John Simpson - Back to the Normal Reads No 3

Please come and post a comment here, everyone welcome.

Hello everyone, this is my Ninth year being part of this wonderful group. I am John, 57years old and married to Karen for 36 years and counting. We have two lovely children, Rob and Amy. Rob lives with his Fiancee Louise, daughter Hannah who will be 10 in February. Amy married Andy in 2015 and they now have a cat called Combie and a first child due at the end of April.

Please come along and leave a message and let's see what fun we have.

I love books and currently have just over 2,650 books on my shelves and this doesn't include my Cricket collection which stands at about 430 books. While reading I do enjoy the odd pot or two of tea.

CURRENTLY READING

I just love Big Books, these are my 1000+page reads so far with more to add.

1.Shogun by James Clavell, 1243 pgs
2.Gai-Jin by James Clavell, 1578 pgs
3.Noble House by James Clavell, 1435 pgs
4.War & Remembrance by Herman Wouk, 1171 pgs
5.Whirlwind by James Clavell, 1343 pgs
6.Centennial by James A. Michener 1100 pgs
7.The Covenant by James A. Michener, 1080 pgs
8.Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, 1344 pgs
9.Homeland by John Jakes, 1138 pgs
10.Russka by Edward Rutherfurd, 1007 pgs
11.A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, 1474 pgs
12.Love and War by John Jakes, 1019 pgs
13.Texas by James A. Michener, 1508 pgs
14.My Life by Bill Clinton, 1000 pgs
15.Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine, 1086 pgs
16.Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, 1059 pgs
17.The Journeyer by Gary Jennings, 1219 pgs
18.Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton, 1144 pgs
19.Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton, 1235 pgs
20.Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon, 1185 pgs
21.Wicked by Jilly Cooper, 1007 pgs
22.The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, 1412 pgs
23.London by Edward Rutherfurd, 1299 pgs
24.The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 1076 pgs
25.A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, 1391 pgs
26.World Without End by Ken Follett, 1111 pgs
27.Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, 1,015 pgs
28.The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, 1,056 pgs
29.An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, 1,065 pgs
30.New York by Edward Rutherfurd, 1017 pgs
31.Hawaii by James A.Michener, 1130 pgs
32.The Company by Robert Littell, 1281 pgs
33.The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F.Hamilton, 1225 pgs
34.Spangle by Gary Jennings, 1276 pgs
35.Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1024 pgs
36.Alaska by James A. Michener, 1073 pgs.
37.Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson, 1180 pgs.
38.Chesapeake by James A. Michener, 1132 pgs
39. 4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster, 1070 pgs.
40. The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch, 1156 pgs.
41. The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton, 1259 pgs.
42. The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton, 1244 pgs.
43. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, 1104 pgs.
44. The Source by James A. Michener, 1032 pgs.
45. Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon, 1220 pgs.
46. The Stand by Stephen King, 1325 pgs.
47. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, 1006 pgs.
48. Harlot's Ghost by Norman Mailer, 1401 pgs.

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY BY JOHN

1. Heavenly Dates and Other Flirtations by Alexander McCall Smith, PB - 200 pages.
2. The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich, PB - 249 pages.
3. The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman, PB - 275 pages.
4. Juror No.3 by James Patterson, PB - 331 pages.
5. Following On by Emma John, PB - 257 pages. Non-Fiction
6. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, HB - 377 pages.
7. The Strange Disappearance of the Bollywood Star by Vaseem Khan, PB - 356 pages.
8. Agatha Raisin and the Witches' Tree by M.C. Beaton, PB - 232 pages.

BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY BY JOHN

9. The Store by James Patterson, PB - 322 pages.
10. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child, PB - 522 pages.
11. The Wandering Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford, PB - 169 pages.
12. Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters, PB - 294 pages.
13. The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri, PB - 228 pages.
14. Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer, PB - 322 pages.
15. Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer by M. C. Beaton, PB - 233 pages.
16. Resort to Murder by T.P. Fielden, PB - 310 pages.

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY BY KAREN
1. A Good Heart is Hard to Find by Trisha Ashley, PB. 4.5 Stars
2. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, HB. 5 Stars
3. Seven Kinds of People you find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell, HB. 4 Stars
4. My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith, PB. 4 Stars
5. Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, HB. 4 Stars

BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY BY KAREN

6. Things we left Unsaid by Emma Kennedy, PB. 5 Stars +
7. To the Land of Lost Friends by Alexander McCall Smith, PB. 4 Stars
8. The Wandering Wombles by Elizabeth Beresford, PB. 4 Stars
9. Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher, PB. 4 Stars
10. Death in a Tunnel by Miles Barton, PB. 3.5 Stars
11. The Haunted Season by G. M. Malliet, PB. 5 Stars +
12. Devils Breath by G. M. Malliet, PB. 3.5 Stars
13. Hormones, Hexes and Exes by J. C. Blake, PB. 3.5 Stars

BOOKS READ IN MARCH BY JOHN

17. Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley, PB - 402 pages.
18. 18th Abduction by James Patterson, PB - 381 pages.
19. I Talk Too Much - My Autobiography by Francis Rossi, HB - 306 pages. Non-Fiction
20. Nice Work (If You Can Get It) by Celia Imrie, PB - 391 pages.
21. the next person you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom, PB - 210 pages.
22. 59 Memory Lane by Celia Anderson, PB - 382 pages.
23. Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer, HB - 306 pages.

BOOKS READ IN APRIL BY JOHN

24. Agatha Raisin - Beating About The Bush by M. C. Beaton, HB - 238 pages.
25. The Firm by John Grisham, PB - 490 pages.
26. Changing Times by Jack Sheffield, PB - 334 pages.
27. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, PB - 176 pages.
28. Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley, PB - 402 pages.
29. Private Vegas by James Patterson, PB - 479 pages.
30. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich, PB - 313 pages.
31. Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich, PB - 313 pages.

BOOKS READ IN MARCH BY KAREN

14. Top of the Dale by Gervase Phinn. 5 Stars
15. Intrigue in Capri by Ashley Weaver. 3 Stars Novella on Kindle
16. Perils of Morning Coffee by Alexander McCall Smith. 4 Stars Novella on Kindle
17. Notting Hill Carnival by Candice Carty-Williams. 2 Stars Quick Reads.
18. Becoming by Michelle Obama. 5+ stars
19. Nice Work if You Can Get It by Celia Imrie. 5 Stars
20. The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell. 4 Stars

BOOKS READ IN APRIL BY KAREN

21. A Nice Cup of Tea by Celia Imrie. 4 Stars
22. Finding Love at Hedgerow Hollow by Jessica Redland. 4 Stars.
23. Bill Mitchell's Yorkshire Compiled by David Mitchell. 3 Stars.
24. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. 3 Stars.
25. Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley.

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN MAY

32. Damaged by Martina Cole, PB - 410 pages.
33. Date with Danger by Julia Chapman, PB - 419 pages.
34. A Perfect Stranger by Danielle Steel, PB - 278 pages.
35. A Nice Cup of Tea by Celia Imrie, PB - 380 pages.
36. Murder Games by James Patterson, PB - 340 pages.
37. The Colours of all the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith, HB - 230 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN MAY

26. Absolute Pandemonium by Brian Blessed, HB 4.5 stars
27. The Death Box by Lorna Michel Morgan, PB 4 stars
28. I Talk Too Much, An Autobiography by Francis Rossi, HB 5 stars
29. Death by Fancy Dress by Antony Gilbert, PB 4.5 stars
30. Rules by Jenny Colgan, PB 4.5 stars

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN JUNE

38. A Quarter Past Dead by T P Fielden, PB - 309 pages.
39. Crossings by Danielle Steel, PB - 406 pages.
40. The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen, PB - 443 pages.
41. Buried by Mark Billingham, PB - 498 pages.
42. 19th Christmas by James Patterson, PB - 339 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN JUNE

31. A Talent For Murder by Andrew Wilson, PB 3.5 stars
32. The Beachside Guest House by Vanessa Greene, PB 5 stars
33. My Autobiography by Guy Martin, HB 3.5 stars
34. Saving the Day (Quick Reads) by Katie Fforde, PB 3 stars
35. Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley, PB 5 stars
36. A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody, PB 5 stars

BOOKS READ BY JOHN IN JULY

43. The Little Pieces of You and Me by Vanessa Greene, PB - 374 pages.
44. Death of a Macho Man by M.C. Beaton, PB - 281 pages.
45. From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell, PB - 405 pages.
46. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman, PB - 289 pages.
47. An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell, PB - 410 pages.
48. Dark Blood by Stuart Macbride, PB - 493 pages.

BOOKS READ BY KAREN IN JULY

37. The House on Bellevue Gardens by Rachel Hore, HB 5 stars
38. The Tyler Mystery by Francis Durbridge, PB 4 stars
39. Practice Makes Perfect by Penny Parkes, PB 4 stars
40. A Dangerous Engagement by Ashley Weaver, PB 5 stars

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2021

JANUARY

1. 1st Case by James Patterson, PB.
2. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Childs, PB.
3. A Cricketer and a Gentleman by Bob Willis, HB.
4. Seven Kinds of People You Find In Bookshops by Shaun Bythell, HB.
5. Hawk by James Patterson, PB.

