Whenever You Feel Sad...

Wishlist Wednesday #14

Welcome to my fourteenth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

This week my WW book is Six Years by Harlan Coben...

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven't come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd's obituary, he can't keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd's wife he's hoping for...but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she's been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life - a time he has never gotten over - is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can't be found or don't remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake's search for the woman who broke his heart - and who lied to him - soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction.

I've chosen this book because it intrigues me, probably because it's not the typical crime/thriller subject matter though it is still a mystery. It has some mixed reviews online but I'd be willing to give it a go to make up my own mind!

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

The Plus Party

The times they are a-changing, and we are changing right along with them! 

I'm excited to introduce a brand-new follow hop linky party that I will be co-hosting next week, created by Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom! 

<center> <a href="http://www.shapinguptobeamom.com"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbj-PnqspGyeTO2StixbKcS2SVfd-EqiGyjWbhb0FEblhmiUXH1aeLrIHoiHLU61k7K6u63hOE53KplhVnmE5WLMCoWMfmlOnbSlxOOogyDysBogUXAmXHGBDWzTW0wHyEIytLCqdh6mFT/s1600/pluspartybutton+250x250.png" /></a></center>

With the fast-approaching demise of Google Reader, many people are turning to other methods of following their favorite blogs.

I have always loved and used Bloglovin, and now it is quickly becoming the feed reader of choice among bloggers. The interface is simple yet includes all the elements you might want in a feed reader. You can organize your blogs into folders, "like" favorite posts to view again later, and easily keep track of read and unread posts.

In addition, we all know that Google Plus is becoming more and more popular and necessary for bloggers. This is a bandwagon you probably want to jump onto.

Enter The Plus Party.

This new hop will start on Tuesday, April 2nd, and it will run each Tuesday in April. After that, it may continue weekly or monthly depending on interest. Want to co-host? Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

April 2nd. Be there. Link up. Party on.

Resist The Urge (AKA Tunisian Crochet)

Yesterday I went to a Tunisian crochet class run by Katie from Ramshambles inYork.

Source York Press

Tunisian crochet is a bit of a mix of crochet and knitting. Instead of finishing each single stitch and turning at the end of a row you work your stitches onto a long crochet needle. First off is the forward, which is a bit like casting on in knitting. You create a row of loops onto your hook until you have the desired width, the whole time 'resisting the urge' to finish off the stitch in the normal way. This is the hardest thing about this technique as it goes against everything you usually do when crocheting and it has a habit of freezing your brain while you remember what to do!

Then on the return you finish the stitches off as you work back. You just repeat this process until you reach the length that you wanted.

As I'm sitting here I realise it's harder to describe than I would've imagined, but basically it's a great technique for making quite a dense and very regular stitch that's good for blankets, bags and accessories. Yesterday we learned three different stitches but there are lots more that you can do and it creates beautiful patterns in colour too. Last night I practised on this phone cover and did a really regular pattern of two rows in each colour though the effect is quite striking when you just do one of each. The effect is different on the front and back of the pattern...

I'm really pleased I've learned another element of crochet. The class was a lot of fun and was a great way to spend a winters day. I also learned a few other little tricks and techniques from Katie and some of the other lovely people on the course. Plus as a bonus I found a pattern of a gorgeous crochet top that I might try to make when I'm feeling brave! For now I think the Tunisian crochet might come in useful in making a bag... pics will follow

Finding Balance with Yoga

As you may know from my earlier post, I've decided not to run the Windermere marathon this year. Recently it seemed like every minute of every day has been taken up with work and generally doing things that need to be done in the house while mum hasn't been well, and somehow into all of that I was trying to shoehorn 6+ hours of training a week.

Source

This week it all finally got too much. I got sick for the first time in ages and it put me out of action for a few days. To be totally honest it has done me the world of good! I took a day off both jobs and spent THE ENTIRE day on the sofa, no TV, just a lovely quiet day with my puppies and my kindle (and a box of chocolates). I've realised I need to find the balance in my life... and this is where yoga comes in.

Source - Pinterest

I started yoga last year when I was in Texas on my rest days from running in an attempt to gain more flexibility and overall strength. I started again a few weeks ago when I thought I was going to run the marathon as I needed to keep stretching and strengthening to keep injury free. But now it's finding a new place in my life other than just a support for running and the more I do the more I enjoy it.

