Peacefield

Warm and unstable in my neck of the woods! Saturday it was in the 90's here and yesterday morning we woke to a tornado siren and had to spend about an hour in the basement until the storm passed. Because of it we lost electricity, which came and went the entire day. Today, however, so far so good, and it's cooled off quite a bit.

Thanks, Athena, and yes, all is well. Plenty of things going on this spring to keep me busy and here it is already well into June. I started and then finished listening to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, then promptly watched the whole of the HBO series. I also read The Eyre Affair and have now started Lost in a Good Book. I read the first book in the Thursday Next series a few years ago and collected all of the books in the series but never managed to read all of them. So, I'm starting from the beginning :). I've also been slowly but surely planning my trip to the UK and Ireland. What with house buying, moving, and my best friend losing her dad to an illness this spring, planning just went on the back burner. But here I am, only about 80 days away from takeoff so I need to get going. We will be there a total of 15 nights and have booked our hotel in Nottinghamshire for our first night. From there we plan on heading north to Scotland and spending the next 5 days there, after which we'll go to Ireland and will then finish our last week in SW England. Of course all of that could still change ;). We do know that we don't want to spend a each night in a different place, so will try to pick hotels/B&Bs where we can then venture out and visit many places. I've mentioned before that we plan on Dorset, with a stop in Weymouth, as well as near Chichester. There are just so many places to see and with only 15 days it'll be a challenge. We like off-the-beaten-path types of things, mostly. Hope you are all well and enjoying summer so far.

Morning, everyone, and happy Friday I hope you have a lovely vacation, Talisman. How long will you be in TX, Virginia? I've only been to TX once, when I was very little, and I still have memories of how hot it was. All is well here, just enjoying being a home-owner and tending to home-y things. When I'm not working, that is, which seems like a lot because it's our busy time of year.

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone :). I leave tomorrow after work and will stay at a friend's before my closing on Thursday. By this time on Friday I'll be in my home, probably impatiently waiting for the internet/cable guy to come and install everything. Thanks for letting me know about West Bay, Chesil! We haven't worked out our trains yet, and honestly I'll probably be asking for tips, but I really hope we can get to those seafronts and beaches. Funnily enough, I also have ancestors who came from Ash, Somerset to the US. When we arrive, we plan on leaving straight away and go north and move counter-clockwise up through Scotland, Ireland, and back to England. So we'll most likely end our journey in Dorset during the week of 10th Sept (before spending 1 or 2 days in London). Lots of planning left to do, and after the house thing is settled I'll really be able to dig into it.

A couple of recommendations for you, Kell! MN: Staggerford by John Hassler Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger MT: A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean

Is that a new series of Harris' Madeleine? How were the first two books in the series? I haven't read any Harris since I finished the big True Blood series.

Morning, everyone. After a couple of month absence I think I'm finally back in the right place to post here again. I've had more things on my mind than ever and it's been good for me to unplug and be amongst the birds and the trees during most of my downtime. It's now getting warmer here too so I've enjoyed quite a few afternoons out by the lake! I close on my house in a week's time, and I'm mostly packed up already. I can't wait to be settled and have my things back and out of storage, including my books! I apologize for never answering your last post, Madeleine. I'm mainly looking forward to visiting Weymouth while in Dorset. My Sprague ancestors came to Salem, Massachusetts from there so I'm looking forward to learning more about it. I also saw the first season of Broadchurch this winter and I think that took place in Dorset? It was beautiful! I haven't been able to finish a physical book since A Man Called Ove, but am now listening to Arcadia by Iain Pears and trying A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin again. The former I read previously but since it's one of my most favorite of all time I thought it would be nice to listen to.

I apologize for not seeing that earlier post, Michele. I've not posted in quite a long time. I'm fine with my sign in/display name. I'd prefer my post count be correct, but if that can't be done then I understand.

Hey all, one issue for me is that I have to sign in with my original member name now instead of the 2nd one that I had to create the last time there was an upgrade (at least I think that's what happened). In addition, my total number of posts has diminished by about 1k. Maybe I'm just seeing things, Michele?

Haha! Oh believe me, I will! When it comes to books, lack of self-control is always a good thing

I agree, Janet, that can be a pain. It's lovely having a series of books with different editions and that look nothing alike!

Methinks I need to learn more about this author Jonathan Stroud... Just in time for my shopping this weekend!

