Going Green from the 1960s to the 2020s

 Tell Us About Challenge

Dear friends. Welcome to our last Tell Us About challenge of 2024.

This month UK blogger Rosie Amber chose the prompt, and it's Going Green. It's been interpreted in several different ways by bloggers from across the world.

Shimmer and Shine

 & Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends. Iris Apfel famously said "More is more, and less is a bore." It's not an edict I take to heart except at this time of year.  

Normally I wear maybe two or three Georgian crystal necklaces, and wouldn't dream of adding extra bling.  But the festive season calls for a bit of dazzle, and sequins, bad though they are for the environment, will never go out of style.

The Girl in the Window by Diana Wilkinson

 

Dear friends. Today's spotlight falls on an intriguing pyschological thriller by Diana Wilkinson,  The Girl in the Window.  It's always a challenge to review books like this without giving spoilers, but hopefully I'll give you enough to pique your interest.

Publisher's Description

I know their secrets...

Every morning, I sit at the same table of my favourite café, sip my cappuccino, and watch them.

The woman has no idea I’m watching, day after day, unravelling the secrets of her life. I see the way she smiles when he arrives, how she glances over her shoulder… like someone who is hiding something.

She thinks she’s in control, but has no idea I’m on to them…

I know a lot more about the man. For a start, he’s not who he pretends to be – his lies are as plain as the nose on your face.

There’s more to this story than meets the eye, a lot more than I’ll ever let on. I already know a lot about the man, but have learnt so much more from watching.

Why do I think the man should tell me what’s going on?

Because he’s my husband. That’s why.

An unforgettable tale of deceit, lies and revenge, from the bestselling author of The Girl in Seat 2A.

My Thoughts

They say that nothing good comes from spying on others, and this would definitely be the case for Izzy. She's married to Jed and convinced he's having an affair, after seeing him from the window of a back street coffee shop where, unbeknown to him, she goes for a daily caffeine fix.

Izzy is an unreliable narrator. She has several phobias and describes both herself and Jed as having deep-rooted issues. She says "He's insecure, and I'm unbalanced, on the cusp of crazy." 

Her job as an agony aunt for the local paper sees her testing some of her theories about Jed's affair among the readers. She starts inventing letters and seeking readers' thoughts on the agony aunt  Facebook page.

She finds out that Jed may be up to his neck in deception and has possibly been involved in serious crime.

The tension grows and I felt almost like shouting out loud "No!" when Izzy seemed to be close to having a secret affair of her own with a "wide boy" builder who is developing the rundown site where Jed's mother lives.

The ending was a little mysterious to my mind and I didn't trust Izzy an inch.  It's possible I think we may see her in a follow-up book. 

A well written psychological thriller with interesting characters and enough red herrings to keep you hurrying to the end. 

About the Author

Diana Wilkinson was born and bred in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is the number 1 bestseller of The Girl in Seat 2a. Diana spent most of her working life in the business of tennis, and the inspiration for much of her work has come from the ladies she coached over the years.

Follow Diana Wilkinson

Facebook: @DiKennett

X:  @DiWilkinson2020

Instagram: @diddlers37

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DianaWilkinsonNews

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diana-wilkinson

Thanks to Rachel Gilbey from Rachel's Random Resources, the publisher and the author for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY

Fatal Endings by Anita Waller

I Will Find the Key by Alex Ahndoril 

Best Books of 2024 

December Outfits

 And Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends. This post brings back memories of when I was working and used to take pictures of my outfits, taking care to snap them before the rest of my colleagues arrived in the office.

I was taking part in the Kettlewell Colour Club 12 Days of Christmas challenge.  I like this annual challenge because it encourages you to dig deep in your wardrobe each day. 

It's OK Not to Love Christmas

 

Dear friends. If you love everything about the festive period, please move on. Nothing for you here.

This post is aimed at those who find Christmas difficult and/or boring. It can even be a triggering event for some, to use young people's parlance. 

Hitting Carb Creep on the Head

 And Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends.  I'm currently on a short-term low carb diet and enjoying it greatly. I'm not doing it to lose weight as such, but to shed a couple of inches from around the waist.

There's been a bit too much "carb creep" in the last few months.  I've generally eaten a Mediterranean type diet for the last year or so,  low carb but with lots of vegetables, berries and good wholegrains.

Favourite Books of 2024

 

Dear friends. I've completed the Goodreads challenge 2024, 100 books this year. Yay! Now it's time to share my favourites.  I selected the books which got my ultimate accolade of 5 stars. 