FEBRUARY

6. Lessons by Jenny Colgan, PB.
7. 20th Victim by James Patterson, PB.
8. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, PB.
9. Hormones, Hexes & Exes by J.C. Blake, PB.
10. Inspector Singh investigates : A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint, PB.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2021

MARCH

11. Becoming by Michelle Obama, PB.
12. The Moroccan Daughter by Deborah Rodriguez, PB.

APRIL

13. Private Moscow by James Patterson, PB.
14. ME by Elton John, PB.
15. Caedmon's Song by Peter Robinson, PB.
16. The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen, PB.
17. Date with Deceit by Julia Chapman, PB.
18. Camino Winds by John Grisham, PB.
19. Playfair Cricket Annual 2021 ed by Ian Marshall, PB.
20. Playfair Cricket World Cup Guide (1996) ed by Bill Frindall, PB.
21. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2021 ed by Lawrence Booth, HB.
22. The Battle of the Bulge - Britain's Untold Story by Charles Whiting, PB.
23. The Death Box by Lorna Nicholl Morgan, PB.

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2021

MAY

24. Letters From the Past by Erica James, PB.
25. The Garden of Forgotten Wishes by Trisha Ashley, PB.
26. Vagabond by Gerald Seymour, PB.
27. Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman, PB.
28. The Stranger by Camilla Lackberg, PB.
29. So Lucky by Dawn O'Porter, PB.
30. The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah, PB.
31. The Wombles at Work by Elisabeth Beresford, PB.
32. The Wombles by Elisabeth Beresford, PB.
33. The Wood Beyond by Reginald Hill, PB.
34. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths, PB.
35. Bloodline by Mark Billingham, PB.
36. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child, PB.
37. Stalker by Gemma Rogers, PB.
38. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty, PB.
39. The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, PB.
40. A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson, PB.
41. A Different Kind of Evil by Andrew Wilson, PB.
42. Where we Belong by Anstey Harris, PB.

JUNE

43. Lockdown by Peter May, PB.
44. The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn, PB.
45. Midnight at Malabar House by Vaseem Khan, PB.
46. The Village Green Bookshop by Rachael Lucas, PB.
47. and now you're back by Jill Mansell, PB.
48. A Country Escape by Katie Fforde, PB.
49. Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell, PB.
50. A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde, PB.
51. Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith, PB.
52. NYPD Red 6 by James Patterson, PB.
53. Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell, PB.
54. It Started with a Secret by Jill Mansell, PB.
55. Meet me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell, PB.
56. Maybe This Time by Jill Mansell, PB.
57. This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell, PB.

JULY

58. The Geometry of Holding Hands by Alexander McCall Smith, PB.
59. Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce, PB.
60. Death and The Brewery Queen by Frances Brody, PB.
61. Bad Love by Jonathan Kellerman, PB.
62. Silent Partner by Jonathan Kellerman, PB.
63. Devil's Waltz by Jonathan Kellerman, PB.
64. Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik, PB.
65. The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina, PB.
66. The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs, PB.
67. A Time for Mercy by John Grisham, PB.
68. Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Alliott, PB.
69. The Shadow by James Patterson, PB.
70. Deadly Cross by James Patterson, PB.
71. A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree by Shamini Flint, PB.
72. A Frightfully English Execution by Shamini Flint, PB.
73. A Calamitous Chinese Killing by Shamini Flint, PB.
74. The Dress by Jane L. Rosen, PB.
75. A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley, PB.
76. Target Alex Cross by James Patterson, PB.
77. Simple Genius by David Baldacci, PB.

APRIL'S READING STATS

Books Read...................... 8

No of Authors.................... 7

New Authors...................... 1

Male Authors..................... 4

Female Authors.................. 3

Pages Read....................... 2,745

Daily Avg........................... 91.50

Book Length avg................. 343.13

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1-4-2021 - 2669
Books added in April - 7
Books read in April - 8

Revised book total - 2668

Pages to read at 1-4-2021- 1,101,871
Pages added in April - 2,540
Pages read in April - 2,745

Revised total pages to read - 1,101,666

The next one is yours

Happy new thread, John!

I came to see if there was any news about Amy, and found a shiny new thread :-)

Hi Anita my dear, you are the first visitor to thread number three, congratulations. As yet there is still no news on the baby front, we are all still waiting patiently and some of us are convinced it is a boy, a girl couldn't be this awkward,lol.

Happy new thread!

Just checking, too. >16 johnsimpson: And yes, they can!

>17 quondame: Hi Susan my dear, we will find out hopefully soon, lol.

Happy new thread! Hopefully the baby will decide to appear soon!

Happy New Thread, John!

Happy new one, John.

This will be the one where, we are sure, John and Karen will once again be proud grandparents.

HAppy new one!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, John. I have to visit your thread regularly to see if you are a new grandfather again!

>19 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, thank you and hopefully we will have news soon.

>20 SandDune:, Thanks Rhian my dear.

>21 PaulCranswick:, Thanks Paul mate, the baby will arrive before this thread ends, hopefully within the next few days.

>22 figsfromthistle:, Thanks Anita my dear.

>23 drneutron:, Thanks Jim mate.

>24 connie53:, Thanks Connie my dear, still no news but hopefully a baby will appear within the next few days.

Happy new thread, John. I was also checking to see if there was any baby news, of course.

No baby yet? I hope you'r all right and Karen is too.

>27 Familyhistorian:, >28 connie53:, still no news dear ladies, it is obviously comfy where it is and is not ready to relinquish the nice warm space it is in.

Finished book 32 this morning, Damaged by Martina Cole, PB - 410 pages.

30-4-21 to 3-5-21

Happy new thread, John! Still waiting for the new arrival? All in it's own good time, of course.

Oh, the suspense!

I see from FB that congratulations are in order :)

*BREAKING NEWS*

Elliott Robert Welch arrived at 8.11 am weighing 8lb 4oz, mother and child are doing well.

We got a call at 1.30 am from Amy to say her waters had broken, after chatting with Karen she rang the triage at the maternity unit and then rang us back to ask us to come over. We arrived just after 2.30 am and shortly after i took Amy and Andy to York maternity unit.

After a few checks it turned out that the little fella had turned himself around and he was in the breech position and it looked like Amy would have to have a C-Section. I made my way back to their house and Karen and we waited.

Andy informed us that Amy did have to have a C-Section and they went to theatre at 7.49 am and he entered the world at 8.11 am. Both Karen and i are over the moon with our new addition to the family.

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Congrats!

>34 johnsimpson: Welcome to the world Elliot Robert Welch, congratulations to all!

>31 EllaTim:, >32 connie53: Dear ladies i have posted about our new arrival, Elliott Robert Welch and done photos.

>33 lunacat:, Thanks Jenny my dear.

>35 drneutron:, Thanks Jim, mate.

>36 FAMeulstee:, Thank you Anita my dear, he is gorgeous and we are both very tired.

>34 johnsimpson: Thank you for the beautiful photos of young Elliot Robert Welch!

And welcome to the world of C-sectioners - aside from the manageable pain,
lifting that little 8 pounder from side to side might offer a challenge.

Congratulations to ALL, notably that brave Mom.

>41 m.belljackson:, Thanks Marianne my dear, we can't wait to have our first cuddle with him, hopefully tomorrow or if not definitely on Thursday.

>34 johnsimpson: What wonderful news! Congratulations to you, Karen, Amy and Andy! Yay, Elliott Robert Welch! May he be another reader in your family!

>43 quondame:, Thanks Susan my dear, i am sure he will be a reader with the amount of books that we have and that Amy has and with Andy being the writer in the family, i think we have all bases covered.

Congratulations to all, John!

>45 jessibud2:, Thank you Shelley my dear.

Congrats!

>47 figsfromthistle:, Thanks Anita my dear.

Congrats to you and Karen (and Amy, of course - ha!)!! He's gorgeous!

>49 scaifea:, Thanks Amber my dear, we can't wait for our first cuddle with him.

Congratulations to Gran and Granpa!

Good news that the little fellow and mum are doing well - he is a cutie.

That is lovely news...on my walk this morning I was wondering how things were going :)

Wonderful news, welcome Elliot Robert Welch, and brava to Amy. I had a C-section with Jenna almost 28 years ago and it was nothing compared to the joy of having a new baby.

Sending love and hugs to you all.

I've seen you post the news on a couple of threads, John, so just swinging by to say congrats to the family and welcome to the world, Elliot Robert!

Congrats, John & Karen! Hope Amy & baby are doing well, and grandparents are catching up on their sleep.

Ohh, great news, what a way to wake up. Congrats to granddad and grandma, to the new mom and dad.

Congratulations on your newly arrived grandson! I'm sure all of you can't wait to cuddle him. I won't mention the diaper-changing part.

>51 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, Mother and Son are home now and we have both had cuddles, we have left the family unit in peace now to get to know each other.

>52 LovingLit:, Thanks Megan my dear, Mother and Son are now home and we have both had cuddles.

>53 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, Mother and Son are now home and we have both had cuddles, he is gorgeous. Amy feels quite well although a bit sore and she has to give herself some injections for the next ten days.

>54 bell7:, Hi Mary my dear, Mother and Son are now at home and we have both had cuddles.

>55 kac522:, Hi Kathy my dear, Mother and Son are now home and we have both had cuddles, we got a decent nights sleep last night but still feel a little tired.

>56 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, thank you for the greeting, Mother and Son are now home and we have both had cuddles.

>57 thornton37814: Hi Lori my dear, Mother and Son are now home and we have both had cuddles, they have both done Nappy (Diaper) changes so they know what has to come, lol.

>60 johnsimpson: I forget you all use a different term for that in the UK than we do here in the United States. I know what it is when I read it, but it's just not one I automatically remember.

Hi John!

Ah, the joys of nappies, and night-time feedings, and all the glorious things that go along with children. I'm glad you got cuddles, glad that Amy, Andy, and Elliot are forging the family unit.

I'm so happy for all of you! Sending love and hugs.

>61 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, it is amazing how many things have a different name in the US/UK, i have posted a number of things that have confused my friends on here but the worst ones for you and the rest of my US friends are the Yorkshire names i have occasionally used. I sometimes forget who reads my post when i am writing them and then get a reply and have to explain what i meant.

