Various ramblings by the small hobbit

Time to be planning stitched Christmas cards!

 

It's been hot, so I've not been walking very far.

Big Butterfly Count
I did eleven counts altogether during the main count, and have submitted a further three since these can continue until the end of the month. Butterflies I saw in the period: Small white, Speckled wood, Meadow brown, Painted lady, Red admiral, Green veined white, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Large white.

British Trust for Ornithology
Now back to recording the garden birds every week. And regularly refilling the water bowls.

30 Days Wild

This week's thefridayfive questions

1. How often do you change the sheets on your bed?
Once a week

2. If you had daily maid service, how often would you want the sheets changed?
Once a week

3. How many pillows are on your bed?
Four, two each.  

4. How many pillows do you actually sleep on?
Since J is currently in the spare room, I have two for me and two to keep my arm elevated

5. How many blankets and/or comforters and/or other bed coverings do you have on your bed?
Just the duvet at the moment.  In winter there's also a blanket underneath the bottom sheet and a throw in top.

I've seen this elsewhere, but I'm following brumeier 's example:

Find the 5 words from your birth year that perfectly describe YOUR vibe - though "words" is not quite right, "terms that entered the dictionary" is better, as many are multiple-word phrases.

My five words:

All-terrain vehicle
Anti-establishment
Fundraise
Rock and roller
Turing test

This week's thefridayfive questions:

3. Who are your three favourite book characters?
Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Dante (The Retired Assassin Guide by Naomi Kuttner)

3. What are your three favourite things to wear?
Hoodies, t-shirts, blue trousers

3. What are your three pet peeves?
Going upstairs to fetch something and forgetting why I'm up there
Not making a note of something because I'm convinced I'll remember it in three days' time (spoiler alert - I don't)
Being the only one ready at the time we agreed we'd depart

3. What are your three favourite TV shows?
Call the Midwife, Great British/Continental/Etc Railway Journeys, that's all I watch

3. What are three things you wish you could do?
Use my left arm properly
Use my left arm properly NOW
Use my left arm properly as of yesterday

It's taken me most of the month, but here's the August cross stitch.  Nearly all of it done one-handed, the last few stitches plus the wording I had some use of my left hand.

8 books, bringing my total to 56 out of 75

The Tembusu Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
Continuing the series set in Singapore, this time in 1947.  I enjoyed the convoluted mystery and the sense of period.  There's a definite sense of unease and underlying conflict going on, which all contributes to the outworkings of the crime.

Maigret's Failure by Georges Simenon
The failure occurs early on, but was perhaps inevitable.  One of the stories set in Paris, it's an interesting look at the psychologies of the different people involved.

Dead Behind the Eyes by Ian Moore
The second Juge Lombard book set in Tours in France.  Lombard is an interesting character, and not an easy person to work with.  Normally, the latter statement would put me off, but it's clear he's accepted by many of his colleagues, and his determination to solve a case involving someone deemed insignificant makes the book work for me.

My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes
British Library Women Writers book, first published in 1931.  This series is certainly an eye-opener on the views of women in the 1930s. Nevis, the first person POV of the book, comes across as very shallow and self-centred, yet I was keen to find out what happened.  A great look at society's expectations and the conflict this can cause.

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography
This book took me a while to read, but I found it gave more of an insight into her books.  It also brought home her level of privilege and how she just accepted it.

Maigret Goes to School by Georges Simenon
This time Maigret goes to a village near to La Rochelle.  From an unpromising beginning he works through the various strands which make up village life until he discovers the real murderer

The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer
The first in the Liturgical Mystery series.  Not to be taken too seriously, but entertaining and the differences between choir and minister are remarkably relatable.

Puzzles of the Parish edited by Martin Edwards
Short stories all featuring a member of the clergy in one way or the other.  A couple of the recent collections have not been as good, but this time I enjoyed most of them.

I have finished my book bingo card for this year!

As there's not been a lot to record, here's my arm in it's new splint following the operation tw0 days ago, complete with fancy foam sling:

A collage of my crafting from earlier in the month: