Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Book Review – Prime Suspect 3: Silent Victims

March 29, 2012 at 9:34 am by Claudia

Today I’m reviewing Prime Suspect 3: Silent Victims by Lynda LaPlante for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This 3 book series of Prime Suspect mysteries has recently been reissued. Originally written in the 90’s to accompany the very successful TV series of the same name starring the marvelous Helen Mirren, they are just as riveting today. I reviewed the first two books here. This book, Silent Victims, continues with the story of Jane Tennison, a DCI in the London police force, whose work ethic and talent for investigation is often overshadowed and marginalized by the sexism running rampant on the force.

In this story, Jane is starting a new job as head of the Vice Squad and a new case involving the gruesome murder of a 16 year old ‘rent boy’ lands on her desk. Rent boy is the British name for a young male prostitute – emphasis on ‘young.’ As Jane investigates further, she discovers that public figures and politicians are linked to the scandal and she is pressured to go in another direction with her investigation. This case could threaten her career.

I won’t say more than that. As in the first two books, this mystery is tightly plotted, with a cast of memorable characters. LaPlante has a gift for creating a vivid picture of life in a London squad room as well as the seamier side of life in the city. I really love the fact that the characters, including Tennison, are fully realized, warts and all. They make mistakes, they have biases, they care about their work, they get exhausted, they drink too much. Tension and the pressure to solve a case, which can be enormous, take their toll. This is a gritty look at Jane’s world and the work that consumes her.

I know you will love this mystery. I cannot say enough about LaPlante’s writing talent or this series. Oh yes, I could: I wish there were more books in the series!

About the author:

Lynda La Plante’s fourteen novels, including the Prime Suspect Series, have all been international bestsellers. She is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and a member of the UK Crime Writers Awards Hall of Fame. She runs her own television production company and lives in London and Easthampton, NY.

Filed Under: TLC Book Review 6 Comments

A Bed, PicMonkey and Bronson Pinchot

March 28, 2012 at 8:52 am by Claudia

We need a new bed. Not a new headboard, or new sheets or pillows. A new mattress. Our bed has been with us a long time – too long – and it has overstayed it’s welcome. I wake up several times during the night. Every morning, I wake up with an aching back, hip and shoulder. When I first arise, I walk around hunched over and I look ridiculous. We are going to begin saving our pennies as good mattresses are not inexpensive. I’d love a king-sized bed as Don is 6’4″ and I am 5’8″ – but our tiny bedroom would be filled with BED. Maybe a California King? Or maybe just another Queen. Whatever the end result, a new mattress is on my urgent wish list.
PicMonkey

I wrote about PicMonkey, a wonderful photo editing site, in a previous post. Did you know that the founders of PicMonkey were formerly with Picnik? That’s why I like it so much! There’s a great interview with the founders of PicMonkey on ShePosts. Here is the link. Read it. You’ll get excited – especially when they talk about the Collage Tool they are coming up with. Hold on to your hats, they’ve got lots of wonderful plans in the works.

The Bronson Pinchot Project

Have you seen this new show? It’s on the DIY Network and I’m crazy about it. Bronson Pinchot, a very talented actor, is also an extremely talented restorer of older homes. He fell in love with a house in a small town in Pennsylvania and restored it. He has since bought several other homes in the same town that he is also restoring. First of all, I love his taste and clear passion for older homes. He’s also very funny, slightly eccentric in the best sense of the word and has surrounded himself with a colorful cast of characters who help him realize his renovation dreams. In a world of DIY shows hosted by pretty or impossibly handsome young things (which make my eyes glaze over and bore me to tears) this show really stands out. Take note, HGTV, with your choice of ridiculously young, model-like hosts.

The first season is just about to end – I think there were 6 or 7 episodes. I’ve been watching it on the “On Demand” channel on my cable. If you click the above link, you can find out when it’s airing. I think you’ll really like it.

And now, on to The Tempest, Act III. It’s supposed to rain today so it’s shaping up to be a work-indoors-kind-of-day. Yesterday I worked outside most of the day. The garden beds are all cleaned out. Hurrah!