>62 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, they had the joys of nappies and night-time feeding last night and all seemed to go well. To say he is 8lb 4oz he does feel tiny in my arms, Rob was 7lb 15oz and Amy was 9lb 5oz and neither seemed to be as tiny or else i am forgetting after all this time.

It was lovely to get a good cuddle and he seemed to be so settled with me, i was talking to him all the time in a low voice and he was constantly trying to get his eyes open and look around. Like Hannah, he has melted my heart and i am looking forward to having him in my arms again but i will be in the queue behind Karen, lol.

Sending love and hugs to you all my dear friend.

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>65 johnsimpson: Aww! He's got a lot of growing to do!

>65 johnsimpson: Proud grandparents :-)

Congratulations John! And to the whole family of course.
Those cuddles are going well, judging from the picture!

Lovely pictures, John!

Thanks for the pictures of you and Eliot. It is great to see both you and Karen with grandbaby!

>66 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, the young man certainly has some growing to do.

>67 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, very proud Grandparents.

>68 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, thank you, the cuddles are going well, we both love to have him in our arms and Mum and Dad are doing well getting used to a new family member.

>69 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, i had to post some pictures of the young man, very proud Grandparents and proud of Amy and Andy.

>70 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita my dear, glad you liked the pictures, we both love cuddling him, he is eatable.

Finished book 33 yesterday morning, Date with Danger by Julia Chapman, PB - 419 pages.

3-5-21 to 7-5-21

With most of cricket rained off, John, I guess you got to spend more time as a grandpa!

Gloucestershire continue to impress and Bracey and Higgins in particular must be knocking on the door of selection. Wouldn't it be good to see Silverwood experiment and go with form against NZ in the first test:
Lyth, Hameed, Bracey, Root, Critchley, Pope, Higgins, Robinson, Overton, Stone, Parkinson

Hi John! and

>74 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul mate, i had to concentrate on the football with no cricket to listen to or check on the BBC Sport app. We saw Elliott on Friday for a couple of hours, we are trying to limit our visits so that we don't over crowd them but of course Amy and Karen talk most days.

With the performances over the first five fixtures i would implore Silverwood to have a look at the players who have performed well over this time. Without showing any disrespect to New Zealand, i think it would set out a marker that Championship performances are being watched and rewarded.

>75 richardderus:, Thanks Richard, dear friend.

Finished book 34 this morning, A Perfect Stranger by Danielle Steel, PB - 278 pages.

7-5-21 to 10-5-21

Hi, John. Just stopping by to congratulate you on the arrival of Robert Elliot!

>79 jnwelch:, Thanks Joe, mate, young Master Elliott Robert is another Welch to add to the UK crew.

Hi John! Just doing my LT rounds. Happy Sunday to the family, all of them!

Just catching up - the pics of Elliott Robert are great!

>81 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, thank you.

>82 drneutron:, Thanks Jim.

The last few days have been busy and tiring but i am back on here.

Last Sunday we had all the family over for a buffet to celebrate Karen's 60th birthday, i went over to Selby to collect Amy, Andy and Elliott. We had a lovely afternoon, food was good, cakes were good and we all had a good catch-up and poor Elliott felt like pass the parcel, bless him. I took them all back home and got back in time to watch Call the Midwife.

On Monday Karen had her hair done but with a different hairdresser, she got a message on Sunday evening from Louise who normally does it to say that she had broken her knee and was she OK with Hannah doing it but at 9.30am instead of 11.30am. At first Karen thought it was a wind-up as Louise does like a joke and a wind-up, but on this occasion it was legitimate.

I dropped Karen off and then got back and did a couple of little jobs and read until it was time to pick her up. Once home we had a pot of tea and a bite to eat before Linda arrived with Karen's card and present. I made us all a drink but no realising the time had to leave mine to go and pick Hannah up from school. By the time i got back with Hannah, Linda had gone.

Hannah had some milk and some Cheese before Karen bathed her and then we all had some tea before Hannah disappeared upstairs with the tablet to play her games. We arranged to meet Rob at the supermarket to drop Hannah off as Karen needed to pick something up from her locker and Rob does the supermarket shopping on a Monday after he finishes work.

On Tuesday morning we got up and dressed before coming downstairs and making a pot of tea, got our meds and vitamins out and got breakfast ready. Once this was done we went into the living room and while we had our pot of tea, Karen opened her cards and presents. She did quite well, some lovely cards, nice presents and some cash to spend.

We had breakfast, checked we had everything and made sure Felix could get into the garage if the weather turned to heavy rain, again, and then we set off to Harrogate.

It was raining until we got to the outskirts of Leeds and then the sun came out and it was lovely for the rest of the day. We got parked up in Harrogate at about 10.25 am and made our way to Boots to pick up a few things and then we made our way to Caffe Nero for a coffee. Karen has lots of birthday messages on Facebook and she checked a few before we were done with our coffee's.

We had a wander around Harrogate calling into one or two shops before we split up for a while. I went to my usual haunt, the secondhand and antiquarian bookshop and came out with six books although i could have come out with a couple of dozen more. We met back up after i had been chatting with a young chap outside Next, it turned out he was the manager of Caffe Massarella which has a concession within the store and said if we bought a cake he would buy our drinks as it was Karen's birthday. It was very nice of him and we took him up on the offer, it was very nice and we both had a teapot for one and Karen selected some Cannoli's.

We left the Cafe and continued our wander around Harrogate, we called into a few shops before finding ourselves in Waterstones bookshop. We came out with two more books and wandered around, we still felt thirsty as it was lovely and warm and ended up in Costa Coffee for another pit stop. From here we wandered around calling in at Jespers so i could look at the Fountain Pens. We finally ended up at the Oxfam bookshop and came out with two more books.

By this time we were feeling a bit footsore and tired so made our way back to the car and put the hotel address in the satnav and made our way there. We checked in and the young Spanish girl showed us to our room, it was huge and the bed was enormous. This couldn't be the Standard room for two that we had booked, the bed was a Super King Size, we needed a megaphone to speak to each other across the gap, lol.

We had a nice couple of hours relaxing on the bed with a pot of tea or two before we got ready to go down to the restaurant for our meal. We were shown to our table which had been decorated with Happy Birthday symbols and assorted other sprinkly bits. We had our food which was fabulous, i had Lamb Shank and fresh root vegetables and mashed potato while Karen had opted for Omelette Arnold Bennett, this was enormous and there must have been a large cubed fillet of fish. It was so big that when i had cleared my plate, i finished off the rest of Karen's, luckily they gave us a nice gap before dessert was served.

We retired back to our room as we were so full, we had a drink in the room before we went to sleep. The bed was so comfortable we would have liked to take it home with us.

On Wednesday morning we had a pot of tea in bed before we got washed and dressed and then packed most things in our case before coming down for breakfast. We had a lovely breakfast, so much so that i was full for the rest of the day. When we checked out and paid for our meal we asked about our room and were told that when i booked our meal and said that it was Karen's 60th birthday, they decided to upgrade us. We love our overnight stay and will stay there again, we gave them good reviews as it was well deserved for a family run hotel, especially when the owner chatted with us on Tuesday night and said he could give Karen a dozen years and had been happily married for 50 years, we estimated he was about 72 but only looked about the same age as Karen.

We left Harrogate to make our way to York, after an hour's drive we parked up behind Clifford's Tower and then made our way into the centre of York. First stop was Costa Coffee for a pit stop before we started wandering around the shops. While Karen was in TK Maxx i went into WH Smiths and came out with a rail magazine and surprise surprise, a book. We had a nice wander around and found our way to Stonegate and the Antique store. We went in and had a good look in all the cabinets, Karen found a couple of nice brooches she liked and i spotted a nice Sheaffer No Nonsense in a lovely marbled Green which i purchased. We left the antique centre and headed to the shop that shall not be named (Harry Potter). We then went to Betty's tea shop, luckily for us there was only a small queue and after about 15 minutes we were seated and ordering our drinks. By the time we came out it looked quite dark and so we made our way to Marks & Spencer's to pick up something for tea. By the time Karen came out, the heavens had opened and it was bucketing down, we stayed inside for a while before we decided to risk going out as it had eased a bit and we made our way back to the car.

Once in the car we headed for Selby and Amy's to see her and Elliott, Andy had gone back to work that afternoon. We had about three hours with them and the tea things from M&S were cooked and we had a nice tea before we set off for home. Once home Karen had a package from her book club and so two more books were added to the list, Eleven books in two days, getting back to normality again, lol.

Yesterday we had to go into Wakefield to take some clothing items back to Next which she had picked up in Harrogate. The worst one though was the Benefit Mascara from Boots which when we got home turned out to be empty. Luckily Boots in Wakefield refunded Karen her money back as they do not stock the Benefit range, this was not what Karen expected for £22.50.

Once we were done in town we made our way to the Asda to do the bit of shopping we needed and then next door to the Aldi to get a couple of bits. We had a relaxing afternoon as we still felt tired, we put this down to the fact that we hadn't done this amount of walking about and shopping since the start of the Covid crisis.

Today we had a pot of tea in bed before getting up and having breakfast and then i popped into Wakefield to do the banking and to pick up a large picture frame so Karen can display her collection of brooches, the first frame is very full and needs to be thinned out a bit.

All in all Karen has had a good week off for her birthday and thanks everyone for their birthday messages.

Finished book 35 late on Sunday night, A Nice Cup of Tea by Celia Imrie, PB - 380 pages.

10-5-21 to 16-5-21

You've had lots going on there since I last visited. Congratulations on the new addition to the family. Little Elliott sounds like a patient lad putting up with you lot passing him around like a parcel!

