gardengirl

Oh no! Hope not, I mean, he is a pest, but even so! Am awaiting letters from your islands folks, there is a service Athena, so you don't need stamps just call Island Postal Services and they row a boat over to collect letters and parcels.Had carrot and coriander soup for lunch, then walked the island with the dogs checking for Sharpe, but no sign, he has definitely left here somehow, maybe a passing ship during the night?

Ok then, you can send a letter to me about life on your island [i am on South Island by the way.]I like the sound of the snelhechter think maybe we call it a ringbinder.It's a windy day here, and the dogs have gone a bit mad running around and twirling in circles on the beach; but the big news is......... Sharpe has gone missing!!He was there last night [i could hear him muttering in his tent] but today he has completely vanished. Oh dear, what a pity, never mind.

forced myself to finish it!Not good though, plodding would best describe it. I am a great Austen fan so really wanted to read it, but having once read a P D James mystery [plodding, and very old fashioned] did have some reservations about buying it. Got it for my Kindle, and as we were having a holiday staying in a Georgian house in Devon, thought it would be a good idea to sit in the window seat and read this book.It was 'leaden' I wasn't expecting Austen......... but even so!

I have read about 3 of the Ladies Detective Agency. A good-ish light read, however hearing them on the radio the other day just rammed home the main thing that annoyed me about them ; the sheer repetitiveness of the prose. The main characters say the same thing over and over again, the author can fill half the page sometimes with banal chat in the office[in fact more than half a page.]This is why, he can churn out so many of these books.Now I will go and make us a nice hot cup of red bush tea.

Vimes, you never said a truer word!

Very good book, I really enjoyed it, it's a very typical English slightly creepy story. Felt it would make a really good film too! The first Sarah Waters book that I have actually enjoyed.

I read this book a couple of years ago [Never Let Me Go]. Thought it was quite brilliant in every way. The 'flat' [as some have said] delivery, just points up the tragic and awful truth about the children, making it all the more heart breaking.The students can't just 'walk away' as there is no future at all for them that way [won't say why as it would spoil things for readers] but it should be obvious why if you have read the whole book.Perhaps this book hits the spot more for mature readers [i mean older, by that]. Some have said it's depressing [does life always have a Disney style happy ending?]If non British readers are reading this book in English, perhaps it may be better to read it in their own language, because there are subtleties that may well not come across well. A friend of mine described the book as , very well written, but too harrowing for her, so I understand that not everyone would find it an easy book, in fact I was tearful through quite a lot of it, but ultimately it was a 'new' story well told, and you have to take your hat off to him for that!

Hi again, fellow islanders! How are things with you all? I had a surprise visitor yesterday, it was Sean Bean [or Sharpe as he likes to call himself.] He looked a bit rough and was very hungry. Claims to have been at sea for a long time due to the fact that nobody will allow him to stay on their island.Hmmmn, is it any wonder? I took pity on him though and cooked a stew, which we all ate on the beach, the dogs as well, as they seem to like him.He has pitched his tent on the edge of the beach near the sea as he says that all the ships will be looking for him, he is due to make a film. He is deluded, poor thing.

..... i'm saving up for Christmas! Itsme pushed the Werthers toffee into the opening of the silver shell like thing and hoped for the best. There was a fast movement from it, not unlike a shudder, the sweet vanished and there came a sucking sound from deep within it, followed by a sigh. Itsme held it up to the light and ..............

Hee-hee i really did jinx Dave didn't I? At last some common sense from the public [ common sense is not so common!] Mark to go next week, then Fiona then Ben then Sophie......... mark my words [or not.]

...........heard a strange whistling sound emanating from it, what on earth could it be? He picked it up and inspected it more closely.It resembled a twisted silver shell, and the whistling sound [getting louder now] was coming from it's inside. He walked to the window , still staring at it, as the whistling stopped, there was a small coughing sound and a whispery voice said..........

Groan! Ah Dex, this joke came in [and went out] on the Ark!!

Could it be Lyra's Oxford [Philip Pullman]? I haven't actually read this book but have read 'of it' and it sounds as if this may be at least the 'sort' of book it could be?

The Tunnel Downton Abbey Haven and Sleepy Hollow [ these 2 ....... not the best tv but watch purely to relax, pure hokum.]

Sounds like a good haul, I want to read the Sue Townsesnd one, how do you fit in your full time job VF? You should take a security job somewhere, I believe they sit and read a good deal!

A great review Karsa! [Titus Groan] I feel like you about it, maybe even more so, to the extent that I found it unreadable [and have given it a couple of goes over time.]It's certainly something different.......... but not in a good way , for me at any rate.

neither have I never have I owned a tortoise

Ha-ha Vimes! Nope, I would never put dried pigs ears [or fresh ones] in my cakes. No, not heard of the dried hoof option, but dogs do eat just about anything that's for sure.They go mad for the crispy pork ears [yuk!!!!!] Well, last night I forgot to close the tent flap properly, so at 2 am got woken by the dogs howling and found that wind had blown open tent door and lots of stuff got wet with all the rain. Not only that, but I had forgotten to take butter out of fridge so it's hard as a rock just when I wanted to make Christmas cake! Doh. Anyway, managed to dry all our things now, just about, so we are sitting in tent [dogs asleep] and I am having mug of hot Earl Grey tea [just like Captain Picard on Star Trek] and reading my new book called The Rapture by Liz Jensen, which so far is proving very interesting.I am also nibbling on several ginger biscuits.

woke up! The whole exciting sequence of events had been nothing more than a dream. He yawned widely, and thought to himself, 'I should never have had 3 pieces of cheese on toast for supper last night'.He got up and padded over to the window to draw the curtains but ............

a few 'one liners'........ Stastistically, 6 out of 7 dwarves are not Happy. I start a new job in Seoul next week, well, I thought it would be a good Korea move. My daughter asked me for a pet spider for her birthday, so I went to our local petshop and they cost £60!Blow this, I thought, I can get one much cheaper off the Web. The Grim Reaper paid me a visit last night, but I managed to beat him off with my new slimline vacuum cleaner, wow, talk about Dyson with Death.

If only we really DID have this island to escape to now and again eh? I would take very regular holidays there, I know that for a fact. Yes, nights getting colder, so everyone wrap up warm, I need all the ingredients to make a Christmas cake , a small bottle of brandy, a pack of dried pigs ears [for the dogs, good for their teeth!]If you don't know what I mean, you will think this very bizarre!

I suppose that [as I am from England] typical good English dishes are; a roast beef dinner, with roast potatoes, veg and Yorkshire pudding [made from batter.] Also, sauage and mash! You can't beat it, as long as you use really good quality sausages, often made with pork and sage , and the mash [creamed potatoes, with butter] this is good served with either garden peas or cooked chopped leeks, or fried sliced onions.Also, the full English breakfast!!! Yum. Cooked sliced bacon [the leaner the better] with small sausages, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms and fried eggs.If you have room in a pan, also some fried bread slices [i didn't say it was healthy, just delicious.]I am extremely hungry now.

how can mentioning a book you have just read be promotional? Unless you wrote it yourself? I have read anumber of books set in WW1 but just off the top of my head can't think of any with the exception of the brilliant trilogy written by Pat Barker [fiction] Im hope less with titles but it may be Regeneration[maybe not] just google this author and you will find out. Oh there is also Sebastion Foulks as well, he has written a couple of good books set in this time period which you may enjoy [i know that Birdsong is one.]

who will go this coming weekend I wonder?One thing for sure, it won't be Dave, the public [whoever they are] all love him!