Ameise1 (Barbara)'s 2nd tour (Part 8)

Welcome to my eighth thread.

I do my Saturday's grocery always on our fantastic local market which is reachable for me on foot.

__________

January
# 1 7343::The Photograph by Penelope Lively (4 stars)
# 2 Die Ballade vom traurigen Café by Carson McCullers (4 1/2 stars)
# 3 The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction by Atef Abu Saif (4 stars)
# 4 8179920::Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro (4 stars) audiobook
# 5 Unsuitable Job for a Woman by p. D. James ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (3 1/2 stars)

February
# 6 Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller read in German (4 stars)
# 7 Daisy Miller by Henry James (3 1/2 stars)
# 8 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (3 stars)
# 9 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (4 1/2 stars)
#10 Tod auf der Fähre by Anne Gold (4 stars)
#11 The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (5 stars)
#12 Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo (4 stars)
#13 Signatures by James A. Hetley (3 1/2 stars) Early Review
#14 100884::Labyrinth by Kate Mosse (4 1/2 stars)
#15 Close to Destiny by Adria J. Cimino (4 stars)

March
#16 The Madonna of Leningrad by Debra Dean read in German (4 stars)
#17 A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (3 1/2 stars)
#18 Der Apfelbaum by Daphne du Maurier (4 1/2 stars)
#19 10249703::Black Diamond Martin Walker (4 stars)
#20 The Sanctuary Seeker by Bernard Knight ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)
#21 11734157::Canada by Richard Ford (4 stars) audiobook (listened in German)
#22 Der Büchersack by W. Somerset Maugham (4 stars) audiobook (listen in German)
#23 Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)

April
#24 Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (4 1/2 stars)
#25 The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)
#26 Snobbery with Violence by M. C. Beaton (3 1/2 stars)
#27 Tick Tock by James Patterson (3 stars)
#28 2102925::Amulet by Roberto Bolano (4 stars)
#29 The Calling of the Grave by Simon Beckett (4 stars)
#30 The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (4 1/2 stars) audiobook (listen in German)
#31 Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (3 1/2 stars)
#32 The Shadow Of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark (4 1/2 stars)

May
#33 Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (4 stars)
#34 House of Meetings by Martin Amis (4 1/2 stars)
#35 The Millstone by Margaret Drabble (3 1/2 stars)
#36 3090591::Only One Life by Sara Blædel (4 1/2 stars)
#37 A Season for the Dead by David Hewson ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)
#38 The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (4 stars)
#39 15839017::The Finish by Angela Elliott (4 stars) Early Review
#40 Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (4 stars) audiobook (listened in German)
#41 Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (3 stars)

June
#42 All The Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner (4 1/2 stars)
#43 The Girl in the Polka-dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge (3 1/2 stars)
#44 The Bridge Of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 1/2 stars)
#45 The Legacy by Katherine Webb (4 1/2 stars)
#46 12816920::Dark Dawn by Matt McGuire ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)
#47 8743756::Spiel mit dem Tod by Anne Gold (4 1/2 stars)

July
#48 And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer (5 stars)
#49 The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson (4 1/2 stars)
#50 Waterblue Eyes by Domingo Villar (4 stars)
#51 The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker (4 1/2 stars)
#52 Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (3 1/2 stars)
#53 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (3 1/2 stars)
#54 Back Of Beyond by C. J. Box ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 1/2 stars)

August
#55 Sepulchre by Kate Mosse (4 stars)
#56 The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (4 stars)
#57 The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin (4 1/2 stars)
#58 Hollywood: A Third Memoir by Larry McMurtry ROOT - 2015 Read Our Own Tomes Group (3 1/2 stars)
#59 197015::The Third Man by Graham Greene (4 stars)
#60 Friends Lovers Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith audiobook
#61 Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths (4 1/2 stars)
#62 A Bodkin for the Bride by Patrice Greenwood (4 stars) Early Review

September
#63 Grey Souls by Philippe Claudel (4 stars)
#64 Shalimar The Clown by Salman Rushdie (4 1/2 stars)
#65 7325::Small Island by Andrea Levy (4 1/2 stars)
#66 908950::Restless by William Boyd (4 1/2 stars)
#67 The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor (2 stars)

October
#68 Nacht im Central Park by Guillaume Musso (4 1/2 stars)
#69 Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (4 stars)
#70 Quicker Than The Eye by Ray Bradbury (5 stars)

American Author Challenge 2015

January (Carson McCullers): Die Ballade vom traurigen Café (2015-01-03)
February (Henry James): Daisy Miller (2015-02-03)
March (Richard Ford): Canada (2015-03-25)
April (Louise Erdrich): Shadow Tag (2015-04-03)
May (Sinclair Lewis): Main Street (2015-05-04)
June (Wallace Stegner): All The Little Live Things (2015-06-08)
July: skipped
August (Larry McMurtry): Hollywood: A Third Memoir (2015-08-15)
September (Flannery O'Connor): The Violent Bear It Away (2015-09-27)
October (Ray Bradbury): Quicker Than The Eye (2015-10-09)

British Author Challenge 2015

January
The Photograph by Penelope Lively read in German (2015-01-01)
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro audiobook (2015-01-16)
February
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2015-02-11)
Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh audiobook in German (2015-02-12)
March
Der Apfelbaum by Daphne du Maurier (2015-03-08)
April
Der Büchersack by W. Somerset Maugham (2015-03-27)
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (2015-04-04)
May
House of Meetings by Martin Amis (2015-05-05)
The Millstone by Margaret Drabble (2015-05-07)
June
Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (2015-05-31)
the Girl in the Polka-dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge (2015-06-13)
July
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (2015-07-13)
August
The Third Man by Graham Greene (2015-08-16)
September
Shalimar The Clown by Salman Rushdie (2015-09-14)
Small Island by Andrea Levy (2015-09-20)
October
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (2015-10-08)
November
Restless by William Boyd (2015-09-26)

Take It or Leave It Challenge


January
6: Read a book by an author who died in 2014
Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P. D. James (2015-01-25)
9.: Read a book whose title contains "yes" or a synonym thereof
The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction by Atef Abu Saif (2015-01-04)
10.: IOU challenge: Read a book by someone whose name ends in I, O, or U
Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro (2015-01-16)
20.: Read a book by an author that has won the Booker Prize but not a book that won the Booker Prize
The Photograph by Penelope Lively (2015-01-01)
22.: Read a book in which one of the author's names has 6 or more letters
Die Ballade vom traurigen Café by Carson McCullers (2015-01-03)