At the start of the year. I resolved to try to read more genres. Big fail on that front, because I didn't deviate from my favourites of thrillers, literary, historical and occasional non-fiction. I tried a couple of romances, sci-fi and fantasy, but they're not my cup of tea.

November: Colourful with an 80s Twist

 

Dear friends. Here are my jolly japes in November. These included another colourful gathering of friends; a trip to Plymouth; a vintage fair, a new ballet and an exhibition at Tate Britain. 

Summer Dresses in Cold Weather

 And Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends.  2024 has definitely been The Year of the Dress for me.  I hardly had any dresses, this year I've bought seven, mostly pre-loved.

They're all summer dresses, but lend themselves well to being "winterised."

Let me share my latest acquisition, a retro look dress from Madcap England, and how I'll be wearing it for the next few months.

Full Skirts

 #StyleNotAgeChallenge

Dear friends.  Four blogger friends and I am back with the latest Style Not Age challenge.  This month it was the turn of Jacqui from Mummabstylish to set the prompt, and she chose Full Skirts.

Regular readers will know I often wear skirts, but I don't have a full skirt.  In fact I was a little flummoxed as to what this was.  Google tells me it's a skirt with fullness gathered into the waistband which fits through the waistline and flares at the hem.

New Reads in November

 

Dear friends. As I mentioned last month, the months leading up to Christmas are lean for new fiction. Not many new books are published at this time.  Fortunately I do have a handful of good new books for you,

I've mentioned before that I mostly read books that I get via NetGalley. I thought I'd explain what this is, and why it exists. 

Tell Us About: Confidence

 

Dear friends. It's time for the Tell Us About challenge, and this month eight bloggers, including me, are writing about my prompt, Confidence.

My first draft had to be deleted because I was approaching it from the wrong perspective, self esteem instead of confidence. The two are easily confused.

The definition of Confidence is: 

Confidence means feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence isn't about feeling superior to others.

I've always been a confident person, although it's not often obvious. i call it quiet confidence.  I learnt at a young age that unless I could find strategies to hide my shyness, I wouldn't achieve what I wanted in life. 

From a young age I wanted to have a successful career, make my own money, and never be reliant on a man. 

I made career choices which normally work better for bold, extroverted people. As a result, I had to teach myself to essentially become an actor so that I could fake it to make it. 

Confidence Made Me a Journalist 

At school, I told very few people that I intended to become a journalist.  The deputy head told my parents I'd never succeed as a reporter because "she won't ever get her foot in the door." She thought nursing or secretarial work would be better.  

It made me more determined than ever to become a journalist. I succeeded into getting into a newspaper apprentice scheme and was a print and radio journalist for nearly 10 years. 

I then went into marketing and worked in advertising, PR and content creation, finally getting the marketing director position I'd longed for. I'd learnt my craft over a number of years and was confident of my abilities, which I needed to be. The corporate world of technology was very Machiavellian and male-dominated.

I came to love giving presentations, particularly to large audiences of sceptics, although I was never comfortable with professional networking or schmoozing with industry peers and senior managers. Below, I list some tips on how to enjoy presenting, as I know a lot of people dread doing it.

Confidence Made Me Carnival Queen

Nowadays we don't have much time or respect for beauty pageants, but back in the 70s, contests like Miss World drew huge global audiences.  When my village decided to have a carnival queen with a procession in the Queen's Silver Jubilee, 1977, I was confident I would win. Not because I was prettier than the others - I definitely wasn't - but because I'd planned a strategy for winning.

I knew that appearing confident would make me stand out. The other contestants, mostly my peers from school, would be giggling and not taking it seriously.  I also bought a distinctive outfit.  It was a co-ord as we call them now, a belted jacket over a skirt in khaki green. I can't remember wearing it again, but it did the job. 

I also practised walking with a book on my head because I knew good deportment would make me noticeable.

It worked - I won! When I got home, with my bouquet of flowers, even my mum looked astonished and said "You beat XX and XX?"  (Two prettier girls).  Yes I did, because I was confident I would. 

(As a footnote, I probably didn't enjoy Jubilee Day as much as everyone else because my crippling shyness meant it was a struggle to have to shake hands with, and kiss, the tug o'war team!). 

