poppyshake

Hmmm .. I've heard this a lot. Shame .. good opportunity wasted.

Might be .. although tomatoes aren't what they used to be! They like a bit of sunshine and a bit of warmth .. so usually respond well to a sunny windowsill. Actually I mostly keep mine in the fruit bowl I really object to those great big slices of tomato that restaurants/cafes insist on putting in with your burger! They usually taste of nothing and have the consistency of cotton wool!! I've been told that eating a tomato in Italy is a completely different experience .. must put that to the test one day

No. I used to but then heard they should be kept at room temp and as this is Blighty .. I don't have to worry about hot summers etc We have reasonably hot weather sometimes but I've never had an egg go off or anything. Also I don't keep tomatoes in the fridge .. as (allegedly ) it kills the flavour. I have found they're nicer if not kept in fridge but they deteriorate quicker of course .. I just buy less.

It's really good and very gripping. Some stories plod on and it takes all your willpower to read a page, others almost read themselves. This one is a page turner. No question. Oh .. that's brilliant Kylie Hope you like it .. I'm confident you will .. especially as it'll get lost in your big library and you won't remember it was me who recommended No, truly, I'm sure you will love it .. I hope you do anyway I love buzzy bees It's a fascinating read because it does explore the hive life so well .. I'm convinced it's all totally true

I really want to read that next book too .. have been meaning to for ages (argh! .. why are there so many books? .. they keep coming up with new ones ) Think you will enjoy The Penguin Lessons So sweet. Not so sure you'll like this It's one of those ones that I like that are deeply gloomy among the laughs .. in fact there aren't many laughs She's an interesting character though .. unique and damaged etc. Quite feisty .. yes actually .. I think you might like her after all Awww .. well, I'm not surprised. Even as I was reading it I was thinking .. some people are going to hate this

Yes, very annoying. So often the case though Ooh .. just looked them up .. they look far more enticing than a Werther's. Having said that .. I do enjoy a Werther's every now and then. Dad has a tin full and it's a red letter day when I get offered one Just think, I might amount to my own tin one day! What?! You is a spring chicken! Yes, gorgeous writing and definitely a book to get out when you're feeling reflective and in the mood to be carried away by words Well, no. I can't agree with that. But probably best to read it in its original language. Really tough job though to translate I would have thought ... such convoluted sentences .. and such personal feelings expressed by the author. Really, it must have given the translator a migraine! It gave me one .. and I was just trying to read it Do you know, I have no idea why I didn't give it full marks now. There wasn't anything that annoyed .. it might just have been my mood on the day of reviewing Yes, it really does come down to that. Some days I am benevolence itself and some days I would knock a point off of Pride and Prejudice .. for not including the scene whereby Darcy jumps in the lake .. and gets all wet and whatnot .. and comes out squelching and tousled (good word ) .. and bumps into Lizzy! ('and your parents are in good health .. and all your sisters?' ) Very remiss of Jane that!

Bother .. I've gone off the boil already My computer is still limping on one leg with a blindfold and limited speech Thank God my oven doesn't behave in this way .. refusing to cook a pie because of a full memory, binning things at will and trying to trick me into revealing my bank details Well, you won't have to share the reading with Alan so that's a positive It's not a bad book at all .. it just outstayed its welcome a bit and ultimately didn't go anywhere or it didn't go to the places I thought it should and as we all know .. that's most important!! Indeed! RIP Rik Well ... I definitely won't hold that against you as I do the same. Not sure you're wise to have faith in my choices .. that's led you down the garden path before but I'm very touched that you do Here's hoping that one day you'll read The Bees and enjoy it. Did I really advocate that? It's a really good idea though

It is a bit of an odd title, clever though .. it's probably what drew me to the book. That and the cover .. there was a doggy on it Haha .. stalk away! I'm very grateful for visitors I know Spill divides readers .. it's not for everyone and I've read a lot of lukewarm reviews. I think it's a book to be borrowed rather than bought .. high risk factor

Great day for British tennis! Straight sets win for Andy .. which makes it sound like a walk in the park. It wasn't though was it? Great from Heather too .. so nice for her after the disappointment of the singles. Bring on the Olympics!!

spill simmer falter wither by Sara Baume Synopsis: A misfit man finds a misfit dog. Ray, aged fifty-seven, ‘too old for starting over, too young for giving up’, and One Eye, a vicious little bugger, smaller than expected, a good ratter. Both are accustomed to being alone, unloved, outcast – but they quickly find in each other a strange companionship of sorts. As spring turns to summer, their relationship grows and intensifies, until a savage act forces them to abandon the precarious life they’d established, and take to the road. Review: A frustrating story at times (I just kept thinking .. why on earth didn't Ray persevere with the muzzle? .. I know it was horrid for One Eye but he needed it .. it could have saved so much heartache .. it would have prevented a lot of misery .. it would have made the book very short actually ) For all that I did like it a lot, it's slow and brooding, disturbing and very, very touching. My heart was wrenched several times. I liked its weirdness .. Ray is very unconventional .. there were sharp shocks every now and then which resonated all the louder because of the quietness of the rest of the story. I found myself worrying for them and trying to think of solutions etc .. so the characters (well the two of them) got under my skin. Not a book to read if you're low .. avoid at all costs ... it's bleak. It's what loneliness would sound like if given a voice (the mundaneness .. the never changing monotony of a life with no happy memories to look back on and seemingly none to come.) But I thought the writing was sublime .. I'll definitely look out for the author again .. she's one to watch I think. She didn't try to make the characters lovable or even likeable but for all that .. somehow she gets you to care about them. Neither of them have been loved or felt love before .. neither expect to now .. but quite quickly and without noticing they do form a bond .. and that bond can't be broken .. they are vital to each other now. I absolutely LOVED the ending (first time for everything ) Liked it!

I can't remember the first episode .. is it the 'stapler in the jelly' one? :lol: My favourite episode is 'Training Day' ... I literally have to wear waterproof pants if I watch it. It's just cringe city!! I've worked in an office (several times) .. it wasn't like The Office at all .. sadly .. or maybe happily

Ooh .. film coming out soon. I can't wait

The Lifeboat - Charlotte Rogan Synopsis: It is 1914 and Europe is on the brink of war. When a magnificent ocean liner suffers a mysterious explosion en route to New York City, Henry Winter manages to secure a place in a lifeboat for his new wife Grace. But the survivors quickly realize the boat is over capacity and could sink at any moment. For any to live, some must die. Over the course of three perilous weeks, the passengers on the lifeboat plot, scheme, gossip and console one another while sitting inches apart. Their deepest beliefs are tested to the limit as they begin to discover what they will do in order to survive. Review: Another one that I read jointly with Alan (gosh .. are we on a reading roll or have I just forgotten to review any of them?) This was gripping, absolutely unputdownable although obviously I had to put it down every time Al went to work etc ... I was terribly tempted to peek .. but I didn't Obviously, there are parallels to the RMS Titanic here .. which sank only two years before. We are already in the lifeboat though when the story begins and we mostly stay there .. although there are flashbacks. What I liked about it is that nobody is completely reliable .. least of all the narrator .. so you're never sure quite if you're hearing the truth. There's a sinister undertone to the whole thing and of course, it all gets very dog-eat-dog (not literally ... NO DOGS ARE EATEN ... just to put your mind at rest ) You don't know what's coming or when. It's tense and nail biting and a great book to read in one sitting actually. I'm annoyed I had to break it up into pieces Though Al enjoyed it so hurrah .. he managed to stay awake .. mostly Sadly there's a but .. it was almost brilliant but .. the build up and the set up and the intrigue and the tension .. didn't really amount to anything at the end. I just felt that big opportunities were missed. The ending was too subtle and ambiguous .. plus once the story left the lifeboat (and it left too early imo) it lost most of its tension and nail biting drama. We both felt that. The end quarter of the book was responsible for most of Al's catnaps That's a personal opinion though and plenty of people are happy with the ending etc so .. again .. horses for courses. You might well love it and think its spot on. It doesn't stop me from recommending it though ... a very readable read. Liked it! with a big L.

Don't stop me now .. I'm having such a good time I know ... how could I not remember THAT cover!! It's what led me to pick up the book ... couldn't help smiling when I saw it and still can't. I've pulled the pose myself now several times :lol: .. frightening! Definitely give The Miniaturist a go .. most people love it. It probably did suffer because I read it with Alan He got bored with it and that might have affected my opinion. I don't know. I believe he fell asleep nearly every time I read it .. unluckily I stayed awake when it came for him to read But then DEFINITELY read The Bees ... I really think you'd love it bobbs

I'd like to throttle him :lol: Catching up with the latest episode of Upstart Crow with David Mitchell, also Love, Nina

