The Books That I Read in July

 

It's been a good month of reading, helped I suppose by the fact that the weather has been half really nice and half really rainy.  Reading on the patio once the sun has left the area where I have my chair, with a cup of coffee and the occasional biscuit on a plate is always good for my reading mojo.  When the weather turns wet I can retreat into the lodge and sit in the cool ... with more coffee even closer at hand.

Good Food for Bad Days by Jack Monroe

The first book that I read in July was this one.  Not one of Jack's finest offerings I'm afraid, I really do think that her earlier books were so much better.

This book has been donated.

The Place of Tides by James Rebanks

Alan bought me this book while we were on holiday in Thornthwaite, Cumbria earlier this Summer.  We were in Booths buying some bits for our evening meal and they had a wonderful book selection there with lots of local authors, and James is from Cumbria.  I rarely buy books, even new books at full price but Alan talked me into it ... you can imagine how easy that was.  😄

It is a wonderful book and a very special read, telling of his time spent on a remote Norwegian island with one of the last of the 'duck-ladies'.  Helping build the duck houses, looking after the ducks and then harvesting the eider-down ... the traditional non-cruel way.

Nigel's review sums it up perfectly in just a few words.

Kept.

Upside Down Cooking by Dominic Franks

I actually treated myself to this as a pre-order to get a bit of a discount.  I follow Dominic on Instagram now, I used to follow his blog way back in the day when we lived on our second smallholding and I had a HUGE collection of cookbooks.  We shared random recipes from random books each month.

This novel approach to cooking is so unusual that I just have to try it out ... there is a sheet of ready rolled pastry in my fridge just waiting for me to spring into action.

It will be ... 'So Good'.  

(If you know you know!!)

Kept.

Educated by Tara Westover

This is an outstanding book and one that I was recommended to read and I'm glad that I did.  It's brutal in places, with violence towards the writer graphically told, but overall the story is heart-warming as she comes to understand that her upbringing and lack of education can be changed.  She takes small steps forwards rather than great strides but ultimately makes a great and very educated life for herself.

After reading the book I did some research on Tara and her family, it was very interesting.

This book has been donated.

Lifting the Latch by Sheila Stewart

I just could not get into this book at all, which really disappointed me.  I gave it a good shot, but maybe because the last three books had been so good this one was a bit of a let down.  I gave up just a quarter of the way through.

This book has been donated.

Veg by Lucy Tweed

Another book that Alan bought for me, luckily it was half price at the garden centre because I didn't think very much of it.  Her humour just wasn't mine and the foods although tasty looking just were not that special and occasionally over-complicated.

This book has been donated.

I am already into my first book of August, Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton and it is shaping up to be a very good read.  So, I'm hoping for lots of sunny days on the patio, finding shade under the umbrella with copious mugs of coffee, and lots of time for reading in the month ahead.

Happy reading.  📚

Sue xx

I would just like to point out, that although I provide links to Amazon for all the books that I read each month, not all my books are bought from Amazon.  If they are some of them were bought from the Used section rather than full price.  

I share the links so that you can learn more about the books that I write about for yourself, or read reviews from others that have read them.  Of course most of the books I talk about would also be available from your local library, and if you are very lucky you might even find them in charity or thrift shops.  

There are so many ways to bring books into your home if you love reading. 📚

Rest Your Eyes

 

After the seriousness of the last post, let's relax into something pretty as we head towards the end of the month.  A lovely woodland home with rocking chairs and a swing on the front porch would do me just fine. 

 Funnily enough at the garden centre last weekend I sat on a reduced price garden rocking chair and said 'This would be great for our next house.'  Then as we walked away, heading to the café and our free coffees, I remembered my old swing and told Alan that it had to be in use again when we move.

Wood panelling, pretty wallpaper, rustic wooden furniture, and coffee and biscuits ... my idea of heaven.

Strangely, I have a little house like the one next to that gorgeous jug.

That's just about as much colour as I can take, I'm a predominantly white and green sort of girl, but I could cope with this lovely bedroom with it's books and plants. 💚

And to finish my little journey into 'wish-land' a dresser filled with homemade preserves and foods, flowers and old jars.

Sometimes it's just nice to rest your eyes on beautiful images, and occasionally take some inspiration from them. 💖

Sue xx

Bloggers and Vloggers ... and Their Basic Rights

I received the comment below last night, but didn't see it until this morning. At first I didn't understand why the person had commented on one of my old posts, but it only took Googling Tania to realise that this brings up a post of mine that she was mentioned in when she started her YouTube channel.

I'll let you read it before I say anything else -  

 Anonymous28 July 2025 at 18:22

It seems that Tania of Living on a UK state pension has closed her you tube channel. It sounds like she was being harassed terribly via comments. I don't know why people feel the need to be so cruel. I thought her channel was fantastic and I really will miss it. I was particularly disappointed that I wasn't able to send her a comment letting her know how much she will be missed. Anyone know how to get in touch with her?