MY TIPS FOR APPEARING CONFIDENT AT WORK

• If your job involves giving presentations and you dread it:
• Remember, you're a subject matter expert. No-one can trip you up. 
• It's actually magical having an audience in the palm of your hand. Learn how to work the audience by changing your pitch and speed when talking, and your body language. You can pick up tips from podcasts and courses.
• If the tech fails, talk without it.  I did that once and it was amazing. I couldn't access slides so I just talked. And we won the pitch. 
• If you see people sitting back with arms folded, obviously disengaged, keep catching their eye as if you're speaking to them. 
• Make sure you are vocally providing extra context and depth, and not just reciting what's on your slides. 

• At professional networking events, go in with head high and shoulders back. 
• Take a deep breath and see if you spot anyone else on their own, or anyone you know.
• Prepare a few conversation topics in advance  (keep them on a phone Note if you need a reminder)
• Wear the outfit that makes you feel powerful. Red is always a winner.

Now Let's See how the Other Bloggers Got On! 

Debbie from Deb's World (Australia) likens confidence to boldness and reminisces about her YEAR of being BOLD. Confidence is something she never thought she had a lot of, but perhaps she was wrong! 

Rosie Amber (UK) has taken a fun approach to this subject with a little personality quiz.

Penny from Frugal Fashion Shopper (UK)  says Confidence is an elusive thing:  it’s there and then in a flash, it’s gone. But it does reappear again. Capturing and keeping hold of this thing called confidence is going to be a major target over the next few years, she says.

Anne from Spygirl  (US) mustered the confidence to pose nude at age 68!

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle (US) writes about the confidence she found in the most unusual place.

Suzy from Suzy Turner (Portugal) writes about her journey with confidence, sharing how simple lessons learned as a teen—like the power of walking tall—sparked a path toward self-assurance. From dancing her heart out at parties to finding confidence in front of the camera later in life, Suzy reflects on her own growth, amusing moments, and helpful tips for those days when confidence feels elusive.

Leslie from Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After (US)  has chased confidence all her life.  Has she ever caught it? Check out her post to find out. 

I hope you enjoyed our posts on Confidence.  Please share any anecdotes or tips that particularly resonated with you, and of course, your own thoughts.  

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Next month's challenge is the final one for 2024, and Rosie Amber has chosen "Going Green" as the prompt. If you have an evergreen or new post to add to the link-up, make a calendar date of 19 December. 

TELL US ABOUT LINK-UP FOR YOUR POSTS ON CONFIDENCE

The link-up is open until 29 November. Posts not related to Confidence will be removed. If you're looking for the Wow on Wednesday link-up, please scroll below to the previous post. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

What I Wore to Good Housekeeping Live

 And Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends. I had such a great time at the event run by Good Housekeeping that I thought I'd write a post about it.  GH Live is an annual Christmas themed event, run in collaboration with Country Living magazine.  

I went with Anna who some of you know from her YouTube site, My Over 50 Fashion Life. We went under our own steam  (not gifted).

Beauty and Energy Boosters

 

Dear friends. Time for a beauty update, as I've changed my routine as winter approaches, and have been trying a few new products. Unless indicated, I bought them myself, and these are my honest thoughts. I've also covered some of the energy and cell rejuvenating supplements I use. 

First, my usual disclaimer, which is not to expect any radical improvements from using skincare products, no matter how enticing the marketing messages - how pro-ageing or pro-menopause they are.

Fatal Endings by Anita Waller

 

Dear friends. A different spin on a police procedural today because we're in the hands of the Forrester Detective Agency. The world of its owner, former cop Matt, and his partner Karen, a detective inspector, collide in this exciting tale of a revenge killing. 

I'm on the blog tour for Fatal Endings by Anita Waller. 

Cute Gamine Look

 And Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends. Thanks for the terrific response to last week's post, my frank thoughts about growing old (with some tips on how to deal with them!).

Today I'm back in gamine style. Women with a gamine style personality are typically petite and like neat, fitted clothes.  We don't gravitate towards print, except in small scarves.  We don't do frills, flouncy or oversized.

I Will Find the Key by Alex Ahndoril

 

Dear friends. Today I have for you an intriguing new Nordic Noir set in Sweden. I'm on the blog tour for I Will Find the Key, the new book from international best selling Swedish crime writer Alex Ahndoril. 

Publisher's Description

A man walks into a private detective's office, holds up a photo of a dead body and says: "I need you to find out if I killed this man."

The man in Julia Stark's office is one of the owners of a successful family business. The day before, he was present at a board meeting and dinner at his estate in the north western part of Sweden. The following morning, he finds a photograph on his phone of a man covered in blood, tied up with a bag over his head. 