February
5: Read a book with a number in the first sentence
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2015-02-11)
8: Read a book with something you could love in the title
Daisy Miller by Henry James (2015-02-03)
11: Read a book with a pitch or a catch
Brideshead revisited by Evelyn Waugh (2015-02-12)
12: Read A Book With a Three Word Title but the first word cannot be "The"
Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo (2015-02-15)
13: Rolling Challenge: Read a book which title starts with the letters H, A, R, or T
Tod auf der Fähre by Anne Gold (2015-02-14)
16: Read a book with the letter U, V, or W in the title
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (2015-02-01)

March
2: Read a book whose title includes the name of a country other than the one in which you currently reside
Canada by Richard Ford (2015-03-25)
3: Read the third book in a series
Black Diamond by Martin Walker (2015-03-14)
6:Read a book where the author's last name has more syllables than his or her first name
Der Apfelbaum by Daphne du Maurier (2015-03-08)
10: Read a Book Where the Author's Last Name Could also be a First Name
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean (2015-03-01)
15: Read a book of which at least three books in the "LibraryThing Recommendations" section are featured in your collections
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (2015-03-07)

April
4: Read a book whose title or author includes a job title or occupation
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (2015-04-04)
9: Read a book that has been published by a small press
Schattenfangen (Shadow Tag) by Louise Erdrich (2015-04-03)

May
7: Read a regional novel
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis (2015-05-04)
8: Read A Book That Has A Word In The Title That Means A Female
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (2015-05-31)
14: Read a book about systemic oppression
House of Meetings by Martin Amis (2015-05-05)
18: Read a book by an author whose first name starts with a J, or whose surname starts with a D
The Millstone by Margaret Drabble (2015-05-07)

June
6: Read a book with a summery cover
All The Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner (2015-06-08)
12: Read a book with a word in the title that starts with either D, I, or Y
The Girl in the Polka-dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge (2015-06-13)

July
2: Read a book with a connection to water
Waterblue Eyes by Domingo Villar (2015-07-04)
12: Read A Book That Was Originally Published Before the Year 2000
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (2015-07-13)
20: Read a book that has to do with a maze or labyrinth
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (2015-07-24)
22: Read a book with the name of a city in the title
The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker (2015-07-11)

August
1: Read a book with an insect named on page 33
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (2015-08-13)
2a/b: Read a book with a title which contains a word that makes you think of marriage
Friends Lovers Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith (2015-08-23)
A Bodkin for the Bride by Patrice Greenwood (2015-08-29)
3: Read a work featuring a character from folklore
Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths (2015-08-23)
6: Read a book which fits a category of the Seattle Public Library's Summer Book Bingo
Hollywood: A Third Memoir by Larry Mc Murtry (2015-08-15)
10: Read A Book With Numbers in the Title
The Third Man by Graham Greene (4 stars) (2015-08-16)

September
1: Read a book with a one-word title containing one set of duplicate letters
Restless by William Boyd (2015-09-26)
5: Read a book whose title includes something you might find on a map
Small Island by Andrea Levy (2015-09-20)
10: Read a book with at least 3 consecutive vowels in alphabetical order in the title
Grey Souls by Philippe Claudel (2015-09-07)
21: Read a book which title contains a word relating to music
The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor (2015-09-27)

October
1: Read a book whose author's last name contains a three-letter combination which is an English word if spelled backward
Nacht im Central Park by Guillaume Musso (2015-10-03)
8.: Read a book with a coloured object in the title
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (2015-10-08)
17.: Read a book where one (and only one) of the title words has 4 letters
Quicker Than The Eye by Ray Bradbury (2015-10-09)

currently reading

Andrew's Brain The Orientalist

currently listening

Das Jesus-Video

Happy Saturday, Barb! And Happy New thread! I love the Farmer's Market toppers!

>8 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. I love doing my shopping there. Being first some local beer.



Argh, I don't know why the copying of the books >3 Ameise1: doesn't shows the touchstones this time. It makes me crazy.

After doing the grocery I went to the library and took the following:

1. Der Jesus-Deal by Andreas Eschbach (Audiobook in German)
2. Death in Pont-Aven by Jean-Luc Bannalec (Audiobook in German)
3. Die Herrin der Kathedrale by Claudia & Nadja Beinert
(Audiobook in German)

Happy new thread, Barbara! Your farmer's market is gorgeous!

What a marvelous farmer's market!

Everything looks so delicious in your market, Barbara. I dropped by to thank you for the lovely weekend photo: it made me happy because I thought it indicated that you are feeling well again.

Happy new thread, Barbara! What wonderful photos!

What a great looking market, and so close that you can walk there. Nothing like that in Baltimore. There are some small farmers markets but they do not look nearly as inviting.

Hello Barbara. Lovely photos, and I sure wish we had such a lovely farmer's market out here. I envy you.

Have a super weekend.

>11 scaifea: >12 sibylline: >14 tymfos: Thanks so much Amber, Lucy and Terri. I love this market so much. The atmosphere is always gorgeous and I need time going through this market because I have to stop a lot for some chatting :-)

>13 tiffin: Thanks Tui, I 'm fine and my first week back at school went well.

>15 catarina1: Thanks Catarina, it is a very beautiful market and I get everything there. I'm sorry to hear that you don't have such a possibility. I don't know what I would do without it.

>16 karenmarie: Thanks so much, Karen. It is really a wonderful market. It is twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday) but because I work the whole week I can go only on Saturday.

Happy New Thread, Barbara! Thanks for sharing those lovely photos with us.

>19 kidzdoc: You're welcome, Darryl. Enjoy your meet-up with Caro.

Love the market pictures! Happy new thread. Hope you get some time to read despite the new term.

>21 charl08: Many thanks, Charlotte. I did some decent reading in the late afternoon and tomorrowI should get plenty time.

Your farmers market looks amazing and very well stocked! What a gem. Twice a week is pretty good too. We have a market on Saturdays here, and alongside the fruit and Vegas they have specialty items which is what the market is actually better known for. They have delicious sausages, beer, cakes, coffee, porridge served hot with all sorts of yummy toppings, cheeses, music....it's a fun place to go. And the kids love feeding the ducks and looking for eels in the river too :)

>23 LovingLit: Isn't it gorgeous to have such gorgeous markets not only to buy all kind of fresh food but also the eat there.

Hi Barbara, happy new thread my dear. The photo's of your market are brilliant, I wish our market was as good. Years ago we had an outdoor market just like yours but the rise of the supermarkets and the current fad of everything having to be in one place has led to its demise, we now use farm shops and farmer's markets wherever possible. Hope you had a lovely Saturday, the weather here was lovely until around 5pm when the clouds became dark and we had heavy rain and thunderstorms for the rest of the evening and through the night but this morning it is lovely and sunny and warm.

Lovely looking markets! We have a number of outdoor markets here too, but we've had such a warm/ hot spring and summer that berry season is pretty much past us. They are worried that the pumpkins are already for Halloween in the fields. I see that you are reading an Elly Griffiths book, I'm guess The House at Seas End ? I really enjoy that series!