Oh I love that audio (Patricia Routledge reading Wuthering Heights) .. she does an amazing job with it. Wow .. that is a bargain. I might have to download it from Audible, my copy is on cassettes .. very well loved and well used cassettes. Same as Northanger Abbey read by Juliet Stevenson. Oh .. it's bliss! The copy I have (again on cassette and virtually unplayable now as it was played to death) was recorded as a set (with the other Austen books) for Woman's Hour .. they were abridged sadly but gosh did I love Juliet's reading and though I know you can get other versions which she also reads .. there are subtle differences. I WANT that one!!!! :D I knew it by heart .. and it was perfect (apart from all the missing stuff ) Also Kenneth Branagh's Cider with Rosie .. exquisite! But again on cassette and sadly my copy is stretched beyond all comprehension. Arghhh!!!! This is even more upsetting than when Waitrose stopped selling their apple pie twinpack Juliet is the Queen of narrators .. she really is. At the moment she's reading The Woodlanders on Radio 4 Extra .. and boy it's good. That is her reading is .. I'd listen to anything she read tbh. But the episodes are only about 15 mins long .. very frustrating as I want to get on!!! I was hoping for an omnibus but no luck so far. I've had my eye on The Watchmaker of Filigree Street .. but it's such a pretty book .. not sure I could forego that for the audio

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter Synopsis: In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss gives way to memories, the little unit of three starts to heal. In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief - Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent. Review: Well, this was something different The synopsis and the blurb are a little bit misleading. It sounds all a bit Nanny McPheeish which in theory it is but the execution of it couldn't be more different. Be prepared to be challenged. I don't know much about Ted Hughes .. his work I mean. I wasn't familiar with his book 'Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow' which was a shame as I'm sure it would have been enormously useful and had I twigged (ha .. don't know why that's amusing me but it is ) earlier then I probably would have tried to get hold of a copy to read first because I feel a lot depends on you knowing about Ted's crow. The family in this book (a man and his two sons) have been recently and suddenly bereaved. They're devastated and almost drowned in a sea of despair .. and that's when Crow comes to stay. I'm not sure anyone would particularly welcome Crow at any time .. let alone a time when they're at their most vulnerable. He's a bit caustic .. not to say downright insulting, crude, lewd, sarcastic and unfeeling. Somehow though he's what they need and it's an astonishing insight really into deep down, raw, gut wrenching, grief .. which isn't pretty or easily assuaged by kind words. It's a stunning book, sometimes I was confused .. sometimes it moved me to tears. It's difficult .. almost painful to get through. Anyone who's even considering reading it should flick through it first in the bookshop/library. It's short and the text is scattered about .. quite sparsely in places and split between The Boys, Dad and Crow .. sometimes prose, sometimes poetry .. sometimes just random words stuttering on the page .. just scraps really. Again the book cover with its large black crow is striking .. it almost demands that you pick it up (I suppose that's Crow's doing ) It's very different to nearly everything I've read .. and I've read some oddities lately but I like books that challenge .. even if I do curse them at the time I'll just put in an excerpt from Crow .. one where he's not so potty mouthed Hope you speak Crow .. I don't and it scrambled my brain a bit. Liked it! CROW Gormin'ere, worrying horrid. Hello elair, krip krap krip krap who's that lazurusting beans of my cut-out? Let me buck flap snutch clat tapa one tapa two, motherless children in my trap, in my apse, in separate stocks for boiling, Enunciate it, rolling and turning it, sadget lips and burning it. Ooh, pressure! Must rehearse, must cuss less. the nobility of nature, haha krah haha krap haha, better not. (I do this, perform some unbound crow stuff, for him. I think he thinks he's a little bit Stonehenge shamanic, hearing the bird spirit. Fine by me, whatever gets him through.)