Filed Under: blogging tips, decorating, life 28 Comments

The Bee Story, Pinterest & Etsy

March 27, 2012 at 8:00 am by Claudia

The other day I showed you our little Fairy House in the Catalpa tree and mentioned that we were doing some work around the tree. There’s more to the story. Many of you know that, for as long as we’ve lived here, there have been honey bees who lived in the Catalpa tree. Thousands of them hovered around a big opening in the tree, peacefully flying back and forth, making honey and we all got on swimmingly. Until last year. Early last spring, we noticed a bee aggressively flying at Don when he was in the dog corral which was at least 15 feet away from the tree. We wondered about it but shrugged it off as a one-time bizarre occurrence.

Later that summer, when I came back from Wisconsin, it became obvious that something was wrong when I was repeatedly attacked if I got too near the tree, especially if I was mowing the lawn. I was stung more than once. It got so bad that we couldn’t mow the lawn on that side of the property.

So we consulted a bee keeper named Chris Harp. Chris is a true lover of nature and bees and tends hives for many people throughout the Hudson Valley. He is also a teaches workshops on beekeeping. He is a gentle soul and reminds me of a character out of an Agatha Christie mystery set in the British countryside. Chris came and looked at the hive and promptly got stung on the lip. He was shocked because honeybees just don’t do that. An African Bee strain had evidently been bred in the current batch of bees – they weren’t fully African bees, or I would have been stung to death – and they were so aggressive that they would have to be killed. We put that off because of the money it would cost and also because of concerns about the tree. If we were to put some sort of poison in the tree to kill the bees, would it kill our Catalpa? Plus, I hated the idea of killing them. We ended up steering clear of that part of the yard.

Fast forward to the present. I have been keeping an eye on the tree ever since it started getting warm and I hadn’t seen any bee activity. Don called Chris, who said if that was the case, the bees didn’t make it through the winter. I was greatly relieved and grateful that they died naturally. He told us to cover the holes with window screen mesh to discourage some new bee scout from attempting to set up camp there. So, besides cutting away brambles, that’s what we were doing that day by the Catalpa.

Chris came by last night and brought a bee box with him. His idea is to see if any bees are attracted to the wax in the tree and the wax in the box. If they are, they will start to fly in and out of the box and I am to call Chris and he will come collect them. That way he gets some bees for his work and any possible interlopers go to the box and not the tree. We get the benefit of his time and expertise and he gets some bees. A good trade.

The bee box has to be placed so that it is fairly elevated and facing in a southeasterly direction. So we put it up on our non-working car. And there it is.

Chris is such a neat guy, with so much fascinating information about bees to share. Don said talking to Chris about the social life of bees; the hierarchy, the fights, the queen, reminds him of a Shakespearean plot loaded with royalty and betrayal and battles – and he’s right. Chris travels around in his van with his faithful shepherd, Maggie, at his side. I could talk to him for hours. We’re indeed fortunate to know Chris. We need more nature lovers like him.

As for Pinterest:

Yes, I got the email from Pinterest about their updated Terms of Service, but I see nothing in the document that addresses my primary concern, that of copyright infringement and the fact that we (the users) are liable for any copyright infringement, not Pinterest. Pinterest has clarified that they are not going to sell any pinned images. They’ve made it easier to file a complaint about copyright infringement. But there’s nothing there about the biggest concern that bloggers seem to have (including myself.)

I’ve seen a couple of posts celebrating the changes. If the changes listed above were the ones troubling these bloggers, then that’s great. However, make sure you read the entire document. Yes, Pinterest is responding positively to certain complaints, and that’s to be applauded, but they haven’t addressed the biggest one yet. Perhaps they are planning to in the future? Here’s hoping they are.

And one more thing about Etsy:

I have this idea. Would those of you who have ordered scarves or shawls from our Etsy shop consider sending a photo of yourself wearing the scarf? I’d love to collect them for a post and I know seeing you in our creations would just tickle Meredith and me. If you’re willing, we’d be so grateful. You can send it to me at the email address on my sidebar. Thank you, thank you!

 

Filed Under: bees, etsy, garden, pinterest 29 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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