>25 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John. I love our market very much. I'm glad to hear that you still have farmer's markets around. It's so much better to buy directly fresh food. Yesterday, after the shopping and library I'd finally caught up with a lot of threads on LT even though I wasn't able to read everything. Furthermore I did some reading. Today, I had a lot of ironing to do but fortunately I was able to finish an audiobook so.

>26 vancouverdeb: Thanks so much, Deb. We had one of the hottest summer, too. At the moment we get all sorts of plums at the market.
Currently I'm reading Janus Stone which I hopefully can finish today. I love Elly Griffiths' series very much. I get the books from the library but it seems that others like her book too because I've always to wait for the next book.

# 60 ♫



This was my first Isabel Dalhousie mystery and so far it was an enjoyable listening. It looks like that Miss Isabel gets involved in a lot of things. Be it the love life of her niece, the life of her niece's ex-lover or finding the heart donor's next because she mets a stranger who is telling her about his new heart and that he thinks to be haunted by his precursor's feelings. She gets mixed up about everything and stumbles across her own not to the end intended thoughts but in the end she gets everything solved.

Due to a big construction site in our street and our garden for the next 9 months I'll post here what they are doing, about my (hopefully) not so much frustrations when something won't work and the progress - especially for our garden.
The city has to renew the sewage pipes and open-circuit water pipes in our street as well as in all gardens/houses. They are 85 years old and need to be done new. The construction company starts tomorrow morning and therefore we won't have parking space during the whole time. We already found a place where our car can be during this time. To put in the new pipes they have to make very deep ditches around the whole house and therefore our garden needs to be done completely new after their effort.
My husband has a lot of things already removed and it looks at the moment so:

___

book 61 Janus Stone Read in German



What a great sequal. This time Dr. Ruth Galloway is confronted by the Roman age. In a house which gets dismantled, bones of a little girl are found under the door sill. Soon it's clear that these bones aren't from the Roman period but the ritual shows strong similarities to Roman rites. In the course of investigations Ruth is a victim of several attacks. These are not her only problems. She hasn't told the child father about her pregnancy and when he learns about it. He does everything to protect Ruth and the unborne child.
The story is very gripping and let me a long time guessing who the evil one is.

Wow, that sounds like quite a building project. Will you replan the garden or put it back as it was?

Happy Weekend Barbara. The outdoor market looks lovely. Everything seems fresh and new!

>31 charl08: we'll replan it, Charlotte. The last 22 years it was mostly for the kids. They could build their huts, digging holes, playing with water etc. Now it's our time.

>32 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. Everything is fresh on the market. I love it.

Happy new thread, Barbara! Love the local farmer's market pictures. I wish we had a local fruit and vegetable market like yours. We have weekend local craft markets where one or two booths may have fresh produce but that is about it. If I want homemade preserves, I have my choice which is good because one thing I don't do is my own preserves. I don't enjoy the idea of standing over a hot stove stirring fruit in the heat of summer. ;-)

>35 lkernagh: Thanks so much, Lori. I love fresh fruits and vegetables the whole year. The only thing I make by myself are jams all other products I buy fesh.

What a wonderful market topping your thread! They just updated our local farmer's market, giving it some covered areas where people may browse. The only problem is we still suffer from not enough vendors or variety.

>37 thornton37814: Thanks so much, Lori. I hope you'll get more vendors by the time. It's so fantastic buying food on markets.

Love the pics my computer shows me - and I miss the farmer's market back in Wiesbaden/Germany. So colorful, and all the smells!
You also got the best meat, freerange chicken and eggs and the best bread there.

Merano has a famous market every Friday when busloads of tourists arrive especially to see it. But it's opposite the station in the ugliest part of town and it's mainly cheap clothes and leather bags (as often in Italy) with only a couple of food stalls. I have no idea why it's famous and I've been there only twice. Bolzano however has a nice but very high-priced daily market (Obstmarkt) in the centre of the old town.

>39 Deern: Hi Nathali, isn't it great to have such a market? Agreed, in Italy there are very often such cloth and so on markets. It's a shame because they have such a lot of fresh food to sell.

I love Sunday markets. I buy a lot of my fruits, cheese and vegetable produce for the week from farmers' markets. And especially in the summer, they are so very colorful. It also makes me feel good that I'm doing something to support the local farmers, so even if their products are a little bit more expensive compared to supermarkets, I don't mind.

>41Welcome to the club of buying products on the local markets, Caro. I think it's so important to support them and the fresh food is indeed much beter than in supermarkets.

Happy Wednesday, Barb! Hope the week is going well.

>42 Ameise1: I agree, Barbara. The fruit I buy from the farmers' market is always sweeter and even look better than the ones in the supermarkets. I love summer fruits and make a lot of fruit pies. Since I don't have a sweet tooth, I don't usually add sugar to my fruit filling, and yet the freshness and natural ripeness of the fruits make it sweet enough that the pies tastes good.

We have lovely, steamy markets here during the evenings called pasar malam. Fruit, veg, fish and meat mix with other edible treats and is a great experience for visitors.



Thanks for being so kind in keeping visiting my ailing thread over the last few months. I am hoping that I am almost back to normal now. xx

Happy New Thread, Barb! The market looks real nice.

# 62



This is a lovely cosy mystery about a young teashop owner who finds on a regular base some deaths on her doorstep. This time she is haunted by a young dead man whom she saw at a local market selling decorated knives. Shortly after the market visit this young fellow is found dead in front of her aunt's house. Elli is sure that the knife plays a major role in solving the puzzle.
But this isn't the only thing she has to solve there is also her love-life and the next of her boyfriend to be as well as her aunt's wedding preparation which keep her busy. The only steady and comforting pole is her 'house ghost'.

>43 msf59: thanks, Mark. It was a busy one and the heat is back here.

>44 cameling: Caro, I don't need additional suger to fruits, too. It would be a shame to use it when they are so delicious at the time.

>45 PaulCranswick: WooHoo, Paul is here. Many thanks for finding time to visit my thread and thanks so much for the photo. I know that Asian is famous for its daily markets and mostly to eat there too.

>46 connie53: Thanks Connie. I hope you had a good start back at work yesterday.

Happy Weekend, Barbara.

>49 jnwelch: thanks so much, Joe. It's filled with a lot of reading :-)

I hope that you're enjoying your weekend, Barbara! I also hope that the weather in Zürich is better than it is here in Atlanta this morning:



That rain is heading north, and it is very dark outside. I'm glad that I've already done my grocery shopping for the day!

Happy Sunday, Barbara

>51 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl, we're back to summer since last week with temperatures over 30C. I started to read Small Island for the BAC of September. This reading makes rather sad for the racist experiences Hortense has to endure.