Source Yoga Paws

To start with I got into the habit of doing a little bit every day and I knew it I found myself standing at my mat almost every evening. Yoga is great as there are so many variations of practice to suit how you feel and how much time you have. Sometimes it's just a 15 minute stretch and relaxation and other times I try something more challenging during the day such as a cardio or core routine. I'm enjoying the physical challenge of stretching and body weight training (ouch core work) and hope that over time I'll improve my practice. One of the other elements of yoga that I'm finding beneficial is that it's about being present and focussed. It encourages you to forget about everything else that's going on and focus on my body, breath and movement.

The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.

Rodney Yee

Not this time...

This week I made the difficult decision not to run the Windermere marathon in May. Even though it's a couple of months away I don't feel able to put in the training that I want to due to work commitments and injury.

I'm sure I could squeeze in the training runs but at the expense of time to rest which I know from experience is equally important in the training plan. I've also been struggling with IT band problems, and while I was keeping them at bay (just), I haven't been confidently running more than 8 miles before I start to get some pain. I'm aware that I should be running 14 miles on Saturdays as well as several 5-8 milers during the week and to be confident on race day I know I have to have put the miles in now.

Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work.

-Kara Goucher

So taking into consideration all things as they are at the moment I had to be honest and admit this isn't the race for me. Despite the fact that I'll be envious of all the runners, I still plan to travel to Windermere for the marathon to support my training buddy Lou and all the other runners too. This race I can enjoy being a supporter. There will be more races for me in the future, and hopefully another marathon along the line when I'm healthy and able to commit, so that I arrive at the start line confident in my training.

My Girls

I just wanted to take a minute to share this photo of two of my beautiful girls that I took this week... they have been so wonderful the last few days when I've not been well. They're loving, caring and so funny with their amazing personalities and quirks!

Wishlist Wednesday #13

Welcome to my thirteenth Wishlist Wednesday post for this great blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

This week my WW book is Deadly Obsession by D.S Butler (part of the DS Jack Mackinnon crime series)

HE WATCHES ... HE WAITS ... HE STRIKES​
​
A young Polish girl fixated on fame ~ A killer with a deadly obsession

DS Jack Mackinnon has his work cut out trying to track down missing student, Anya Blonski. As Mackinnon follows the trail of obsession to the shady owners of the Star Academy, who thrive on society's obsession with reality TV shows, he realises the fame they offer comes at a price.

When a second girl goes missing from the same academy, Mackinnon is forced to consider a serial killer may be stalking the city.

I've chosen this book because it's the first in a series of books and by an author I've not read before. I was interested to read that the author has a PhD in biochemistry. She has worked in the chemistry department of Oxford Uni, in the NHS as well as a hospital pathology laboratory and from what I understand this comes across in her books. You all know I'm a sucker for following a series through and I'm always on the lookout for authors whose work I enjoy and this seems just like my kind of thing!

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Book Review #4

I've really missed being able to read a lot recently. I'd love to have done the TBR March challenge (where you're challenged to read as many of your To Be Read pile as you can) but due to work commitments in the family business as well as my other job I've not had the time. However early in the week I had an early night and picked up my Kindle in the hope of finding something new to read. I didn't look very far and started with the first one on my To Be Read list!

For Sale in Palm Springs (Henry Wright Mystery #1) by Albert Simon

Here's the synopsis...

Retired police chief Henry Wright is now living in Palm Springs and is asked by his friend Wayne Johnson, a detective in the Palm Springs Police department to help solve a crime. Henry has been living as somewhat of a recluse since his wife passed away, but tracking down this killer brings him back to life. Follow his adventures as he travels around the state to solve this mystery.

So what did I think?

Well first off it's a great book if you're looking for a light read. It's pretty short at 161 pages and suited my busy lifestyle at the moment as it didn't have too many characters to remember (you know what it's like when you have a lot going on, keeping track of a complex book with a gazillion characters can be frustrating!). The book was easy to read and pretty light going, however I have to say I was a bit disappointed by it. I've said before that I'm a crime writers dream as I rarely figure out their twists and turns and whodunnit before they intend me to. I have to admit that, for me, this book was too straight forward. There was a distinct lack of twists or mystery and I figured out who did it, which I don't really like as I love the surprise of a well written mystery.

