Category: Books

Books · Flowers · Houseplants · Resolutions

Peace

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Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum wallisii

Happy New Year to you, your family and friends!

I haven’t been out in the garden much recently. Instead I’ve been doing lots of looking out of the window and thinking about garden jobs for the Spring.

Mostly I’ve been enjoying our houseplants as they bring us happiness with their beauty and health giving properties.

During the past year I made a resolution to learn the Latin names for plants in our garden. Well I’m hoping to keep that up and am extending it to some houseplants. This beautiful Peace Lily has the Latin name Spathiphyllum wallisii.

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Amaryllis

Like the Amaryllis flower pictured here, my New Year’s Resolutions are emerging slowly. I began with ‘I’d like to read more’ and now I’ve added ‘I’d like to write more’.

I know I am supposed to make ‘SMART’ targets so the next thing I need to do will be to break down these resolutions and put time scales etc next to them. That may come later, for now, I’m just going to pick up a book and enjoy reading.

Whatever and however you do your New Year’s Resolutions, I wish you well.

 

 

 

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Molly at the top of Bennachie

 

At the moment I am reading ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo (with maybe one or two other books alongside!)

bees · Books · Flowers · Garden

Back to Bees

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I never think of myself as a non-fiction reader and yet here I am, having recently finished reading Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ and one of my favourite summer reads this year was ‘Robbing The Bees’ by Holley Bishop. It’s a mixture of fact and fiction (faction, narrative non-fiction?) published in 2005 and hugely enjoyable. thumb_IMG_2221_1024

The thing is though, it only heightened my wish to have bee hives. I’m like a child who wants a pet and is not thinking at all about the practicalities.

One of the things I love about going to farmshops and summer fairs is the chance to buy local honey and after reading Bishop’s book I’ve been left thinking that I should eat more honey, with all its health benefits. In fact I think I’m going to try to have a spoonful of honey every day.  What a lovely thought!

 

Bees on the Comfrey and the Borage

Art · Books · Seasons · Writing

A Book for all Seasons

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I’ve just finished reading ‘Autumn’ by Ali Smith and coincidentally my sister bought me the next in the series, ‘Winter’ for my Birthday.

A few weeks ago we visited the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (M2) in Edinburgh and I’d loved seeing the Andy Warhol  and Eduardo Paolozzi exhibition.

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An image of an image of an image?

To see the iconic Marilyn Monroe images up close was an amazing experience and I was blown away by the gigantic ‘Vulcan’ sculpture by Paolozzi. Anyone who’s read Ted Hughes ‘The Iron Man’ will surely love it!

Having enjoyed the post on the Novel Points of View Blog about where writers write; I really appreciated seeing the studio of Paolozzi which had been gifted to the nation.

 

So what is the link to the Ali Smith book? Well, by reading it I learnt about the artist Pauline Boty who was the only female British painter who took part in the pop art movement.

As Jim McColl says – ‘Every day’s a school day!’

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Be prepared for all types of weather if you live in Scotland – hailstones in May!

 

Books · Happy

Book Shopping

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The other day I helped out at a bookstall for a Girl Guides Fair.

Well it just so happened that I had a ‘Tinkerbell’ book in my hand as a lady and her little daughter approached. With exclamations of delight she said her daughter loved ‘Tinkerbell’ books but there aren’t many about and so she has to get them out the library. Now her wee girl thinks the books are hers! 

So, we got talking and I asked her if she’d looked online. Immediately she mentioned ‘The Big A’ and I agreed but also said how about other second hand bookshops online?

Anyway, it got me to thinking. When I joined a book group a few years ago we discussed where everyone bought their books from.

Some went straight to the High Street, others to the aforementioned online store, still more to buy second hand online and one lady usually used the library.

It made me stop and think. There are so many options out there. It is easy to buy with one click but if I take just a little more time to search for the book I want I could be saving money and hopefully helping the environment too. (I know, I haven’t even mentioned e-books!) thumb_IMG_1327_1024

Recently we made our way back to the delight that is The Bookmark in Grantown-on-Spey. I have to confess I bought four books – a massive treat, not just to buy them but also to go in and chat about books in such a great environment.

Buying books is a complete joy to me and these days I pick carefully where I buy them from. One here, one there. I picked up a few great bargains at the bookstall, I’ve collected my recent book group choice from the library and I’m hoping for a book voucher for my birthday so I can do a little bit of High Street shopping too!

Here’s hoping!

 

Where’s your favourite place to buy or borrow books from?

 

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Hyacinth in the Spring sunshine

 

 

 

Books · Libraries · Reading

Time for Reading

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On the way to the recycling bin in our house I found myself reading the sports pages of the newspaper; an article all about ‘Match of the Day’. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m not interested in football or indeed the world around me at large. It’s just that I surprised even myself, did I really want to read this article?

Well, yes, why not? I’ve always read everything I could get my hands on, the back of a cereal packet is the classic example (and I do!).

 

I’ve realised I may sit in a room by myself but I am never alone when I have a book with me. Yes, there are the characters but there’s more, so much more.

When I read I am part of a world. One of so many people on this planet who share a love of reading.

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I have six books on the go at the moment – thank you Aberdeen Libraries!

I only have to think of Bookshops and Libraries to know there are so many others out there who love books too.

Then there’s the times we share a book; the magic of reading out loud to a little one on your knee or a class full of children eager to know what happens next.

The memories created when listening to audiobooks in the car, laughing and recalling the story together years later (Horrid Henry and the injection scene springs to mind!).

What a treat it is to attend events during the Scottish Book Trust Book Week or meet friends at Book Festivals and Book Groups.

Of course there is also the joy when a book is adapted to TV or film and the discussions thereafter.thumb_IMG_1133_1024

Then there’s my favourite; recommending a book to someone and they love it too.

It’s a world of books, let’s hope it stays that way.

 

 

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Springtime!
Books · Trees

Arborglyphs

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I love how one thing leads to another.

Watching a documentary by the actress Dame Judi Dench, I heard her describe drawings on trees as arborglyphs. (What a fabulous word!)

On my regular walk I had already noticed some markings but dismissed them as a sort of vandalism. Then with this all in mind I noticed this:

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Is this smile natural or manmade?

Looking up arborglyphs I stumbled upon this blog, Arboroglyph. Might be one for me to follow.

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Couldn’t resist taking this photo – for some reason it reminds me of the Saucepan Man in Enid Blyton’s ‘The Faraway Tree’!

 

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Finished reading this book last week and would highly recommend it.

 

 

 

 

Snowy Days