Due to alcohol-related amnesia, the man has no idea where the picture comes from, and he wants to hire Stark Detective Agency to clear his name, before the police get involved. Julia asks her ex-husband Sidney Mendelson to take time off from the City Police and assist her in the investigation. Julia still has a glimmer of hope that this might be her chance to win him back. 

Welcomed as guests at the opulent estate, Julia and Sidney begin to search for the truth while dining and socialising with each of the family members that could theoretically be involved in the murder. 

I Will Find the Key is a classic whodunnit with a modern twist – brilliantly clever, and set in a country house deep in a Swedish forest.

My Thoughts 

Crime thrillers set in the present day tend to rely heavily on DNA, CCTV and occasionally AI to solve crimes. It’s quite refreshing to be reacquainted with the old fashioned perception and intuition that detectives used to employ. Sherlock Holmes could famously tell a person’s occupation by their hands or tell tale signs on their clothes. 

In I Will Find the Key, detective agency owner Julia Stark and her ex husband,  a serving police officer, combine forces to solve the mystery. Julia is convinced it will take her just a few days Staying at the mansion involves dressing for dinner for lavish dinners and cocktails.  All very Agatha Christie and reminiscent of the 1930s.

The family are not very forthcoming and it’s clear they don’t get on very well with each other. For a long time I was held in suspense as to whether Julia actually had the ability to solve the mystery. She admitted to being too impulsive with her opinions.  I was frustrated by her obsession with her ex husband.  The pair have several interviews with family members, but we are left in the dark about Julia's thought processes.

By the time the body is found, and Sidney calls the police,  I’m convinced Julia's investigation will now be over, because surely her husband will need to brief the police and they will take over? Surprisingly this doesn’t seem to happen. Julia summons the family together and reveals her insights on family dynamics and history, and ultimately, who committed the crime. Her insight is jaw dropping.

An unusual thriller in the modern take of a classic whodunnit that keeps us guessing. This is the first instalment in the Key series. Rights have been sold in 24 territories, and a feature film is in the making from a major international streamer. 

The author Alex Ahndoril

Alex Ahndoril is the pseudonym of Lars Kepler, the 17 million copy best selling Swedish crime writer. 

My thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours and Zaffre Books for the advance copy in return for a book review. 

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Getting Old: The Truth at 64

 

Dear friends. I'm almost 64, a memorable age thanks to "Vera, Chuck and Dave"  (courtesy of The Beatles)*

We see a lot of clickbait telling us what women over 50 shouldn't wear. We see a lot of famous older women camouflaging their age, as if it's something to be ashamed of, thanks to cosmetic surgery and tweakments. 

But one of the things that rarely gets discussed is how we feel about ageing.  

I'm doing precisely that today.

The Village Killer by Ross Greenwood

 

Dear friends. I'm a big fan of Ross Greenwood's, he writes crime thrillers that have a great plot but are also grounded and realistic. 

His latest novel is The Village Killer, and today is my stop on the book tour. 

Skirt Inspiration from 10 Women Like You

 

Dear friends. Today I'm sharing favourite skirts chosen by of 9 Instagrammers. We've just taken part in my annual #7DaySkirtChallenge.

Some of the women may be familiar to you; others might be new.   I'm confident at least one of them will inspire you to wear a skirt! 

Autumn Hues

 Style Not Age Challenge

Dear friends.  The clocks have gone back and the weather is finally starting to feel a bit more autumnal.  Inspired by the season, Hilda has chosen Autumn Hues as the theme for this month's Style Not Age challenge.

Lakes, Mail Train and More

 October in Review  #WBOYC

Tues Oct 1 

Drove to Borrowdale in the Lake District with our bikes for a 4 night stay.  Horrendous conditions with atrocious rain on our drive.  For our first charging stop there were no chargers available;  the second one was still being built. Finally found a new charging station. Got to Borrowdale at 4.15.  The weather was good!  Lovely room overlooking fells and fields with sheep.  

For dinner had chicken liver parfait and duck with blackened sweetcorn.

Weds Oct 2

Slept badly, too hot. We were first down to breakfast.  The weather has dramatically improved, sunny intervals,  12 degrees.  Did a lovely bike ride, 25 miles, straight out of the hotel along lanes and through Manesty and Braithwaite to Whinlatter where we had coffee, then past Buttermere Lake and up the very steep and curving Honister Pass (top pic). Had a hot chocolate in the cafe at the top of the pass. 