>52 cameling: Thanks so much, Caro.

>53 Ameise1: It's considerably cooler than normal here, as we'll only hit 24 C today, due to the front that is currently passing through. It will warm up to the upper 20s to 30 C by mid week.

Small Island was an excellent read; I hope that you "enjoy" it as much as I did.

Beautiful new thread, Barbara. I am another fan of farmers' markets. The produce is always much fresher, and it is wonderful to support our local farmers.

Nice reading. I see Elly Griffiths has another fan. Have a lovely Sunday.

>54 kidzdoc: Darryl, the weather will change mid next week and than the summer heat will be gone for sure, I suppose. The reading of Small Island makes me rather angry at the moment. I hate how people treat each other.

>55 BLBera: Thanks so much, Beth. I had a great shopping time on the market yesterday.
Yes, I'm addicted to Elly Griffiths' series and already looking forward to the next one.

I'm really missing the coast as it feels like a storm is due here. Way too humid for me!

>57 charl08: Here it's not humid just a very dry heat. I don't like humidity, too.

Hi Barbara, hope you have had a good weekend my dear, we have had all the family here today for Sunday lunch and Amy and Andy are staying for the full bank holiday weekend.

Hi Barbara! Just a quick hello. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Hope you had a good weekend, Barb and I hope you squeezed in some R & R.

>59 johnsimpson: Hi John, I suppose we had the last hot summer weekend. Next to work I got plenty of time for the reading.

>60 karenmarie: Hello to you Karen. Wishing you a great new week, too.

>61 msf59: Hi Mark, Ihope you had a safe travel back home. I did some dicent reading.

Hi, Barbara! Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, Barbara, and I hope you have an excellent week (despite the construction around your house)!

>63 scaifea: >64 LauraBrook: Thanks so much for the well wishes, Amber and Laura, even though it was a terrible start into the new week.

Marina was stinged by a hornet at 7am and got an allergic shock. So we hurried to the ER which is forzunately 5min away from our home. There she got straight the right treatment. It's the first time she got an allergic shock and it was a very heavy one. I myself am also alkergic to bees, wesps and hornets and wear the mef7cations always on me. Anyway, I stayed at the ER until the doctorss were happy with her and the treatment. Than I went to school and Marina stayed at the ER for 5 hours before she could leave.

Uff, I'm rather worn out now.

So sorry to hear of Marina's incident with a hornet. I'm glad you were close enough to the hospital so she could get treated in relatively short time.

I hope the rest of your week passes without any further stressful incidents.

I'm glad that Marina got such quick treatment. How frightening to have such an allergic reaction, and be stung by a hornet - they are huge! I've never been stung by one of them but friends have. And no bee stings for quite a while. I used to get them frequently, growing up in California, and running barefoot. Hope the rest of your week goes well.

>66 cameling: >67 catarina1: Thanks so much, Caro and Catarina. She looks much better but a bit groggy. She has to take the meds tomorrow and on Wednesday, too. Furthermore she got her emergency set which she has to keep on her body like me.

> I hope Marina will feel better soon, Barb.

My first days at school were all right, Barb. It was good to see my team after six weeks.

>69 connie53: I'm glad to hear that you had a good start at school. It's always great to see one's mates after a long break.

Marina feels better, thanks so much. Isabelle just phoned us. She is back from Finland where she and her boyfriend spent a two week holiday.

I hope Marina is ok my dear, Robert has to be careful when wasps are around. They were obviously making sure she was ok by keeping her at the hospital for five hours.

>71 johnsimpson: John, they are gorgeous at this hospital. All of us have been there several times but for Marina it was the first time. They take you in there only when 16 and older. The younger ones have to go to the children hospital which we used only once with Isabelle - touch wood.
They told her to see them imediately when she'll have another sting because they would like to survey her if it gets worse so that they can give her a stronger dose of the medicine.
I live very good with this allergic diagnosis which I've got 12 years ago and I'm sure she'll learn to handle it, too.

Glad to hear Marina was treated well. Gosh, how scary. Hope you have the chance to recover as the week goes on.

Very sorry to read about Marina being stung by a hornet and having an allergic reaction. Glad to read that she is feeling better. With my herb garden this year, I have noticed a couple of what we call 'yellow jackets' hovering around whenever I am watering the plants. It turns out that they are attracted to the flowers that have now budded on my dwarf marjoram. Something I am taking note of for next year's garden!

I'm sorry to hear about Marina's anaphylactic reaction to the hornet sting, Barbara. You may know that those reactions can last for up to roughly 72 hours, so she bears close watching for at least the next day or two.

Do you and she own epinephrine autoinjectors (we call them Epi-Pens in the US)? We prescribe them to those who have had severe anaphylactic reactions, as they can help halt the progression of symptoms and allow the person time to reach a medical facility without fear of developing cardiorespiratory arrest beforehand.

>73 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. I had a terrible night's sleep. Wasn't able to sleep much. I guess that my adrenalin was still high up. Now, I feel worn out.

>74 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Indeed, different plants - different insects. Now, you have to decide what is more important to you the herbs or the unwelcome guests. You could put the marjoram to a place where the yellow jackets can't come into your house.

>75 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. She has to take the same amount of cortisone and tavegyl as she got yesterday at the hospital for the next three days. Furthermore she is carrying an emergency set with her which has the double amount of the medicine which she possibly needs. So there shouldn't be a problem until she reachs a hospital. I have such an emergency set for me too, but it contains the double amount what Marina needs because my reaction is heavier. So far I had never problems when I had to take it.
Everybody around me is informed that I'm carrying an emergency set, just in case, and what is to do. The same thing has Marina now to do so others could help her if needed.

>76 Ameise1: Yikes! Scary situation for Marina - and you, Barbara. My sympathy. I'm glad it's under good control.

>77 jnwelch: Thanks so much, Joe. I hope I get enough sleep tonight.

The good news is that I am not particularly taken with the flavour/taste of marjoram. A little too 'soapy' for me, so I don't mind if the marjoram doesn't survive the winter.

Oh my gosh, what a scare for the both of you! I'm so glad Marina got through it okay!

>76 Ameise1: From your description Marina is being appropriately treated, Barbara. We usually send patients home with three days' worth of prednisone (a steroid like cortisone), an antihistamine (usually Benadryl, which is similar to Tavegyl), an albuterol inhaler on an as needed basis, and an Epi-Pen (or an Epi-Pen Jr. for kids weighing less than 30 kg, which seems to be the same as the emergency set you mentioned). I hope that she continues to do well, and that her mother can catch up on sleep!

>80 lkernagh: Thanks Lori, and here is another one not much loving marjoram.

>81 scaifea: Amber, I'm used to this kind of allergic shock due being a candidat of it too. Therefore I knew what to do.

