Category: Life in General

Posts about my interests in life besides travel

📚 What’s on your bookshelf – January 📚

Time for another look at December/January books for this month. A challenge hosted by Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo for all of us readers to share our love of books and be inspired to read more through the recommendations. I have found many new books by reading as many posts as I can.

I managed four books this last month, a record for me actually. The first three are all a bit tragic, but were still so enjoyable if that’s possible and I highly recommend them.

The Impossible Truths of Love

A story of three sisters. A tale full of grief and secrets. “When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own. ” – Goodreads
I enjoyed this story and tried to work out several times what the secret might be. I didn’t guess correctly at all. I would have liked another few pages at the end to see how things went! 4/5

The Beloved Girls

Another tragic one! Not as raw as the first book though. A very strange story indeed and there were some very unpleasant characters in this book. There is a song that is repeated over and over in this book and it drove me a little bit mad. There is a twist in this book as well, kind of easy to spot but still keeps you guessing. Many themes run through this book, grief, loneliness, sexual abuse, bee keeping to name but a few. 4/5

All the Children are Home

I think this book will be in my top ten favourites of 2022 already. I absolutely loved this book as tragic as it was! Set in a small town in Massachusetts in the late 1950’s through to the 1960’s it centres on Dahlia and Louie, foster parents and their long term foster children. The story is told from the points of view of Dahlia, Zaidie, Jimmy and Agnes. Although tragic there is such heartfelt warmth throughout this story. My favourite character would definitely be Agnes. Patry Francis writes with such depth you can imagine yourself right there alongside these characters. 5/5

The Godmother

Finally getting away from tragedies I ripped through this book in a few days. It is our Book Club book for February but I started early! Such a fun book but also very amoral I suppose. Obviously I can’t condone what Patience did, but who knows if I had the gumption and confidence she had whether I would have done the same. It’s not a long story but very rewarding. 4/5

✈️Flying Foreign Skies again✈️

We finally took the plunge and left Australia behind for a while. It’s been two years since we visited the UK, so on 29th December we departed Perth. What a rigamarole it was though, from booking the flights and having tests and completing forms. I knew of course we would have to have a pre-Covid test before but didn’t realise it had to be pre-booked and pre-paid. So that was the first hurdle.

Next was pre-booking and paying for Covid tests in the UK, writing down reference numbers and filling out the Passenger Locator Application for the UK. Before all this though we had our booster shots and had to download a Covid International Passport. Trying to scan all the QR codes was impossible and we had to wait until we got to the airport.

We flew Scoot to Singapore and then Singapore Airlines to London. Our flight was 9.15 pm and we arrived around 7pm. The flight was less than half full, but we still had to queue for 30 minutes and then stand at the counter for another 30 minutes while all our documents were scanned through. Fortunately our luggage was able to go directly to London. I was told on this flight that I couldn’t wear my cloth mask and had to wear a paper one.

Arriving in Singapore at 2.15 am we had to make our way to another terminal. As the Skytrain was not operating we had at least a 30 minute walk from the plane to the next gate. Good job for travellators! We had a 7 hour layover in Singapore but were able to use the lounge as we were flying business class to London. This was a lifesaver and we both were able to lay down on a settee and had a few hours sleep. One of the ground staff also brought us pillows and duvets.

The next leg of our journey was wonderful with such “first class” attention from the staff. Our section of the cabin was empty apart from us and I think the cabin crew were bored. We could have walked off the plane sideways from the amount of times we were offered drinks.

I passed the time by reading a great book I had just downloaded and of course sleeping.

Once we disembarked I thought we would have a very long wait at immigration, but from landing and going through the exit was just 30 minutes! Maybe because I had all the correct documents.

We only need to isolate for two days and today sent back our “do it yourself” Covid tests and once we get the results back we are free to roam the outdoors.

Empty cabin

A couple of the dishes that were on the menu

From the window

I’m looking forward to seeing relatives and catching up with old friends over the next few weeks and posting new photos.

🎅 December in Review – 2021 🧑‍🎄

December started off with a bang, literally, as I went to see the latest 0️⃣0️⃣7️⃣ film with a friend at our local cinema. It was the last one for Daniel Craig and we both enjoyed it, although it’s a mighty long film. Full of twists and turns and action packed as usual. The gadgets getting more techno every film. Daniel Craig has done a good job throughout but for me James Bond = Sean Connery.
As I came out of the cinema I saw one of my first Christmas decorations.

“let me out”

~Time for the tree to go up ~

On 2nd December Lachie decided it was time for the tree to go up. All the decorations we could find went on the tree. He was very happy with the result.

Also this first week was the start of the parties, brunches, lunches and dinners. Anthony and I went for dinner one night to a local restaurant, Miss Chow’s and had the most delicious dinner.

