Books 2013 #10 - #19

Hoopla. Straight to it...

#10 Footprints on the Ceiling
Clayton Rawson

I really have to slow down with these books. I'm already through the third one in the series but let's take a breath and look at number two. It starts with our hero - is that Merlini the magician or Hart the sometimes journalist sometimes scriptwriter as he is in this one? But let's say Merlini for the sake of the narrative - roundly believed to be whooping it up with the circus which has just arrived in town. Hart is looking for him, the mysterious beauty is looking for him, no one knows where he is, except really he's in the backroom, having advertised in a newspaper for genuinely haunted houses. Meanwhile on a private island there is a possibly haunted house belonging to an agrophobe millionairess who has come under the spell of a possibly phony medium. On his way there Hart ends up with suitcase of pirate booty when someone substitutes it for his own suitcase at a station and it may or may not have come from a sunken wreck just off the shore of the private island. All this is before we get to the ceiling covered in the footprints of the title and a man whose skin is turning blue. Awesome. I think part of the reason I love this series is partly because it's all so ridiculous and partly because of the reader of the audiobooks. He does the voices perfectly - not like someone I shall be reviewing next time who made everyone sound like a serial killer to the point where I was astonished half way through when I realised the three couples in the story were actually supposed to like each other and not sound like they were about to go postal. 

#11 A Murder of Quality

John Le Carre  

I have read this and seen the TV version with Denholm Elliott, Glenda Jackson and a young Christian Bale among others but this was my first time with it as an audiobook. It really is a great story. You are pulled all over the place as each of the characters goes through the ringer. The reading was very good but I'd still recommend the book for any first-timers. 

#12 One Zentangle a Day

Unusually for me I actually bought this for the Kindle as I wanted to be able to use it on the move. For those not familiar with the genre I suggest you put 'zentangle' into somewhere like Etsy or Pinterest and see what comes up.

It is essentially advanced doodling which some people seem to be billing as a new meditation/therapy and yes, I can see how it could help some people clear their minds but there's no way it would work for non-visual people. Unless you are a natural doodler I don't think this would do much for you. However, as a natural doodler I have really enjoyed learning new little designs and have been scribbling away in a little sketchbook. I haven't done one-a-day but am none the worse off for that. If you did want to give it a go don;t be fooled into buying any of the merchandise. Yes you can buy 'tiles' and japanese paper and posh fineliners and shading pencils and all sorts, but equally you can use copier paper and a biro to get started. 

#13 The Thirteen Problems

Agatha Christie

Another I have read multiple times but this is the recording read by Joan Hickson who really *is* Marple. A series of short stories set in the context of a kind of after dinner club for bright young things. Each time some unsolved problem is shared and each time it is quiet, dowdy Miss Marple who solves it by using a village parallel. Very easy listening. 

#14 Meet Mr Mulliner

PG Wodehouse

Absolutely wonderful stories of a time people tend to call 'a forgotten age' although I'm not convinced it ever existed like this. A lot of the short stories in this book revolve around one of Mr Mulliner's nephews who was a pale and insipid young man until he overdosed on one of his uncle's inventions (much like an early George's Marvelous Medicine). At which point he saves a Bishop from a dog and ends up on such friendly terms (with the Bishop, not the dog) that he refers to him as 'Bish' throughout the rest of the stories. More famous for his Jeeves and Wooster series, the other books are equally wonderful. 

#15 The Body in the Library

Agatha Christie

My cousin gave me a bundle of these recordings, most of which I haven't listed here and all of which I've read in book form. I mention this one because it struck me that, like Joan Hickson is for me the definitive Marple, Dolly Bantree shall now be forever associated in my mind with Joanna Lumley. Her protrayal of her in the TV version of this one was perfect. Lots of teeth and gushing laughter. Apart from that this is a lovely story with lots of village parallels and insights. 