A happy belated birthday to Karen. It sounds like you had a nice trip to Harrogate as part of the celebration.

I'm behind on my reading of threads. Glad to see you all celebrated Karen's birthday with a short trip. I hope you enjoyed several "nice cups of tea" as you read the book. I'm reading a couple and listening to one book--all started this weekend. I need to decide which religious book I'll incorporate into my reading next, and it will be thrown into the mix. The audio book is a cozy mystery. The print fiction is an Icelandic mystery so it has a darker edge. The history book is about 9 women Holocaust survivors. Quite a varied lot! I need to read a classic mystery for the MysteryKIT before month's end. I set out a Francis Breeding one to read.

John--Once again, congrats on adding Elliott to the family!! Not that you did any of the work, LOL. And happy belated birthday to Karen.

>87 johnsimpson: A very appropriate book for you, dear sir. : )

A few more photos of Elliott, nice one with Grandma and another with Grandad and Uncle Robert.

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>91 johnsimpson: That Elliott looks ready to take on the world!

Aw, look at him! Such a sweet little thing!

>91 johnsimpson: So sweet, little Elliott with his grandparents. But the most adorable is the picture with the green (elf?) hat.

Hi John.

Thanks for sharing new pictures. He's adorable, but you already know that.

Sending love and hugs, and skritches for Felix the Cat.

Finished book 36 on Monday afternoon, Murder Games by James Patterson, PB - 340 pages.

16-5-21 to 24-5-21

Finished book 37 last night, The Colours of all the Cattle by Alexander McCall Smith, HB- 230 pages.

24-5-21 to 27-5-21

>92 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, he does look like he wants to take on the world, lol.

>93 scaifea:, Hi Amber my dear, he is so cute even though i am biased, lol.

>94 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, we love cuddling him and will be seeing him on Sunday, he does look so cute in his hat which was knitted by Catherine, our neighbour. She knows that Andy is a big Star Wars fan so she knitted Elliott a Yoda hat.

>95 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, he is so adorable even though i am biased and i am glad you liked the photos. These were all taken when they all came over for afternoon tea for Karen's birthday on the Sunday before the Tuesday of her birthday.

Beautiful pics of the grandkid!

>99 johnsimpson: You may be biased but you're also not wrong: he is *adorable*!

>91 johnsimpson: Lovely pictures John.

Your grandson looks adorable in that Yoda hat! So sweet.

Have a nice Sunday, John.

So glad I made time for threads today: your grandson is just adorable! So happy for your and your family and sending love and best wishes to you all! He has come into a world of love!

This weekend was Memorial Day in the U.S. and the day families visit cemeteries and clear and clean grave sites. My grandmother called Memorial Day "Decoration Day" because that was the designated day to clear and clean family grave plots of the dead grass and other plants that had accumulated over the winter. Our local cemetery is out in the country and the sunsets that are visible from there are spectacular.

Our family finally got to have the funeral for my Aunt. She died in October from COVID and this was our first chance to gather and have a funeral. It was a cold rainy weekend but there were cousins from hundreds of miles around at the service and burial.

I am starting to do my laundry to be ready for my return trip to Alabama. I will leave Kansas on Saturday and hope that my mother does well by herself for the next two weeks. When I return we will evaluate our in-home services and see what needs to be changed or upgraded at that time. We want to keep her in her house for as long as possible.

I have gotten some reading done while her and have worked some hours every day. Friends in Alabama have told me that my plants are in bad shape back in Alabama. I knew that I was likely to loose some of them because I wasn't there to care for them, however, I hope that the damage isn't as bad as what my friend has said. If it is, my patio is going to be a visibly diminished spot.

>102 drneutron:, Thanks Jim.

>103 scaifea:, Hi Amber my dear, he is an adorable little boy.

>104 SandDune:, Thanks Rhian my dear.

>105 EllaTim:, Hi Ella my dear, he did look lovely in his Yoda hat.

>106 witchyrichy:, Hi Karen my dear, he is a lovely little boy and he is definitely in a world of love.

MAY'S READING STATS

Books Read...................... 6

No of Authors.................... 6

New Authors...................... 0

Male Authors..................... 2

Female Authors.................. 4

Pages Read....................... 2,057

Daily Avg........................... 66.35

Book Length avg................. 342.83

Latest reading stats:

Books on shelves at 1--52021 - 2668
Books added in May - 19
Books read in May - 6

Revised book total - 2681

Pages to read at 1-5-2021- 1,101,666
Pages added in May - 7,296
Pages read in May - 2,057

Revised total pages to read - 1,106,905

The last few days have been glorious with temperatures since Saturday starting at 22C and gradually rising to a high of 26C today. I have been spending plenty of time in the garden soil sifting and am nearly finished and should be able to start putting down the first lot of footings down for the raised garden beds.

On Sunday we went over to see Amy and Elliott as poor Andy was working from 7am until 5pm. After a pot of tea Amy put Elliott in the pram and we had a wander into Selby, more for just a nice walk in the sun rather than anything else. We called into the Costa Coffee for a drink and so that Amy could feed Elliott before we went wandering again.

We had a nice afternoon and Andy got home for 4.45pm and Karen put the Chicken in the oven and got the vegetables ready. we had a nice Sunday late lunch and Andy was doting on his little boy. We left them just before 7pm and made our way home.

Just saw Root get out to the first ball this morning and I must admit I really do despair with regards to our "Selector", Silverwood. I thought he would have more common sense. I know he was a seamer but you should not go into a test match without a spinner and you cannot ignore form and fitness in making your selections.

Sibley I said he wasn't fit and he bags another duck
Crawley really isn't up to this level. Take away that giant score against a bang average Pakistan attack and he barely averages 20 and averages 20 this year. How does he get picked.

Disappointed by and for Ollie Robinson too and I am a lttle despondent about our cancel culture at present. As a teenager he makes a sexist and a racist tweet - why the need to bring it up on the day he makes his test debut? He apologised unreservedly and by all accounts he is not the silly errant youth that he was. Are we to be crucified for the mistakes of your youth until our last breath? He should and by all accounts is ashamed of his tweets and when are people longing for the public eye going to be more sensible about what they put out there?

Nice to see the photos of the little 'un and the proud grandparents.

>113 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, disappointing that Root got out first ball of the day but then it showed up the frailties of our batting. Pope is good but wants to dominate from the start instead of getting his eye in and then showing off his talent, Lawrence got out to a poor shot and i thought Bracey was a little unlucky, Southee is a good bowler and he showed it today.

Robinson has had a good Test so far and i think he will go far, it was so wrong to bring up his misdeed on the day of his debut, he apologised and said he needs to re-educate himself BUT folks should be careful what they put on social media as it has a nasty habit of coming out and biting you on the bum when you least expect it.

Glad you liked the photos mate of the little fella, he has been a bit of a devil to mum and dad this week but it's all a learning curve for them.

Hope all is well at Chez Cranswick mate, sending love and hugs to you all from both of us mate.

Finished book 38 on Thursday, A Quarter Past Dead by T P Fielden, PB - 309 Pages.

27-5-21 to 3-6-21

With the weather being so glorious this week, i have spent quite a bit of time in the garden getting the soil sifted where the veg garden is going to be. I have caught up quite a bit of the time i lost in May due to the bad weather and should be able to start putting the first footings down midweek. All of this has had a knock on effect with my reading but that is getting back on track now.

Amy, Andy and Elliott came over on Thursday as Amy had a hair appointment, Karen went with her and Elliott and then they went to the Asda to show him off. Andy was looking very tired and we had a brief chat and then i let him have a nap, bless him. He has been working some long shifts and trying to help Amy out with Elliott and it is taking its toil, sadly Elliott has colic still and has been keeping them awake at night. It will pass, he is only four and a half weeks old and things will get better, he doesn't like a bottle or we could have him over to give them a good nights rest but that will change.

Congratulations John and Karen, with the arrival of Elliott xx

Slight downturns in reading often correspond to arrivals such as Elliott! Enjoy your time with him.

My goodness John, Joe Root is an absolutely awful Captain. Far too formulaic, ridiculously relying on himself as the spinner and he doesn't have the good sense to tinker or adjust his batting line up t see if it improves things. Why couldn't he move up Bracey boldly to play where he is most effecting and drop Crawley to five and move Pope who bats well with the tailenders to seven. He is truly hopeless.

The treatment of some of his players as he tries to be a PR politically correct captain is abhorrent frankly. I'm a muslim and what Robinson said about muslims was not nice although given that he was 18 and it was at the peak of Al-Qaeda fears I think as a peace loving muslim I can forgive his comment. His so called sexist comments were juvenile at worst and nothing worth reporting to be honest. So he gets banned while they investigate (what is there to investigate?) whilst Morgan, Buttler and Anderson also now accused of offensive "historical" tweets are - being more established - left alone. It stinks and politics should be taken out of sport. Top cricketers really should have the good sense or be told not to maintain social media accounts in future as part of their central contracts. Whoever is creating an agenda and a story by digging into the detritus of young peoples tweets should be cancelled not those they are seeking to shame.

Silverwood is also a disaster as Selector. I love Yorkshire CCC as you know and would definitely have Lyth and Malan in my team but how on earth could Bess have been brought back into the squad? His figures are rubbish for heaven's sake. Parkinson, Virdi and Carson have looked to have far more penetration Parkinson is averaging 23 in first class cricket for crying out loud. The excuse was that he is used to the set-up and can bat!!!!! The set-up almost destroyed him in India and if you want a spinner to be also capable with a bat then Matt Critchley is several times better as a batsman and also more likely to get wickets (although sometimes expensive).