ReplyDelete

1. 
   Sue29 July 2025 at 10:49

   Perhaps she doesn't want anyone getting in touch with her for the moment or for the future. Her videos are all still there but turned to private, as is her right to do so.

2. Now, hopefully this is all innocent, but it was sent as an Anonymous comment when I specifically ask for ... at the very least ... a name to be added at the end if you have to comment anonymously due to technical issues of any kind.  It is also someone 'chasing' a vlogger who has decided for her own reasons to stop for a while or for good, and is not allowing comments on her last video.  The one in which she says why she is stopping and says goodbye.

3. Now I am definitely NOT trying to embarrass the Anonymous commenter if it is all innocent, but I would like people to have a little think about the blogs and vlogs that they read and watch.  Someone is sharing parts of their life with you because they choose to do so.  They ask little of you other than friendly words and a nice community and it is completely within their right to stop sharing at any point, especially if, as in Tania's case, someone starts to wear them down with negative and hurtful comments.

Just simply ask yourself  ... 'Would I put up with that and carry on?'

I currently have no way to contact Tania as all my old emails have been deleted by accident, and while we did contact each other in the past I am not able to do so now, even if I could I would not be sharing any information about her to anyone.

Lets just take her at her word and hope that she is doing okay.

Sue xx

Two at Two ... and Variations on a Theme

 

We have four birthdays in the family this month.  

The first one is my grandson's fiancée, the next my son's fiancée, and then two little boys with very similar names.  Our great grandson who is called Finley-James and Finlay-Ross, our great-nephew, both will be two years old.  They were born exactly two weeks apart one in England and one in Scotland and both weighed in at exactly 7lb 7oz.

As you can imagine I have to have my wits about me when I write the cards to get the right spelling on the right card, it helps a bit when we get two identical cards ... or does it?  😬

Most of my meals for the past week have started like this, homegrown tomatoes and courgette with onion and a few additional extras, mostly herbs and spices and occasionally some pasta sauce dolloped in for extra moisture.

I've had it stirred through some pasta, I forgot to take a photo of this, once I served this gloriously tasty mess with brown rice ... also no photo, I'm a bad blogger.  😄

But a favourite and nice simple way, is to serve it simply on a slice of crispy buttered toast.

While I have been working my way through a courgette that had turned into a 'marrow' a few slices at a time, the plant has thrown out three more that are growing larger by the minute.  I need Alan to be having the same sort of meals every day too, so that we can keep up with them.

But, it's not a bad problem to have is it.  💚

Sue xx

Something for the Weekend

 

After last weeks full on chatty, chatty catch up with relatives weekend, we are both looking forward to a much more meandering mooch through Saturday and Sunday this week.  It's lovely to have folk to stay, but it's also nice to have your space back to yourselves isn't it. Although we are lucky that the top floor of Alan's house is perfect for guests, with it's lovely big bedroom, great views and it's own large en-suite shower room.

This weekend I will be catching up on my YouTube viewing, Instagram posting and reading the last few chapters of my current book ... it's very good this one. 😊

Here for your entertainment, if you choose to have a little peruse of them, are some of the recent YouTube channels I've been watching.

https://youtu.be/btXkyadZv4s?si=LB5vm_801YPixvMP

Weary Wolf Adventures - budget food challenges, new allotment planning and simple recipes from a man that's learning as he goes and has a lovely family.

https://youtu.be/cU4R3rtW_Ic?si=P__C4TXEteDjOwVM

Java Bere - lovely filmed clips of her home and Hebden Bridge (where we went on holiday last year), just calmly filmed and voiced over videos.  They are currently on holiday in France and she shares daily on Instagram.

https://youtu.be/_2ppUIoVA74?si=ENRWrsyV_fKnBE7J

Rewilding Jude - a willing to have a go at anything, really likeable young man, living in Scotland and slowly putting together his first ever small holding.  Living with his cat Sven and building a life for both of them.

https://youtu.be/5fAv2dkQvA8?si=lgPtXSY44kWb7TqG

Kris Atomic - an always beautifully filmed, relaxing series of videos charting their lives on the British canal system in their 72ft narrow boat.  Her eye for detail is amazing and it makes for wonderful Sunday morning viewing.

https://youtu.be/Fh1hhevimCU?si=mZr-XIrbUy-Y9pAz

And finally a channel that I watch every Saturday morning, Flawless Cleaning.  Ben and his family and friends work hard, and for free to help various people, mostly pensioners, claim back their gardens and their homes.  It's real feel-good viewing.

 If you watch any YouTube what are the channels that you have been watching most recently?

Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you are up to.

Sue xx

'New to Me' Blogs ... and Price Increases

I was looking through the sidebars on all my blogs yesterday, both this current one and my old ones ... Our New Life in the Country, A Smaller and Simpler Life, Challenging Myself and My £2 a Day Food Shopping blog, (which was the most recent challenge I think and the shortest lived blog).  

The reason for my searching was to try and find 'new to me' blogs to read or ones that I had previously read regularly but then stopped. Instead I found that I have been quite loyal to the same list of blogs over the years and they nearly all appear over and over again on all of my own blogs.

Then somehow I ended up falling down a rabbit hole on my Challenging Myself blog and read the whole of a challenge I did in 2021.  The £3 a Day Challenge.

 I went out three times a day and spent £1 for each meal.  The prices were an eye-opener, in fact I really doubt I could do the same again.  Of course I lived directly across the road from Sainsbury's when I did this challenge, so nipping over three times a day on foot was not a problem.

While I was very tempted to do this again, I don't live as close to the store now and it would mean getting the car out three times a day.  So I decided a quick online comparison would suffice. 😀

This was my Day One shopping basket, a total spend of 78p.

Pitta breads - 35p, onion - 15p, and tinned tomatoes - 28p.

Todays prices in the same store are -  pitta breads 50p, onion 11p, tomatoes 45p.  This can't be a perfect comparison as the onion was weighed out and the current shopping basket could be showing a lighter one.  But even so at todays prices the same three items would now cost me £1.06, a whole 28p more.

Now this doesn't sound a lot, but if you're living on a tight budget and this was the rise in price for just for one meal, it's a pretty big increase when wages and benefits here in the UK have not risen at anything like this rate.

And I'm still looking for 'new to me' blogs to read, challenge ones if possible ... any ideas?

Sue xx

Burgers, Sausages and Posh Fish Fingers

 

I needed paracetamols, bananas and bread ... and this is what I came home with.

It was a nice mooch around a very quiet Sainsbury's yesterday morning and I browsed the shelves and fridge and gave into temptation.  I did get quite a few things that boosted my Nectar points total which is always a good thing, but a lot of what I got wasn't strictly necessary.

Some of the things were for Alan, the custard tarts, the kippers, the cough sweets and the reduced priced coleslaw but the rest was all for me.  Well, I will be sharing the little OGGS cakes when we next go to visit Mum, she does like a tasty little sweet thing and usually I get left out but these are dairy free so I can partake too.  😁

The Linda McCartney meat-free sausages and burgers were on a good offer, buy two and get one free, so I chose to get two packs of burgers and one of sausages.  

These are the best meat-free burgers that I have ever tasted and I usually have them once every month or so. I don't like the ones that are trying too hard to be meaty or the ones that are like a slab of flavoured cardboard but these just hit the sweet spot of being 'near enough' without tipping me over into 'I'm eating a real burger' territory.  Happily Alan likes them too, so it makes for a nice light evening meal that we can share on the patio at this time of year.

I don't really know why I bought these more expensive than usual fish fingers.  I was looking at all the usual candidates and they all seemed super thin and none were on offer, so when I saw these reduced from £4.50 to £3.75, I just picked them up and put them in my trolley.  The perils of shopping when you're hungry!!

I bet you can guess what's for lunch today.  😄

Sue xx

Winner, Winner, Vegetable Dinner

The garden has morphed from it's bright vibrant colours of a few weeks ago into it's whites, yellows and lavender hues of July. 

 It makes me happy that the colours settle down and always look so good together.  It's strange that colours we mix can sometimes clash, but when Mother nature does her thing all the colours magically 'go' together and always, always, always look beautiful.

As small as my garden space now is, we are both eating well from it at the moment.  There has been no evening when there have been no tomatoes or lettuce leaves that are ready for picking, or half day when there's not been a courgette waiting in the wings.  In fact I have already slipped up once and now have a decent sized 'marrow' living in the fridge.

It's slightly ironic then that I found out last week that I have won a hundred pounds worth of Riverford Organics veg boxes, to be delivered to my door.  I simply filled in a survey back in January for the Vegetarian Society, of which I am a lifetime member, and ticked the box for the competition.  Out of over a thousand people that did just that I was one of the lucky six winners.  💚

Happily I have just checked after rereading the email, that there is no rush to use up my vouchers immediately.

Homegrown it is then while I still have the opportunity.

Sue xx

A Case of Mistaken Identity ... and Resting

I'm currently eating my green courgettes at almost every meal, and in a twisted, colour infused way I was looking forward to some of my future meals containing some of their yellow cousins.  I think the garden centre must have got confused when it labelled these two plants that I bought off them when my second sowing failed.

My 'yellow' courgettes are most definitely green!!