Had bath. Had cheese souffle and tastes of pork.

Thurs Oct 3

Even better weather than yesterday. Sunny all day.  Did one of our favourite rides,  44 miles via Threlkeld,  Mungrisedale, Caldbeck, Braithwaite.  Stopped at Caldbeck where there's a watermill cafe and delightful shop called The Woolclip. Had soup and a cheese scone. The Wool Clip is a co-operative of craftspeople making items from wool. Bought 2 flower brooches and a journal.  

Plaice & crab starter and beef blade for dinner. 

Fri Oct 4

Sunny start.  Did a walk along Derwentwater,  had coffee in Lingholme, where we saw the alpacas, and continued the walk to Keswick,  7 miles. Once there, J got the bus back while I had a look round the shops and got a later bus.  For dinner had a pork belly starter and then sea bass with Thai flavours plus raspberry creme brulee.

Sat Oct 5

The Northern Lights had been predicted but didn't materialise.  Long drive home today. Started with eggs Benedict as I won't have lunch.  J has a cold. Did an EV charge at usual at Markham Moor. I drove the rest of the way.  Quiet roads, sunny. Home by 4. 

Sunday Oct 6

J's birthday. Did a workout.  Had an early lunch at Larkshall with J's children and their children.   Had Scotch egg starter and roast pork. Johnnie Walker announced his retirement. Watched The Resident. Below: Olive, age 2, with her ice cream. 

Mon Oct 7

Lovely day. Did walk in the forest. Was nearly out of forest when a big dog ran up to me  growling. Ugh.

Dug the dahlias out of the front containers. Can't believe tiny weeds have sprouted all over the rose bed. Wrote blog post. Started watching Showtrial (BBC iPlayer). 

Tues Oct 8

Got a short notice slot for Pilates and walked over. Different teacher, enjoyed it. Went to superstore afterwards.

Weds Oct 9

Delivery from Damart, a gifted dress. See it here.  Have decided to try to go to gym more often. Got in for LBT (legs bums tums). Quite brutal. Walked there and back. Forgot to take a towel so couldn't use gym as planned. Started writing books post.

Thurs Oct 10

Went in town  (London, 25 mins from home on the train). Saw the Now You See Us exhibition at Tate Britain,  in its last few days. Very good. Wrote a post about it here. 

On the walk to Victoria popped into a shop called Retromania and bought a Paul Costelloe jacket for £25.

Fri Oct 11

Not a very enjoyable day. Was going to do a walk with J before Pilates but he was on the phone with BT for over an hour sorting out issues with new hub and transfer to EE. In the end I went on my own and did a shorter walk. Then had a dental appointment.  I've asked for 2 crowns to be re-done as I wasn't  happy with them. Temporaries again for 3 weeks.

Sat Oct 12

Sorted out my now 2 Kettlewell coour club events.  Lightroom have moved the start of the Vogue: Inventing the Runway exhibition, which was a pain. Having to use Facebook events is annoying because not everybody seems to see updates and you can't always message people, depending on their settings. 

Did an urban walk to Waitrose to buy a few bits. Surprised at how many businesses have closed in Buckhurst Hill.  Sold some old jewellery. 

Sunday Oct 13

Rest day. Had the shopping delivered.  Roast chicken. Started new Cate Blanchett drama - Disclaimer -  but not impressed. Looks beautiful but acting and dialogue stilted and flashbacks annoying.

Mon Oct 14

Did Pilates. Rainy day. Wrote 2 blog posts.

Tues Oct 15

Overcast, not cold. Did Body Conditioning for the first time. Tough! Certainly got the heart rate up. The instructor often uses the dreaded step apparently, so may not do it again! 

Weds Oct 16

Did early walk as I had a 1pm slot at the National Gallery to see a members' preview of the upcoming Constable / Haywain exhibition. I've never been a particular fan of Constable, although I like his contemporary, Gainsborough. The Haywain was quite radical at the time. Below:  close-up. 

Thurs Oct 17

Did walk with J and then spent rest of day in garden. Lovely weather.  Was supposed to be planting bulbs but spent a lot of time digging up violets, which have spread everywhere. Started season 2 The Resident. Fell downstairs after slipping on a sock. Sore backside.  Eating pineapple, which has bromelin (nature's Ibruprofen).  

Fri Oct 18

Foggy start. Squirrel has so far not dug up pots. J hit his head on a shelf on the garage. It was a surface wound but bleeding quite heavily. He had a lie down, so we didn't do Pilates. A new dehumidifier arrived. 