Honestly how does Crawley get picked when, his huge score against Pakistan aside, he averages less than 19 is 24 innings. Shocking, shocking, shocking. Sibley wasn't fit and isn't a good partner for Burns as together they score too slowly. This is basic stuff.

I am watching England make a very poor fist of playing an OK New Zealand team and seething.

>91 johnsimpson: Awwwww! So so cute!! Glad you are getting a chance to enjoy family. : )

>117 DianaNL:, Thanks Diana my dear.

>118 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, you are quite correct in that dear friend.

>119 PaulCranswick:, >120 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, what a shocker of a Test, we are going from bad to worse. The batting was diabolical in the first innings and as for the second, they just gave up, this was all down to the poor performance in not even trying to attempt to chase a generous target set by NZ in the first Test. We just showed the NZ bowlers that we weren't up to the task and could only defend, the fans in the ground should all have left to show their contempt to the so called hierachy running Test Cricket in England.

Root showed that he had no confidence in his batsmen and he looked beaten, this may be due to the fact that NZ played their IPL men and we decided to save them. This is all looking dire for the rest of the summer and Kohli and co must be full of glee for the forthcoming Tests and the Aussies could put out a second string and beat us at the moment. It will be a long hard winter suffering at the hands of the old enemy and they will want to give us a real good stuffing.

I saw the text commentary on Sunday and the comment that Root was fuming that we only lasted one ball was hard to take, what did he expect, that Stone and Anderson would break his and Anderson's last wicket record, why should they have been any better than the shower of shite that performed on Saturday afternoon and evening.

Have you seen Nasser's diatribe about our batting on Sky Sports, it is a must watch and everything he said was true and it is not often that i agree with him.

We have two rounds of CC cricket to come followed by three weeks of white ball cricket, so anything gained by players going back to their counties for the CC games will be lost before they attempt to try and perform against India. I hope i have to eat all these words but don't hold your breath mate.

It seems that if your face fits then you get selected and yet because of the way the Championship is being played this season, there is still lots to play for and players are stepping up to the plate to no avail.

As for the way Robinson was treated is abhorrent, in no way am i condoning what he posted or going down the route of saying he was a young man, BUT the ECB must shoulder a fair amount of blame. There has been issues in other sports as well as Cricket with social media and they should have things in place to check things out and check players out. Who decided that this was the day to bring it out into the spotlight and spoil his debut, this could have been spotted before he was selected and dealt with and everything sorted out and then let him make his debut, educated that what he posted was wrong and then they could use him to educate others as Gower suggested.

I have a feeling that Root may have to fall on his sword either before or at the end of the Indian series which will not be good with an Ashes series to come, again i hope i am wrong as it would not be good to blood a new captain at the start of an Ashes series. If it did happen it would not be good to give Stokes the added responsibility when he would be our star player anyway, if Stokes were to be a England captain, it would be with a few series under his belt before an Ashes series, otherwise it could destroy him as it did with Botham.

>121 Berly:, Hi Kim my dear, it it nice to see the little fella and we will see them again on Wednesday.

Finished book 39 last night, Crossings by Danielle Steel, PB - 406 pages.

3-6-21 to 13-6-21

>123 johnsimpson: Agree with everything you said, John. I am not condoning the tweets and I think professional international sportspeople should really delete all their personal social media accounts to not expose them to occasionally stupid comments. There is a context though in fairness in that in 2012 there were 219 terrorist attacks in EU member states (Interpol statistics) and whilst I don't welcome stereotypes of muslims all being terrorists it was a general fear amongst the populace at the time. That added to the fact of a young man whose life was a mess and he was about to get fired by Yorkshire CCC and I'm not an advocate of trying to vindictively cancel him as seems to be the case in many quarters.

I have had to field within this group similar generalisations and stereotypes of all muslims being terrorists and I didn't suggest to anyone that the particular person making those comments be "cancelled" or even particularly called out for her comments. I did send her a PM on the subject to which she never responded and she has not joined the group this year. Difference is that I understood where her comments were coming from even whilst not being particularly happy about being branded as "uncivilised". I didn't consider her racist and I do not believe that Robinson should be condemned as such either. Sussex CCC is probably the most diverse of the counties and Robinson has sufficiently matured to be their Vice Captain. The cancel culture really has to stop whilst not condoning people being judged on the basis of colour, creed, gender, sexuality etc etc.

Michael Holding was right in asking what has he done since that comment almost nine years ago and that people always deserve a second chance. I think he is right.

I saw Hussain's comments and it was basic common sense except that he said the top seven were the ones that had scored heavily in the County Championship. This was simply not the case. Based on runs scored in the County Championship: Lyth, Libby, Critchley, Carlson and Hameed should have joined Root in the top six. I am a strong believer that we should play our best keeper behind the stumps, although I did think it fair to try Bracey in this series. That meant that Steven Davies should have been promoted to the team when Foakes was injured and played in the second test when Bracey's frailties were exposed. They ought to have then given Bracey a chance at 3 where he is used to playing and where Crawley has been a continued disappointment. Root's captaincy has been as beneficial to Bracey as it was to Bess by showing him clearly he had little faith in him. No wonder he was a rabbit in the headlights.

I wouldn't personally choose Stokes or Buttler as captain because they are injury prone and as equally committed to the one day team. It is Burns for me and I would be tempted to ask Root to man up and go in with his new captain to open our frail batting. Malan is patently obvious as number three and whilst there is a case for continuing with Lawrence, I would want to take a look at Critchley and Carlson at some stage too. We need to play a spinner for heaven's sake and though Leach doesn't set pulses racing he doesn't let us down either. I think that Parkinson, Virdi and young Carson are much better prospects in the longer term and I would make sure that Virdi plays at the Oval (4th test) and Parkinson in Manchester (5th test) with possibly them in tandem. If Root doesn't preside over a much better performance in Nottingham and at Lords then the last three tests should be under a new captain. He should be told that too.

Nottingham : Burns, Root/Lyth, Malan, Lawrence, Stokes, Critchley/Carlson, Davies (Foakes if fit), Woakes, Wood, Broad, Parkinson/Leach. Robinson would come back in depending upon how Broad/Woakes perform.

Sorry for such a long post, John. Love to Karen mate.

Happy Father's Day, John.

>126 PaulCranswick:, >127 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, i think we should be brought into the selection meetings as it seems that we have our finger on the pulse of what is going on in English cricket, i do think that it is going to be a tough summer and to be honest i am not looking forward to the winter down under.

I totally agree that Bracey should bat in the same position he does for his county, for once we have a good crop of spinners to choose from and a lot of players putting themselves in the shop window as Silverwood put it and he is supposed to be keeping a close eye on them. If this is his close eye then he needs to go to specsavers, lol.

I hope all is well with the Cranswick family mate and send love and hugs to you all from both of us.

Finished book 40 last Thursday, The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen, PB - 443 pages.

13-6-21 to 17-6-21

>128 johnsimpson: Well would happily put myself forward as new blood in the ECB, John. I am sure that we couldn't do any worse.

The last couple of weeks have been quite busy in all respects and costly at times, lol. I managed to get the soil all sifted and gravel removed, i have been surprised at how much migrated into the borders and how deep. I also got a couple of recycle runs done during this time.

Along with all this was the usual housework to be done and the changeable weather to deal with.

From the 7th to the 13th, Amy came over a couple of times with Elliott to have a bit of company with Andy being at work on long shifts. It was lovely to see them but it meant i didn't get anything done. On the Wednesday of that week i managed to break the vacuum cleaner (to be honest i didn't want to do the upstairs housework, lol). I had just lifted the vacuum up to go upstairs and the dust collector just came away and the vacuum fell onto the steps and broke in two, no housework that week until the new Shark vacuum came on the Saturday.

The following day Felix somehow managed to knock the vase off the small window sill at the top of the stairs. We heard all this banging and breaking and when i investigated there were shards and pieces of the vase all the way down the stairs. It appears to have bounced from one side of the stairs to the other until it got to the bottom, Felix shot away under the spare bed. It took me quite a while to get all the visible pieces up off the stairs.

On the Saturday i picked up the new Shark vacuum cleaner and once i had taken Karen to work i got on with its maiden clean. I must say that i am very impressed with it and it got any small pieces of the vase from the stairs. I gave the house a good clean from top to bottom to make up for lack of cleaning during the week. Earlier in the week we both had our second Astra-Zeneca vaccine shot and neither of us had any ill effects compared to the first shot.

On the Sunday (13th) we had all the family over for an early Father's Day lunch as Karen had inadvertently said she would work the 20th to help with the Sale move. It was lovely to see them all although once again it was Elliott that was the star attraction.

Last week was just as busy, on the Monday i took Karen to work and then had to pop into store to pick up three more solar lights for the garden, i also picked up some flowers. I left the Asda and popped home and put the lights in place and picked up a container to act as a vase and some scissors and then made my way to Castleford Cemetary to place the flowers on the grave of my first love, Sharon. Sadly she was tragically killed aged just 16, we had split up only a few weeks earlier. I had got my dates wrong as it is the 40th anniversary of her death on the 30th of June. After paying my respects i made my way back towards home, calling in at the post office in Crofton to post a parcel back for Karen.

The following day i did a recycle run before taking the car into Kwik-Fit tyre specialists to have a tyre replaced, as it turned out i needed another tyre replacing. Luckily for me, with it being a Motability car i get the tyres replaced for free as part of the three year deal on the car. By the time i got back i just had time to do the upstairs housework and continue my book notes that i had started the day before. The weather had been glorious for the past few days and we both felt drained each evening.

On the Wednesday we had our first proper day out, we also picked Amy, Andy and Elliott up and we made our way to the small market town of Knaresborough. I parked up in the Castle car park and we wandered into the town centre, it turned out that it was market day. Elliott wanted feeding so we called into Caffe Nero to get a drink and allow Amy to feed the little fella.