#16 The Psychopath Test

Jon Ronson

I defy anyone to read this book and not diagnose at least two of their past associates as psychopaths. For me it was one of my sister's exs. This was lent to me by one of the Boys from the office who despite looking fairly docile from the neck up (and down again in fact) has turned out to be a reader. So not all bad. If the name of the author sounds familiar he also wrote The men Who Stare at Goats which is actually a fairly good film despite Ewan McGregor's accent (he plays Jon Ronson). The author himself is an acutely anxious man so I could relate immediately although I can't see myself going to Broadmoor or meeting with the Scientologists and/or David Shayler. Plus the David Shayler stuff - wow, that man needs help. I did not know about all that stuff. And yes, he's the one who used to work for MI5 and got prosecuted for breaking the official secrets act. Getting back to the book, it is very readable, not boring, the right length and generally to be recommended.

#17 Death at Blenheim Palace
Robin Paige

I chose this as I was going to a wedding at Blenheim. I rather like this series, as light hearted as they are. This is an english Lord who isn't at all snobby and is interested in technology who has married an american woman who is an author of what would probably now be chick-lit. Or at least this kind of book. A guest at a house party vanishes, then a body is found but it isn't her. There are robberies going on, stories from other books get wound in, the Duke of Blenheim is a bounder etc etc. Cosy reading. 

#18 Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand

Fred Vargas 

I read this cover to cover on my way back from visiting my lovely cousin in France, which is fitting since she introduced me to the series last year. I adore these books, even though I still haven't forgiven Adamsberg from the last novel. And in this one he's even more stupid. Maths was clearly not his strong point at school. I did struggle a little with this book as I felt it was just so obvious where it was going and what was going to happen. However, she writes them *very* well and the development of the female policewoman whose name I forget was really stylish. I am looking forward to the next. 

#19 Beekeeping for Beginners

Laurie King

Apparently in america Laurie King is a big name but I hadn't heard of her until I got hold of this short story. It starts off the relationship between Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (who else would it be with all those bee references) which, if the 'twitter interview' at the end of the story is to be believed, ends up with them married. Yes. Hm. Well. I remain to be convinced, not least because at this point Holmes has retired while Mary is 15. That might just be another bit of fiction. However, this short story was enough for me to get hold of the first book in a series which is now quite advanced. I'll let you know how it turns out. 

4th Annual Blog Week 22nd-28th April 2013

I spotted this over on Six Skeins Under which led me to Eskimimi's blog. I am clearly destined to be in the House of Bees.

"Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest."

Er yeah - that kind of sums up my entire life.

Day 1 - explain your house choice.
Day 2 - mascot project
Day 3 - infographic
Day 4 - colour review
Day 5 - blog differently (already got ideas for this)
Day 6 - tools to covet
Day 7 - looking forward

Anyone else joining in?

Peacock Parade

This is the name of the fabric collection these fabrics are from.

I got mine from the lovely Doughty's. And this is what I have been doing with them.

I have always loved english paper pieced patchwork but this is the first time I have tried making my own pattern and only the second time I've combined different shaped pieces. I blogged about my inspiration when I came back from France and this is the project I mentioned it having inspired.

It's all coming together very quickly although I should put it aside to fill out some job applications. There seem to be jobs out there that I could do...but they all look a tad dull. There's definitely one possible though. Onward...

Baby Making

I've been combining making things I've always wanted to have a go at with making things for my sister for when the baby arrives. This is the latest.

I overdid the interfacing but apart from that it is SOOOOO fricking cutely perfect. I want to rock it in my arms like a baby. Ahem. I followed this tutorial exactly apart from adding covers to the ends of the zips, which I learnt from the zipped pouches blogged about here.

It gives a very nice extra detail. I have 4 more cut out and am just waiting for some extra zips to arrive. The future ones will be a little bit bigger and have a hand strap.

This marks a momentous change in my life - I have started a new Pinterest board. I know - this is serious. The "Bags and Pouches" board is now in place. If you are not using Pinterest you have my sympathy. I am a total addict.