Sat Oct 19

Overcast in morning.  Did short forest walk. Sun came out after lunch. Weeded drive. New humidifier switched on. Started rewatching The Diplomat (Netflix) in readiness for the new series on Oct 31.

Sunday Oct 20

Did a quick photo in bedroom to preview my 7 day skirt challenge which starts tomorrow.  Windy with showers. Roast chicken.  Dehumidifier was full of water so definitely working.

Mon Oct 21

Overcast.  Did 5 mile walk with J. First day of skirt challenge.  We saw the longhorns being lured to the Plains by herdspeople with boxes rattling. Had a chat with one of them. Most of the herd will now go to their winter quarters. Some of the cows will be pregnant.  Around 12 will stay on the Plains for winter, unless conditions get too bad. 

Tues Oct 22

Quite warm, a bit of sun pm. Planted more bulbs and weeded.  Walked to Woodford to give blood, 1st time since 1998. I stopped back then because my low blood pressure meant it took too long. This time it went well, bag filled up in 5 mins. If I donate every 4 months I'll be able to carry on until I'm 70.

Weds Oct 23

Sunny spells,  warm. We went to the Postal Museum, had a ride on the mail train and then lunch. The mail train was fun. It's a tiny underground train that in its heyday was handling 3 million letters a day.  It ceased operating in 2003. The train has been adapted to carry passengers.

I had 3 compliments about the outfit I was wearing, purple and green outfit. Very unusual, as I am mostly invisible these days. Below: squeezed into the Mail Train. 

Thurs Oct 24

Beautiful day. Did walk in forest, saw 12 cows on Plains.  Booked for opening of the refurbished Royal Forest. It's been taken over by the Heartwood group, whose assets include Raymond Blanc's brasseries.  Did some gardening,  still have bulbs to plant but need more compost.  Started Territory,  Netflix. Australian, very good. 

Fri Oct 25

Very grey. Took photos of 3 skirt outfits to complete the challenge. Behind me the wretched squirrel was inspecting my pots!  Went to Pilates. 

Saturday Oct 26

Grey day. chance of showers.  Met some of the Kettlewell ladies for a sale at the former Truman Brewery in Brick Lane by SmaartWorks.  This is a charity, supported by Kettlewell, which provides young women with clothes suitable for job interviews and work.  The sale was clothes which have been donated, many by brands, which are not suitable for that purpose.

Had a great time browsing the rails and picked up a cute Karen Millen red pinafore dress. 

Sunday Oct 27

A bright warm day. Shopping was delivered. Finished planting the tulips (90 bulbs). Have dusted containers with hot chilli powder, which seems to deter the squirrels and foxes. Johnnie Walker's last Sounds of the 70s. I had a hanky handy but it wasn't a tear jerker. 

Monday Oct 28

Warm, overcast. We drove over to High Beech to do a walk in a different part of the forest. Came across location units and two posh loos. Forest colours are spectacular. 

Hope you enjoyed my review of the month. How was your October? 

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Old, New and a Bit of Blue

 With Wow on Wednesday

Dear friends. I've got a couple of new items to share today: a show-stopping pair of flat tartan shoes, and a pair of jeans in the unusual shade of duck egg blue.

The shoes caught my eye as soon as I spotted them at Boden and I paid full price (£110).  There's currently 15%  off on the Boden site, plus the shoes come in Dalmation spots and two other shades as well  (be still my beating heart!). I knew the tartan shoes would go perfectly with my pre-loved Kettlewell skirt, which made its debut outing for my #7DaySkirtChallenge on Instagram.

Books in October

Dear friends.  Did you know that very few new books are published between now and January?  Publishers like to focus on their best selling books, plus recipe and other books suitable for gifting, as we approach the holiday season.

Fortunately all the books I'm reviewing today were read by me several weeks ago, as a NetGalley reviewer. They're all out this month - October - except where indicated.

Tell Us About - Schooldays

Dear friends.  It's time for another Tell Us About challenge, where 10 bloggers from around the world respond to a prompt each month.

I'm thrilled that we're back to full strength with the addition of US blogger Anne M Bray.

This month we're ruminating over Schooldays,  a prompt set by Penny from Frugal Fashion Shopper.

We can approach the topic from any angle we choose.  I imagined there would be several reminiscences about schooldays so I decided instead to pick just a few comedic moments from school - and Sunday school  (which counts as a school), including one from my mum.