>82 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. I'm glad that the hospital is round the corner and we are there within 3min by car.
Marina is doing fine so far. She is a bit tired due to the meds but alas for us it's just having a normal child due to her very heavy ADHD.
I caught a severe cold and feel horrible.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad cold, Barbara. I'm sure you'll be glad to see this week come to an end!

Barbara, I love the photos of your local market. They put me in mind of a charming market we visited in Beaune. I remember huge buckets of olives, among other delights. Like this:

Oh so sorry to hear of your daughter's allergic reaction. That has to be very scary! I had a milder reaction to codeine, but I still had to have IV Benadryl at the Emergency and take a steroid pill afterward. Fortunately codeine is much easier to avoid. Hope your cold gets better soon!

Thank God you were with your daughter when she had the allergic reaction to a bee. When we were young, my sisters and I played in an area behind our house. One day, unknown to my sister, a group of boys swatted a hornet's nest and ran. Unfortunately, my sister was the recipient of the anger of the wasps. She received many multiple stings and the reaction was devastating. I remember that she was hospitalized for what seemed like a long, long time.

I am glad your Marina is going to be ok.

I send good thoughts your way.

>85 EBT1002: I don't know why, but I absolutely love almost any photograph of food items displayed in markets!

>84 kidzdoc: Darryl, despite the bad cold I enjoyed a gorgeous evening at the Diamond League meeting as you saw in FB. But sure I'm looking forward to the end of this week. This morning my team colleague's mum died. We are very sad.

>85 EBT1002: Ah Ellen, what wonderful photos. I love Beaun. We've been several times there.

>86 vancouverdeb: Thanks so much, Deb. The worst is behind us.

>87 Whisper1: Linda, me too, I'm very gkad that I was around her when it happened. She is joining such a lot of camps. Can't imagine what wiuld have happen there.

>88 thornton37814: Lori, me too. I go for for photos anytime :-)

Take care, Barbara. I hope you feel better soon.

>90 BLBera: Thanks so much, Beth. I'll skip the long night of Zürich's museums tomorrow and hope feeling better soon.

Happy Friday, Barb! Hope the work day goes quickly, so you can start that weekend.

Sorry to read you have come down with a nasty cold, Barbara. Here is hoping that you are feeling better soon.

>92 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. Weekend is here and I strongly need it to recover.

>93 lkernagh: Thanks so much, Lori. I need the weekend to feel better soon. Hopefully.

Wishing you a lovely, relaxing weekend.

Get well soon, Barbara! The hornet episode with Marina sounded scary and am glad that the hospital was close and that she's all kitted out for the future.

I hope you have a relaxing recovering sort of weekend.

>95 charl08: >96 karenmarie: Thanks so much Charlotte and Karen. I'm lying around with pots of tea, ton of tissues and books.

Get better soon, Barb! And I hope you have recovered enough to enjoy the Sunday.

>98 connie53: Oh, thanks so much, Connie. What a beautiful flower bouquet. I will take it very easy tomorrow.

Hope you feel better my dear and take it easy tomorrow, sending love and hugs.

>100 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John. Finally could sleep through last night. xx

Hi Barbara, so glad you were able to get some quality sleep my dear, hope you have a good Sunday, sending love and hugs.

Happy Sunday, Barb! I hope you are spending the day, with your books. Fingers crossed.

>102 johnsimpson: >103 msf59: Thanks so much, John and Mark. I did a lot of work for school so far because I've a lot of meetings next week and next weekend we'll be away for my MIL 80th bithday party.
My nose isn't anymore running so much but now it feels sore from using lots of tissues. Still drinking lots of pots of tea and surely hope getting some reading done today.

I'm sorry that you're not feeling well, Barbara! I hope you're much better very soon!

>105 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber. I finished work for school and had a long phone call with my team colleague whose mother died last Thursday. Now I'm finally reading.

Such a scare when someone goes into anaphylactic shock, Barbara. I am glad your daughter got good treatment. My brother had that happen from yellow jackets. No fun.

I too love market & food photos. I really should get down to our farmers' market with my camera. It's always so beautiful in the autumn.

Hope your cold goes away quickly.

Happy Weekend, Barbara.

We get a nice, long three day one in the U.S. because of Labor Day. I'm sitting here with a dog on my lap, and not doing much of anything. :-)

>107 tiffin: Tui, Marina feels well again like nithing had happened.
And yes, would like to see photos from your market.

>108 jnwelch: Thanks so much, Joe. Enjoy your long weekend with Sherlock. When will you leave for London?

>109 Ameise1: We're on on our way to London this Wednesday, Barbara. Can't wait. Sherlock and his human mom move into our place while we're gone - they can't wait either. :-)

>110 jnwelch: That's a win-win situation. Glad to know you're soon on our continent but sadly still far away.
Wishing you a safe journey and enjoy London. I hope to see pics on FB.

>111 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. As happened last time, I suspect you'll see lots of pics on FB from Darryl, and then a few from us when we get back. :-)

>112 jnwelch: looking forward to it.

Hi, Barbara! Sorry to hear of Marina's allergic reaction and your cold. Glad she is doing ok now, and hope you are better soon.

>114 tymfos: Thanks so much Terri, my cold is still there :-(. Just came back from my team colleague's mum's furneral. It's always so sad.

# 63 ♫ Grey Souls by Philippe Claudel



What a wonderful sad story. It is told from the view of a police officer who has a lot of sympathy for all the inhabitants of a little Belgian village. He suffers all incidents with them which they have to face to. He describes everything with a great care and love for all protagonists be they rich or poor, a celebrity or a 'nobody'. In the end it's clear that he is one of them, facing the same problems as they do and perhaps his sympathy for everyone else is at the same moment his therapy for surviving.
Philippe Claudel's language is rich and subtly nuanced. It's a great pleasure to follow his story and his thoughts.

Back on LT and checking in on my favorite "photograph-poster." Sorry to hear you have a cold--best wishes to get well soon!

Catching up - gute schnelle Besserung, Barbara!

>117 Berly: >118 Deern: Thanks so much, Kim and Nathalie. I feel much better.

Over the weekend we were at the Schynige Platte which is one of the most beautiful place in Switzerland. Going up by a rack railway the view over the lakes of thun and Brienz is gorgeous. When arriving on Schynige Platte there is a stunningly view of Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau and their glaciers. There are many hiking trails and a beautiful Botanical Alpine Garden.

_______________

Hi, Barb! I want to go to Schynige Platte! Wah! What a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous photos.

>120 msf59: Mark, you're welcome. I think it's the most beautiful place for a gorgeous Alpine panoramic view of three famouse mountains.

BTW the panoramic photo I took from our hotel room. How is that :-)?

Thanks for the review of Grey Souls. One of his other books just arrived in the mail and all I need now is time to read it.

