chesilbeach

Roasted tomato, mozzarella and garlic pasta bake. (We eat a lot of pasta )

I've read A Christmas Carol and another short story/novella called The Chimes, plus Nicholas Nickleby which we read as a group read for the English Counties challenge. I'd been scared off the longer novels before after giving up on Oliver Twist and The Old Curiosity Shop, but like I said, with such a recommendation from you, I might well make this my next Dickens (although goodness knows when I'll get to it )

I remember reading Little Bee a few years ago (although its UK title is The Other Hand), and thought it was very good - I think I even made it one of my best books of that year. I meant to read more of Cleave's work, but I haven't got round to it yet.

Emelee, I've moved your post to this Have You Seen…? thread.

Definitely my favourite way to have my eggs though … poached eggs on thick cut toast slathered in butter is a big favourite of mine

Just watching the last few overs of day one of WI v Eng, and thankfully Root, Bell and Stokes have managed to give us a decent score after the rash of early wickets, but Bell has just gone out for 143.

I had to share as soon as I saw it - I knew you'd be as excited as me!

I've never made one OH does most of the cooking and he's brilliant at poached eggs, so I've never had to try.

I have to admit, I'm a couple of chapter short of the end of book three, but I'll be finishing them tomorrow, so I think another three weeks taking us up to 3rd May will be good.

I hope it was as tasty as ours! One of my favourite asparagus dishes and so simple and easy to make. I have, however, been coveting the first dish on Yotam Ottolenghi's asparagus recipes since I saw it at the weekend … next weekend's brunch I hope!

I've just seen a tweet that the first two episodes of the BBC adaptation were previewed at the BFI tonight with a cast Q&A, and that it's scheduled for broadcast in May … that's next month!!!!! :exc:

I've managed a walk and two sessions on the Wii over the last three days. It's not much, but it's a start. Small steps.

Asparagus and lemon linguine

Not sure what the weather's been like during the day, but the sun is out now and it's a lovely evening.

Yippee!!! I'm about 70 pages into The Curate's Wife by E. H. Young, and I love it!

Had a very busy day at work today, but did manage to get out on time. Hoping to squeeze in a bit of a read before dinner now.

I watched some of the coverage last night, but he was only on the 12th hole when I went to bed, so I missed the end. A great tournament indeed, and although I'm not a huge fan of golf (although I like watching the Ryder Cup), it was quite entertaining to watch … some of the undulations of the greens were just plain cruel!

I hope you can both find it but like I said, it's out of print, so it'll be either library (if you're lucky, but mine doesn't have it … well, there is one in the system but it's a hardback edition and only available at the central reference library, so not for loan) or second hand book shops. Unfortunately, it's not mine to loan, otherwise I'd let you borrow it.

Yes, he's going to stop writing novels - he said during a promotional event that his last book says his goodbye to many things including to his wife who'd had terminal cancer and died not long after he finished the book. I think he said he'll keep writing short stories, but no more novels.

Celia by E. H. Young Synopsis: This is a portrait of marriage and disillusionment. Celia is tired of marital life. Years ago she fell in love with someone else and this memory sustains her. Now, she stands aside while her relatives - themselves caught up in ill-suited marriages - prey on one another's misdemeanours. Review: First of all, I should say that this is a Virago Classics book that is now out of print. It was first published in the 1930s, my edition was republished in the late 1980s. My interest in E. H. Young comes because although born in Northumberland, she moved to Bristol after she was married and most of her books are set in Clifton, the now suburb of Bristol, although fictionalised as Upper Radstowe. I lived in Clifton for a while during my early twenties, and I can recognise a lot of the places she talks about, as it hasn't changed much since then other than that most of the houses have been converted to flats. Anyway, Celia is a character driven story, focusing on the lives of the Celia and her extended family over a short period of time. There is little plot as such, but enough to give you an insight in to the daily life of middle and upper middle class women in the middle 1930s (i.e. before the war). Each has their own dissatisfactions with their lives, but each hide behind the veneer they've created for themselves. Celia has married a man who she doesn't love, although she loves her two children with him, but has tried to make the best of her lot, and feels the tedium and relentless duties of domestic life. The book really centres on love and relationships, and I was amazed at how open Young is about Celia's feelings on marital relations, and her role as a wife - it felt as if it could have been written today as a historical piece, and it has feminist ideals at its heart, and isn't afraid to portray the oppression of women. But it's not a book that puts women on a pedestal - Celia is contemptuous of the women in her family and this is not a show of female solidarity. I found the book needed concentration, and was a slow but absorbing read, and I'm looking forward to the other E. H. Young books on my shelf.

Tomato and feta tart with a huge salad.

Depends on my mood. Sometimes I just want to indulge in one genre, or one writer or a particular series, and other times I want to chop and change all over the place! Finished the compelling The World That Was Ours this morning, and the Jar of Destiny has selected another E. H. Young book for me next, called The Curate's Wife, so I've been reading that this afternoon.

I've managed to achieve the lazy day I was planning! Went out for coffee this morning, and had a good session of reading, then did my shopping for my lunches for the next few days at work, and then back for reading, lounging and general laziness. It's been a lovely weekend … shame it has to end, really. Ah well, back to work tomorrow.

It was a lovely morning, but it's been pretty cloudy this afternoon … not cold, but not too warm either, but at least it's dry!

I have to admit, that while I've enjoyed the little of Dickens I have read, I'm still a little hesitant to read more, but perhaps I could be tempted by A Tale of Two Cities after such a recommendation.