So, it has been a year. This day last year I began my 40-by-40 reading challenge. 12 months gone, 15 books read, another 4 or 5 begun and set aside for later. As I write I am halfway through the 16th book and number 17 is on my beside table, ready for starting in a… Continue reading 15 Down, 25 To Go
Christmas is coming. Where has the time gone? Seriously. We’re into December now. How did that happen? The days are filling up with activities, invitations and commmitments. The days that aren’t planned for fetes, markets, cake sales, pre-Christmas meetups or work trips have been allocated, by default, to planning, shopping and organising so that something… Continue reading 14 Down, 26 To Go
Now that we are into November, I feel alright about thinking about the Christmas shopping. Any earlier that this I have the feeling I am being sucked in by the commercialism or I am being overly organised. Before I go into my list of gift recommendations, let me say that I am an old-fashioned kind… Continue reading Christmas Gift Buying Guide 2016
It wouldn’t be fair to say that my reading rate has slipped lately, it is just that I have been reading other things as well as books. I have been reading blogs and magazines and library books on crafts, interiors and cookery. As a result, unterstandably, my reading of novels has suffered somewhat. Of the… Continue reading 13 Down, 27 To Go
Ever since Number One was very small, I have been on the lookout for books in Irish (gaelic) for him, and later for his younger brothers. Over the years we picked up a few here and there while on holiday in Ireland. None fit my criteria. The books I saw on sale were either too… Continue reading Toddler-Friendly Irish Books
The past month has been a good one in many ways – sunshine, holidays, day trips and meals out all featured as did making time for hobbies. Housework, social media and routines took a backseat. As a result, books were taken out more often than usual and I made a good bit of progress with… Continue reading 10 Down, 30 To Go
Summer has resumed. May gave us a good start but then June brought thunderstorms and a lot of rain for several weeks. Thankfully though,the weather has picked up. We have temperatures up into the thirties and sunshine till long after the children have gone to bed. Having done so well with my reading in during… Continue reading 6 Down, 34 To Go
It has been a while since I gave you an update on how my reading challenge has been going. I’m still not flying through books the way I used to and I have begun and rejected at least one book lately but on the whole, things are improving. Having finished – and thoroughly enjoyed –… Continue reading 5 Down, 35 To Go
Like most people, I first encountered Annabel Karmel’s books when my eldest was about to start on solids. I was hearing about her everywhere, as if you couldn’t possibly wean a baby without her. I was a bit apprehensive. My opinion on most things that are increbibly popular is “just because everyone is raving about… Continue reading Annabel Karmel’s Busy Mum’s Cookbooks – A Review
If you’ve been following my 40-By-40 Reading List journey, you will know that in the first two months of this year I managed to read only one book. It was long, but still, not a great result. The good news is that thigns have sped up, after a small setback that is. I had a little bit of… Continue reading 2 Down, 38 To Go