But so sad, I can't see your photos, :-(

>121 Ameise1: Hi Catarina, I loved the Grey Souls and will definitely ead another book by Philippe claudel. I hope you'll enjoy the reading as much as I did.

Sorry, that you can't see the photos. I can see it (with Firefox) and I think Mark could it see, too.

Can't see them either, but so glad you enjoyed yourself.

>124 Berly: Thanks, Kim for reporting it. I try to fix it later.

# 64 ♫ Listen in German

Shalimar The Clown
BAC September

This was a fantastic listening. It's a mixed between a political story due to recruiting men for the cause of the Mudschahedin but also the political mess at Kashmir where people especially women weren't safe even the military was bad. It is also a folk tale where the different godhoods show their power and how people got influenced but it is also the story of a young woman who is looking for her roots and how she detects her strength and power which she has got in her genes from her ancestor.
It's a fast-paced story which I can strongly recommend.

I've fixed the photos at >119 Ameise1:. I hope everbody can see them now.

And as an addition my lovely two daughters with Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the back

Thanks for fixing the photos up above--they are GORGEOUS!! And your daughters too! : )

>128 Berly: I'm glad that you're able to see them now, Kim and yes, I'm very proud of my two ladies.

Love the pictures: what wonderful views and plants.

>130 charl08: Thanks so much, Charlotte. It was a wonderful weekend with the extended family due to my MIL's 80th birthday party.

Great photos as always Barbara. I half expect to see the Von Trapp family crossing in the background of some of your mountain photos.

Such breathtaking pictures, Barb! And your girls are lovely!

>132 Oberon: LOL, Eric but your thoughts aren't too far away. Could really be possible.

>133 connie53: Thanks so much, Connie. For me it's the most beautiful Alpine scene. I'm very happy to have a new photo of them together and of cause I'm proud of them.

thank you Barbara for taking the time and effort to fix the photos. They are gorgeous. You always travel to such beautiful places. Love the photos of the mountains, the flowers and, of course, your daughters.

>136 catarina1: Thanks so much for the compliment, Catarina. I'm glad you're able to see them now.

Hi Barbara, lovely photo of the girls my dear.

Great photo of your daughters, Barb! They are perfectly lovely.

>138 johnsimpson: >139 msf59: Thanks so much, John and Mark, for your lovely compliment.

I love that region! Remember a childhood holiday near Thuner See. It was raining for two weeks, but it was wonderful. We walked in the Justistal where for the first time I saw those huge cheeses in an Almhütte and drank fresh milk, like Heidi. And we went to see Wilhelm Tell, but of course I feel asleep before the apple scene. I also remember that while we were there, again some climbers died on Eiger (Nordwand). Such an impressive trio, those mountains.
Great, great fotos, and lovely daughters! :)

What gorgeous photos, Barbara! Thanks so much for sharing them.

>141 Deern: Nathalie, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your holiday near the Thuner See. It's a lovely part to stay and there are a lot of things to see and to do. The Wilhelm Tell play I saw more than once. I like it very much. Once we were with our daughters. Isabelle was with us sitting in the audience whereas Marina was behind the scene with the actors and all the animals. She was then too young for the audience and therefore we brought her to the 'Krippe' not knowing that she was among the actors.

>142 Crazymamie: Thanks so much, Mamie. It's wonderful to see you here.

Barbara, I so much enjoy your pictures. The market where you do your Saturday shopping looks like a fun place. So much livelier than our sterile supermarkets here. I loved the pictures of the Swiss mountains and flowers…and your beautiful daughters. That was quite a scare you had with your Marina. I have two grandchildren with peanut allergies and have been trained on the epi-pen, a very important precaution but it makes me very nervous, too.

>144 Donna828: Thanks so much for your wonderful compliments, Donna. Shopping on our local market is always great fun and it's so colouful in autumn. I love being in the mountains. It's really like heaven on earth.
I'm not nervous about the emergency kit and you shouldn't be, too. I'm sure you'll do the necessary thing when it's needed.

The mountains are breathtaking. No wonder Fabian Cancellara is such a good cyclist in the mountains: look where he gets to practice! I loved seeing the photos of the anemones and other flowers. Thank you for sharing these with us, as well as the photo of your lovely daughters. "Grey Souls" by Claudel sounds so interesting. I wonder if I can find it in translation? Happy weekend!

>146 tiffin: Thanks so much Tui for your lovely compliments. I've listened Grey Souls in German (Graue Seelen) in French it would be 'Les Ames grises'. In which language would you looking for a copy?

Preferably English. My French gets me by but I'm not fluently bilingual. I'll take a look for it.

Happy Saturday, Barb! Looking forward to going to Michigan tomorrow, for the final Booktopia. Should be a lot of fun.

Happy reading!

>149 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. Wishing you a fabulous time.

Hope you're having a good weekend Barbara. We're having so much sunshine it feels more like summer just now.

>151 charl08: Charlotte, we just came back from a fantastic Patty Smith concert. I'll post some photos tomorrow.
Here it's definitely autumn. Nice weather but cooler.

Hi Barbara - fantastic photos! Is there a cablecar up from Interlaken to Schynigge Platte? I am pretty sure I went there one weekend in 2011 or 2012 - it was gorgeous. If it's the place I'm remember there is a big oldfashioned restaurant at the top of the railway. I had lunch there then walked down and got the train back home to Basel.

>153 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, no there is no cablecar going up. From Interlaken you take the train or bus to Wilderswil and than there is a racket train going up to Schynige Platte.
There is a restaurant but you would have a very long walk back down and it's very steep.

OK then I am confusing it with another place! I did a little train up to the Jungfrau summit on the first day, then stayed in Interlaken, and went somewhere up a little cablecar or railway...mmm I will go look on the map.

Beautiful pictures, Barbara, thank you for sharing! Your daughters are gorgeous too!

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend.

Yay for the Patti Smith concert!! Pictures....!

>155 cushlareads: Cushla, I guess you were on the Heimwehfluh.

>156 karenmarie: Thanks so much, Karen, for the lovely compliments.

>157 Berly: Kim, here we go for the Patti Smith concert:

What a great Patti Smith concert we heard, last night. She is still powerful and her voice is as strong as ever. The average age of the audience wasn't much younger than Patty's age. True fans. The vibes was like in a cauldron absolutely gorgeous.

Here some photos. Sorry, for the poorly quality.
__

Ohh so many gorgeous photos! What lovely daughters you have! I want to go to Schynige Platte too!

