Review: Pitch Black

Pitch Black by Alex Gray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Chief Inspector Lorimer returns from his holiday on the island of Mull, he feels a welcome sense of calm. But it doesn't last long. Kelvin FC's new star midfielder is found brutally stabbed to death in his own home and, with his wife apprehended trying to leave the country, a seemingly straightforward new case begins. But the grisly murder of a referee after a Kelvin match throws light on some dark secrets at the ground. And when the latest signing to the club becomes the latest victim in a string of killings, Lorimer knows there's a serial killer on the loose - one that's only beginning to show his true colours. As lies emerge and tensions build, the players and managers live under the constant threat of becoming the next Kelvin fatality.

If you like ordinary crime thrillers without too much gore and sensationalism then this a good choice but if you're looking for something more this probably wouldn't suit.

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Friday's Fave Five 23/3/18

 
 
Friday is time to look back on the week and find five things to be grateful for.  Drop in to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for full details and other participants.

Well I have been AWOL for a couple of weeks - life has been a bit hectic so lots of things to be thankful for and here are 5 from this week:

1.  Celebrating our eldest son's 30th birthday.  We (hubby, 2 sons, daughter, their spouses, grandson and eldest son's 2 dogs) spent last weekend together at a converted barn just outside Norwich in Norfolk.

We had a lovely time but the weather was awful (it snowed!) so we didn't get out and about much but it was lovely just spending time together - eating, playing games, more eating....I'm sure you get the picture.  We did manage to get out to a nearby pub with a nice restaurant for a meal on the Saturday evening but it was horrible driving back as it felt like a blizzard.  Fortunately it was only about a 5 minute drive.

2.  Having 3 kids who get on.  It's lovely to see them interacting with one another and the spouses fit in well too.  I'm hoping the Grandchildren will get on well too when they arrive.  They're certainly going to be close in age.

3.  This little guy.  He can always make me smile.

The guy on the right's not bad either ;)

4.  Getting a family picture.  It took us a while to work out where to prop the camera and wait for the timer etc but it's nice to have these memories.

Nathan couldn't cope with looking at the camera - there was no one waving at him and we opted not to try and include the dogs!

5.  The snow had pretty much gone by Monday morning so our journey home was ok.  The first bit was a little tricky - narrow country lanes which were still a bit icy but once we hit the main roads it was fine and we got home in good time.


This weekend will be quieter.   Have a good weekend all.

Wednesday Hodgepodge 21/3/18

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at
From this side of the pond
Pop over there to see other posts and join in - the Linky List is at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you're looking forward to in this season of the year.

Several birthdays – my hubby and daughter both have birthdays in Spring and this year we will be celebrating Grandson Nathan’s for the first time!
2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Clean out closets or clean out the garage? Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Any of these tasks recently completed?

None of those are appealing and thankfully I don’t have a garage or any ceiling fans.  Jobs are on hold at the moment until my son and his wife move out but I did go through my wardrobe recently and clear out a lot of clothes that I hadn’t worn for ages.
3. Your favourite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Sour cream? Whipped cream?
Baked cheesecake.  Especially a chocolate version.  And you can’t have Banoffee Pie without whipped cream.  Sour cream on chicken fajitas please.

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

Well I would definitely have got some of those wrong but I’m not aware of any glaring problems.  My hubby is a bit of a pedant so he would pull me up on any errors.  He’s finally got me saying “different from” rather than “different to” but I still get fewer and less muddled at times.
5. What's a song you love with the word 'rain' in the title or lyrics?

Singing in the rain.  I love that
6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Quiet here on my blog as we were away for the weekend celebrating our son’s 30^th birthday.  All the siblings, hubby and me, plus Nathan and our son’s 2 greyhounds.  We rented a barn in Norfolk and spent quality time together – the snowy weather prevented us from doing much else!

 We didn't have a selfie stick so had to rely on a timer and a precariously balanced phone for a group shot. I think Nathan was distracted by the dogs!

A - Z Challenge 2018 - Theme Reveal

This will be my 4th year of taking part in the A - Z Challenge.  More information on the challenge can be found here.

I find it helps to have a theme for my posts so this year, having been watching the Winter Olympics, I decided to use sports.  Which might sound strange as I'm not really a sporty person and I don't even watch a lot of sport. 

