The Year in Books: February 2015

It was great to join with Laura and other like minded folks in the #theyearinbooks Twitter chat last month. Laura posed some thought provoking and at times pretty tough questions and the hour flew by.
In January I finished Robert Harris's An Officer and a Spy. I found this book really interesting and loved reading it.  As I mentioned last month the book tells the story of the Dreyfus Affair. While I have not had the opportunity to fully compare the novel to the facts I understand that it largely adheres to the truth. It is a pretty shocking story including the lengths people would go to in the belief they had acted correctly and how others attempt to put things right. If you like your history novels or just fancy trying something different that I heartedly recommend An Officer and a Spy.

I have also been reading a knitting pattern book. To non knitters this will be of no interest so I will keep this brief. I was very lucky to receive Kate Davies new book Yokes (which contains 11 yoke patterns) for Christmas. The first half of the book explores the background and origins of the circular yoke. I found it a fascinating read and learnt so much about the yoke design and the stories of those who designed, made and wore them.

My February read is Grayson Perry's Playing in the Gallery. It is not quite a year since I finished my degree so thought it was about time I started to include some non fiction into my life again! I plan to alternate between non fiction and fiction books this year to get a healthy balance.

Marmalade Making

Last week I decided that I would make a batch of marmalade!  Not sure why I came to this decision, my track record for jams and chutneys isn't great.  

So while doing the weekly shop last week a bag of seville oranges ended up in the trolley. The following day I set to work squeezing the oranges and chopping them up ready for their overnight soak.  I totally underestimated how long and how difficult it would be to thinly slice a kilo of oranges.  I tea break was called half way through.  

I used the marmalade recipe from River Cottage Handbook Preserves using their Sliced Fruit method.  Like the River Cottage Bread book there are lots of helpful tips to guide jam and chutney novices like myself along the way.

I have to say it was a total success!!!  I had a few problems reaching the setting point but that was down to me not using a big enough gas ring (I was being cautious following an indent with burnt apricot jam a few years ago!). 

It got the seal of approval the following day from Mr D!

Woolly News: January 2015

I have just realised that I never posted a woolly news for December.  Not sure why as I had a very special woolly delivery to shout about! 

In December my resistance to a very special yarn club failed.  After months of being strong, I signed up to The Golden Skein Power of Three Club for (Q4 2014, Q1 and Q2 2015).  The skeins are all one off exclusives to The Golden Skein and the inspiration for the colourways comes from a quarterly photo.  Quarter 4's photo was of a firework display named Celebration. My shiny gold parcel arrived when I was ill and laying on the settee. This is what was inside:

 I sat next to them on the settee for several days stroking and admiring them!!!  The next quarter is due in March - I am already counting down the days.  The inspiration photo for Q1 is of Peacock butterflies (really, really excited about this one as Peacock was my maiden name).  I have not signed up Q3 and Q4 as there is a new club coming (information on their website) which only used British fibre and British dyers which I would love to subscribe to.  

Rosthwaite socks matching my beer and cake at Social Knitwork

I knitted a few christmas presents including Barley hats for my nieces and nephew.  I also finished the first sock for Mr D.  Things went a bit astray just before Christmas as KAL fever took hold. Within two days I had cast on Rosthwaite Socks by Louise Tilbrook and in celebration of The Golden Skein's 1st birthday, the Kunye shawl by Clare Devine.  I am still working on these two at the moment on top of my other WIP's (including my Vivid baby blanket for our new niece due to the end of the month!).  There are so many great KAL's happening at the moment and I want to join them all!

Are you joining in with any KAL's at the moment?  What have you been knitting or crocheting?  

The Year in Books: January 2015

Just a quick update.   I decided to give up on The Lives of Others which I began in November.  Instead I have started a book I have been meaning to read for a while (borrowed from my father in law months ago).  That book is An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris.  Even after reading a few pages I could tell that I would enjoy it, unlike my previous selection!  I started An Officer and a Spy a few days after I posted my December The Year in Books.  I am just over half way through. 

