Blog -chit chat and happenings
Competition time!
The image below was taken at an event last year.
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED AND WINNER NOTIFIED. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED and CORRECTLY GAVE THE NAME OF 'MANORDALE'
The library was set to look like the home of Jack France, my amateur sleuth, and it was set at the Christmas Ball at his estate. BUT WHAT IS THE NAME OF JACK FRANCE'S estate? That is the question for this competition.
Please use the contact form on here to submit your answer. In the body of the contact form type in your answer with your name and contact email.
All correct answers will go into a draw and one lucky winner will be picked from the hat.
Open to UK Mainland entries only. Only one entry per email address. Open to age 16 and over. Please state that you are 16 or over on contact form.
No correspondence will be entered into.
Competition is open now until the end of October (31st) The draw will take place on the 2nd November and the winner will be notified by email.
PRIZE: The winner will receive TWO paperbacks of their choice plus a small goody bag of bookmarks, pencil and 'book' key ring. These will be posted out, to be signed for.
This is a short review of a recent read, Death and the Conjuror, Tom Mead
I know this is the first book in the series but I had read the third and enjoyed that, so thought I'd better read the others! I was not disappointed. They are pleasant reads and there is the 'puzzle' element to the stories but I didn't work this one out at all. Three patients of Anselm Rees, known as A, B, and C, any one of them might be involved in the savage murder of Dr. Rees. And then there is his daughter Lidia's fiance, not at all a good egg, or so it seems. And who could have entered and left the Dr's house without being noticed and on top of all this there is a stolen painting, now someone was seen at a celebrity party and might be involved with that - and then... You get the idea. And I had everyone as a suspect at one time or another. Anyway, the characters are wonderful, Spector, the retired conjuror and Flint, the police inspector are so wonderfully drawn I feel I know them. I'm having a break now and reading more in TBR pile, but I will soon be reading the second in this series.
Season of Mists . . .
The autumnal weather has decided to turn nasty - cold and wet. I prefer my autumns of the bright, cold, sunny type, so at the moment I am not impressed. Arising from family commitments, I seem to be spending a lot of time out and about in Lancashire, Garstang, to be precise, and over the past months have discovered lots of hidden treasures. The Dewlay cheese shop, for one, I suppose it helps to like cheese. The canal and the many boats moored along its length with their brightly painted liveries, and the wonderful Barton Grange garden centre. What a place! What can't you buy is perhaps the question! And over at the 'Flowerbowl' there are various activities to take part in, and a cinema and, a curling rink! It's open to the public so if you fancy having a go, check it out. I will add that I have only watched, but I do quite like just doing that.
October's End
Here we are then, 29th October and it has turned wet and drear since the changing of the clocks. October is usually a 'beautiful month', or so my mum used to say and I am inclined to agree with her, just a pity about the last couple of days. And when half-term hits, (in the UK) then I know that it is Christmas Pudding making time, so mine is done, only one this year but then only myself and Mr H to eat it. I always used to get my son to stir the pudding and make a wish when he was small but when I made this year's pudding there was no-one else around, so only me to stir three times and wish. Do you make puddings? Do you enjoy eating them? And what do you serve them with - Rum Sauce or Brandy Butter? I know what my favourite is!
November. Here we are in November but on the 30th October I went on a 'ghost walk' around Knutsford in Cheshire. I didn't see anything to speak of but the talk and the walk were really enjoyable. Mr H and myself have been on these before so it's obvious we enjoyed the first one. We heard a couple of new stories of ghostly goings on and ended the evening in the Lord Eldon, a 300year old pub in Knutsford. The drink and the company was good but I still didn't see anything however, one of the stories was about the Rose and Crown on King Street, now I must visit that next time I'm in the vicinity!