Back in 2009, I did a silly post looking to see what came up in Amazon’s predictive text when searching books for each letter of the alphabet. Having come across this post during some blog maintenance, (rather than writing reviews!) I thought I’d try it again nine years later… Here are the results: A is Read More
Category: Misc
Pop Goes Safety!
I’ve just found a batch of papers I’d saved from my previous life working for a multinational chemical company. My last position there, before I left to embark on motherhood, was as the UK ‘SHE’ Coordinator – SHE being Safety, Health & Environment. I collated all the accident and injury figures from our sites across the Read More
A Weekend Miscellany…
Apparently it is #ArchiveDay today. I don’t know who has designated it such – but twitter is alive with tweets to good folks’ archives – so I shall highlight my three most viewed posts since starting this blog – and an odd collection they make too: ‘Fashion! Turn to the Left. Fashion! Turn to the Read More
My Name's Going to Mars!
If you’d like your name to go on the Orion test flight at the beginning of December and to collect frequent flyer miles on subsequent NASA missions – head over here. Such fun!
Wise words about books
A few quotations from the Folio book A Booklover’s Companion for you to ponder today and discuss(!)… They are Landmarks and guides in our journey through life. Wiliam Hazlitt, On Reading Old Books (1921) Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous Read More
What does this measure?
This weekend, I have a mystery object for you … Found lurking in an unsorted box of bits and pieces, probably from my late Mum’s, this is an Abel Morrall’s Metal Gauge. But what does it measure precisely? I know it’s for knitting needles – and pre-metric (the 5 hole doesn’t correspond to 5mm for Read More
What the DITLOID?
As I’m mid-book at the moment (I’m enjoying Patrick Flanery’s latest Fallen Land very much), I thought I’d have some fun with you instead to fill the gap… I learned a new word at the weekend – Ditloid. It turns out to be an acronym for ‘Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich‘, missing the Read More
Mid-book cull – pause for a giggle or three…
As you may have surmised, I’m in the throes of having a major book cull. I gave seven bags full to my daughter’s school fête back in June, and have been working my way through the other piles, double-stacked shelves and bags over the past weeks. I’ve sorted out some worth selling via various routes Read More
HAPPY NEW YEAR & GIVEAWAY!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Pinch, punch, first of the month, and all that – very best wishes for 2010 from me to you. To celebrate the new decade – a giveaway of one of my books of the last decade. Names in comments please by noon on Sunday – I will send anywhere in the world. Read More
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!
My Dad, Ray, was born eighty years ago today in 1929, the year of the Wall Street Crash, and on the day of the Grand Banks Earthquake off Newfoundland. He shares his birthday with Alex Issigonis (1906) – designer of the Mini, astronaut Alan Shepard (1923), Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood (1939), Brit actor David Hemmings Read More
Mostly Bookbrains
Dear Booklovers, On Tuesday November 3rd, on behalf of Mostly Books I’m hosting a Literary Quiz entitled ‘Mostly Bookbrains‘ at the Manor Preparatory School in Abingdon. Guess who’s Quizmaster and writing the questions? Yes, it’s me. We will cover the whole world of books – from bestsellers to prizewinners, cover art to author photos, children’s Read More
A nail’s tale.
This is not a post about books – It’s a musing about fingernails! I tend to keep my nails really short – it’s a habit – I used to be a fiddle player. My nails have never been strong either, flaking at the slightest exposure to harsh treatment; but apart from painting on nail strengthener Read More
My Blog is 1 today!
Dear everyone, It is a year ago today that I dipped my toes into the blogosphere with a very tentative post titled Is there anybody out there?, (the Pink Floyd inspired title was in deference to Rick Wright who had died earlier that day). I’ll be getting back to bookish stuff in a day or Read More
Rogue apostrophes and all that grammar and punctuation stuff…
There have been some great pictures of signs with rogue apostrophes and appalling grammar in the papers lately. With the new school year just starting, the government has produced a document as part of the National Literacy Strategy to tell teachers when to use a full stop. Apparently, up to a third of trainee teachers Read More
A book quote for the weekend
I’m currently halfway through a massive chunkster of a non-fiction book. I am enjoying it though, but it’ll take me a few days to finish. So today, instead of a book review, I offer you an interesting quote I found on http://www.brainyquote.com/ from someone I’ve never heard of called Erma Bombeck, (an American journalist who Read More
When in Rome …
For those of us voting in the MEP elections in the South East yesterday, weren’t you just a little bit tempted to waste your vote in voting for ‘The Roman Party. Ave!’? I was, then reason overcame me and I voted more conventionally instead. I was intrigued however to look up The Roman Party. Ave! Read More
Back to normal book blogging soon – promise …
Sorry everyone, I’ve not been getting much reading done during the past couple of days as my lovely other half got me my own laptop for my birthday – and it’s red – very important that! Consequently I’ve been too busy playing and transferring files on my new toy – trying out how it plays Read More
Pocket Money
Most bloggers do it because they have something to say, they want to share their opinions and hear yours. I’ve found that the blogosphere is a fantastic way of making virtual friends.It is nice to get a bit of pocket money on the side though, so most of us are affiliated to one or more Read More
A musical Lego interlude …
Back to books next post, but found this sweet little film on YouTube whilst browsing for the “R Whites Lemonade” advert to show my daughter. There’s loads of these Lego animations, (there’s a great Python/Holy Grail one), but this one was the sweetest we found …
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Just in case the jokes in your crackers are awful, here’s some more … Q: What is an ig?A: An Eskimo house without a loo Q: What’s orange and smells of carrots?A: Rabbit sick Q: What’s yellow and stupid?A: Thick custard Q: What do you call a girl with a shrimp on her head?A: Barbie! Read More
It’s a beautiful day
I’m sitting looking out over school playing fields, the early morning frost has melted leaving the grass glistening. A few trees stubbornly hang onto their last leaves, and the church spire points heav’nward, contrasting against a hazy blue and cloudless sky. All is perfect except for just one thing … Blooming leaf blowers!!! I can Read More
Bookended by great lines…
People and quizzes often tend to concentrate on opening lines of books all the time. Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . … from Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier being, of course, an absolute classic. But who knows the last line, which just so happens to be beautifully elegaic … Read More