Are well ... greens are good for you.  💚

We had family visiting at the weekend and Alan's sister Alison mentioned that she had never seen the Eric Morecambe statue, although Paul who is a biker had been down to visit with his mates many years ago, so a quick ride up the road to Morecambe it was then!!

https://youtu.be/GNbTJ2AnDKc?si=4JY_CG-VN6r7pzPv

The boys larking about at Barton Grange ... definitely Cheeky Chimps on a Log!!

We had a good, very food filled and very chatty weekend, which was followed by me and Alan having to drive to Manchester for a meeting at Mum's care home yesterday.  Now I have totally seized up and am good for absolutely nothing.

So ...

I'm planning a very slow and lazy week.

Blogging, then rest.

Instagramming then rest.

Television watching then rest.

Reading then rest.  😄

Sue xx

To See You Through the Weekend

 

What beautiful Lilacs, in a painting by Sergey Khamalyan.

Absolute perfection. 💜

A dream cottage in the woods, what a fairy tale it would be to live in such a location.

The most gorgeous of kitchens, I could happily live here.

But maybe I need a little more lace around the window.

Just some lovely images and thoughts to see you through the weekend.

I do hope it's a good one for you.

Sue xx

A Step Too Far?

We both decided that breakfast at Booths was a good idea the other day, we were up early and the sun was out so off we went.

We grabbed a trolley on the way in and while Alan picked up the things that he needed I only really needed to get some eggs.  Easy shopping ... my favourite sort.

The freebies that I brought home, just the excess from what the lady on the till put on the tray and that we didn't use.  Alan had a Full English, minus the toast and I opted for scrambled eggs on toast and gave him one of my pieces of toast, I can never manage the two slices that they give you.

I also couldn't manage all of my scrambled eggs on toast.

So, I neatened it up on the remaining half a slice of toast and popped it into one of the plastic bags that I now always carry in my handbag, and then put it very carefully into my handbag.

A step too far?

Nope, it gave me a lovely lunch later in the day.  

Although the toast wasn't good ... so I chopped it finely and put it out for the birds ... I picked the pea shoots off the eggs and put them to one side, while I placed the eggs in a dish with about a dozen little gloriously red tomatoes from the garden surrounding them, and then they were quickly zapped in the microwave.  Placed on a piece of freshly made buttered toast and then garnished with the slightly droopy pea shoots they were as good as new, and every bit as tasty as breakfast had been.

Sue xx

 

Nobody's Perfect ...

The trees in the woods accept themselves for what they are.  

We have so much to learn from nature, if we just slowed right down and appreciated our wonderful earth for what it is and what it gives us, and stopped listening to the leaders fighting over pockets of it and ways of life, and instead learnt to live like the trees how much better it would all be.

Can you tell I've been watching far too much news?

Well not anymore.  The six o'clock news can come and go and I won't be there watching it anymore.  I stopped watching the ten o'clock news a long time ago, all that bad stuff so close to bedtime was not a good idea.  In fact since we lost that lovely segment with the late, great Trevor McDonald ... 'And Finally' ... something light hearted or heart-warming to round off the 20 minutes of doom and gloom that he had just had to deliver to our homes, it has never been the same.

So many of us have reached the stage in our lives where we can begin to slow down, to settle into the lives that we want to live and start to enjoy all the sacrifices that we have made over the years to get us to this space. 

 It's a very good feeling.

It's not all perfect, at our ages there are health issues that pop up out of nowhere, things that we still do have to do whether we like it or not, but these days, happily, hopefully, they are few and far between.  But it's so much better than it used to be.

As long as we can avoid the doom and gloom of the news, the negative Nellies that have a problem for every solution, and instead focus on the good things that happen rather than dwelling for far too long on the bad .. not always easiest thing to do I know ... we should just about get through our days relatively sanely.

Sue xx

Hot Days = Simple Teas

 

The hot, hot days that we have been having up until today, have really meant that by the time evening comes around the last thing I want is to be in the kitchen cooking for longer than ten minutes.  So for the last few days I have been having the most simple of meals and it really suits me just fine.

Simple green pesto and spaghetti.

The easiest of easy teas, just two cod fish cakes from the freezer thawed overnight, and then cooked in the Remoska and served with some cucumber slices.  There were half a dozen cherry tomatoes on the plate too but every time I passed by the worktop I ate one, so I classed them as a 'tomato starter'.  😁

Using up courgettes is starting to be obligatory, after all the more you pick the more you get and we are now getting lots of little ones, so I keep picking them small.  I do not want to accidentally end up with a marrow!

The end result ... simple and very tasty.

Last night's evening meal was a nice egg salad bun and a sliced up cooked beetroot.

Simple meals for quiet simple evenings.  

All I needed and all I wanted.

Sue xx