Books, Books and more Books

I'm in love, again.  I can't stop thinking about it, handling it and I take it to bed early, just to be alone with it.  I'm not having an illicit affair, it's the touch screen Kindle.  I wasn't really bothered about having an e-reader before I had one, but now I wouldn't go back.  Since the 15th June when it was given to me by J it's been difficult for anyone to tear me away from it.  I've read prolifically, all of the books below and downloaded many more - just tantalisingly 'there' waiting to be read.  If I had to choose three that I'd recommend from my recent read list I'd say Eye of the Needle, The Hunger Games (a children's book - G10 has now read and relished) and The Importance of Being Earnest.  A lot of the books are free, including many classics.

Lovely jubbly...

Eye of the Needle
Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum

Perfect Crime
The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Phoenix Conspiracy

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Black Beauty

What Katy Did

The Importance of Being Earnest

Catching Fire
The Hunger Games

Why do I love it? It's so very light. I can read in bed without the pages flopping about as I prop it up on a pillow. I never lose my page. Ever. I can look up words I don't know, at a touch. I can read free books. What is there not to like?

Now, tonight I'm going to the first evening of a book club (organised by our very own Preseli Mags.)  We are discussing The Time Traveler's Wife and horror of horror's I couldnt' download it onto the Kindle.  I know we have free copies from our World Book Night event, but I'm so obsessed I didn't think I could actually regress back to the paper version.  I did, I coped. Just.  I hope it's not too intellectual an evening, I read only for my own pleasure and almost as soon as I've finished a book I forget the detail. I've been promised it won't be, (any excuse for a social) but just in case I started reading it Monday and finished this morning - at least it'll be fresh in my mind :)

CHROME ON THE RANGE: IN WHICH BEAR OBSERVES THE SOLSTICE

CHROME ON THE RANGE: IN WHICH BEAR OBSERVES THE SOLSTICE
Beautiful pictures, really stunning. I missed it... not sure what I was doing. But I joined in yours a little. Thank you.

Family

This week's prompt over at Sticky Fingers is Family... too opportune to miss this one.

For a few years now a good part of our clan has undergone an annual sojourn over to beautiful Whitesands (a few miles down the road for us). We rent a cottage for a week, with no neighbours and views of the sea; it's a two minute walk to one of the most stunning beaches you'll ever come across.

This holiday is one of the highlights of our year - not for the picturesque scenery and time off work but for the feeling of belonging to a group of like minded people who love, laugh, argue, forgive, share and would do anything for you if you needed them.  This year Gran is missing but not forgotten, and here is her legacy...

Motley Crew

Pride of Britain

GB probably can't afford it... but the Olympic Torch Relay is bringing us out in our thousands to cheer on deserving and inspirational people in our communities. 

Her Next Door, G10 and I watched in Haverfordwest on the 9th day; this day totalled 137.6 miles and 114 torch bearers.


Adam Goy. 
The torch is perforated by 8,000 small cut-out circles,
representing the 8,000 torch bearers.

As I write these words the Olympic flame continues travelling the length and breadth of the United Kingdom – weaving its way through over a 1,000 communities. There are overnight stops for large celebrations at 70 towns and cities.

In total 8,000 people will end up carrying the flame on its 8,000 mile, 70-day journey around the UK to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 27th July.

And to top it off nicely, look what came in the post this morning. We're really looking forward to it now, the atmosphere in Haverfordwest yesterday has really whetted our appetite. Blow the expense, the moral of the nation is up and to be honest this will definitely make us feel proud to be British. Go Team GB.

Not long to wait...

No need for words...

Newport Beach

Carningli Mountain

Next time - shoot me!

Next time someone says shall we do a car boot for the Cadwraeth (translation = conservation; a little community group that looks after the common land) have a BBQ for the church funds AND have old school friends come down to stay... all on the same day - shoot me.  And to think everyone believes it's so quiet in this neck of the woods; think again. It can be busy, very busy.  Luckily living with others as we do, we always have those extra pairs of hands that can help lighten the load.  Thanks especially to Her Next Door who was cooking and preparing for days beforehand.

On the Sunday we took our friends out and about...  as always very proud to show off picturesque Pembrokeshire.  I noticed again how thoroughly friendly people are here; really open, chatty and happy to give you their time. That made me even more proud to be a local now.  My friend's jaw dropped open when at one café, where they didn't take debit cards... and I didn't have cash, it was 'not a problem, pay later'.



My friend's christian name is David, so a visit to St David's was a must.

By Sunday evening I was tired though, I caved in - I think I might have had a little snooze on the sofa.  I just hope I didn't dribble in front of my guests.

The weekend before last we climbed Carningli Mountain - G10's friend had a birthday party at the very top. What a place to have it, thought I'd share a photograph of them - quite a special memory.


Top of the world.

And while we're on the topic of photographs, a blogger friend of mine has gone as far as putting one of my efforts on her wall.  Thank you Rachel for the very great compliment.  Quite mind blowing for me, to think my little corner of Wales is adorning the wall of a home in Israel.

Pick 'n' Mix

Never again… I was told, so I handed the phone over to Jon who was going to stop them in their tracks. Next thing I knew he was chatting away to the person on the other end of the phone like they were lost long buddies. Yes, he’d blown it. Here we were doing yet another interview for a paper. The positive was that we could take our own photograph, though at the last minute this was reneged upon. A professional photographer descended upon us…for four bleedin hours…. Can you just move a little to the right, you er, ummm (he just couldn’t remember our names and when he called Her Next Door Grandma, I thought his cuppa would end up over his head).

The photograph was in last week’s national paper – and I hated it! 

Back to earth with a bump after our flirtation with the paps and celebrity lifestyle (albeit double F grade), we supplied some manual labour and helped out on the village common, just tidying up really. This year though we benefited from a huge tree that needed to come down. There is still some two thirds to collect from the common land but the photos show the new wood in the store, then turning round towards the garage you see some more queueing up to go in. When it's all collected hopefully we'll be full to the brim.

Waiting wood.

Wood store slowly returning to health.

There was a great honour bestowed upon me too, I’ve been chosen to be a World Book Night giver. I’m not a great wordsmith (oh you’ve picked up on that have you?) But I do love books and reading. I’ve never had 24 pristine books in my possession before. What a fantastic treat to be able to give them away and spread the joy of reading. I have clubbed together with Maggie and Wendy to gift all our books during the morning of Saturday 28th.

Harlequin....

In between that lot, we even managed an all too short four day nuclear family break in the Easter holidays. We raced up to Aberystwyth to have a little time away. That's the main disadvantage of working for ourselves, we don't get looooong paid holidays... those sadly are just dim and distant memories. Still, we try to make the most of the time we do have instead.