Cats, pianos and books ...

Last Saturday, we hopped into the car and sped across to meet with the super lovely Paul Magrs.  We took homemade scones, sang Christmas songs on the way and had an impromptu photoshoot with the rather handsome Fester. 

 

 

When Fester had finished posing, we caught the train and spent the afternoon chatting, getting excited about Dr Who, whilst finding as much as possible to eat and a wonderful bookshop.  It was an eclectic mix of sublime things (Marlene Dietrich and a piano nonetheless) and I found myself a beautiful book,  The Photographer's Weekend Book.  I love finding little gems like that.  It has lovely photographs and projects in for the photographer to carry out at the weekend.

 Paul is even nicer in person than I imagined and we had an exciting journey home as we listed to The Hexford Invasion.  Thank you Paul, Jeremy and Fester for a wonderful day.

 

A little pile of books ...

How can you improve a day of wandering in the sunshine holding your sweethearts hand?  By finding yourself in a wonderful bookshop of course!  We're a bit light on that sort of thing up North (both sunshine and wonderful bookshops) but every time we visit Aberystwyth, my favourite way to pass the time is in the secondhand bookshop.  This time was no exception and I managed to come across a whole heap of great finds.  I am on a budget so had to limit myself but decided to splash out on some of these beautifully pink and illustrated Doctor Dolittle puffins.  Have you read any?  I hadn't seen them before and am looking forward to getting stuck in.  I am especially excited about Doctor Dolittle's Garden.  This is what Puffin editor Kaye Webb has written about it in the blurb:

"Of course, the Doctor had been talking to the bigger animals - dogs, cats, monkeys and so on, for a long time, but it was a great step forward when he began making contact with tiny creatures like insects.  

It wasn't easy.  Special very complicated machines were needed to listen to the sounds the insects made, and they were very delicate to handle.  When for instance the wasp went to sleep in his private jar of marmalade, the white mouse had to bath him, as no one else's hands were small enough to wash a wasp's legs and face without doing damage.  And there were sometimes a bit of trouble among the staff.  For instance, Dab-Dab thought the plan for a country house for house-flies was sheer madness and wouldn't put up with some of the others. 'Who cares what a cockroach has to say - or a spide either?' she said.

Then a giant moth as big as a house settled on the lawn.  It seemed to be connected with Chee-Chee's story of giant animals on the moon - and once again Tommy had a disturbing feeling that Doctor John Dolittle was making secret discoveries and laying secret plans.  Which of course he was." 

I would love to hear if you have read any and what you think of the series.  I also love the nature section of the bookshop.  Last time I was there I managed to find several wonderful things (I'll search them out for another blog post) and it didn't disappoint on Saturday.  I found a beautifully tatty copy of The Cherry Tree and a fabulous wild flower book.  With drawings like this one of the poppy, how could I resist?  I was running out of time, Rhid kept coming over to see if I was finished, so I just skimmed through to see the quality of its' poppy cover and knew that I had to have it.  I can't wait to see what else is hidden inside.

There were a few gems that I left on the shelves, even though I was sorely tempted.  A couple of Pelican British Wild Flower Books and a nature book, Notes from Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin.  I have a copy of his Wildwood: A Journey through Trees from the lovely Nick, that I have yet to read.  It said that Notes from Walnut Tree Farm is a collection of notes and observations that Deakin made in his notebooks.  I aspire to that!  If only I could get past having to keep a notebook tidy and just write in it!

As regular readers of this blog will know, I don't usually write about books.  Mainly because my friends do it so much more eloquently than I do.  If you want to read some insightful and wonderfully fun blogs, then please head over to the afforementioned Nick or to the brilliant Paul (professional author no less!) or to reviewer extraordinaire Simon.  I suggest that you keep on scrolling if you like cute and fluffy.

 A beautiful young rabbit chewing on some grass.

Into the new year, with all its' challenges and excitement ...

 

New year, new beginnings blah, blah, blah ... do you enter the new year with wonder and excitement or a kind of sinking feeling, something that feels like a huge let down after the awe of Christmas.  Even though I usually lean towards the sunnier side of things, I find the turn of the year difficult and always enter it with trepidation.  

I love the build up to Christmas and all that it brings.  All the lights, buying and wrapping presents, carols and christmas songs.  Writing to old friends and eating lots of chocolate.  Hopefully, there will be snow and cold, crisp days.  You know the kind, the ones that make your cheeks rosy and tiny sprigs of moss on the wall sparkle.  Those are the days of my dreams.  Perfect Christmas holiday weather for taking long walks with my camera.   

This year I made lots of cake for Rhid's Christmas bike night ride.  There was a choice between Orange and Almond sponge, chocolate brownies and cherry scones (always best eaten straight from the oven).  Last year, we made Christmas biscuits complete with festive icing and personalised messages!

My favourite thing about the holidays is having the time to read new books.  I sit for hours with my new treasures and the most wonderful part about it?  I don't have to feel guilty!  It has become a bit of a tradition to get a new Paul Magrs, the perfect mix of excitement, brilliantly devised characters and marvellous plot lines.  Thank you Paul!  If you haven't yet read anything by him, I strongly recommend that you run, no sprint, to your local bookstore and seek him out.  If you like delightful capers involving supernatural mystery and intrigue then Paul is the man for you.

As for the start of the year, it inevitably brings with it responsibility and with the start of term, a whole load of new work.  A pile of marking, sorting timetables and trying to finish writing the dreaded PhD .... today though I got to come home early and was working on a chapter, whilst listening to Birdy, stroking the kitten and organising my numerous (still unwritten) notebooks! 

I love writing, I find that I'm always inspired to write, but putting it into action is much more difficult, particularly for "school work".  I don't want to be thinking about science, I want to have my head full of flowers, photography and baking!  The pretty, finer things in life.  My ideal writing places would look more like the cafe at David Austen rose gardens (below).  

I could sit for hours reading and writing in places like these, or under trees (if only the sun would show its' face again in Wales!).  Trying to fill one of my *ahem* 60 plus notebooks with notions and ideas.  But for now I'm going to curl up with my cosy Miranda Dickinson novel and watch Kiki being cute on our new bookshelves.  

Have a lovely evening all ... x