Bermondsey Boy by Tommy Steele Synopsis: In this engaging memoir Tommy recalls his childhood years growing up in Bermondsey. He relives with great fondness Saturdays as a young boy, spent gazing at the colourful posters for the Palladium and days spent wandering up Tower Bridge Road to Joyce’s Pie Shop for pie and mash. But he also brings to life with extraordinary vividness what it was like to live through the devastation of the Blitz. Yet it was once he joined the merchant navy and began singing and performing for his fellow seamen that his natural ability as an entertainer marked him out as a favourite. And it was while ashore in America that he became hooked on rock’n’roll and a legend was born. From Tommy’s humble beginning to life at sea and finally as a performer, Bermondsey Boy is a colourful, charming and deeply engaging memoir from a much-loved entertainer. Review: My sister thrust this at me last time I saw her. I was a bit hesitant but then she said .. 'I've never really liked him .. I've always thought he was an irritating twit .. but a friend recommended this and its really good', which convinced me as it was just what I was thinking. Not that I particularly disliked him .. he was just a bit .. hyperactive (exhausting in other words.) Anyhow I didn't think much more about it but a few weeks ago I caught a really bad self pitying cold My head was like cotton wool and I couldn't concentrate on anything, the book I was reading was just too involved .. it wasn't going in but then I remembered this book and picked it up and it did the trick (I'm not claiming it cures colds .. I wouldn't go as far as that .. but it did distract and entertain me without taxing me too much .. it made me actually smile which I hadn't done for a week ) Most of the book is about Tommy's childhood and adolescence .. he hardly really touches on his adult famous years (perhaps that's another book.) He grew up in Bermondsey, London during the Blitz so has lots of stories to tell and he tells them really well. I found him engaging and had to chuck out all of my preconceived notions. Very nostalgic but not overly sentimental .. a very happy and joyous read actually. Mum has also read it now and loved it. Liked it! PS: The book doesn't touch on it but as I was Googling about later (something I often do after reading a book .. digging a bit deeper to find out more about story/writer/subject.) I learnt that Tommy is a sculptor .. and that there is a bronze statue in Stanley Road, Liverpool called 'Eleanor Rigby' which Tommy designed and made. Marvellous .. who knew?!?

Yes I was thinking that I could have actually written lots more reviews if I'd kept them shorter Oh well ... gabbling on is my default setting. Can't fight it I suppose Thanks Gaia My reading is going pretty well all things considered xx It's my reviewing that's not going quite so well

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson Synopsis: In Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson regaled readers with uproarious stories of her bizarre childhood. In her new book, Furiously Happy, she explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea. And terrible ideas are what Jenny does best. As Jenny says: 'You can't experience pain without also experiencing the baffling and ridiculous moments of being fiercely, unapologetically, intensely and (above all) furiously happy.' It's a philosophy that has - quite literally - saved her life. Jenny's first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, was ostensibly about family, but deep down it was about celebrating your own weirdness. Furiously Happy is a book about mental illness, but under the surface it's about embracing joy in fantastic and outrageous ways. And who doesn't need a bit more of that? Review: Again .. you need to see the cover :banghead: The cover drew me to the book. In fact I saw the cover, grabbed the book to look at the blurb etc .. loved the sound of it but thought I would do some sneaky research before fully committing. When I got home I couldn't remember the name of the book and of course, the cover is absolutely useless when doing an internet search .. especially if you can only remember that it was awesome I did look at the non-fiction on Amazon etc .. just to see if the lovely cover came up but sadly it didn't. Happily I knew exactly where it was on the Waterstone's shelf I'd seen it on so I went back a few days later to find .. it wasn't there (sorry about this .. not a review at all but a lesson on buying books or rather how not to buy books ) Alan said 'what was the cover like?' and I said 'well .. it was colourful .. it had sparkly bits on it .. and there was an endorsement from Caitlin Moran .. oh and it was a great big hardback' Not exactly helpful! An assistant wandered over and Al .. to my great embarrassment .. tried to engage them in finding the book. I did remember that the author was some sort of blogger and that it was about mental health .. but that it was a funny take on it. The assistant didn't know what I was on about (join the queue) and I apologised and said it didn't matter and pretended to be interested in a completely different book .. hoping she would walk away so I could run out of the shop. While I was doing this Alan found it He had said a lot of 'is this it?'s so I was just about to bat him away with another exasperated 'no' when I found it was indeed it .. hooray! The annoying thing was that, even though I hadn't done the research, I felt rather obliged to buy it now. Al showed it to the assistant and said 'found it' and I'm all like .. well it's all very well for you to brag but I was still making my mind up .. couldn't you have been more discreet? It turns out the pic on the front was of a very happy raccoon with lots of sparkly bits around him. I have no idea why I remembered the sparkly bits but didn't remember the raccoon I often try to remember key words (furious would have been a good one in this case .. apt too ) Actually, I later found out that the raccoon is real .. or at least it's a stuffed raccoon that Jenny owns (actually there are two) .. and the rather unconventional pose it's striking was actually requested by her. She has a thing for taxidermy (only for roadkill .. she stresses this lots) .. which probably stems from childhood as her father is a taxidermist. This is weird territory for sure. The subtitle for this book is 'A Funny Book about Horrible Things' which sort of sums it up. Jenny struggles with mental health issues and laughter is her medicine (doesn't always work .. things are often bleak .. but ultimately she can usually see the funny side.) I'll write out her opening paragraphs which will explain all. Please excuse language .. if you don't like swearing .. the book's probably not for you. Scratch that .. it's definitely not for you. Having typed it up it's worse than I remember .. I'll put it in spoiler tags .. and bleep it but don't read it if offended by bad language. (This was a blog post by Jenny) .. October 2010 Within a few hours #FURIOUSLYHAPPY was trending on twitter worldwide. And basically that's what the book is about. Despite the ranty tone (bark worse than bite) .. it's quite a thought provoking book. Anyone who has ever suffered with anxiety .. especially social anxiety or stress/depression will recognise a lot of Jenny's experiences .. she self harms .. she hides under tables from the world (literally) .. she's zonked out by medication. Sometimes she can't bear noise or being near people .. etc etc. But, she tries to deal with it all with humour. Her husband, Victor, is a great stooge (or is she his? .. not sure ... bit of both) I'm not sure he really does say the things he's credited for in this book but if he does .. haha .. genius. Otherwise she's the genius for making it up! I laughed loads. It can be a bit wearing .. verging on manic. But overall, a tonic for the troops. Caitlin endorses it which is no surprise because this is very Caitlin-like. Only this is an American version. An acquired taste I imagine but if you like irreverent and are interested in the subject then it might be for you. Don't read though if you're easily offended or offended at all by bad language as it's pretty liberally sprinkled. Liked it!