>159 vancouverdeb: Thanks so much, Deb, for the nice compliments. Schynige Platte is a wonderful place to see one of the most gorgeous Alpine panorama.

book 65 Read in German

Small Island
BAC September

What a great story even though the most time I got very angry and therefore had to put it away often. The story is told from the view of four persons; two Jamaicans and two Britons. It jumps between WWII and 1948. Due to being part of the British Empire the Jamaicans were fighting side by side with British people and were honoured and respected. After the war the Jamaican combatants thought that England would welcome them with open arms and tried there luck and future in England. There they had to learn on the hard way that they aren't not only unwelcomed but also treated worse than a dog.
This pure racism made me very angry. Andrea Levy has put a lot of love into the characters. She shows a great understandig and respect for the feeling of both sides.

Thanks for the great review, Barbara, of Small Island. I've had it on the TBR for a long time. Your review has pushed it up closer to the top.

>162 catarina1: You're welcome, Catarina. It's a book I can strongly recommend.

>161 Ameise1: Small Island isn't showing up as one I have read in LT although I'm pretty sure I have read it. I really enjoyed The Long Song too. I love the rhythm of Caribbean literature. It's not something I want to read all the time, but I enjoy it when I do.

>164 thornton37814: Lori, our local library has got another Levy book, too. I'll read it one day but not so soon. I think I need something on a lighter note but with the AAC book The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor which I'm currently reading there is another story to get angry.

Nice review! Don't stay mad for long.

>166 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim. I try to finish the bokk without gettig cross.

Patti Smith, that brings back some memories! Looks like it was a great concert.

>168 lkernagh: Lori, we've been at a lot of her concerts. The earliest one was around 1980 and from than every few years. I like her very much.

Patti Smith! Marvelous!

And your daughters look so lovely. Great photographs, I always can count on seeing some when I come over here.

Andrea Levy is a terrific writer.

Happy Thursday, Barb! Glad you had a good time at the Patti Smith concert. I have never had a chance to see her. I am looking forward to her second memoir, which comes out soon.

I am glad you enjoyed Small Island. I loved it too. I will be reading The Long Song.

Sounds like you have been busy Barbara. I think the last concert I went to was classical piano at the Liverpool Phil: do love live music though, must see what's on! I agree the story in Small Island is hard hitting. Levy knew what she was writing about and makes very clear how wartime history included small minded people as well as the heroes.

Glad you enjoyed the concert!

>170 sibylline: Thanks so much, Lucy, for your lovely compliments. The concert was absolutely fabulous. I'll read later another Levy story.

>171 msf59: Hi Mark, I hope you'll get the chance one day to attend a Patti Smith concert. I love to see her live. I had some struggles reading 'Small Island'. The injustice and hate made me angry very often.

>172 charl08: Charlotte, your words are balsam for my soul. I think Levy is a gorgeous writer and she doesn't keep her mouth shut when uncovering injustice.

>173 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli, it was a marvellous concert. I hope to see attend another one in the future.

book 66 ♫


BAC November

This was a gripping listening. Ruth detects that her mother was a spy during WWII. Her mother is telling her the story who she was - who she became and who she now is piece by piece in letters. For Ruth it's like a new universe has been open and she sees her mother's life from a new angle. The story is mixed with faith in close people, betrayal of the same ones, fear of losing one's life and fight for a peaceful future. The story is told fast-paced and kept me breathless until the very end.

I enjoyed Restless, too, Barbara.

Happy weekend to you.

Happy Saturday, Barb. I want to read more Boyd. I have Restless and a couple others on shelf, plus his new one, Sweet Caress. I better get busy.

>176 karenmarie: Isn't it a good story, Karen? Happy weekend to you too.

>177 msf59: Hurry up, Mark. I love Boyd's books. Happy weekend to you too.

Happy weekend Barbara!!

Hope you're having a good weekend. Loved Restless - completely gripping.

>179 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim. Wishing you the same.

>180 charl08: Happy weekend to you too, charlotte. I loved this story very much.

Happy Sunday, Barbara!

>182 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber.

# 67


AAC September

This wasn't my story. I hate brainwashing especially when it's religious fanaticism and this was the main subject of this story. I attest O'Connor's good writing style but she didn't enthral me with that plot.

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant and restful weekend. The Baltimore Book Festival is on right now but the weather forecast had been for rain. It now looks like there is only a 15% chance of rain so I'm planning on taking the light rail down to the Inner Harbor to enjoy a day of books and sunshine.

>185 catarina1: Thanks so much, Catarina. Enjoy the Book Festival. I guess you'll go home with a nice book haul. :-)

Love Patti Smith and really enjoyed her book as well. Glad to know you are a fan too!

>187 tiffin: Tui, we had attended lots of her concerts and I've read one of her books, too. It's nice to hear that you like her, too.

Happy Sunday, Barbara!

>189 jnwelch: Thanks so much, Joe. I hope you have a good one, too.

Hi Barbara, hope you have had a good weekend my dear, ours has been good especially after the previous few days, sending love and hugs.

>191 johnsimpson: John, yesterday evening I went to a feast at the village whete I grew up. There was a great meet-up of people I had shared my first year at school (47 years ago). I can tell you it was great fun. Lots of them I haven't seen for the last 40 years. We had lots of fun.

>119 Ameise1: Yep, you fixed them and they are lovely photos! When we walked the West Highland Way last year, we befriended a couple from Australia who were going to spend five days in Paris and then go to Switzerland for another multi-days trek. Those photos look about like what they described. So enticing.

>175 Ameise1: I have a hard copy of Restless and plan to read it later this fall.

>193 EBT1002: Thanks so much, Ellen. We have some beautiful places in the Alpes but this one is my favourite spot.

I hope you enjoy Restless as much as I did.

>175 Ameise1: - I am currently watching the BBC adaptation of Boyd's novel. I can see why you enjoyed the story so much!

>195 lkernagh: Oh, is there currently a BBC adaptation on TV? Or can you see it only at your place, Lori? Enjoy it.

Yes, that is a warbler up there, Barb!

>197 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark.

The BBC adaptation of Restless was released in 2012. I subscribe to Acorn TV which is an online streaming service. They are currently streaming the miniseries. I am really enjoying it!

>199 lkernagh: I must have a look if I could see it, too, Lori.

Barbara what a warm and welcome addition to our little community you have been these last couple of years (my doesn't time fly?!)

Happy Birthday dear lady.

>201 PaulCranswick: Thanks so much, Paul, for your kind words. I'm very happy being a part of of the 75 family.

Happy Birthday, Barbara!

>203 jnwelch: Thanks so much, Joe. It was yesterday but Thomas and I are going to a wonderful brasserie tonight.

Ooh enjoy your meal. Sounds lovely.

Thanks so much, Charlotte. It was delicious.

Oh, dang, I missed your birthday! I hope it was the best one yet!!

Sweet Thursday, Barb! Hope the week is going well.

>207 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber. Tuesday was a very busy day but we had a gorgeous dinner yesterday.

