poppyshake

I only know of Chinese burns .. I've no idea about Indian ones!?! ... and as for wet willies .. never heard of it before and I'm quite sure it wouldn't be appropriate for me to be dishing that out at 10am Not heard pf purple nurple's either .. I really am behind with childhood torture practices I just gave him 'the look' .. I daresay I gave them out as a child but I've worked on them since then .. they're prodigious now He was being silly and pointing out sentences were words had been used that now mean something different This sort of thing amuses him .. he was delighted when one of Jane Austen's heroines put her hand in her muff!

Have you got a recipe for that Hayley? .. sounds delish

Ooh .. that is funny! We are synchronising I'm very excited .. I did have a good flick through .. looking at the illustrations mainly and a thousand memories came flooding back. Alan picked one up and began reading and then laughing ... I expect he only managed to progress as far as comics when he was young He did look as if he wanted to read on though .. wouldn't mind betting he picks them up at some point but I confiscated them in a huff I can't wait to get involved in them again xx

Same here .. I read mine until they almost fell apart. I wish too they'd been kept .. I wonder if they're actually still alive in the world or whether they were sent to the refuse dump or something I used to put my name in them so of course I looked straight at these newly acquired copies to see if they .. in some serendipitatious type way .. were my old copies but alas no They do smell rather wonderfully of the seventies though My great niece reads them and quite enjoys them but like you say they are so dated now .. it's hard for modern kids to relate. Join us if you can Hayley

I love Absurd Persons Singular (well love all Ayckbourn really) .. saw the play on TV many moons ago and alternatively laughed and cringed. I thought Anna Karenina was positively dreary at times .. and she got on my pip I like the sound of The Strange Library .. even though you weren't that enamoured .. it sounds intriguing and I really want to read Under the Net now .. I have a great respect for Iris. Ditto Jane and Prudence. Enjoying reading your reviews Ethan .. you get to the point and don't ramble

I'm not a big fan but I can see .. if you were .. how that could brighten a day. I'd feel the same if they were hula hoops I heard Rockin' Robin on the radio

I thought the same about The Bookshop .. I enjoyed it but was disappointed by the ending. I would totally advocate Galaxy every day if I could get away with it .. delicious stuff .. and I know what you mean about Agatha .. so comforting. I've got several of her books in the jar and I'll be as pleased as punch if any of them come out. It'll be like the jar is rewarding me .. might even buy some Galaxy to go with .. not my fault .. you've put the notion in there Alex Great reviews

I love sci-fi of the vintage variety and so The Time Machine is definitely up my alley I saw the film on TV just before Christmas .. not sure how much it sticks to the story but .. eerie!! Great review Janet

God! I'm in trouble then I really fancy giving it a go .. despite its fearsome reputation. It's such a heavyweight in the book world that I owe it to try at least. Look forward to the review when it comes

My Malory Towers books have arrived .. hoorah!! So nice to see old friends again

Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe Synopsis: Not long after her parents' separation, heralded by an awkward scene involving a wet Daily Telegraph and a pan of cold eggs, nine year old Lizzie Vogel, her sister and little brother and their now divorcee mother are packed off to a small, slightly hostile village in the English countryside. Their mother is all alone, only thirty-one years of age, with three young children and a Labrador. It is no wonder, when you put it like that, that she becomes a menace and a drunk. And a playwright. Worried about the bad playwriting - though more about becoming wards of court and being sent to the infamous Crescent Home for Children - Lizzie and her sister decide to contact by letter, suitable men in the area. In order to stave off the local social worker they urgently need to find a new Man at the Helm. Review: Well, for a start, any book with jam tarts on the cover has got to be good (and I didn't get far before there was a toast quote .. what more do you need!?! ) I absolutely adored Nina's last book Love Nina .. possibly you'll remember this because I'm still going on about it Love Nina though was a memoir and I thought this was the sequel I didn't read the blurb .. I just saw that Nina had a new book out and directly asked for it for Christmas. It spent a few days under my 'non fiction' list of 'books acquired in 2015' actually .. before I picked it up and started to read. I then noticed straight away (well done me!! ) that it was actually a story .. Nina has written her first novel She has written it in exactly the same style and humour which pleased me because that's what I wanted .. more of the same. Lizzie in fact could be a young Nina (which I suppose is to be expected .. she has sprung out of her imagination and didn't I read somewhere that most authors cast themselves in their first novel? ) Both Lizzie and her sister are wiser than their years .. well no, not wiser .. they make a bit of a hash of things actually but they've got old heads on their shoulders .. they worry about things and their chief worry is their mother. Their dad has left the marital home to set up with someone else and since then things have definitely .. and quickly .. gone to the dogs! One of the side effects of this is that their mum writes terrible plays .. just snippets really .. based on her tragic day to day experiences and the girls are often called upon to act them out. Lizzie's sister thinks she knows the answer .. they need a man at the helm. They make a list of suitable men and set about tricking them into coming to the house (usually by writing a letter .. purporting to be from their mother .. inviting them to the house for spurious reasons connected with their professions.) They are pretty sure that once the men set eyes on their mother .. they will be instantly smitten. Things don't go to plan though and whilst their father's life is sailing smoothly on .. theirs is bewildering. I had my own crisis at that Sunday lunch table. I say crisis, though it was more of a philosophical meandering. I asked myself how it was that our lovely tall father had suddenly become the husband of a new woman and the father of a whole separate new baby who could already say 'more' and outdo Little Jack on the veg front. I gazed at the blond-haired baby. What would it make of us, I wondered, as it matured, its half siblings arriving every month or two and eating a roast dinner (badly) and being tutored in table manners and being irritable about it? The baby was sure to grow into a table manners expert and to be well rounded with our proper and funny ex-father as its man at the helm. As these notions floated around my mind I felt a surging wave of sadness for this little half-brother of mine. Imagine, I thought, having someone's ex-father as your own and having to see the unruly cast-offs for Sunday lunch every three months - it would be horrible, surely and really annoying. I felt sorry for him and hoped to God that our new man at the helm (when we'd secured one) didn't come with anything of that sort. Lizzie narrates this story in Nina's trademark (well .. I know she's only had two books out but I read her twitter feed as well ) deadpan style .. it constantly makes you smile but can be sad too. You get the feeling .. as with Love Nina .. that you can't necessarily trust every word Lizzie says .. there's a slight Billy Liar feel about it but it all adds to the enjoyment. Apparently 'there's nothing quite like a jam tart to cheer a person' .. well there's nothing like a Nina book either Loved it .. hope she writes more