Sang Choy Bao
Sweet and Sour Pork
Spicy Crispy Squid

The tree and decorations in the town of Claremont, WA

A few days later it was our Zumba Christmas Party, held at our lovely instructor’s house in her amazing beautiful garden. The food was delicious and of course there was dancing.

A week later there was another zumba party, this time it was brunch attended by 55 ladies! So much food. It was held at another lovely instructor’s house, Laura. We were all asked to bring a small gift to put under the tree for Secret Santa. I couldn’t stay too long as I had another Christmas lunch to go to at the Bridge Club. I struck lucky with my gift, herb scissors and a basil plant, very useful.

It was a very hectic month indeed with a couple more parties and dinners with friends, but such a wonderful lead up to Christmas Eve. This was when the summer really arrived with temperatures in the forties for Christmas and Boxing Day.

We always celebrate Christmas Eve with a seafood dinner. On Christmas Day for the past few years we have been going to our neighbours for Christmas lunch as daughter and son visit respective parents. It is always good fun as they host for around 16 people!

Christmas Eve Table

Just a small table this year as Laurence and Maddy were back in Melbourne, due to the closure of the borders, but still a delicious menu of Cucumber Soup, Smoked Salmon, Cold Prawns and Potato and Green Salad.

Before
After

Santa also brought a big green slide that he spent nearly all night trying to assemble!

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From Boxing Day until the 29th December we are gradually clearing the house up for our departure to England, we are off to see my parents. Thankfully Elena and Damian are moving in to take care of our two boys so they don’t have to go into kennels.

What a rigmarole to fly back, tests to be taken, forms to fill out, boosters to be had and more tests once we arrive. It will be worth it though to see my parents after such a long time.

My December gallery

Time for a swim!
Jacaranda Trees
Crayfish Salad
A hazy sunset over the Swan River

Hoping everyone has a healthy and happy 2022

~ What’s on Your Bookshelf ~ December

I’ve just managed three books this month! I’ve been watching too much TV again, maybe I should post something like “What have you been watching this month”. Anyway the three I’ve read are all by some of my favourite authors.

“Reacher goes where he wants, when he wants. That morning he was heading west, walking under the merciless desert sun—until he comes upon a curious scene. A Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around. A woman is slumped over the wheel.

Dead? No, nothing is what it seems. 

The woman is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent trying to find her twin brother, who might be mixed up with some dangerous people. Most of them would rather die than betray their terrifying leader, who has burrowed his influence deep into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. The mysterious Dendoncker rules from the shadows, out of sight and under the radar, keeping his dealings in the dark.“
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56663329-better-off-dead

I’ve read all of Lee Child’s books and enjoyed most of them. Like all authors with a series of books there are some I’ve liked better than others. He seems to have made a good return with this book co-authored with his son, they have found their rhythm. I have to say though the acronyms he uses are very confusing. I’ll continue to read him as I love Jack Reacher.
3/5

The Dark Hours

The latest collaboration between Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch. This book is more about Renee Ballard with Harry as the sidekick. I’m still getting used to Renee as the main character. She seems to survive on practically no sleep, working the nightshift and into the day. Renee desperately tries to hang onto her cases but inevitably has to hand them over to the day shift. She gets a lot of stick from the men in her department, but she’s tough and gives as good as she gets. With Harry helping her in secret though, she makes good progress. 3/5.

The Shadow at the Door

One of my all time favourite writers. David Raker is back again trying to solve another unsolvable case of a missing person. A man goes upstairs to take his medication and is never seen again. No-one saw him leave, the windows were closed and he didn’t leave by the front door. His wife is at a loss, the police have been no help so she turns to David Raker.

This book is slightly different to the others in that there are four stories. The time line goes back and forth involving his different cases over the years and featuring characters from his past books. If you are new to the David Raker series, then it’s best to start at the beginning.

Every book Tim Weaver has written all have completely different plots. I don’t know where he comes up with the ideas. There are twists and turns in every direction, I don’t think I’ve ever guessed one. 4/5

My Favourite Authors – “C”

Looking back at the books I have read, I realised that C is very popular! I have so many.

Helen Callaghan – Dear Amy; Everything is Lies . These are both psychological thrillers and will grip you from the start.

Louise Candlish – I’ve read seven of this author’s books and enjoyed everyone. Family dramas with a twist.

Diana Chamberlain – This author has written so many books it’s hard to keep up with her. Each book has a different theme running through it. Abusive marriages, kidnappings, mistaken identities, hidden secrets to name but a few. She’s a brilliant writer from the US.

Tamar/Tammy Cohen – Another psychological thriller writer whose many books I have enjoyed.

Posted as part of What’s on Your Bookshelf

~November in Review ~

Taking a look back at my November. Another month gone past in a flash and Christmas is now just a few weeks away. Here are some of my memories of November.