We left the cafe and had a wander around, Karen picked up a few things and between her and Amy, they had got lunch sorted out. I took a bag back to the car and met back up with them at the antiques centre, i had a look around but nothing caught my eye. After a bit more wandering we made our way to the Castle and found an empty bench and we had lunch and a drink. After lunch we slowly wandered around the ruins and then went on a long downhill walk to get to the riverside walk. We wandered along the river side until we got to where you can hire a rowing boat, we sat on a bench on the river bank and watched various people trying to row, although we had a good giggle, we admitted that we would probably be not much better. Amy came with me to get us all an ice cream which was very welcome and then Elliott wanted a feed. After Amy fed him we made our way back to the car and headed for home. It had been another very hot day but an enjoyable one.

Thursday was a shopping day and catching up with a few things and then Friday Karen was back at work and after i did the little bit of shopping i made my way home, unpacked and put it all away and then got on with the downstairs housework.

Saturday and Karen was off as she was working on Sunday instead, we had a pottering about day and in the evening we went to Linda and Geoff's for drinks and a meal. We had a lovely time with them and had a good catch up and enjoyed a few beers.

Sunday morning was very steady but flew by and before long i was taking Karen to work, after dropping her off i made my way home and had a pot of tea before getting on with vacuuming the inside of the car and then cleaning the dashboard and everything else inside. When that was done i made another pot of tea and then cleaned the kitchen.

Earlier in the morning i opened my father's Day cards and presents, both my grandchildren had the same taste in cards, lol.

Yesterday i had a steady morning before taking the car for its service, i sat and waited, i had my book and a coffee in the travel mug. The car was A OK and i made my way home and just had time to eat my lunch sandwiches before making a pot of tea for Karen in the travel mug and went to collect her from work.

Hi John!

Except for broken vacuums and vases it sounds like things are going pretty well. I am sorry that Elliott has colic, but as you rightly point out, it will pass. I just hope it's sooner than later!

Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and kitty skritches to vase-breaker Felix!

>132 karenmarie:, Hi Karen my dear, yes things are pretty good at the moment and the weather is good as well, just need to get back on track with my reading, it has slipped a bit this month.

Sending love and hugs to you all dear friend.

I took Karen to work yesterday and once back i had a coffee before getting on with some work. I took the Voile curtains down and the curtain pole before taking everything off the dressing table and cleaning them and then took everything off the windowsill so that i could gloss paint them. I vacuumed the bedroom and then got my tin of paint and began a nice job. Once the curtain plinth and windowsill were done i did the little bit of skirting board and the door frame and then closed the door as much as i could to keep Felix out as i would not have put it past him to climb onto the windowsill and then leave Magnolia footprints all over, lol.

I went to the garage and got a jar and put some white spirit in and then put my brushes in to clean. Once all this was done i had a pot of tea and listened to a bit of Cricket before getting the fountain pens out that needed refilling, once all the pens were out i got all the bottles of ink out and went into the kitchen to start the filling. I ended up filling 16 pens including the one that arrived yesterday along with three new inks, all from Pure Pens in Wales. The pen is a Jinhao Centennial which mimics Parker's Duofold but for a lot less, the inks are to celebrate Pure Pens' 17th anniversary and celebrate the Chartist movement which began in Newport, South Wales where PP are based. It is a strange anniversary, the 17th but a month ago Cult Pens had a special celebration and deals for their 16th anniversary, i have no idea what they will do for a significant anniversary but based on these, it could be something really special.

By the time i had refilled the pens i had to set off and pick Karen up from work as she was finishing at 3.30 pm as she wasn't feeling too well.

Once we got back home i made us a nice special pot of tea and then used the new pen and ink to write up Monday's diary entry, the pen writes lovely with the medium nib and i picked the John Frost ink which is a sheening green, as John Frost was the organiser of the Chartist movement in Wales.

We had another drink and Karen then went to wash her hair before we had something to eat. After we had eaten and had a drink, i went outside to feed the hedgehogs and then refilled the seed container for the Goldfinches before going upstairs with the laptop to watch England against Czech Republic, i was glad i had the laptop is all i can say even though England won.

>134 johnsimpson: John, being an avid reader of Briggs, EP Thompson, Hobsbawm and others I must take slight issue with the comment that the Chartist Movement started in Newport. The Chartist Movement was founded by Lovett and Hetherington in London in 1835. In Wales the movement took hold first in Camarthen originally via a friend of Hetherington called Hugh Williams.

Newport is associated with Chartism as it was the site of the last armed uprising in Great Britain in 1839 (4th November too which we used to celebrate in Yorkshire as Mischievous Night) and the 5,000 strong Chartists fighting for the right to vote were lead by your Mr. Jack Frost. 22 of the Chartists were killed. Frost and the two other leaders of the rebellion were convicted of high treason and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. Lord Melbourne commuted the sentences to transportation and Frost was sent of to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).

More than a decade later Lord Aberdeen pardoned Frost and he eventually returned to Britain, living to the then very old age of 93.

It is a great story. It is an area of history I am very interested in.

Great game of cricket today, John. I do wish that Kane Williamson was one of ours. What a Captain and player.

>135 PaulCranswick:, >136 PaulCranswick:, I stand corrected on the Chartist note and yes, i do wish we had Williamson as one of ours. He is a great leader and the recent Tests have shown this, i was pleased that he and Taylor got NZ over the line and a first major trophy in the bag.

Hi, John.

Hooray for the photos of the handsome Elliot! I’ll show them to Debbi.

Wow, it sounds like you had a great birthday celebration with Karen! Kudos to the hotel for upgrading you. You sound like us: we travel with two empty duffel bags that we fill with our book purchases. Daunt Books in London is usually our biggest haul.

The last few days have been quite busy and this is why i have been absent, at the end of each day i have been too tired to concentrate on much.

We had Hannah last Wednesday and then on Thursday Amy came over with Elliott and then since Friday i have been concentrating on getting our bedroom decorated. Friday i had the housework to get on with and then Saturday and Sunday was spent decorating and all was finished by yesterday tea time.

Today the carpet fitter arrived at 1.55 pm and was gone by 2.20 pm, not bad seeing as we were given a 2 pm to 4 pm time slot yesterday. After a pot of tea we began the task of putting everything back into the bedroom after we had vacuumed the new carpet. As i put the Billy bookcase back into the bedroom i could hear birds twittering very clearly through the loft hatch. As soon as the bookcase was put into the bedroom i got a dust pan and brush and a bag and went into the loft. I put the torch on my phone on and found two baby Chaffinches, the adults had pecked a hole through the roofing felt and these two had fallen through. I cleared up feathers and bedding and other bits before getting hold of each baby and gently, head first pushing them back through the hole before temporarily sealing the hole up, just call me the bird whisperer, lol.

Finished book 41 late on Friday night, Buried by Mark Billingham, PB - 498 pages.

17-6-21 to 25-6-21

>140 johnsimpson:
I got to hear Mark Billingham speak at one of the American Library Association conferences. He was very funny, but he talked about how serious some of his books are even though we were all laughing ourselves silly during his speech. I am sorry to say that I haven't read a single book by him, but I do have some of his books on my shelves.

>141 benitastrnad:, Hi Benita my dear, i really like Mark Billingham's books and have three more waiting for me. Karen put the books back on the Billy bookcase in our bedroom this morning, she has moved some into the third bedroom/ Library and i tidied up some of the books in there. I found that i had 24 James Patterson's awaiting me.

Yesterday was a busy day and also a poignant one for me. Once we were up and about we got everything sorted out and had breakfast before it was time for me to take Karen to work.

I dropped her off and then parked up near the front of the store and went in, i had a solar garden light to take back as it was faulty, i exchanged it and then went and got some flowers and a large jar before heading home. I put the solar light back in the garden and then set off out.

I made my way to Castleford Cemetary to put flowers on the grave of my first love Sharon, sadly we had parted ways and a couple of months later she was tragically killed by a hit and run driver, she was only 16 years old. Although i put the flowers on the grave yesterday, today is the 40th anniversary of her death. I still have the photos we had taken in a photo booth in the old Wakefield bus station, i still think of her often and she will always have a place in my heart. Karen knows all about this story and was pleased that i had put flowers on her grave.

After leaving the cemetary i made my way home and had a coffee and listened to the cricket for a while before watching the first 15 minutes of the Tour de France stage. I then went and did the upstairs housework before taking our bedroom door off to saw off about 7mm off the bottom so that it didn't drag along the new carpet. Once the door had been sawn i put it back on and then watched the end of the TDF stage.

I spent a bit of time last night trying to work out how i could try and find an old pen friend of mine, Asa is Swedish and so i thought about Facebook as a starting point, i would imagine that she is married now and so the only name i have is her maiden name, Asa Hagberg. We wrote to each other regularly, i was 15 when i contacted a penfriend agency in Finland, a short while later i received two letters, one from Asa in Sweden and another from Tiina Lindgren in Finland. Sadly Tiina didn't write too often once i got to 18 but Asa and I kept in touch until i got married in 1984 when i was 21. It would be lovely to get back in touch with Asa and see how we have fared over the last 37 years. I will keep you all informed of how things progress if at all.

Hello Friend! I hope you are enjoying that beautiful grand baby! And, I hope your weather is a lot cooler than the high temps we have. In college, I once wrote a review of a story and said that what happened to the characters was "unbearable." The professor marked in red that it is not "unbearable" if we actually got through it. Today's weather seems unbearable...

>144 Whisper1:, Hi Linda my dear, lovely to hear from you dear friend. Amy is bringing Elliott over tomorrow, so lots of cuddles to have and enjoy.