Thank you Brian and thanks once again for the inspiration .. I think good things will come of it

Thanks Noll I'm so frustrated that I can't get my TBR down that it called for drastic measures .. and if I don't get on with a book then I'll abandon it .. that's the idea anyway.

Guns, Germs and Steel sounds fairly intense .. the jar is not going soft on you Hope you get on okay with it Kylie Iris is giving me the runaround a bit but I'm plodding on Possibly I would have abandoned but this is Iris .. I have too much respect for her for that but man .. I'm having to work hard! What a beginning to my relationship with the jar

Thanks Gaia Not a great movie to watch as a child I'm glad I didn't see it until much later .. in fact I don't think I'd seen it previous to the bird incident .. just as well Thanks bobbs I didn't know for quite a long time .. he really has only taken the idea of it though .. and made it even more terrifying Yes .. I do love birds .. especially little garden birds .. but if I see a line of rooks or something .. bit spooked That's just what Hitchcock intended The cad!!

So sorry to hear that It's awful to be in constant pain .. and so difficult for you to lose weight when exercise is difficult or nigh on impossible. Hope you find the pain eases soon .. and you can get back on track and hopefully feel a lot better as a result I find drinking a lot of water difficult .. often feel like I'm drowning .. but still I keep sipping it all day long and try to remember to drink a glass before meals and then sip some during the meal for filling up purposes. I timed myself today eating my dinner .. it took fifteen mins .. not sure it that's good or bad (it wasn't a big dinner but not small either) .. I was trying hard to go slow .. I'm sure I would have wolfed it in about half that time usually. I was on my own .. perhaps I could have strung it out longer with company and chat but I do hate it if my food goes cold.

An individual steak, mushroom and red wine pie made by my Mum .. peas and carrots. Wanted to have mashed potato but that was a carb too far!

The Birds and other stories by Daphne du Maurier Synopsis: How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . . ' A classic of alienation and horror, 'The Birds' was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world. The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd. Review: I only intended really to read The Birds during the little mini Halloween readathon which is why I have listed them separately on my reading list (honestly I wasn't trying to bump up my figures ) but went on to read four more and then there were only a couple more to go and so over the course of the next month I read those too. The standout story is The Birds .. you can see why they chose this one to adapt. It's so creepy and most people's worst nightmare (definitely in my family as quite a few of them have Ornithophobia .. though I haven't or only slightly but I did have a horrible experience once when I was a teenager .. I got up in the morning and went out into the hall and a bird attacked me well .. it didn't really .. it was just trying to get out but I shrieked .. went back into my room and shut the door but then it was flapping desperately against the little transom window above the bedroom door .. I just shrieked my head off until help came Twas my Dad's fault .. he had left the loft hatch open but it was horrifying at the time .. and that was just one bird.) The back story here is quite different to the film .. well it's very short for a start so much more dialogue/plot was needed but as far as I can remember it was completely different apart from the birds amassing and attacking. In the book it takes place in Cornwall. Anyway a brilliant story with a chilling ending. The others were a bit hit and miss. I didn't really get on with Monte Verita .. it dragged and wasn't that chilling and I thought Kiss me Stranger was predictable .. I could see where it was going but, on the whole, a highly enjoyable set of short stories .. just perfect for slightly unsettling you on an Autumn evening. 4/5

.. and reading makes you sit on your a***e more!! That's another problem!