Yuki Chan in Bronte Country by Mick Jackson Synopsis: 'They both stop and stare for a moment. Yuki feels she's spent about half her adult life thinking about snow, but when it starts, even now, it's always arresting, bewildering. Each snowflake skating along some invisible plane. Always circuitous, as if looking for the best place to land...' Yukiko tragically lost her mother ten years ago. After visiting her sister in London, she goes on the run, and heads for Haworth, West Yorkshire, the last place her mother visited before her death. Against a cold, winter, Yorkshire landscape, Yuki has to tackle the mystery of her mother's death, her burgeoning friendship with a local girl, the allure of the Brontes and her own sister's wrath. Review: Oh, I wish you could see the cover you'd know then why I bought it Well, that and the title .. it's irresistible! The combination of the two was lethal .. my purse gave up the fight before it got nasty! It's probably not the story I was expecting but all the same I liked it a lot. Yuki (who's from Japan) doesn't know anything about the Brontes .. she doesn't particularly want to know anything about them. But, she feels they might hold the key to her mother's suicide. She has some photos that her mother took just before her death .. and Yuki wants to visit those places, stand in the self same spots .. absorb the atmosphere and try to draw something from the very air she once breathed and the ground she once trod on. Though it was ten years ago there must be some vestige left .. some message .. some reason. One of these places is Haworth .. home of the Brontes. It's a very sad tale actually .. sometimes funny but lots of pain and unhappiness. Yuki is desperate .. and her desperation leads her to do some unwise things that put her in danger. It's one of those stories that just weaves its magic slowly .. not fast paced .. quite the opposite but mesmerising and intriguing. Yuki is a great central character too .. very unconventional. There was no reverence for the Brontes I quite liked that (though I am at pains to point out that personally .. I greatly esteem them ) She was a bit sarcastic about them actually .. or at least the whole tourist town thing. Everything seemed to be linked to them .. the Bronte this and the Bronte that (Bronte nonsense as she calls it.) Yuki has joined a bunch of tourists and they stop at a little group of rocks (on the moors) to eat their packed lunches. She wonders if this has a name too .. Bronte Picnic Corner or Bronte Quick Stop For a Pee!? She wonders why the Bronte Biscuits sold in keepsake tins in the tourist shops are called Bronte Biscuits .. what is Bronte about them? Shouldn't they at least be sister shaped? She listens to the others talking though and envies their enthusiasm. Perhaps she should read the well loved books .. maybe keep a journal about it .. perhaps persevere with her English so she can read them in their mother tongue ... 'Then she thinks. This is how it starts. One minute you're eating some peculiar English sandwich. Someone whispers something in your ear and the next thing you know you've been infected with the Bronte Sickness. Worst of all you actually welcome it. Despite the fact that given time, it will destroy every last healthy cell.' My only criticism is that I wanted slightly more from the ending. Other than that I thought it was great, I like books that brood and are quirky. I've already looked at Mick's other books and have scribbled down some titles. There's one called The Underground Man which sounds great and Ten Sorry Tales which are illustrated by David Roberts who illustrates the wonderful Tales of Terror books by Chris Priestley so that's a definite. Liked it! .. but very close to Loved it! I'm loving it more actually in retrospect and I never know if this is sound or not! Have I forgotten some of the niggles or have I come to realise that it was something unique and special?

