New sewing room

I now have a new sewing room!

My old and much loved sewing room was on the top floor of our 3 story house (yes I know 🤦‍♀️ not long covid friendly!) I loved that room but it has been out of bounds since I moved my bedroom to the middle (ground) floor

I had been using a small sewing machine in the corner of Marks WFH office which was great but still restrictive

As I recover and can sew more Mark suggested swapping his WFH office for my sewing room. It took me a while to say yes because I loved that old sewing room. But oh my goodness I'm so glad i did! I love this wee room

Yes there's less space but let's face it I'm not at the stage of laying out and basting a quilt on the floor 🤣

I love it! Mark took down all my pictures with their "inspirational" 🤣 quotes 😉😉

After! 

I love it 😊

April reading and Storygraph

Siberian red by Sam Eastman

This series just gets better and better. It's lovely seeing the friendship between Pekala and Kirov develop. I particularly like the weaving in of the story of the revolution and the Tsars reaction to it 5 🌟

Five go off in a caravan by Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton wrote really good adventures. Some such as this one don't stand the test of time as far as political correctness goes. If you can look beyond that this is a great story 4.5 🌟

Girl missing by Kate Gable

Really enjoyable, cliffhanger ending but the main story was well written, decent plot and good pacing 4 🌟

Harley James and the mystery of the Mayan Kings by Leah Cupps

Absolutely cracking adventure story, really well written and paced great characters can't wait for the next one 4.75 🌟

The Raven spell by Luanne G Smith

Just not for me DNF

A magical adventure by Nicole Beyer and Nathan Ryan

So badly written DNF

A Shiver down lantern lane by Karsten Knight

Loved it, fabulous story, well written and paced 4.75 🌟

A thief's justice by Douglas Skelton

Very enjoyable, great plot good pace and historical accuracy 4 🌟

Howls moving castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I did enjoy this but not perhaps as much as I would have expected. Its a great story but there's a lot going on at the end and I struggled with who was who for a while 4 🌟

Pumpkin spice and all things nice by Laura Greenwood

I really quite enjoyed this but it does finish quite abruptly just as the story gets going 3.5 🌟

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

It just dragged DNF

Murder at Mount Fuji by Shizuko Natsuki

This was OK but just a bit boring? And it all got very convoluted at the end 3 🌟

Legacy of Foulstone manor by JC Briggs

Just wonderful, I have loved all of JC Briggs gothic tales and this was no exception. Heartbreaking story beautifully told. It got a little confusing towards the end hence 4 instead of 5 stars but still a captivating story 4 🌟

The vanishing of Hallwood Hall by Helena Marchmont 

Another cracker in this series. Always fun and enjoyable quick read 5 🌟

The Runaway Martian by Katherine Okira

This was a lovely  blend of cosy and Sci Fi. Very authentic feel to the science fiction elements, the author has created a very credible universe with fully fleshed out characters. The mystery is really intriguing right up to the end. The prose is crisp and never cloying, well paced too. A delight 4.25 🌟

Welcome to Doom Farm by Karsten Knight

Oh this was great fun! Genuinely scary, good pace great plot 5🌟

Whose body? On Audible By Dorothy L Sayers

Wonderful story, great casts, Ian Carmichael is Lord Peter Wimsey and Peter Jones as Bunter is perfect 

A star taken off purely due to religious slurs, its of its time 4 🌟

Death in the sunshine by Steph Broadribb

Drivel DNF

Chemistry of death by Simon Beckett

Absolutely gripping, fantastic plot, well written with an air of real authenticity. Slightly rushed ending but very satisfying 4.25 🌟

Veil of Lies by Helena Marchmont 

Another cracker of a cosy mystery. Fabulous fun 5🌟

Five on Kirrin Island again by Enid Blyton 

Not my favourite Famous Five story, too much Uncle Quentin in this one! But still enjoyable 

4🌟

Clouds of witness on audible by Dorothy L Sayers 

Fantastic I just love these stories beautifully told by Ian Carmichael and Peter Jones 5 🌟

God's of lava cove by Karsten Knight 

This series is fantastic, great age appropriate horror stories, you can tell the author is steeped in mythology and folklore 5 🌟

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Drivel DNF

Chinese lake murders by Robert Van Gulik 

Im loving re reading this series, this story introduces Tao Gan. It follows the usual formula and keeps you guessing 5 🌟

