Various ramblings by the small hobbit

It's Fall Fest at allbingo and I've gone for generic prompts

Flashlight	Shadows
Chocolate	Eerie

Lots of photos, both at home and away.

Which should really read 'Book', because having read masses last month I've only finished one this month!  I do have a number on the go at the moment, but nothing which will be finished by the end of the month.  A result of some long books, being away for a week with no time to read, and waiting for library reservations to come in.  I have read 68 out of my 75 book target, so that's still easily attainable.

A Blink of the Screen: Collected Short Fiction by Terry Pratchett
The first half is a variety of short stories, which I found okay, but I did enjoy the second half, which was a selection of short stories all set in Discworld.

After three full days in Normandy we left Caen and drove to Arnhem in the Netherlands.

Back from holiday, here's the first of my photos.  This is Ben, our guide, demonstrating the problems Easy Company had advancing into Normandy to clear the routes from the D-Day beaches, when the Germans could hide in the bocage.

There's been nothing very exciting happening this past couple of weeks, so I'm reduced to posting a photo of our new butter dish (the lid of the old one having been dropped once too often) and tje hammer I'm using for one of my physiotherapy exercises!

I'm off on holiday in a week, so I should have something more exciting to post next time.

I've written almost 8,500 words this month, bringing my annual total to 67.5K, so about on target for 100K for the year.

This includes Life in the City Spooks AU for June's allbingo Hazbin Hotel challenge, which I finally finished.

One Day Out West for whatif_au prompt challenge, which had a Western theme.  A Hobbit AU.

I've written a number of ficlets for fan_flashworks Amnesty Challenge to catch up with my total works there.

And I'm just over halfway through preparation for no_true_pair 8 character challenge to be posted next month.

Also, a badge for my blackout for whatif_au bingo card, and a banner for Winterfest in July for allbingo 

Photos of the canal this month:

11 books this month, although a number were short, and started last month.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
This was one of the books I felt I really should read.  Although it's supposed to be funny, I wasn't amused.  I disliked the heroine and found the ending very fairy tale like.

R.U.R. by Karel Capek
The book where the word 'robot' came from.  Written in 1920, it has a lot to say today about people thinking they can do as they please and being horrified at the consequences.

Apple of my Eye by Helene Hanff
Recommended by pushkin666 it's a portrait of New York from the 1970s.  I enjoyed her very personal view of the city.

A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood
The latest in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series, I had pre-ordered my copy so read it as soon as it came out - which confused Goodreads, which doesn't believe books can be published anywhere before the US.  I really enjoyed the mystery and the characters.  It's set in Worcester in 1145, with a quick trip to Gloucester :)

Maigret and the Old People by Georges Simenon
Once more I was taken by the different characters, and didn't anticipate the solution at all, although it made perfect sense.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie
A Tommy and Tuppence mystery.  I know many Christie fans like the couple, but I'm not drawn to them.

The Medici: The Golden Age of Collecting by Massimo Winspeare
I was given the book when we visited Florence.  I've looked at the pictures, but finally got round to reading the text.  I should have stuck with the pictures!  The author was really only interested in the importance of the articles collected - ignore the cost, buy the pretty.

A Telegram from Le Touquet by John Bude
I haven't been a great fan of Bude before, but I enjoyed this book and the collection of characters.  Set partly in England, partly in France, there was plenty to keep me guessing.

The Choir on Hope Street by Annie Lyons
I enjoyed seeing the different characters and how they coped with life problems, sometimes successfully sometimes disastrously.  The ending is perhaps more positive than in real life, but that's not a failing for a book, while the main characters don't have the ideal ending, it's positive, and definitely feel good.

Tea is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex
British Library Women Writers series, written in 1950.  So many characters making bad decisions because of who they are.  And yet I found it a fun read.  It revolves around creating a tea shop in an English village, which it turns out isn't as easy as it might seem.

Maigret and Monsieur Charles by Georges Simenon
The final Maigret book which still had me sucked in.

 This week's thefridayfive 

1. Who is your favourite visual artist of all time?
Probably Monet.

2. Who is your favourite vocal artist of all time?
I don't have one really. Possible contenders Freddie Mercury and Andreas Scholl.

3. Who is your favourite instrumentalist of all time?
The pianist Stephen Hough.

4. Who is your favourite culinary artist of all time?
Definitely don't have one.

5. What is your favourite historical culture of all time?
I quite fancy Vienna during Beethoven's time or Florence with the early Medicis.