Monday 29 April 2013

52 books 19

19.  The Casual Vacancy  by J.K. Rowling

A modern classic. A study of prejudice, power, futility, complacency and indifference .This is a shocking, thought provoking and tragic tale and tackles head on many current issues in a way that strips the human psyche and makes very uncomfortable reading. J.K. Rowling is a superb writer .

Saturday 20 April 2013

52 books 18

18.Call The Midwife  by Jennifer Worth


As an avid watcher of the T.V. series I wanted to read the books too.I was a child in the 1950's and 60's although my experiences growing up on a dairy farm were very different.Being a retired nurse,though never a midwife, I loved and could relate to the detailed descriptions of life as an inexperienced and often terrified midwife and nurse.The social history of the east end of London and living in a convent was brought vividly to life through the snapshots of her patients and colleagues lives.Warmth and humour,intermixed with tragedy and squalor. Shocking and harrowing at times, but to be a midwife is to share moments of great joy and at times unbearable sorrow.The life of women in the slums with little sanitation or modern conveniences, many children and overcrowding was very hard, and for men too, working long hours for little pay but there was a real sense of community . The appendix on the richness of cockney speech was very interesting too.Visual imagery is used to paint delightful pictures of exploits of the nuns especially Sister Monica Joan.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

52 books 17

17.  The fires of heaven  by Robert Jordan
Book 5 of The Wheel of Time

Still loving this series! Nine books more to read to complete this epic fantasy. This one took a long time to read. I love the way it switches between the stories of different characters each weaving their own part of the whole. It does challenge the memory if you stop reading it for too long. A shorter book for my next read I think!

Sunday 14 April 2013

Flower crafting

 easy and fun crafting for children and adults
 materials; small felt squares,Liberty hearts and leaves fabric,decorative buttons and embroidery silk and needle.
I assembled a couple of designs
My 7 year old niece had fun making her own , with new designs as below which I then sewed together.She then had fun playing with the finished flowers.Lots of creative play possibilities.

First attempt at zentangle doodling