Of course there are well known sports, especially those that feature in the Olympics but some sports are just weird and I've found there are many that I've never even heard of.

I'll be aiming to give my impressions on some of them at least, waffling away as usual. 

It's a shame that waffling isn't a sport.  I'm sure I could win a gold medal at it!

Wednesday Hodgepodge 14/3/18

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at
From this side of the pond
Pop over there to see other posts and join in - the Linky List is at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

1. Best place you've been lately?
We went out for lunch in Hampstead on Sunday with my daughter, her wife and our Grandson.  The restaurant was nice, nothing spectacular but it was Mother’s Day here in the UK so it was just lovely to share their first one.

2. What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

Well I think I should be saying No!  To sweets, crisps, cakes, excessive amounts of food – I’m sure you’re getting the picture.  And maybe yes to an exercise class?
3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the colour green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

Not really although there are lots of celebrations held in London.  We’re away this weekend so it will probably pass us by.  When I hear green I tend to think of open spaces and the outdoors.
4. What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.
My bank.  What I like about them is when you phone you get connected really quickly to someone who is based in the UK, and easy to talk to.  Their customer service is excellent.  Plus when I moved our account to them they were happy to name me first on the account.  Traditionally joint accounts have usually had the male name first.
5. March 14th is Pi Day. How are your maths skills? What's the last thing you did that required maths of any kind? And most importantly do you like pie? What's your favourite kind? With ice cream, whipped cream, or please hold the cream?
Well my maths skill are generally ok, probably above average – it was my best subject at school.  I often do killer Sudoku puzzles and they require maths.  I definitely like pie.  As for the cream, well although I like dessert style pies I also like meat pies so I’ll have mine with gravy please.
6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Looking forward to a weekend away with all our kids and spouses and of course Nathan plus our son’s 2 greyhounds.  Not sure how relaxing it will be! lol

I blinked and the weekend's over!

Ha not really.  But this weekend has really flown by.

On Friday I'd been invited out to lunch with my usual Ladies that Lunch which was lovely.  It was my friend Catherine's turn to host and she loves to cook so we had a baked curry dish with Indian style rice followed by a lovely meringue dessert.  It was all delicious and the company was good too.

However, I was also entertaining in the evening.  Nick's family.  All his siblings and partners - 14 for dinner including us.  Fortunately I was well prepared - I'd made 4 large Moussakas in advance which only needed to be reheated.  I organised dips and pitta bread and olives etc for starters and I'd made a baked cheesecake the day before.  For once I even remembered to take a photo.  Just as well as it all got eaten!

Once we'd eaten we checked out a couple of local bars before heading home for some tea and coffee.  We ended up with 6 guests staying overnight.

On Saturday we had a leisurely morning with a cooked breakfast that was almost brunch and then set off for a walk in the Olympic park.  I left them after a while as they wanted to head off down the canal paths and I was feeling a bit tired.  I also wanted to get back and straighten up a bit - put extra chairs away etc.

They called in for a drink before heading home and then Nick and I slumped in front of the TV in the evening.

Today we have been over to Becca & Vicky's to celebrate their first Mother's Day with Nathan.  

We went out to Hampstead for a nice lunch then back to theirs for tea before heading home.  Now  I'm having a well earned relax.  It's been a lovely weekend with all the eating, drinking and socialising but it has been tiring!

For all those celebrating today - Happy Mother's Day.

It's Wednesday.....

It's Wednesday but no Hodgepodge.  Which is probably just as well as it's almost Thursday and I went to check out the Hodgepodge post for the link and then remembered it wasn't happening this week.  Phew no need to panic about trying to get my answers sorted and posted before bed!

It's been a busy day - getting washing done, shopping for and cooking dinner (chicken stew - very tasty) planning ahead for feeding 12 guests on Friday and 2 birthdays before the end of the month.  (My eldest son will be 30 on the 19th and Nathan will be 1 on the 31st.)

Where does the time go?  

The comments on yesterday's post about signing up for the A-Z challenge were very encouraging - thanks everyone - but now I'm starting to wonder if it was a wise move!  I'm hoping to get as many of the posts finished and scheduled as I can before the start but I expect I'll be flying by the seat of my pants by the end.

I intended to work on it today but didn't manage it.  Perhaps I'll be more successful tomorrow.

 


















Here's a hint to my theme:  What did I do a lot of during February?