Hey, Sazed! I absolutely loved Ready Player One, and can't wait for the film to come out. Armada though, I think you're safe not ever picking it up. Talk about a disappointment! I finished Mercy Falls late last night since I couldn't sleep. It was excellent! Some things I did not see coming, for sure. I'll have to find something new to read this weekend when I'm in town . I can't wait for our big trip! Chaliepud, I am accepting all and any recommendations or tips. We won't be spending much time in London, but instead will be taking the train everywhere else in the country and looking for out of the way places that aren't too overly tourist-y. Like any villages or historical places that just can't be missed. I'm planning on visiting Dorset for sure, because of my family ancestry there, and have already found a church where they still use the same font as well as chalice as they used when my ancestors attended! The website says that if they know a descendant of this person is attending services, they'll use the chalice for communion that day. Amazing! Thanks, Athena, I know I will have a great time!

Homemade chicken noodle soup is on the agenda. Temps are only in the teens today so it's a perfect day for it!

I'm sorry to hear about your chicken, Athena! I've often thought about having chickens, and now that I'll have my own home I'm seriously considering it. I have a question, though, it gets quite cold here for 2-3 months in winter. Below 0 many nights. From you've said it gets cold there too... Do you have a heater for them? Or do they have a place they go to keep warm? My sister gave me a magnet last year that says "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy chickens, and chickens make you happy." Continued good vibes to you, Noll! It's nice you know when your end-date is, rather than sitting and wondering when you last day might be. I'm looking forward to a day off this week; I'll be driving down to the cities to visit the salon and meet up with some old friends. Also meeting with the realtor. There's been a hiccup with my closing date and now I may not be moving until April, ugh

I managed to get quite a bit of reading in over the weekend and am almost halfway through Mercy Falls. I like these intense, suspenseful reads everyone once in awhile! I'm heading into the cities this weekend to meet up with some friends and colleagues. My friends and I will be going to the local book shop to find books on traveling the British Isles, since we have officially booked our trip for this fall! The plan now is ambitious, but we hope to visit England, Scotland and Ireland. We'll be there the first 2 weeks of September and now that we have our plane tickets it finally seems real! I'd love to meet up with some of you for coffee, but that's up in the air since I don't know yet where we'll be and I'll be traveling with two other people. I will keep you posted

I watched The Nice Guys over the weekend and loved it! I was constantly laughing, which is always fun

Ditto, Chaliepud! That's the first thing that came into my head

The last show I went to was to see Har Mar Superstar in April of 2016. This year so far I've got tickets to see The Dig in March and in April I'm going to see my most fave band in the whole world, Biffy Clyro!! I cannot wait for that one. Thank you again 10 times over to Weave, who first introduced me to them. They are playing in a very small venue too, which will be amazing. I might be near-deaf the next day, but I won't care!

I watch new episodes of New Girl and Elementary when I get a chance, otherwise I never turn down re-watching an episode of West Wing or Midsomer Murders here and there. For music I've had Biffy Clyro on repeat - can't get enough! If it's not Biffy though, it's always old jazz. All my other thoughts are consumed by the house I just bought. I can't wait to move in!

Happy reading this year, Sazed! You've got a couple of my top 10 faves listed, The Shining and A Tale of Two Cities

So many interesting-sounding books, Janet! I've taken note and will look for them next time I visit the book store

Hmmm...this one sounds intriguing, Sari! I will be adding it to my wish list (in my new BuJo of course ).

Hello and welcome to BCF, Sazed! Glad to have you

Thank you so much everyone for the lovely comments! I'm so looking forward to moving in and making it my own. I'm also looking forward to living on a paved road again and being closer to town. It's about an hour's drive from the big city, but I have a feeling I'll like small town living. Frankie, I loved A Man Called Ove. In fact, I saw a lot of myself in him I'm younger, of course, but I do like things to be orderly and rules followed. I wouldn't consider myself grumpy, but I do like things done a certain way. Now that I'll have a dedicated reading area in the new house I may adopt a more "LET'S BUY ALL THE BOOKS!!" attitude, you never know! Speaking of, I had to give up on A Great and Terrible beauty, for now. It just wasn't grabbing me and when I sat and thought about reading, I could tell I wasn't excited to pick it up, so I knew it was time to move on. Yesterday I started Mercy Falls and I can tell it's going to be much more enjoyable!