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Creme Egg Cookie Cups
My colleague showed me a picture of the most delicious looking cookies on Friday, and I couldn’t resist giving them a try. I found a recipe online, but it was on an American site and required a bit of adapting. For those wondering, it’s here: http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2012/03/cadbury-cream-cookie-cups.html Mine looked a bit more ‘rustic’ than these, but
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Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
I think it’s no secret that I love love love this book, and as I’ve read it many times before, I won’t be reviewing the actual book. It’s a work of genius and we all know it, I’ve read it so many times that I find myself anticipating the words that are coming. Rather than
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C.S. Lewis – The Magician’s Nephew
I’m almost ashamed to admit that I’ve never read the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve had the entire set of books on my shelf for as long as I can remember, and just checking the front of the book now, I can see that this edition was purchased for me more than 20 years ago, definitely
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Packwood House
After visiting Croome and driving a bit further up the motorway, the plan was to visit Hardwick Hall, south of Sheffield. But we spent so long looking around the lovely Croome that we realised we’d get there about 15 minutes before it closed so we had to change our minds! After a quick search on
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Croome
Today was our drive back to Leeds from Bristol, and rather than break up the journey with service stations, we decided to break up the journey with a couple of National Trust properties instead. The first was Croome. We didn’t realise until we turned up that the property was undergoing major restoration so was completely
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On the Set of Downton Abbey
After our trip to Chedworth Roman Villa, we drove all the way up to Snowshill to find that it was closed! So we then ended up having lunch in a lovely cafe in the middle of the Cotswolds, a goats cheese and roasted vegetable jacket potato which was scrumptious. After that, it was getting quite
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Chedworth Roman Villa
This was a slightly longer drive away from Bristol than I had anticipated, and a lot of small narrow country roads, my idea of driving hell. But it was interesting to be walking around a place that was built about 1,700 years ago, it’s baffling to even consider how old that is. Especially when you
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Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
I’ve been meaning to read this book ever since I found out the film was being released, but other books kept leap-frogging it on my to-read pile, to the point where the film has been and gone and everyone has stopped talking about it and I’ve only just got around to reading it. And now,
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Tyntesfield
For the next trip of our holiday we decided to go to Tyntesfield. Alan had been there a few times before and loved it, but we’d never been. It was a beautiful house inside and out, and the gardens were lovely. But by far my favourite part about the entire day was the chapel. Never
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Tredegar House and Dyffryn Gardens
As we’re on holiday at my Uncle’s house in Bristol at the moment, we’ve renewed our National Trust membership and spent yesterday on a day trip across to Wales to see some places that Alan has never seen before. A random flip through the National Trust handbook got us Tredegar House, a lovely restoration house
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Graeme Simsion – The Rosie Effect
I first read The Rosie Project about 2 years ago, as an advance reading copy won through the Goodreads First Reads program. And immediately I fell in love with Don Tillman. At the end of my review of The Rosie Project, I expressed my wish for more Don, and I was delighted when I heard
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Iain Banks – The Wasp Factory
If I could have one word to describe this book, it would be weird. Two words? Seriously weird. I was recommended this book by someone I used to work with a few years ago, and I just have never got around to reading it, but I’m now seriously questioning the mental health of that colleague,
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Jo Baker – Longbourn
After my last disastrous foray into alternative Pride and Prejudice interpretations, I swore I wouldn’t try another one for a long while! However, when I was trying to decide what to read, I saw this one sitting on my shelf since I bought it probably over a year ago, and the cover just drew me
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Jane Hawking – Travelling to Infinity
Wow, this book was an absolute joy to read. When you think of Stephen Hawking, you immediately think of how brilliant his mind is, and how strong he must be to have coped with Motor Neuron Disease for so long. What you don’t immediately think about is his first wife Jane, who was with him
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Nick Spalding – Fat Chance
This book looked like a light hearted bit of fun, following a couple through a biggest loser style contest to lose as much weight as possible. As I’ve just started back at the gym again in a bid to get healthier, I thought it might be a bit of motivation, but I don’t think the
Louise Douglas
(I've got no) Shelf Control…
Louise Douglas 