The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell Synopsis: Tom Michell is in his roaring twenties: single, free-spirited and seeking adventure. He has a plane ticket to South America, a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school, and endless summer holidays. He even has a motorbike, Che Guevara style. What he doesn't need is a pet. What he really doesn't need is a pet penguin. Set against Argentina's turbulent years following the collapse of the corrupt Perónist regime, this is the heart-warming story of Juan Salvador the penguin, rescued by Tom from an oil slick in Uruguay just days before a new term. When the bird refuses to leave Tom's side, the young teacher has no choice but to smuggle it across the border, through customs, and back to school. Whether it's as the rugby team's mascot, the housekeeper's confidant, the host at Tom's parties or the most flamboyant swimming coach in world history, Juan Salvador transforms the lives of all he meets - in particular one homesick school boy. And as for Tom, he discovers in Juan Salvador a compadre like no other. Review: Oh, I do love a book about a penguin I remember wanting one after reading Death and the Penguin .. and, if anything, I want one even more now. I shan't give in to my impulses though .. I know little penguins are better off where they are and we would probably be incompatible. Do penguins like Kate Bush and cheese on toast? It's doubtful but anyway .. everyone who reads this absolutely enchanting tale will hanker after their very own penguin to love. Don't say I didn't warn you. It didn't start well (the relationship that is .. not the story ) Whilst wandering around on a beach in Uruguay, Tom comes across (practically stumbles across) a hideous catastrophe. Hundreds upon hundreds of penguins have been washed up on the shore, dead .. and covered in oil (and not from an accidental oil spill either .. but from a deliberate oil spill ) It sort of transfixes him for a while but then he spots a penguin that is still moving. He goes towards it with the intention of .. well .. putting it out of its misery but as he approaches the penguin jumps up and starts to get defensive .. snapping at him and basically trying to kill him This little penguin has some spirit and spark left in him. Is it possible that he can be saved? There's no way Tom can pick him up and carry him .. he's covered in oil and more than a little tetchy, so he looks about for what he can use and settles on a piece of fishing net. He drapes it over the penguin, bundles him up and sets off for his rented apartment (and I did worry about this plush apartment with its sparkling bathroom that he was borrowing from a friend! ) Now I don't know about you but getting my shopping home is always a trial .. I'm not a good packer and there's always potatoes that want to jump out and roll on the floor and jars that inexplicably open of their own accord. I cannot begin to imagine what it must've been like trying to get a furious penguin home! Tom eventually manages though. He takes the penguin into the gleaming white pristine bathroom and attempts to hold him over the bidet (with the aid of a string shopping bag) and pour clean water over him. At first there is a mad struggle, the penguin bites him and draws blood and kicks out at him with razor sharp talons. Tom has to bind up the penguin's beak and feet (all the while cursing like mad and trying to staunch the flow of blood) but then, miracle of miracles, as soon as he starts pouring the water the penguin calms down. He understands all of a sudden that this man is trying to help him. He changes just like that into the most docile and helpful creature ever and it's not long before Tom unbinds his beak and feet and together they get the job done. Tom then puts him in the bath where he skitters up and down quite happily. Tom looks after him for a few days, works out how to get him to feed, keeps washing his feathers (they've lost their waterproofing so no point in trying to re-introduce him to the sea just yet) and generally revels in his company. He gives him a name .. Juan Salvador Penguino .. shortened to Juan Salvador and eventually to Juan Salvado. I won't spoil the rest of the story and tell you what happens to the pair of them .. but it's an amazing story. It's probably true of a lot of animals, most of them probably, but this penguin .. though he doesn't talk obviously .. has an understanding and an affinity with the humans he comes into contact with. They confide in him and are solaced by him and altogether it's the most wonderful thing in the world .. to be loved by a penguin I must just warn you though .. Lovely story .. it will make you do a happy dance. Liked it!

I'm not surprised .. it's brilliant! Exactly what I want out of a book but very rarely get! Thanks again Claire xx

Very pretty books which is v important in the scheme of things Hope you enjoy them Gaia xx

I know. Personally I grow as much hair as possible to help with covering up .. hats off to anyone who can carry off a shaved head .. Sinead does it to perfection because she has a beautiful face. Gosh .. she would look brilliant with some elf ears! Glad that she's been found, obviously going through tough times at the moment