There are more novels in this series with the same protagonist and, while he was a likeable character, I don't think I'll be spending my hard earned pennies on any of the other books.

Wishlist Wednesday #12

Welcome to my twelfth Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

This week my WW book is The Uninvited by Liz Jensen

A seven-year-old girl puts a nail-gun to her grandmother's neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious?As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry. Hesketh has never been good at relationships: Asperger's Syndrome has seen to that. But he does have a talent for spotting behavioural patterns, and an outsider's fascination with group dynamics. Nothing obvious connects Hesketh's Southeast Asian case with the atrocities back home. Or with the increasingly odd behaviour of his beloved step-son, Freddy. But when Hesketh's Taiwan contact dies shockingly and more acts of sabotage and child violence sweep the globe, he is forced to acknowledge possibilities that defy the rational principles on which he has staked his life, his career and, most devastatingly of all, his role as a father.Part psychological thriller, part dystopian nightmare, The Uninvited is a powerful and viscerally unsettling portrait of apocalypse in embryo.

Why have I added this to my WW? The eagle-eyed among you might notice that I had a book by this author on my WW last week but when looking into The Ninth Life Of Louis Drax I found myself looking the other books Liz Jensen has written. Some didn't really appeal to me but this one definitely stood out! The Uninvited seems more of a mix of styles, venturing off into dystopian which isn't my usual genre but I really like the sound of it and think it could be a good step into reading more dystopia books.

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Remember when...

I don't think I'm old, (because I'm not really), but I actually make some of our staff laugh when I tell them that we didn't have the internet at school and that we didn't have mobile phones, especially not ones with cameras in... (they were still a bit Del Boy when I was young!).

One of them this morning looked at me like an alien when I talked about Mary Berry, and it transpired that the other one has never seen Back To The Future (what is the world coming to?!).

Anyway, during my recent sort out I found a photo album from when cameras were cameras. It covered a few different events, from a holiday with my parents to a school trip in the Lake District. Which brings me to my point. Photos and the number of photos we have these days. Back when you had 24 or 36 shots per roll and each roll would cost money both to by and to get developed, you were a little bit more careful with how many shots you snapped.

These days with most of us having cameras on our phones we are able to snap away like we're all paparazzi! As a result I have way too many photos. Now don't get me wrong... I don't think this is *all* bad. Of course I LOVE having a decent camera in my pocket all the time and having all these photos, especially of my beautiful hounds! And there is a lot to be said for being able to take a second, third or fourth photo when you don't get the shot you want first time.

But how the heck do you organise them all? I know the first step is being better at deleting bad photos and when I've taken 2 or 3 of the same thing being sure to pick the best one and chucking the other two. But  once that is done, how do you organise the thousands of photos you collect on your phone and computer? Please let me know what works for you best. I have an iPhone and use a Windows computer ... if you use any particular programs, a tag system or anything else, please share as I'm interested to learn!

Wishlist Wednesday #11

Welcome to my eleventh Wishlist Wednesday post for the awesome blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper 

This week my WW book is The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen

Nine-year-old Louis Drax is a problem child: bright, precocious, deceitful, and dangerously, disturbingly, accident prone. When he falls off a cliff into a ravine, the accident seems almost predestined.

Louis miraculously survives - but the family has been shattered. Louis' father has vanished, his mother is paralysed by shock, and Louis lies in a deep coma from which he may never emerge.

In a clinic in Provence, Dr Pascal Dannachet tries to coax Louis back to consciousness. But the boy defies medical logic, startling Dannachet out of his safe preconceptions, and drawing him inexorably into the dark heart of Louis' buried world. Only Louis holds the key to the mystery surrounding his fall - and he can't communicate. Or can he?

It's been ages since I read a decent psychological thriller and this one sounds great. It was on on Amazon Daily Deal this week and I missed it! I hope I can pick it up sometime but wish I'd managed to get it when it was on offer.

Want to join in??

• Follow Pen to Paper as the host
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get your hands on and read
• Wrote a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post
• Put a link back to Pen to Paper somewhere on your post with a note about the host
• Visit the other blogs, follow and enjoy :)

What's on your wishlist this week? Comment below and share or share a link to your post :)

Time To Relax?