Earth alone by Daniel Arenson

Yes its formulaic and predictable but its also great fun. Good pace a good satisfying read 4 🌟

Unnatural death on Audible by Dorothy L Sayers 

A lot of reviews say this is not one of the better Wimsey stories but I disagree its one of my favourites. It introduces Miss Climpson who is a delight and although it is more of a "how done it" rather than "who done it" it is still very entertaining 

Apart fro the racial and religious slurs common of the time period 4 🌟

The carnation murder by Tam May

Really enjoyable story, a bit longer than most cosys but the story never drags. Good FMC feisty but not insufferable 4 🌟

Lazarus city by Melisa Peterson Lewis

I'm not normally a zombie fiction fan but this story is less about the zombies and more about those around them. Really enjoyable well paced great read 4.5 🌟

The vintage charm by Mia Montell

To be honest 2 stars is generous, I finished this as it was short and would have messed up my monthly stats if I hadn't.

I know you have to suspend belief with cosy mysteries but this took that too far 2 🌟

Phantoms in the snow by JC Briggs 

Really enjoyable short story 3.75 🌟

The haunting of Harry Faye by JC Briggs 

A fairly entertaining short story in the Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones series. Enjoyable very quick read 3.5 🌟

Hunted down by JC Briggs 

Its so difficult to review such a short story. It was entertaining 3.5 🌟

So how was April? Pretty good, 28 books in total but some were very very short 

I added a couple of new tags one for rereading because im doing a lot of that just now so thought i should track it. Also one for Little Sheila to track my children's literature. 

Im still very much into series rather than stand alone, and my love for post apocalyptic stories continues! With a foray into the zombie genre! Some really cracking new authors this month and some new series to follow up which is wonderful! A very good month 

April look back

I got my eyes done!!! Amazing what a difference just transformational.

Consultant was lovely said my left eye was really bad, after 10 mins looking them over he said he could do it for me there and then! It took 10 mins for my pupils to dilate then it took about 5- 10 mins per eye, most of that was prepping the procedure took just minutes! I was out in under an hour 

What an incredible difference it is massive, ive had to turn down the brightness on all devices i had them turned up way high

Reading is back to normal and ill try embroidery later today, worth every penny!

Awww my chum in Aberdeen has just moved flat near to where I lived as a student in Prospect Terrace, it was a fab wee house, no longer there it was an old pre fab she sent me this picture 

This is my sock! 🤣 a game the selkies were playing and they wanted me to join in so Kim collected a sock from me. It was guessbthe selkie from their sock 🤣

Mam sent me this a very early picture of my gran and Uncle Ernest

Kim visited to pick up the sock and brought me some daffs!

My beautiful Aunt Joan, I didn't have a picture of her and me but mam found this one. Im so glad 

Aunt Joan, Andy and gran this was probably 1984

Mark like to tuck up grey donkey when he makes my bed 🤣

It was easter !

I managed downstairs but it was a bit much and triggered fatigue we think we know why so ill try again soon

It was Mark's birthday! He got a card from Jacky

And cupcakes from me! This was my cupcake and very nice it was too

I got to see the blossom! This was on the way to my post op check up for my eyes

Mark unearthed this photo from his birthday in 2006, a month after we moved in here!

It seems fitting to end with GD getting tucked in again 🥰

April furtle

I've been salvaging fabric! I wrote more about this here

Also catching up with more pick a petal blocks. This is the first of the outer blocks I need 64 in total but I was pleased this came together quite easily, I'm doing this all by machine now. Hand piecing is not my thing!

Plus 2 more of these blocks

Below are my blocks for this months Siblings bee, nice straightforward ones thankfully 

The blossom is blossoming in Bonnybridge! So it's time to start this beautiful blossom sashiko kit, I'm loving it, gorgeous silk thread a dream to use

I ticked something off my fettle list! I blogged more about it here this is a pressing mat made from fabric salvaged from an old bag.

Steady progress on my "pages read" embroidery tracker, I usually like to be half a month behind so it's all good 😊

That's it for April! Thanks to Archie the wonder dog  for hosting 😊

Hastily coming back in to write mini objectives for May!

○ Top stitch and sew up bottom of re made bunny fabric pixie basket

○finish re sewing Temperature embroideries from 21, 22, finish making up Temperature embroideries from 2023