Just finished reading this book
Basically it is about three retired men who take weekly walks in the Peak District. I picked it up atZak's school summer fayre. The Express gave it the review of "terrific....had me crying with laughter" - I wouldn't give it such a glowing review but it was a good read and made you really feel like you were the fourth person on their walks. Okay book, but nothing special - I would give it maybe 6 out of 10.
I know I havent blogged for a long time but needed to get this on here!!
A few weeks ago I casually mentioned to Zak that Beavers were going away for a night, parents would drop them off just after lunch one day and pick them up just after the lunch the next day. They would sleep there with no Mummy and Daddy - did he fancy it? To which he replied "oh yes".
So yesterday we dropped him off with his Walle Suitcase packed and another bag with wellies, sleeping bag and waterproofs in. He went fine and seemed a bit excited!! It was odd not having him here, I did think about him whilst he was gone hoping that he would have lots of fun. I was panicking as I thought that I had not packed Teddy (I had!!!)
So I picked him up today - he came up with a huge smile and said he had learnt how to make a mini bonfire and had used matches all by himself. The leader said he had been a pleasure and was absolutely fine. I am so so so so please that he had such a good time. I loved going away with Guides and I know how much fun it can be, so Im just so glad that his first experience of going away to an unfamiliar place was such a success (never know how many c's and s' in that word!!!) And how good to get back to basics such as making fires, and sitting round the camp fire drinking hot chocolate and singing those good old songs!!
One very happy Mummy and one very happy Zak!!!
For a while now I have noticed that we have a friendly Robin who pops in our garden a lot, he purches on the climbing frame and all other sorts of purchy things at the bottom of our garden. Yesterday when we were out in the garden Mr Robin took a liking to Jon and came so so so close to him. I have been talking to him, and he listens and then churps back, then stops churping ready for me to talk again. Today I heard him (I can now recognise his churp!!!) and went out to see him to find now we have a Mr and a Mrs Robin (it could have been a Mrs Robin and now a Mr Robin, or Mr and Mr or Mrs and Mrs - but you get the idea!!!!) Im loving it!!! I am so enjoying having Mr Robin popping into our garden!!!
Jon bought me an apple tree this week, so now we just have to get the end of the garden sorted so we can plant it!!!
Two more books I have read:
1) Simon Guillebaud - For what It's Worth - a call to no holds barred discipleship. This is a really really good book that basically looks at living radically for Jesus!!! It is full of his own experiences and broken down into easy to read chunks. It's the kind of book that I could read again and again, as to remember all of what is in it is impossible!!! Would probably be better to read a tiny bit, impliment (cant find the spell check!!!) it and remember it and then go onto the next bit!!!
2) Tessa Hainsworth - Up With The Larks - what a fantastic book, I was sad when I finished the book!! It is about a lady who lived with her family in London working for the Body SHop in a very high up, high powered job. She left it all to move with her family to Cornwall and be a Post Lady!!! It is such a lovely book with some really really funny bits where I laughed out loud - loudly!!
Ive got a bit behind in my book reviews and in my blogging! Woops!!!
Anyways here are three books:
Diary of a househusband - by Carl Peters - I picked this book up as I thought it was a novel about a family who had a baby and the man had decided to stay at home with the baby and be the househusband - I thought it would be a funny read!! But the story/diary entries involved no children!!! Just a man who has given up his job to work as a freelance 'sculpturorer???!'. It was a very trashy read, but nice for a change. I havent actually finished the last few pages so must get round to that before taking book back to library!
My bump and me: from morning sickness to motherhood - by Mylene Klass - This is a typical account / diary entry of Mylene's journey from conception to the birth of her baby. It also had a lot of the technical stuff about pregnancy as you go through but I just skipped that and read her story. Was a good very easy to read book (as you might have noticed I don't like books that use a lot of brain power!!!) and was good to read her story. Bit trashy again - but I liked it!!
John Wimber - The way it was - by Carol Wimber - this is a book written after John Wimber had died by his wife. I don't normally like books written about people who haven't written themselves, but this was written really well. John Wimber was the man who set up the Vineyard stream of Church. It is quite a charasmatic church 'denomination'. It was a fasinating read and I was actually blown away by how 'ordinary' John Wimber was, he seemed to have his head on his shoulders and actually blew away some of my pre-concieved ideas about the man. He simply listened to God and did what he told him to do - if only we could all do that so simply!!! Well worth a read.
I read this book because a friend had recommended it on her blog. Its called 'Facing up' by Bear Grylls. Bear is a TV 'presenter', adventurer and is now the cheif scout as well!!! This book is all about his trip to Everest - which he completed and is the youngest Britain to have reached the top. (Apparantely - its harder to climb when you are younger as your body is less likely to cope with the altitude problems). It was a fab book, I love this kind of book anyway- but it was really like you were with him in his rucksac taking every step, every high and every set back with him. So all in all a fantastic book.
A quote from near the end "One of the questions I repeatedly get asked since returning is 'Did you find God on the mountain?' The answer is no, YOu don't have to climb a mountain to find a faith. I actually began my faith whilst sitting up a tree as a 16 year old. It is the wonderful thing about God; He is always there, wherever you are, That's what best friends are for. If you asked me did He help me up there, then the answer would be yes. In the words of great John Wesley when asked by some cynic whether God was his crutch, he gently replied, 'No my God is my backbone.' He was right"
My friend reviews monthly on her blog all the books she has read - (how she manages to read so many in a month I don't know!!!). I have loved reading her reviews and it helps me choose books. So I thought I would do the same this year.
So here goes the first one is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Farm-Year-Life-Smallholding/dp/074758897X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264672679&sr=1-3 - I don't know how to put images or photos on this blog yet!!! The book is called 'Our Farm, a year in the life of a smallholding' by Rosie Boycott.
Rosie used to be an editor for the Daily Express and decided to leave it all behind and with her partner go and run a farm. This book is all about how they set it up. They had money to invest in the farm so when for most of the first year they did not make any profit they could make up the money with savings that they had. It was a lovely read. It reminded me how good village life is - and if we can shop locally then we really should as it benefits the local community so much. This was much easier to do when we were living in Rugby, at the moment I do all my shopping at either Sainsburys or Tesco. I loved the tales she gave of the animals on the farm, and became quite fond of a few of the pigs!! One thing in the book that amazed me was when she outlined the chemicals that went on potatoes that we buy in our supermarkets. It was amazing the number and frequency of different chemicals that are sprayed just on potatoes!!! It was scary infact!!! This year I will start my veggie patch off again, but how nice it would be to have an allotment and the time to do it so that all the veg we eat we had grown ourselves without chemicals. No wonder more and more people are getting cancer, Im sure it has something to do with the amount of stuff that is sprayed onto the food we eat.
So all in all a good book, that if you like this kind of read it is worth getting out of the library! (Most of my books come from the library - don't see the point in buying all the books you want to read)
