Friday 24 October 2008

the danger of fighting with a loved one......

here it is........






the dangerous side of having an almighty shouting match with the one you love most....
after i had finished screaming then sobbing i turned to the dreaded Amazon for comfort :)
.... actually not all of this pile are purchased - two are from my fantastic library - each week (if i remember) i go online and view all the new books purchased for all the libraries in the Highlands - i then put in a request for them and a week or so later the ever so charming man at my nearest library emails me to say that a delicious pile of books are waiting - yipeee!!!
now - i love the library, but i do often think of all the grubby hands that have been around the book before me, and i do, as a rule, shake the book out over the bin before i start reading - just to remove any loose debris created by others ......

out of this pile of books which i pretty much devoured over 3 days, these two are my favourites.





Francine Raymond writes with such beauty about her hens, garden and lifestyle - the book is full of the most amazing photographs which quite take your breath away and leaves you with a definite feeling of hen envy!!



the book is laid out month by month, so as well as being informative it is also full of lovely recipes using eggs and home grown garden produce.




i love this quote from Francine.....

" Home, as mole in Wind in the Willows recognizes, is a special place, an anchorage in everyone's existence."

so, so true.




this is a library book and i will take it back as soon as my very own copy arrives!


Elspeth Thompson is inspirational - just take a peek at her website and her blog.....
nothing short of beautiful x



i have been following the progress of the renovation of Elspeth's railway carriages in to a family home with awe - what an amazing project - a project that if left in many other folks hands would have been a complete disaster.
this family have managed to transform the carriages from a disused, unloved, yet still beautiful object in to a home that retains all that character and history that must be saved.




the book "the wonderful weekend book" is not full of fancy photography but this did not stop me reading it from cover to cover in two sittings.
instead it is full of suggestions for reclaiming time for you....
this quote from Elspeth sums this fantastic book up nicely....

"the opening chapters are divided in to year round and seasonal pleasures that reconnect us to the earth, to our friends and families, and to the real meaning of age old festivals and celebrations....."

full of fun, delicious recipes and advice on how to be a little "greener"
a perfect book to give to a family that always seem to be chasing their tails - hopefully it will make them sit down and look at the bigger picture, enjoy a slower pace of life whilst having bags of fun together.




this book is mine all mine, and one that i can see myself dipping in and out of many times x

the rest of the pile are also rather good - especially the Christmas book from Sarah Raven, but i will save that for another day.
the only slight disappointment for me, and it is only my opinion, is the book from Cath Kidston.
it is well laid out, pretty to look at and contains a tote bag all ready for your own sewing project -
it is full of templates for projects and very clear instructions...
i was only left feeling disappointed as it seems to be aimed at folk just starting out in sewing.
does anyone else feel the same?
i do however love the slipper idea and will be searching for some plain slippers to embellish!

ok - that's enough talk about the joy of books.... i must settle down to a spot of sewing and upload some new stock to NOTHS.
sadly i have not found the time to work on my own website this week - i have been kept busy with orders from NOTHS - but i do still hope to be up and running before Christmas.

this weekend will see me once again as a builders mate - we are preparing the ceiling in the sitting room ready to have the large plaster boards nailed in to place next week - this entails climbing up very high scaffolding and holding my breath.......

we are also expecting winds of up to 80mph - so these guys will be holding on tight to each other :)






back here next week but i will pop an update over at Sea House this weekend x

t x

14 comments:

nimblejacks said...

good luck with the wind I clearly rememebr our caravan walls sucking in and out and at one point thinking " Shall we take our sleeping bags in the barn?" Those books look great. As for plasterboarding I hated that job the down side of being your mate's mate is holding the broom like a human prop for them to nail them up! Plasterboard dust is a swine too if it goes in your eyes. I was 8mths pregnant with Kiera when doing this job and I remember the midwife having a "moment" when she saw me!! Be careful, keep smiling and if you get fed up go to my blog and make the naughty chocolate cake on there, believe me when I say this cake cures all
Love Clairexxx

Kitty said...

Thanks for the book reviews. I'm interested to read the Cath Kidston one - had been considering buying that one. Mind you, I have a mental block about making a bag (yes even a Tote) so perhaps it would give me the kick up the ar$e I need?!

The dogs look so cute cuddling up.

x

Anonymous said...

I didn't realise that was the Elspeth that wrote about renovating the railway carriage in the Guardian.

As a former public librarian, you're pretty safe with nice books like that, especially if they are fairly new. It's the large print Westerns you need to watch, I swear people ate their dinner off them at one of my libraries!

I got the Sarah Raven book last week, it's brilliant.

prettyshabby said...

Theres nothing like a good visit to Amazon to clear away a bit of anger!
I love Francine Raymonds hen books, she makes it sound all so nice and lovely..how hen keeping should be and I totally agree about Cath kidston new book, it should be called 'applique' in my opinion, it's definately not one of her best! I have only recently discovered Elspeth thompsons blog and love these railway carriage homes, my favourite being 'the dodo' which is quite similar to hers, they are indeed fascinating renovations.
Hope you have a nice weekend T,..dont get blown off that scaffolding now..scary!!

Racheal Miles said...

Oh, this is the second post I have read that mentions Amazon.

I haven't ordered from them in a long time, I really need to get over there straight away.

Racheal x

Rachel said...

I had a flick through the Cath Kidston book in Smiths and was a bit disappointed too - it seemed to be more about embellishing existing items and not actually "making" anything at all. I've got the Elspeth Thompson book on my Amazon wishlist though!

mollycupcakes said...

Owww some fabulous books, i love the hen one. Oh how i'd love some chickens and it would make the girls year if we did. But thatwill have to wait. I hope you get some when the house is all done.
Had a sneak peak at Cath Kidston's new book up at the trade show not to sure on it myself either.
Take care up those ladders honey and watch those hands they are where made for sewing ;)
Good luck with all the NOTHS orders.
Many hugs,
Catherine x x x

Anonymous said...

hi tracy I stumbled on your site this afternoon. I miss Cupcakes in Hawkhurst but lovely to hear about yoour new venture. Will definately ask Liz in Hawk Library to put hen book on order for me. Best wishes in the wind with your DIY
Sally x

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say thank you to Tracy for the lovely gifts that she sent me for getting her some material from Ikea. Unfortunately I dont have a blog site so I cant share them with you but believe me they are lovely.Thanks again. love Chris xx

driftwood said...

what a lovely pile of books, our library is hopeless at buying upto date stuff, so I've just ordered Sarah Raven for myself. love the look of the Elspeth Thompson site, great recommendation.
hope it's a good week for the house. xx

Unknown said...

Yes, I agree you should get some Hens when your home is finished! We have two Chickens and one Duck, and before we got them I really wanted the Duck over the Chickens, but now we have them all the Chickens have far more character and are much more friendly than the Duck!! On my way to amazon now to search for Francine Raymonds hen books! x

Woo Gilchrist said...

Hi there Tracy,

I was thinking of joining NOTHS but wasn't sure if the outlay would be worth it. I'd be really grateful if you could let me know your honest opinion. Would you mind?

Email is woo (at) wgdesigns.co.uk, if you wouldn't mind dropping me an email?

Woo.
x

Anonymous said...

I see hens in your future ;-))

Anonymous said...

gosh tracy thanks so very much for that.
xxx insomniacal elspeth