A Busy Two Weeks

It started with SkipNorth two Thursdays ago, moved on to a delightful trip to France a week ago Friday and ended today with my return from a wedding at Blenheim Palace.

I have no photos - sorry - but take it from me it was beautiful. Set in the Orangery, which was *very* nicely heated, the bride looked beautiful and the groom, not known for his happy demeanor, was all smiles and exuded immense pride and satisfaction with his lot. I couldn't be happier for Mr Mead. He was Pooch's flatmate when we met, put me up in his spare room when we had our difficulties, had my sister live with him when she first moved to London and has generally always been a good man. But he'd never been lucky in love and yet there he was yesterday - positively glowing. Simply because of that it would have been an amazing occasion and that's without the finery of the location and food.

So deep breath, where do I stand craftwise? First admission - I have no FOs, only WIPs to show. First is my Tucked Cardigan from the last Interweave Knits.

I am using some of the Marble I bought at SkipNorth which I bought for the purpose. I really like the mismatch of the two fronts, shown here. You can see the tucks on the outer sides which are knitted in. I also have the back and one sleeve all knitted up to the armpit. I can see why you couldn't knit the whole thing in the round (because of the tucks) but Byrne Does Not Seam unnecessarily. I'll be joining all the individual pieces into the round and knitting the raglans in one piece.

Secondly, my miniature quilt progresses as well. I shared the design here and have been beavering away since.

Each of those hexies is about 1/2" across. I've made about 3/4 of them so will start assembling it soon. Then we'll see what we've got.

Lastly, during moments when I haven't felt like doing anything else I've been converting my proceeds from the last round of the Scrap Vomit Swap into 2.5" hexies.

I have a bag in the back of my mind but no definite plans. If you wish to join the Scrap Vomit Appreciation Society the Group is here on Flickr.

All of those are ongoing but I also have a few others projects in hand - one of which is goddamn hair elastics. Those of you with long hair will recognise this problem:

This is a classic problem - the elastic inside the brown woven outside bit has come away from the metal bit that joins the two ends and the hair tie is gradually getting bigger and losing its elasticity. Once this starts to happen I have to throw away the little buggers and I generally chuck 1-2 a week. A week! Even the expensive ones don't last. There must be alternatives. I am off to discover them. My final resort will be to shave my head again. Again? Yep...

Blowfish Byrne, circa 2003.

Books For Free

I am destashing my books. They are all free - you just pay postage via paypal. I've put the weight and UK postage next to each one. I'll post internationally if you would like me to. This PDF from Royal Mail tells you how much it will be to your country.

Campion Bundle 1 - 750g, £2.20. Campion is a detective unlike others who describes himself as a "universal uncle". More info on wikipedia.

Campion Bundle 2 - 850g, £3.50

Campion Bundle 3 - 800g, £3.50

Campion Bundle 4 - 950g, £3.50

Campion Bundle 5 - 850g, £3.50


Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics - gone!

Men - 750g, £2.20. Classic reads for women plus a body language manual by an FBI profiler.

Alain De Botton Bundle 1 (top 3 books) - 950g, £3.50.
Alain De Botton Bundle 2 (bottom 2 books) - gone!.
The modern philosopher. I adore his writing which is very easy to digest while also being thought provoking.


Calm Cats - gone!

Gervase Fen - 950g, £3.50. Another unusual detective - an english professor who is always interfering while driving dangerously and generally being bizarre. Classic mysteries. More info on wikipedia.


All books are in a reasonable condition except the very old ones where the state of the spine indicates the fragility of the book. All you need to do is paypal me the postage for the bundle you want, using the paypal address littlelixieathot maildotcom, with a note to say which bundle it is for. I'll update this post to say which have gone and if you do happen to send me money for one that has been taken I'll refund it straight away so you won't lose anything. I'm also happy to combine postage and if it over about 1kg I can send by 'standard parcel' post which is about £5.30.