We started off the month with a little trip to Dunsborough which I’ve already posted about.

💜 My precious little peeps 💙

“Pull up a Seat“

Oldest and youngest

In the middle of November we had a day’s outing to a winery in the Chittering Valley to an event called “A Taste of Chittering” held at Nesci Winery with some good friends. The only thing that spoiled a lovely day was the masses of flies! We hardly dared open out mouths.

Don’t these two lovely ladies look cute as gumnuts. They are so talented walking around all afternoon like that.

🍷 We made some time for some tasting after lunch 🍷

The fourth Thursday of every month is when we hold our Bookclub meeting. The November bookclub is the last of the year and our Christmas get together. This year we gathered at a house overlooking the ocean. We had a fabulous lunch and Mango Daquiries with a great discussion of the book.

🌺 My November Garden 🌺

FOTD

Now the Summer has finally arrived I love to sit out for my happy hour 🍹 and listen to the different birds that congregate in my neighbour’s tree. From Kookaburras to Rainbow Lorikeets, Willy Wagtails and Parrots, not all at once of course. My jasmine is out and also the gardenias are in full bloom and the garden smells divine.

I’m now looking forward to a few parties in the coming weeks and tomorrow the tree 🎄 goes up with some help from my little elf.

How was your November?

📚 What’s on your Bookshelf – #4 📚

It’s time to review the books we have been reading this month. I have not read near as many as Debbie at Deb’s World who is one of the co-hosts for this challenge.

I finished the last in The Highbury Series by Allie Cresswell – Dear Jane. I enjoyed all three books about the people and events leading up to Emma by Jane Austen. Dear Jane focuses mainly on Jane Fairfax and Frank Weston. Allie Cresswell writes just like Jane Austen. I would describe these books as a “cozy read”. Curling up on the sofa with one of these books is like chatting with an old friend.

The next book has been on my “to be read” list for a while, so I thought I had better tackle it.
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde by Eve Chase

I did enjoy this book but preferred the story set in 1959 about the four sisters than the other part set fifty years later. It seemed like the book was written by two different authors! The book focuses on a house that both families lived in.

I also got round to reading a book by Susan Lewis – I Have Something To Tell You.

This book had a very good twist at the end which I thought I had guessed but didn’t! I like the fact that she doesn’t just make it about the victim but also the solicitor who has been engaged by him.

The Andee Lawrence series of books are also very good.

My A to Z of Favourite Authors – This Month is “B”

Fiona Barton – I have read all three of Fiona’s books and I’m hoping she will be writing another soon. They are all very different and usually have two storylines through them that tie up at the end. All three books feature a journalist called Kate Waters.

Suzanne Bugler – I’ve read two of her books, I would describe them as psychological thrillers.
The Child Inside and This Perfect World. Very easy to read but intriguing!

I’m loving this challenge as one of my favourite things is reading book reviews. I can now find many new and different types of authors to add to my growing lists of books!

🌊 A Family Holiday by the Sea 🌊

Dunsborough in South West WA is the perfect place for a family holiday. I have just returned from a five day break with the whole family, dear husband, our two children and partners and two grandchildren.

I searched very hard for the best house, it wasn’t easy, as it had to accommodate six adults and two children, be close to the beach and not too far from town! I finally found a four bedroom house just 30 seconds from the beach and a short drive into town. It was called Quindalup Boat House.

We took three cars and many bags and suitcases with us.

The view from the house
Walking to the beach

Inside the house

  • Happy hour on the verandah

My Iron Chef

Lachie found a very good use for the wine rack

Quindalup Beach

The coast goes on for miles here and is very sheltered making it the ideal place for small children. Lachie and Rosie loved every minute on the beach. It’s great for running and walking.

  • Searching for treasures
  • The Old Man and the Sea

  • From bed to beach
  • Oops forgot to put bathers on

Over the next few days we visited farms, playgrounds, breweries, pubs and of course the beach everyday. We didn’t always do everything together and gave each other enough space to enjoy our own individual outings.

I think it’s been the one good thing about Covid that Laurence and Maddy were able to join us, having arrived from Melbourne before the borders closed.

Everyone agreed that it was one of the best holidays we’ve ever taken! Over the next few posts I will be writing about some of the places we visited.

~ It’s a Good Week to have a Good Week ~

Ju-Lyn from Touring my Backyard has asked us to share our Happy Places and Spaces.

This week for me has been exceptionally busy with all kinds of things. I haven’t had much time at all to sit and blog, although I’ve been reading a few. My posts all seem to stay in my head and when I do get to sit at the computer, they’ve disappeared!