Great thread Kylie Yes .. I need to do something about my weight/health/fitness too. January finds me fatter than usual .. January always finds me fatter than usual thanks to Christmas but also this time due to the fact that I wasn't well leading up to it and so was more sedentary etc. For a while now I haven't felt up to going for the long walks that I normally take daily if I can. I lose confidence when I don't feel well and also my balance and eyesight are poor during these times. I was also at the mercy .. some of the time .. of Alan's cooking He will always want to serve up comforting food if I'm under the weather and if he can smuggle a cake down a person who's feeling ill then he will .. his reasoning being that cake must do you good. I am living proof that cake does NOT do you good. Cake makes you puff up the hills. I would find it hard to drastically alter my diet though. I know I couldn't ever commit to never eating buttered toast or chocolate or cake etc ever again. I just wouldn't stick to it and the problem with changing your diet and cutting out certain foods is that if you slip or go back to eating things like bread or pasta or rice .. or carbs in general .. when you've been eating low carbs or no carbs .. then the weight will pile on quicker than ever. So any diet I undertake has to include occasional treats etc and not be too strict. When I was first unwell I did go and get tested to see if things could be improved by cutting out certain foods and the list of foods I was supposedly allergic to was as long as my arm. I cut them all out (I was basically having to live on rice cakes) but I was just thoroughly miserable and there were no health improvements at all though I stuck to it for ages. The one thing you don't want to feel .. is both ill and miserable. I am a breakfast dodger, I think most people who struggle with their weight are. They think (stupidly) that that's the one meal they can control and do without. Evening time is my real problem .. then I want to eat for England and all other countries too Plus when I'm cooking, Alan will want to open some wine and then it's 'let's have nibbles' .. which is always bad. Nothing good for you ever came under the heading 'nibbles' .. even if you've got celery sticks you'll be wanting to stick them in something creamy and garlicky. I know I can lose weight .. I lost quite a bit last year but I am so yo-yo .. so probably definitely not tackling it correctly. Eating healthily can sometimes be quite expensive .. or buying things like fish can and some fruits and nuts/seeds/berries etc. It's good to hear that frozen fish is okay because that's a cheaper option. I do like salmon but it's pricey. I adore things like tinned tuna and sardines etc but not sure they''re that good for me. Perversely I don't like tuna packed in spring water .. it has to be in olive oil I do drink lots of water though .. tap because again .. bottled water is just so expensive. I eat quickly though .. I'm a bolter and there's a lot of evidence to suggest that bolters put weight on more easily. I need to slow down, eat more fish, eat more salad (without dressing/mayo etc) eat breakfast, keep drinking the water and do as much walking as I can. The thing is when you start getting results it spurs you on .. up until then though it's pretty difficult. Btw I find that reading doesn't help because they're always noshing in books!! I look out for toast quotes but I could equally look out for cake quotes, chocolate quotes and every unhealthy food under the sun quotes .. all books are liberally scattered with them. I don't know when anyone was last eating lettuce in a book I read .. not for ages. Someone was eating toasted cheese a minute ago and .. because I'm hungry and it's danger time .. I wanted some!! It's still on my mind now .. I know I have all the equipment! This is a great place to come and get moral support and maybe share ideas/recipes .. especially for things like smoothies and juices etc. And for you to tell me what to eat with my salmon instead of new potatoes and butter etc. We can help each other Oh dear .. I do like my food Thanks for the biscuit Bri

I wonder if I can persuade Alan to give me a £1 for every book I read from my jar Great idea! Hope the Jar of Destiny is kind to you Claire

I'll do that then

Yes .. we have to take into account the times in which the books were written. It can be a bit uncomfortable but I'd rather read them as they were intended than have the PC mob turn them into something else. For a start it gives you more of an idea of what the current thinking was and how we've .. hopefully .. moved on. Good idea to stick with something that's agreeing with you That's the way to nurture a healthy reading mojo Is it best to start at the very beginning of this series ... or wouldn't it much matter do you think?

I did read a lot of Iris at one point .. her fiction and biogs etc. This book was bought then but something came along and distracted me from it I've got a couple of other reads on the go .. one I'm listening to (The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters) and Printer's Devil Court by Susan Hill but nothing too taxing. This is challenging but it's started well. Iris was part of an (am dram) touring company called The Magpie Players and the first part of this book is her diary extracts from that time. The intro was absolutely killing though .. I thought, if it carries on like this I'll never get through it .. happily as soon as it was left to Iris it immediately got more comprehensible. Phew! I think I'll be okay. At the moment the title is misleading as war hasn't been mentioned but then we're in August 1939 .. so Germany hasn't invaded Poland yet. It'll be interesting to see how it affects her and what difference it makes to her day to day life.

I have times when I can be quite creative but other times when my mind is just one big black hole I do like cutting out and sticking though etc ... never have grown out of that nursery phase. I felt quite odd cutting out the letters though .. like I was going to send a sinister letter must take people ages as I had my work cut out finding R E A D M E. I think my mind would have moved away from the crime by the time the letter was finished .. and onto cake most probably