The story is based on the Dreyfus Affair which took place in France towards the end of the 19th century.  Alfred Dreyfus was accused and convicted in 1895 of passing French military secrets to the Germans.  I have not looked into the facts but I understand that the majority of the book is based on the events which took place. 

I was really happy to read that Laura was going to continue The Year in Books in 2015.  I have really enjoyed reading what other people were reading in the second half of 2014.  It was also interesting to compare what others thought of books I had previously read.  

Brimham Rocks

A belated Happy New Year to you all!  New Years Day seems a distant memory!  I hope whatever you got up to during the break was relaxing and enjoyable.  

We always try and get out between Christmas and New Year.   This time we headed to Brimham Rocks near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.  I had never been before but Mr D has suggested going on more than one occasion.  When it was mentioned again with the addition of how dog friendly it was, a date was set.

Brimham Rocks is a fairly accessible place with a path going through some of the rock formations to the visitor centre (unfortunately closed on our visit).  After that there are tracks to some of the outlying rocks.  There was still snow on the ground which meant that both ourselves and Fizz remained fairly mud free.  We walked around, throwing snowballs for Fizz, before heading to one of the outer formations to escape the many families who were also taking advantage of the bright day.  

After a couple of hours exploring we headed back into Harrogate where Mr D treated me to a Morrisons cafe lunch. He knows how to treat a girl!


p.s. We seem to have lost our camera charger between leaving our holiday cottage on the Isle of Lewis and home.  These and subsequent posts are using photos from our phones until a new charger is purchased!

The Year in Books: December

It is a bit of a thin post compared to what others have read this month in The Year in Books hosted by Laura.  I finished Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep South while on holiday last month but then got stuck with the book I choose to read next.  

First though I cannot give enough praise to The Narrow Road to the Deep South.  It might sound odd for a book about an unpleasant period in history but I really enjoyed it.  The story was well written with a small amount of humour to lift an otherwise bleak subject.  Nothing was held back however, when describing the conditions of life as a prisoner of war.  Some of these were pretty horrific to be honest.  

I presumed the whole book would have been set in the prisoner of war camp but instead the story is only partially set there.  I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others.

I then started to read Neel Mukherjee's The Lives of Others.  This is where everything ground to a halt!  I just can't get into this book but hate giving up on a book.  I have read eighty pages despite starting the book over a month ago.  Has anyone else read it?  Is it worth struggling on with?  

My best friend wrote about not reading books you are not enjoying and I just wish I could make the decision without feeling guilty and move onto something else!

Until I decide what to do about The Lives of Others I have been reading Enid Blyton's The Enchanted Wood  and reliving my childhood!!

Santa Paws

Christmas is fast approaching and I am really struggling to find my Christmas mojo this year. I've not baked a cake and it is only in the last few days that I have started my Christmas shopping!  

Since returning from the Isle of Lewis I have been full of cold.  I now feel like I have a mild dose of flu!  On top of that our boiler has not worked since returning home.  Luckily we have a wood burning stove in the lounge so we have some form of heat.   It does mean no running hot water.  So I am not able to have a hot streamy bath which I am sure would help my chest!  Hopefully by the end of this week (keeping everything crossed) we should be back up and running. 

One thing we always do in December is visit Santa Paws at Dogs Trust Leeds.  This is the

rehoming centre we got Fizz from over six years ago.  They do a great job and will never put a healthy dog to sleep.  For a small fee Fizz gets to have her photo taken with Santa and receives a present to take home.  Its always entertaining as Fizz does not trust Santa and would prefer to sit and face him rather than sit and pose for the camera!  Sunday was no exception!  We all had to visit Santa in his grotto and have our photo taken!  It is always nice going back as some of the staff, who have worked there a while, remember the very skinny but excitable stray they took in and named Fizz.  

I hope your preparations are going well and that you are managing to avoid all the bugs that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment!