Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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What Are You Reading?

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We had a lot of rain yesterday, leaving a lot more leaves on the ground. I guess it’s time to haul out the rakes. Not my favorite thing to do, but as the Brits say, needs must!

Things have been low-key around here. Nothing exciting to report to you, just the gentle rhythm of our days. Yesterday’s rain – a quiet rain – made me happy. It gave me an excuse to sit around in cottagey rooms lit by our small vintage lamps, books at the ready, the sound of Don’s guitar in the background. All in all, a lovely day.

Today, after heavy morning fog, the day is sunny. After paying the bills and dropping them off at the post office, I think I’ll do some raking along with some general cleaning inside the house.

Along with Paris to the Moon, I’m reading another book that’s been on my shelf for several years. I bought it way back when I first visited The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC – Birdman  by Mo Hayder. It’s the first in her Jack Caffery series, which are police procedurals set in London. She’s since written 6 more books centering around Caffery. I love finding a new series, don’t you?

I also have M. J. Arlidge’s newest, Down the Woods, on tap. And, for those of you who read her books, don’t forget that Deborah Crombie’s newest, A Bitter Feast, will be coming out on October 8th.

Having said all that, this seems like the perfect time to ask my favorite question: What are you reading?

Please share.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Morning Glories

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There are six morning glories blooming today. Not bad considering I thought we might have none!

The morning glories that are closest to the side door have interesting slashes of a reddish-purple. Hmmmm.

There are four blooms in the chicken wire fence garden and two in the memorial garden.

A lovely sight to see first thing this morning.

I thought I’d take a picture of the blooms in contrast to the clear signs of autumn all around them. I always plant them from seed during the first week of May and this is how long it takes for them to finally bloom. In the above photo, you can also see that there aren’t nearly the amount of morning glory leaves as there usually are. They were eaten by deer.

Nevertheless, this hardy morning glory thumbed its nose at the deer and produced beautiful flowers. So there!

We due to get rain this afternoon, which is a good thing. We need it. It’s been very dry around here lately.

We’re watching Luther  on Amazon Prime. It stars Idris Elba (I have a crush) and is a fantastic British series. I’ve seen all the episodes before (must have been when Don and I were apart because of work) and I’ve been trying to talk him into watching it for years. It finally took. The timing ends up being perfect because I don’t remember all that much of it, so it’s like new. Excellent series. It used to be on Netflix, now it’s on Amazon.

And I’m reading Paris to the Moon  by Adam Gopnick, who writes for the New Yorker. It’s all about the time he and his wife and son moved to Paris for 5 years, from 1995 -2000. I’m really enjoying it. This is yet another example of Instagram, specifically the hashtag #Bookstagram, exposing me to books I wouldn’t know of otherwise. I’ve seen this book mentioned more than once lately, even though it was published almost 20 years ago in 2000. I finally bit the bullet and bought it.

My favorite city, you know.

Happy Thursday.

Autumn & Books

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The view of the shed from the back yard yesterday afternoon. We mowed the front lawn (tag-team) and while Don was taking his turn, I wandered around the property. It’s pretty beautiful out there!

This morning feels quite cold and I’m sitting here typing this wearing a sweatshirt over my pajamas. But it’s going up to 77 later today. It’s that time of year when layers are needed.

I read from 6 am to 9 am – could not put it down – and finished I am Pilgrim.  Wow. What a ride! I loved it. Now I am faced with my next decision – what to read next? I have some ideas but haven’t made a decision yet.

Referring back to yesterday’s post, I wanted to add that I don’t listen to audio books. I don’t want to have another person’s voice in my head, just as I don’t watch movie adaptations of favorite books (the exception being To Kill a Mockingbird) because I already have the characters fleshed out in my head; their voices, their physical looks, their mannerisms, and I don’t want another person’s casting decisions ruining the world that I’ve created. I’m very protective of my reading world.

That being said, I know plenty of people who love audio books. My sister, who drives great distances on a daily basis because of her work, listens to audio books while she drives. They enrich what would otherwise be a tedious and long journey. Some people love audio books because they have vision problems. Some people just love them, full stop.

It’s a good thing. We have a variety of ways to read a book.

They’re just not for me. Someday, I might change my tune, but not at the present.

Today is my best friend’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Laural! Hopefully, we will see each other next week, as she and her husband will be in town to visit their son, who recently moved to NYC. He’s a Rabbi at a Temple on the Upper East Side. Her daughter is a Veterinarian. I expected nothing less from her children. So proud of them!

Big news yesterday! I had to put a pause on my no cellphone/laptop ban. Get ready, my friends. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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