I’ll start with Friday. A friend from my Zumba class was hosting an Abba Party at her house on Friday evening. It was such a fun evening, everyone dressed up and danced for hours. I danced like a teenager but forgot to tell my body. Aches and pains followed the next day.

Most Mondays are now spent looking after my two precious grandchildren while my daughter works. It’s hard work for sure but such a privilege to be with them. This week I had Maddy’s help and we were able to go to Lake Claremont for a little walk and play.

Of course we had to stop in the cafe for a treat on the way back, Rosie mesmerised by herself!

Monday evening we met up with some very dear friends from South Australia on their last night in WA. We have been playing catch up for years and this is the first time in 17 years that we’ve been able to see them.

Tuesday and Friday are Bridge playing days. Tuesday was good, Friday bad! The mornings playing Bridge go so quickly and this is one of the things that I can completely focus on. Wednesday I was also at the Bridge Club having lessons! The weather on Tuesday and Wednesday was atrocious, high speed winds and heavy slanting rain. Such a difference to Monday.

I walked to the Bridge Club on Friday, a drastic improvement in the weather.

Wednesday night was also out for dinner with Laurence and Maddy. I must say that is the only good thing to come out of Covid that they have managed to get back from Melbourne to stay with us for a couple of months.

At our favourite restaurant – Bellisimo

We are having a bathroom renovated and also some trees cut down in the garden, so people have been coming and going all week with trucks and vans. Scaffolding has been put up so Laurence could get to the trees easier! Well he has to earn his keep somehow.

Happy places for me are anywhere my family are and my happy spaces are on a dance floor or at a Bridge table!

What’s on your Bookshelf #3 – October

Another month of books reviews from Deb at Debs-World. A challenge Deb and some others are hosting called What’s on your Bookshelf

My bookclub this month chose Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. It’s all about William and Anne Shakespeare and their children, mainly about the death of one of them. Sadly this was a DNF for me. It was just too “purple”, using ten words where one would do. It does have some great reviews, but in amongst all those five stars I spotted a few that thought along the same lines as me!

I have read another book by this author – The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox – which I really enjoyed – 4* from me.

I finished The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, recommended by Deb last month, I can’t say it was a favourite of mine – 3*. I recommended it to a friend and she loved it and has gone onto read the others in the series.

I read another of one of my favourite authors – Allie Cresswell, Relative Strangers. A book about a very dysfunctional family who get together one week in a stately manor for a celebratory anniversary. It ends in carnage and mayhem with some falling out and some getting closer. I enjoyed this book although not as much as her others – 4*.

On my shelf for this month are:

The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde – Eve Chase
In the Dark – Deborah Moggach
Treasure and Dirt – Chris Hammer

An A to Z of my favourite authors

I thought I would select a few each month of favourite authors to share.

Isabel Allende – Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia
Kate Atkinson – Jackson Brodie series

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🎡 A Royal Day Out 🎡

When I first arrived in Perth, WA in 2004 and had reason to visit the Claremont Showgrounds, I was amazed at the size of this small enclave of buildings. It seemed like a well kept ghost village. There was a ferris wheel and a chairlift that goes all around the huge perimeter of the showgrounds, mostly unused for 90% of the year, I thought what a colossal waste. Sitting on 32 acres of prime land and home to The Royal Show for a week in October. Since then I believe it has opened up much more to concerts, events and markets. Also it is now home to the Covid Vaccination Clinic.

On the last day of The Royal Show the whole family visited. For me it was only the second time I had been to a show and for Lachie and Rosie their very first.

It wasn’t as busy and crowded as I thought it would be, although there were still small queues for the mini rides for Lachie. It was quite funny really, five adults all standing around waiting for Lachie to hop on a ride and shout and cheer him on while he passed slowly by. After lining up for one ride and getting to the front, he declined to board a truck wanting to wait for the black truck to become vacant, it was worth the wait just to see his face.

Soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the view

I ended up buying far too many tokens thinking Lachie would want to go on all the rides but he was more interested in the animals.

Peregrine Falcon

At first I thought most of the owls on display were stuffed! They never moved a muscle or blinked an eye.

A wonderful array of animals

With so many animals to see it was hard to choose a favourite. There was baby chick holding, kitten cuddling, pig patting and goat stroking. The queues for the kittens and baby chicks were far too long for a three year old to wait his turn so we had to miss those out.

We walked down side show alley and purchased a show bag for Lachie, Laurence tried his hand at shooting hoops and managed to win a prize for Lachie on the rifle range, what a great shot.

After a few hours of walking around we were all in need of a stiff drink and food. We found a bench outside and enjoyed cocktails, wine, beer and a few tacos. Rosie was getting fractious by now and it was time to leave. The noise levels were well beyond my capacity by now and I needed to get back also for a lie down. But it was a great day out, to be repeated again in another ten years – maybe!