Delicious and nice firm pastry.

Co-op basic short crust pastry and spiced mincemeat. Not very nice, I didn't finish it.

Co-op irresistible all butter pastry filled with a rich spiced fruit and brandy mincemeat.

I didn't find it irresistible and didn't finish this one either.

Waitrose brown butter mince pies with cognac. This year's favourite.

 Rich beurre noisette pastry filled with rich mincemeat made with apricots,

glacé Amarena cherries and almonds, laced with cognac.

These are gorgeous, beautiful pastry and a lovely strong taste of cognac.

We don't have a Waitrose in Chelmsford which is just as well

because if we did I would eat far too many of them!!

Asda luxury shortcrust pastry with vine fruits, Valencian orange oil,

spices, rich ruby port and a splash of cognac. Very tasty.

Marks & Spencer melt in the mouth all butter shortcrust pastry deep filled with vine fruits, cranberries, clementine and cognac. Very tasty with nice firm pastry.

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x

A Good Read

Everybody Died So I Got A Dog

by Emily Dean

Emily Dean is a writer and radio presenter. She is Frank Skinner's co-host on the Frank Skinner Show. Her story is heartbreaking. From 2012-2015 she lost her sister Rachel followed by her mother and then her father. 
Emily’s father was a BBC broadcaster and her mother an actor. She and her sister Rachel survived a childhood of intellectual chaos. Bailiffs were invited in for tea, final demands were used as coasters and granny was on amphetamines. But it was never home for the dog Emily craved, “dog families” represented the stable family life that Emily yearned for. Her beloved older sister Rachael was her rock. Over the years the sisters' bond grew close and strong. Then, tragically, Rachael was diagnosed with cancer.

Despite the distress it is a good read. It's written with a lightness and wry humour.

∼ Stay warm & well ∼ 

Polly x

A Celebration Of Christmas

Last Wednesday the Essex Federation of Women's Institute hosted a concert of Christmas carols and readings at St Mary's Church in Saffron Walden. 

My village WI group started our day with a late breakfast at a restaurant near home and then journeyed to the church.

It's a beautiful huge church, more like a cathedral. We sang traditional Christmas carols, there were readings from the Bible, seasonal related readings and a lovely whimsical reading from a child's interpretation of the Christmas story. The highlight for me was the solo soprano singer Nancy May her beautiful voice was incredible, I was captivated. 

The church has a very good toilet block, why am I telling you this? well.....

I know town twinning has been around for a long time (I never understood it though, I thought it seemed pointless), but I had never heard of toilet twinning! This one above is to be found at Lusaka, Zambia, latrine no. 45160. Supporting toilet twinning helps to flush away poverty. 

oOo

How sturdy are these little marigolds, thriving in all this frost.

It looks pretty but it's mighty cold brrrr...

And now the marigold is covered in snow!

And we have a cheery snowman across the road 😊

∼ Be warm and well∼

    Polly x