I have been keeping up to date with the high temperatures affecting the US and Canada of late, it seems quite unbearable to me even with air con and i don't know how you are all coping at the moment. The weather here is a bit up and down with temperatures hitting a high of 25C with us and then dropping by 10C a couple of days later.

Sending love and hugs to you from both of us dear friend.

It's lovely that you keep the remembrance of your lost love, John, and that Karen supports you. *hugs to you both*

And good luck finding Asa! I really hope you do and I can't wait to hear about it!

>146 scaifea:, Thanks Amber my dear. It would be nice to see what she has got up to over the last 37 years.

Finished my 42nd book last night, 19th Christmas by James Patterson, PB - 339 pages.

25-6-21 to 30-6-21

Yesterday was a steady day, we had a pot of tea in bed before we got up, washed and dressed and came downstairs to get everything sorted out.

As soon as everything was done we set off to the Aldi in Featherstone to do the shopping, Karen went into store while i stayed in the car and read. Once she was done and the shopping was in the car we set off for home. Once home we started to put the shopping away, i put the freezer stuff away and then popped out to take the prescriptions to the doctors. By the time i had got back Karen had finished putting things away and we had our breakfast, meds and a pot of tea.

Once breakfast was done with we went upstairs to our bedroom to start putting the books back onto the Billy bookcase. I brought the six totes of books into our bedroom and left Karen to it, i made us a drink and was only called once to help out, this was to get on the floor and put books on the bottom shelf. Some books have been transferred into the third bedroom/ Library, these are ones that she will not really read.

Once the books were back on the bookcase we had some lunch and a pot of tea and before long it was time for me to go and collect Hannah from school. I brought Hannah home and she had a glass of milk and some Cheese and then disappeared into our bedroom to have a look at it and to get on the bed with Karen's tablet and go onto her games.

I made us all some tea and then Karen took her for a shower before she had some more milk and then i took her home.

I need to make an Ikea trip to purchase some Billy bookcases. It's a long drive to the nearest one, but with the cost of postage, I think it's worth the drive. I will probably be waiting for a friend with a pickup to be available to drive because I doubt the height I want would fit in my SUV.

>150 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, i also need to make a trip to Ikea to pick up a Billy bookcase and a couple of spare shelves for the third bedroom/Library and it will be filled up instantly i expect, lol.

>151 johnsimpson: I resisted buying any more Billy bookcases thinking I would collect less books if I had less space. You can guess what happened with that theory!

Hi John. I have been neglecting everybody's threads lately, due to Peet's situation. I hope to keep up with everything, at least I will try to. I skipped all the posts above. Too many of them.

Happy birthday, John.

I have seen the replacement England squad for the Pakistan ODIs with something akin to dismay. It almost seems as if they don't watch any cricket at all. What on earth has Zak Crawley done to justify his selection or Will Jacks? That is apart from one seemingly being a teflon boy who gets continually picked despite constant failure and the other plays for Surrey and seems to get picked for that reason alone. Sam Hain, Matt Critchley, Kiran Carlson and Harry Brook must be grinding their teeth. I would go so far as to say the selections are disgraceful. Zak Crawley hasn't even played in a List A game since 2019! What on earth is going on?

Whilst I am happy to see that your namesake is selected as wicket-keeper, his stats are a pale shadow of Steven Davies' who also happens to edge him as a wicket keeper too.

Hi John, and belated Happy Birthday to you. I hope your day was a lovely one.

Sending love and hugs to you and Karen and skritches to Felix the Cat.

Belated Happy Birthday John!

>152 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, i think we all procrastinate about buying more bookcases but eventually have to bit the bullet and do it and then we buy more books than shelving space, it is a catch-22 situation sadly, lol.

>153 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, it is always lovely to see you on here, don't worry about how often you are here, we are all plagued with RL issues of some kind so that however long it is before we see each other on threads, you are always welcome.

>154 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, thanks for the birthday wishes mate.

I am no longer surprised with selection issues but always very disappointed when it is the same old, same old. There have been some outstanding performances during the CC and Blast and yet the same old names are written down. This unfortunate situation would be an ideal time to look at some fresh faces but no, they are too sacred to do something positive for the game and for the players of unfancied counties to be given their chance to shine.

>155 karenmarie:, >156 SandDune:, Thank you ladies for the birthday wishes.

>159 johnsimpson: It is the continued selection of Crawley that irritates the most - it doesn't seem to matter how badly he does in the meanwhile. I saw on Cricinfo that it was suggested it was to give him a chance to play himself into form! Surely that has to be in the County first class games for Kent - where he just got another duck by the way.

>161 PaulCranswick:, The CC is the place to get form back not to be given yet another international chance, they haven't done this with other players, naming Lyth and Ballance to name but a few.

Another good win for our beloved County mate but the batting is worrying, not sure if Northeast is going to be a permanent signing whereas Gubbins going to Hampshire will be at the end of the season.

The last few days have been quite busy one way or another.

THURSDAY - Karen had an hair appointment, i took her and then came back and put the washing out and read until it was time to pick her up. Once i had picked her up and brought her home, we had a pot of tea and then put the new handles on the bedroom furniture. We spent the afternoon outside taking in the sun although i kept popping in to see how the days TDF stage was going and then watched the last 30km to the finish.

FRIDAY - I took Karen to work and then went into store to do the bit of shopping we needed. Once the shopping was done i went into Wakefield to make a payment on the Credit Card before making my way home to unpack and put the shopping away. After putting the shopping away i had a coffee and then got on with the downstairs housework so that i could watch the cycling. I made a drink for Karen and went to pick her up from work.

SATURDAY - It was a wet start to the day when i went to make us a pot of tea to enjoy in bed, by the time we were up and about it was raining quite heavily. I went and got the papers and delivered Margaret's before having breakfast. The rain had eased a little bit when i loaded some tools into the boot ready to do a couple of jobs at Amy's. I took Karen to work and dropped her off before fuelling up the car and then making my way to Amy's. The journey to Amy's via the M62 and A1 was horrible with all the spray from the heavy goods vehicles and cars.
I had a coffee as Elliott was asleep and only started putting up the blackout blind as he was due to be woken up by Amy. I got the job done and then had another coffee and cuddles with Elliott. We watched the TDF stage, Elliott seemed fascinated with all the colours on the TV. I left Amy's and got home at around 6.30pm, i had a drink and then fed the Hedgehogs before having my Curry. I had time to make Karen a drink and went to pick her up at 8 pm, she was finishing a couple of hours early as she was going in on Sunday again, Once home we watched the England game.

SUNDAY - We didn't have the lie-in we usually have on a Sunday morning as i had to pick Hannah up at 10.30 am as Rob and Louise were going to look at Cars as his needed changing. I collected Hannah and once home she had some Cheese and some milk before going upstairs with Karen's tablet to play her games. Karen was doing some baking when we got home.
Rob and Louise arrived just before 2 pm, they had seen two cars they liked, one inparticular. We chatted for awhile before Karen got our lunch out on the table and they left. We had time for some pudding and a drink before i took Karen to work. Once back home i read and finished the book i was reading and selected my next book. I fed the Hedgehogs and Goldfinches and had a drink before picking Karen up at 9pm.

MONDAY - We had a pot of tea in bed before getting up and having breakfast. After breakfast we had to go into Wakefield, on the way we stopped off at the pharmacy to pick up our prescriptions and then made our way into town and i parked up, Karen went to Next to pick up a parcel. Once she was done we called into the retail park and Karen picked up a new vase for the window at the top of the stairs. We left here and went to the garden centre to look at plants but the prices were a bit ridiculous. We made our way home and had a drink before making our way to Blacker Hall Farm Shop Cafe to have Afternoon Tea. One of Karen's 60th birthday presents was an afternoon tea voucher for two and she decided to use it the day before my birthday as she is off all week. We had a lovely Afternoon Tea and what was left was brought home in a doggy bag.

Yesterday was my 58th birthday, we got up, washed and dressed and came downstairs to get everything sorted out and then while we had a pot of tea, i opened my cards and presents. Karen had got me three nice Weird Fish T-shirts and a nice casual shirt, the kids gave me £20 each and Karen's friend Tina got me a £20 Waterstones bookshop gift card.

We had breakfast and then got everything together and we got in the car and set off to the Fylde Coast to visit Morecambe. It rained most of the way and eased slightly when we parked up. We wandered up the promenade and tried to go in the Midland Hotel for tea and cakes, sadly due to Covid restrictions we couldn't go in. The Midland is a lovely refurbished Art Deco hotel.

We wandered back along the Promenade until we got to the Statue of the Comedian Eric Morecambe, the famous son of the town. We took photos of each of us with him and then a selfie of both of us with him. We then wandered into the town centre, how very sad it was, one street, dominated by charity shops and then a small shopping centre. We picked up three new books for £5 in The Works and then we called into a local charity shop and i picked up three book for £1. We wandered back out, it was a little breezy but the place looked rundown and tired, very much in need of re-generation and hopefully it will happen as it appears that Eden Project 2 is proposed for the town.

We decided that it was looking grey and dark so we got back to the car and headed for the seaside town of Lytham. This is normally known as Lytham St Annes but actually they are two separate places. By the time we got to the M55 it was very warm and sunny and we got parked up next to the little one track station of Lytham. The actual Old Station is now a pub/restaurant and we went in for some lunch, we both opted for Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas and tok the option for Chip Shop Style Curry Sauce as well, i had the standard portion and Karen had the smaller portion. I was very stuffed by the time i had finished, it was the best Fish and Chips i have had when we have been out for a long while, even the smaller portion defeated Karen.

