Friday's Fave Five 14/7/17

 
AWOL again last week so trying to get this done early today.  Fridays are a time to look back on the week and share our blessings.
If you want to join in or check out the other participants pop over to our host Suzanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story

Here are mine for the week: 

1) Lovely in-laws!  I've always been made to feel part of Hubby's family and I've spend quite a bit of time with my various sister-in-laws and extended families this week. 

2)  Good weather.  Of course it's summer so hopefully the weather should be good but last Saturday was the annual Garden Party at our social club.  Over 200 people attended and yes we were able to sit in the garden.  The weather wasn't as good as it had been earlier this month but it that was actually a good thing as there is little shade in the garden.  If it had rained it would have been a disaster as it would have been hard to accommodate everyone inside and prepare and serve a 3 course meal.  It was a busy day as some of our family members are the main planners and organisers of the event so lots of us get roped in to help on the day.  Thankfully they had paid help to do the washing up!

3) Catching up with old friends.  One of our friends has just become Mayor of her town and last Sunday we attended a church service and reception in her honour.  We hadn't seen her or her husband for a while so it was good to catch up, especially for a quiet chat back at their house after the celebrations were over.

4)  Time with Nathan.  I managed to see him last Friday and on Tuesday this week.  He is becoming more alert and is now heavy enough to sit in his little bouncy chair.  (Although I'm not sure he's quite big enough lol)

5)  Making time for the things I enjoy - I've done more reading this week than in recent weeks and I'm making progress on the edging for Nathan's blanket.  I've also spent time in the garden - I'm trying to cultivate herbs, and the bees love my lavender.  I'm also hoping to get some home grown tomatoes.

  Have a good weekend all.

Review: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I must have been asleep when this book was first published and I knew nothing of Margaret Atwood. Ignorantly I presumed this was a historical novel. How wrong can you be?!

The recent hype around the TV adaptation of it spiked my interest. I hate to watch these before I've read the book and there was a copy of it in the house so now I've read it and am glad I did. It wasn't what I was expecting and it's not a genre I usually read but it was chilling.

It's hard to imagine (and much is left to your imagination) how the hierarchy developed to lead to the situation Offred, the Handmaid, finds herself in. But I know we have looked back at many events in history and wondered "How did that happen?" Or more appropriately, "How did we let that happen?"

Hopefully this book won't turn out to be prophetic, although it could be argued that in some cultures it already has.

It wasn't a particularly satisfying ending (and you do need to read to the very end) but it was certainly plausible.

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Wednesday Hodgepodge - 12/7/17

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at

From thisside of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add the link to your Hodgepodge blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbour? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)

Last week when we had a sudden, unexpected power cut. I popped outside to check it wasn’t just us that was affected and got chatting with one of the neighbours.

 
2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall...which one are you most like and why?
Well I’ve compared myself to a lot of things but never any of those!
 

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called 'the first state' because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What's your state's nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?
Never been to Delaware and don’t have a state.  London does have several nicknames, including the Big Smoke (due to its episodes of smog) and the Swinging City following the cultural revolution in the 1960s. 
 

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?

I honestly can’t remember the last pot luck meal I attended.  It’s not so much of a thing over here.
 

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?
Forget about housework etc and sleep whenever you can.  And if you have a little boy make sure you keep him covered when changing the nappy so you don’t get peed on! lol
 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Grandbabies are just wonderful!

Review: Us

Us by David Nicholls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It follows the Petersen family (Douglas, Connie, his wife of almost 25 years and their 17 year old son Albie) as they journey through the art galleries of Europe on a "Grand Tour" of a last family holiday before Albie leaves for college. But the holiday is overshadowed by Connie's admission that she thinks the marriage has run its course and she may want to leave Douglas.

Told from Douglas's viewpoint we have the present story, which is sometimes a bit far fetched, intertwined with flashbacks of how they met, married and have reached this point. Douglas, a scientist, and Connie and artist are like chalk and cheese. Albie is a typical teenager.

It's not a fast moving book, sometime it feels almost to be plodding but it feels real. There isn't a happy ending which felt right and it was interesting to read this type of story from the male perspective. Some reviewers have said they didn't like the characters but I don't think you have to like a book's characters to be able to enjoy it.

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