A Few Good Reads

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope the week is going well for you all.

I wanted to share what I've been reading lately and to find out what you've been reading. I like checking out new books and adding them to my 'want to read' pile if they sound interesting.

I've read 
17332 
pages so far in 2024. I expect to easily surpass 20, 000 pages before year end.
It's so much easier to pick up a book and start reading when I need a break from everything else, than to do almost anything else.

Graphic credit: Rawpixels.com

Here are the books I've read in August.   I'd love to hear about any books you've read that you really enjoyed and would recommend.

Thanks so much!

Long Island

by Colm Tóibín

Elizabeth's Star

by Rhonda Forrest

I enjoyed this story but was annoyed when it ended abruptly. Then I realized it's because it's part of a trilogy, lol. I hope to find book 2 to find out more.

What Happened at the Lake

by Phil M. Williams

The Kamogawa Food Detectives

by Hisashi Kashiwai

3.5 * I love learning about Japanese culture and I'm a big fan of Japanese food but this book was just okay for me. I was anticipating greater enjoyment than I derived from it but nonetheless it was interesting.

 

Enjoying the Colour

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the last of the current season wherever you may be in the world.

We've had a long run of beautiful skies and warm, sometimes very hot temperatures but we are now going into a cooling period and some rain is expected within the next few days.

I wanted to share the beautiful sunflowers growing in our community garden and the beautiful, blue sky as the back drop.

We also have a few ears of corn ready for harvest.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Tuesday 4: A Little Tea Party

Welcome back to another of Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 hosted by Annie of Cottage by the Sea.

This week could we talk about your personal thoughts?

1. Do you find yourself daydreaming about your situation and things you would love to do if only ...?

Yes, the thing on my mind for some time now is if I can just get through all the decluttering and little jobs there are to do around the home, I can finally start doing some creative and more fun projects and possibly make plans for the future.  Recent water leak and strata projects set my own timeline back considerably because I didn't have access to all of my things. I still can't see the end in sight to the household tasks though I do see progress.  

2. If you are having tea/coffee, a little break in the day does your mind wander off to other thoughts and meditations.

No, not really. When I'm having coffee, I usually use that time to catch up on email, blogging, recorded TV programs or a bit of reading/study so my mind is already occupied.

3. Do you find yourself meditating or revisiting in your mind a scripture, verse from a book you've read and it's impact on you?

Yes, I often meditate on scriptures. I did a lot of scripture memorization as a youngster.  These scriptures come to me often during alone time, while going through life's events, having discussions with family and friends and whenever I watch or read Christian and secular material.

4.  Do you find yourself sometimes replaying conversations with others?   Are there books or movies that stay vivid in your mind? 

I don't replay conversations with other these days but when I was younger I did. Especially when I was a junior high schooler and spent a lot of time walking to and fro to school. I had plenty of time for replaying conversations and thinking because I had a long walk to school and back.  As I grew into adulthood and had different relationships of work and a personal nature, I also spent time thinking about and replaying conversations. Usually I was thinking about tensions with someone and what I might have said in discussions instead of what I did say.  I don't do this anymore either.

I have many movies and books that I've enjoyed over the years but I seldom think about them afterward. The ones that have really stayed with me tend to be from when I was very young and perhaps more impressionable.  Three movies that really stuck in my memory for a long time include: Anna Karenina with Vivian Leigh in the titular role of Anna, The Red Shoes and a Brief Encounter. 

Three books that stayed with me a long time after reading them were: The Poisonwood Bible, The Kiterunner and A Fine Balance.  

These books and movies are not necessarily my favourites though some of them are. It's just that they somehow remained in my brain much longer than others did.

Thank you for stopping by!

Sky to Share

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you and how is your summer going?

It's hot again this week.  I'm doing okay but most of my summer has been spent dealing with indoor and outdoor renovations. Not the kind of thing I want to be doing at the best of times. Hopefully this will be the end of major renovations for awhile though I do have a few larger projects that need to be done in good time.

I enjoyed these skies a few days ago and wanted to share them here.
 

 I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.  Thank you for stopping by.

 

All in a Tuesday's Work

Hi dear friends and fellow bloggers,

It's still quite warm where I live.  I don't have air conditioning so I rely on fans and keeping windows open for fresh air too.  It's quite hot and stale indoors but often it's quite a bit cooler when I step outside.

I've been busy for several days washing and cleaning items in the master bedroom, trying to make sure as much dust and dirt is cleaned as possible before contents are returned on Thursday. Today I got rid of another large piece of furniture that won't be going back into the bedroom.  

One of the dresser drawers had been jammed for a long time.  I tried hard to open it without entirely damaging the drawer in case someone wants to salvage it.  It's solidly built and could be sanded and shined. I had to remove 2 panels of wood to push the drawer from the back. I'd keep it if I had more room but I'm trying to make 'breathing space' in the master bedroom. 

I decluttered 3 large pieces so far (big screen television, large stationary bike & this dresser).  I'll also be getting rid of an office chair too.  It feels good to make more space in the master bedroom. 

A few items were removed from the drawers and tossed as they are mostly old magazines that are no longer useful.

I enjoyed this Bento box after a bank run.

There were some lovely clouds in the sky to gaze upon. The following photos were taken at 9:30 p.m. but I have noticed it is getting a bit darker earlier in the evenings than a few weeks ago.  Though it's still summer, I get a bit melancholy as the summer draws closer to an end. I enjoy the fall season a lot but it doesn't last so long and then there is winter.

A pretty evening sky.

It's still quite light out at almost 9:30 p.m.

I went a bit further afield for veggies and fruits on Friday.

Pretty in purpose but I don't know what it is.

Another purple flower that I don't recognize.

Tomorrow is already Wednesday. I'm hoping to paint inside the master bedroom closets. The contractor was quite lazy and refused to do an iota of work beyond strict parameters of insurance restoration claims.  He wouldn't even leave me the paint to do it myself but when I told him that's what others have done he reluctantly left me a bit of paint so my task will be a touch up only which is fine since it's expected to be very hot tomorrow.

First Skywatch in August and a Bit of a Catch Up

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all fine and enjoying summer. After several days of rain we had quite a hot day today. Every day for two weeks, various contractors have been coming to my home to do little jobs here and there to get the place move in ready. Today someone came to wash the master bedroom carpet and this should conclude the interior renovations. I've arranged for contents to be returned next week. I can't wait to get everything unpacked and back to normal.

It was a hot day but I had to get out and mail several parcels. I also had to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I snapped these photos while I was out.

Some of you might remember that the master bathroom exhaust fan died after the water leak. A new one was installed yesterday. It's quite a bit larger, much quieter and has stronger air intake.  I think I'll be having the exhaust fan in the main bathroom changed to the same as the new one, a Panasonic model.

I've been on a bit of a cooking spree trying to use up a lot of what is already in the freezer and pantry. I couldn't run out every day with workers coming and going so I also ended up baking some bread which I haven't done in a long while. Thankfully it was raining heavily on the day I baked the bread so it wasn't an issue to have the oven on.

I saw these flowers by the side of the road. I thought they were cute.

When it's too hot to do much of anything, I read. I finished the crime novel, This Body of Death by Elizabeth George. I enjoyed it a lot despite the fact that I tend not to read crime novels.  

I'm now reading a few different books.  I need to hurry up and complete the book on the vagus nerve because the book is due soon and there is a wait list for it so it can't be renewed.

Are you reading any good books?  Let me know.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today. Thank you for stopping by.

Skywatch in July

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well.

I've enjoyed this past week because the temperature has been a bit cooler and the skies have been beautiful. I hope you enjoy this week's photos.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by.