We paid and left and went wandering down the high street, there are a number of independent shops and even an independent department store, along with these were numerous cafe shops from the standard to the upmarket, we saw a really nice Greengrocers and Butchers along with banks, charity shops, etc. We had a lovely couple of hours before we made our way back to the car and had a coffee before setting off for home. I had had a lovely birthday day out.

>164 johnsimpson: It sounds like you had a great birthday jaunt even if your original destination wasn't quite up to the event. Lytham sounds charming, at least in sunny weather.

Happy belated birthday! Sounds like you had a great one even though your plans for the Midland didn't work out.

Happy Belated Birthday!!!!

We went to Morecambe when we dropped Jacob off at Lancaster and I was very taken with the sea front (we had a beautiful view of the Lakes the day we were there) but we didn’t go into the town. Jacob had mentioned that it was very run down though. Glad you had a pleasant birthday overall.

Belated happy birthday, John.
Now we are the same age agian for nearly 7 months :-)

Happy belated birthday! So glad I got around to checking threads!

A poignant story of your first love and I will be interested in your updates about finding your pen friend. I had a Korean pen pal during middle school and high school. It started as one of those school things but I kept it going. I still have a few of the gifts he sent me and the letters are tucked away somewhere, I am sure. He joined the military and I went to college and we lost touch.

Missed your birthday, John. So happy new year to you!

>165 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, the birthday day out was nice, it was just a shame that Morecambe has declined and Covid has not helped. I really hope that as part of the so-called Northern Powerhouse that the Tory government has been harping on about for so many years and Boris's claim to even up the country with re-generation money, some is spent in places like this. I also hope that Eden Project 2 begins as soon as is practicable to kick start the re-generation of this part of Lancashire.

Lytham is a lovely quaint Victorian seaside resort, it is quite salubrious and they host many events over the course of a year.

>166 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, it was a lovely birthday day out, just a shame we couldn't go into the Midland to see all the art deco glory.

>167 Whisper1:, Thanks Linda my dear.

>168 SandDune:, Hi Rhian my dear, even though it was raining lightly the promenade was lovely and would look glorious on a lovely sunny day BUT it was just a shame that once behind the cover it was a little sad.

>169 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, thanks for the birthday message, nice to know we are the same age for a while.

>170 witchyrichy:, Hi Karen my dear, it is a poignant story, i was stupid in the way we split up, i listened to gossip that i shouldn't have bothered about but i loved her and instead of trying subtly to find things out, i was like a bull in a china shop a shot my bolt, there was no way back for me and i regretted my actions for many months. I was a hard lesson and is something i have never done since, when i was in West Yorkshire Police the best advice i was given was to go into things softly softly regardless of how i was being spoken to and then i could go in hard, go in hard first makes you look stupid when you have to come down.

Sadly i never got the chance to try and make amends a few months later when i knew she was single again, the news of her death hit me very hard, a week later i had my 18th birthday.

I have sent a couple of messages over to Sweden in the hope of getting in touch with Asa again, hopefully they might be successful.

>171 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, thank you for the birthday message.

The last week has been a bit hectic what with England's Euro semi-final and then Final, Amy, Andy and Elliott came over last Thursday and then we had everybody over for Sunday lunch.

I am hoping that i will finally get back on track with my postings and looking at the threads from now on.

I finished book 43 on the 4th of July, The Little Pieces of You and Me by Vanessa Greene, PB - 374 pages.

30-6-21 to 4-7-21

Finished book 44 on the 8th of July, The Death of a Macho Man by M. C. Beaton, PB - 281 pages.

4-7-21 to 8-7-21

It looks like things must have distracted you from posting again, John, I hope that everything is going well.

>181 johnsimpson: I like her Hamish Macbeth series much better than her Agatha Raisin series. However, I've discovered I enjoy Agatha better in audio than in print.

>182 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg my dear, sadly RL has interrupted things, on Thursday morning not long before we were setting off to the dentists for Karen's final appointment for her Root Canal Treatment, Amy rang. I answered and she wanted to speak to her mum, the upshot was that she delivered some devastating news. I took Karen to her appointment and waited in the car reading and once she was done we dashed home to sort Felix out and then shot through to Selby. I cannot disclose anymore information at the present time but needless to say that everyone is upset and i am trying to keep a lid on things as i have done a lot of driving over the last few days and Karen has stayed over since Thursday evening.

What i can say is that it is nothing to do with Elliott although the hot weather we are currently experiencing is not helping the little fella. I appreciate our spell of hot weather is nowhere near what North America has been experiencing recently.

This is all i can say at the moment and i will probably be a bit hit and miss on here for the next week or so.

To all my dear friends on here Sadly RL has interrupted things, on Thursday morning not long before we were setting off to the dentists for Karen's final appointment for her Root Canal Treatment, Amy rang. I answered and she wanted to speak to her mum, the upshot was that she delivered some devastating news. I took Karen to her appointment and waited in the car reading and once she was done we dashed home to sort Felix out and then shot through to Selby. I cannot disclose anymore information at the present time but needless to say that everyone is upset and i am trying to keep a lid on things as i have done a lot of driving over the last few days and Karen has stayed over since Thursday evening.

What i can say is that it is nothing to do with Elliott although the hot weather we are currently experiencing is not helping the little fella. I appreciate our spell of hot weather is nowhere near what North America has been experiencing recently.

This is all i can say at the moment and i will probably be a bit hit and miss on here for the next week or so.

>183 thornton37814:, Hi Lori my dear, we both love both series of books, i listened a few years ago to a Radio 4 adaptation of the first four books with the lovely English actress, Penelope Keith in the role of Agatha. It was really quite good, much better than the Sky productions of the first three books with English actress, Ashley Jensen in the role of Agatha. For a start she is too young for the role and the blonde hair is ridiculous. I will stick to the books although well before we knew about the books we used to watch the Hamish Macbeth series with Robert Carlyle in the role of Hamish regularly and enjoyed the programmes.

Happy belated birthday, John, and sending positive vibes for your RL issues at the moment. RL does have a way of interfering with life, in general, doesn't it. Hang in there, friend. {{hugs}}

>185 johnsimpson: John, I hope that whatever RL events are troubling your family are resolved positively. Will keep you in my thoughts.

>185 johnsimpson: So sorry to read that your family is going through a rough time now, John.
Sending positive vibes to all, and some (((hugs)))

Dear John, love and hugs to you and Karen xx

*hugs* I'll be keeping you and your family in the my thoughts, John.

Your message scared a lot of us with fears for Elliott - so good he is safe and sending hope and prayers that everything has turned out well.

My prayers go out to you and your family, John.

Prayers from us, John.

Prayers for this troubling situation.

Hi John and Karen and family. Thinking of you all.

I'm so sorry about the devastating news, John, and you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Karen

Thinking of you and your families.

>187 jessibud2:, >188 PaulCranswick:. >189 FAMeulstee:, >190 DianaNL:, >191 scaifea:, >192 m.belljackson:, >193 kidzdoc:, >194 drneutron:, >195 thornton37814:, >196 connie53:, >197 karenmarie:, >198 quondame:, Thank you all for all your kind messages of support and prayers. Sadly nothing has changed as yet and so nothing to report to allay any other fears. It is an upsetting time for the family but all are strong and resolute and everything will turn out OK.

Thank you all once again, it is great to have the support of my LT family and both Karen and I are deeply grateful as are Andy and Amy and Elliott would if he knew about it and could understand, lol.

Finished book 45 From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell, PB - 405 pages.

8-7-21 to 15-7-21

Finished book 46, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman, PB - 289 pages.

15-7-21 to 19-7-21

Finished book 47 this morning, An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell, PB - 410 pages.

19-7-21 to 25-7-21

Hi John. I'm so glad to hear from you. I hope things will change for the better. Hang in there!

Continued love and best wishes from your friends in Malaysia, too, John.

Sending love and hugs, John, to all of you.

>203 connie53:, Thanks Connie my dear, you also have a lot going on at the moment and we both hope that Peet progresses although the stop start movement of his leg is a tad worrying and hopefully will be resolved for the good. Sending love and hugs to you, Peet and your lovely family from both of us dear friend.

>204 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, thanks for the love and best wishes mate, it is always nice to hear from you dear friend.

>205 karenmarie:, Thanks Karen my dear, lovely to get messages from you, hope all is well with you, Bill and Jenna and not forgetting the Fur babies, give them skritches from both of us, sending love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

Today we celebrate our 37th Wedding Anniversary, it is a slightly muted celebration but celebrate we will.

39 years ago i met a gorgeous lady called Karen and two years later she became my lovely wife. I love this lady to the end of time and without her i would be lost, Happy Anniversary darling, another year together with lots more to come. Xxxxxx

May your reasons for celebrating always outweigh your worries. Happy Anniversary!

>209 johnsimpson: Happy Anniversary to you both.

Happy 37th Anniversary to John and Karen !!! !!!!!!!

>209 johnsimpson: Happy anniversary, Karen and John!

Happy Thursday!

>91 johnsimpson: How adorable.

>209 johnsimpson: Happy anniversary :)

>210 quondame:, Hi Susan my dear, what wonderful words, thank you.

>211 PaulCranswick:, >212 m.belljackson:, > 213, >214 figsfromthistle:, Thank you for the Anniversary messages.

Finished book 48 yesterday, Dark Blood by Stuart Macbride, PB - 493 pages.

25-7-21 to 31-7-21

It's a new month and so time for a new thread, bare with me for about 20 minutes and it will be up and running.

>218 johnsimpson: I am a little unsightly to do that, John, but I will follow you to your new digs!

Happy wedding anniversary to you and Karen, John. A bit late but I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

Love and hugs, dear friend!

>219 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, cheeky, see you at the new abode.

>220 connie53:, Hi Connie my dear, thank you for the message, it is not late as you have a lot going on as well my dear friend.