If people are interested in these I've got lots of other books to come. I haven't stopped reading - I'm just becoming a bit of a kindle convert plus this leaves me more room for craft supplies!

Home from France Part 2

I said in my first post that the house was beautiful but it's the finishing details on top of the general decoration that make it a home. For instance, I was particularly taken with the terracotta tiles by one of the stoves.

My personal partiality for hexagons is well known (think Nancy Drew Quilt, Crocheted Cat Blanket and Hand Sewn Cushion {below} among other items)...

...but thinking of them inevitably leaves me thinking about english paper piecing and a visit to nearby Longres and these windows in particular got me thinking of a new project which would be an additional detail to an already delightful home.

A little fiddling in PowerPoint has given me a pattern and the paper pieces were cut out this afternoon while Doughty's got the all important fabric in the post to me. Expect progress soon on that and two other patchwork projects. 

Being away from London gave me a chance to think about how things are with me generally. Walks through this kind of scenery with forgotten train tracks leading who knows where would incline anyone to think about directions and destinations.

My Director has been unwell recently as the result of stress and it reminds me of my own breakdown which I suspect was pretty much 10 years ago exactly. Life seems to have been pretty active since then with boyfriends and a husband coming and going and then, in the case of the husband, coming back again. Things on that front are pretty good but there is still one thing missing from my life.

I've known many friends crave little people in their lives but it's always been the little people covered in fur with a tendency to meow which have been my focus. Sadly, one joining me still seems as far off as the idea of owning my own home which is not helped by being in London. Could it be that I'm finally ready to leave the capital? Wandering down tracks like this have left me with such thoughts.

Which just goes to show how dangerous it is to go on holiday. Especially not one filled up with gruelling sight seeing and endless 'experiences'. Not that I didn't have those too. For instance, tinned sprouts? Who saw that coming?

And who but a true tourist takes a photo in the supermarket?

With travel and including audiobooks I have an enormous nine books to review so that will be coming soon, along with an update on my miniature quilt and latest knitting.

Home from France

I am back after 5 blissful nights in Colmier Le Bas, about an hour's drive from Dijon. I was at my cousin's house, staying with her and her husband and their two cats, Sam and Maisie. This is the house from the back when I was on a meandering and aimless walk around the vicinity.

They are pretty isolated but the town is 15 mins drive or so and they have lots of friends in the area. There are no cars passing though and at night it is pitch black. Idyllic. I got a lot of knitting and patchwork done when I wasn't being distracted by these two...

Sam, the boy, was a slightly buffer version of Maisie and had lost most of his tail when a kitten. He was rather timid so I only got occasional strokes from him. Maisie however was not backward in coming forward.

That is her on my bed, as she was every evening and for which I was very grateful. She mixed affection with extreme playfulness and I spent a lot of time flinging toy mice and pieces of wool around for her to chase.

The house is like a feature from Country Living magazine - absolutely beautiful and modern despite being traditional and also extremely comfortable. I slept sooooo well and also ate the most amazing meals - my cousin is an amazing cook! Now why couldn't that run in my bit of the family? We spent some time discussing it though and how it relates to other crafts and I can understand where I am going wrong. For instance, as a new knitter you don't start a pattern and then immediately start free-styling. Or if you do you are highly likely to end with a mess. Baby steps is what is needed with the cooking. Although I feel I may be jumping into her cheese and ham pie and apple crumble with calvados fairly soon. Seriously divine.

I have lots more photos to share but will save those for another post so I can go and jump into a nice hot bath. I leave you with a group shot.

From left to right, yours truly, mumsy and cousin. It was Mum's birthday yesterday and Deb outdid herself with the meal so by this point we were all feeling rather lazy and sitting in front of a wood burning stove listening to vintage recordings on vinyl. It was - and I believe I may have already mentioned it but it's worth repeating - idyllic!