>208 msf59: Mark, just one day of work and from Saturday the third until Monday the 26th of October I have holiday. :-)

Sorry that I missed your birthday. I hope that it was a nice one. That is nice that you will be having a long vacation shortly.

Hi Barbara, hope you have a good day tomorrow before you start your holiday break on Saturday until the 26th my dear.

>210 catarina1: Thanks so much, Catarina. I'm looking forward to the vacation.

>211 johnsimpson: John, I don't no what will be tomorrow. We just came back from the ER. Marina was at a school camp the whole week. This afternoon she suddenly got a terrible headache and lots of pain in the belly. An ambulance took her to the ER of the closest hospital where her camp was. We spent the last couple of hours there. They made a lot of tests and fortunately nothing worse came up. We were able to take her home. Tomorrow she has to see her doctor who will get the results of further blood tests they made. So I've no clue how tomorrow will be.

Barbara, I am sorry to hear Marina was so unwell that she had to go to the emergency unit from the school camp. It is good that you were able to bring her home and I hope the blood tests come out ok but I wonder what has caused the headache and belly pain. Sending love and hugs from the pair of us to you all and give Marina our love.

Thanks so much, John. They first thought she could have an appendicitis or even a meningitis. So they brought her to the ER with blue lights.
Well, luckily it is neither of it. They think she caught a terribly virus.

So sorry Marina's not been well. Hope she's on the mend and that the family can relax.

>215 charl08: Thanks so much, Charlotte. We keep our fingers crossed that nothing else shows up.

Sorry to hear Marina's been unwell, Barbara. Hope she feels better soon.

Oh dear. I hope Marina gets better soon, Barbara! That must be terribly stressful for you. I'll keep her in my thoughts.

>217 souloftherose: & 218 Thanks so much, Heather and Rachel. Yesterday we saw her doctor. All blood tests are ok. What really happend is the following: Due to a terrible cough some sternocostal joints are blocked which give her a lot of pain and therefore she has the feeling of not getting enough breathing air and starts to hyperventilate. Next to this she got a gastrointestinal virus which makes her lots of pain in the belly. All this needs time to recover. She feels very sad because today would have started her emergency medical assistant camp where she would have anttended the third course. We take her there on Monday for a visit so she can see her mates.

book 68 ♫ Listen in German

Central Park

This was a very gripping listening which I couldn't stop. Alice a Paris detective woke up chained to a man she has never saw before. More surprisingly was that this was in NY at the Cetral Park whereas her memory went back to last night's party with friends in a bar in Paris. She was suspicious because her shirt was full of blood, a phone number written in her hand and the guy seemed also injured. Her police instict cried to solve the puzzle why she was in NY. The story took me fast-paced from one place to another. Always when I had the feeling that I knew where the plot was heading a new sudden twist showed up. It was astonishingly how the two strangers who didn't trust each other very well found their way through the incidents.
The outcome took me by surprise. I wasn't thinking of such a brilliant turn.

Happy Saturday, Barb! And hooray for another holiday! Are you going away, this time?

>219 Ameise1: glad she'll be ok! :) happy weekend

>220 Ameise1: Sounds good! Will look out for it.

Hope your visit on Monday goes well.

One of the things I think of when I think of home:



Have a lovely weekend, Barbara.

Barbara, belated birthday wishes! So sorry about Marina's health woes. I hope she feels better soon.

Great photos of the Schynige Platte, Barbara!

>175 Ameise1: What a great review. I've added this book to the tbr pile. Happy Weekend to you!

>221 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. We're leaving for the Engadin in a few hours. It is a beautiful valley in the Alpes. We stay there until Tuesday. On the 18th I'll leave for another wellness holiday in the Black Forest.

>222 The_Hibernator: Thanks so much, Rachel.

>223 charl08: & >227 Whisper1: Charlotte and Linda, I hope the translation into English comes soon. It's a fantastic story.

>224 PaulCranswick: Ah, Paul, blue bells are gorgeous. Thanks so much for the photo.

>225 tymfos: Thanks so much for the well wishes, Terri.

>226 kidzdoc: Darryl, it's one of the most beautiful spots.

Oh dang, I'm so sorry to hear about Marina's illness! Here's hoping she's much better now.

>229 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber. Just posted on FB that we visited Marina's camp whete she should have been the whole week. She was very hapoy to see her mates but feels worn out after this long day. She'll go next year for her third course.

Poor Marina! She's had a bit of bad luck this year. I hope that she feels better soon.

>231 kidzdoc: Darryl, the last five weeks weren't the best for her. She has still a lot of pain but being off school until the 19th should help her to recover.

book 69 Read in German

Black Swan Green
BAC October

This is the story about Jason Taylor at the age of 13/14 how he struggles with the adolescence, with his family life which is falling apart and being an outsider. The story is told in chapters which refer to the months of a year. Jason isn't accepted among his classmates. Firstly he can't express himself properly due to his stammering and therefore being shy. Furthermore he is a kind of a daydreamer and when he tries to escape the reality he surely stumbles among a fight where at least he is one of the victim. Only at the end of the story he finds the courage to fight back.

Happy Thursday, Barb! Good review of Black Swan Green. I have had this one on my To-Read for a long time. I will be reading his new one, Slade House.

And hooray for wellness holidays!

>234 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. I hope you'll find time to read Black Swan Green one day. I liked it.
Yeh, I'm looking forward to my lovely relaxing wellness holiday :-D.

# 70 Read in German

Quicker Than The Eye
AAC October

These are brilliantly written short stories. I love Bradbury's black humor and his profound view of the human soul. There isn't one story falling apart. Every single one is strong and gripping. They made me smile but also lost in thought. It's a book I can strongly recommend.

>236 Ameise1: Seeing your review reminds me that I need to check out a Ray Bradbury title this weekend.

>237 thornton37814: Lori, I loved this reading. Hope you'll find a good one too.

>238 Ameise1: I'm going to read Fahrenheit 451 or at least try. We'll see how well I do with the book burning.

>239 thornton37814: Lori, our local library has a copy of Fahrenheit 451. When I read the introduction on the cover I thought that this wasn't a book for me. Well, I could be wrong. Looking forward what you are thinking of it.

>240 Ameise1: At least it is short!

>241 thornton37814: That's true. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Happy weekend Barbara! I really need to read more Ray Bradbury. I'm jealous of all you guys who reading him this month!

Gruezi Barbara - hope you're having a lovely weekend in the Engadin! That's one region (among many) that we didn't make it to. I look forward to gorgeous photos.

I missed another birthday here, sorry! Very belated birthday wishes to you! Have a wonderful weekend!

I hope Marina will have made a full recovery very soon and can continue her training.

That Bradbury looks tempting, I don't remember if I read any of his books yet.

Hey Barbarian just wishing you a good weekend. Hope the Bradbury treats you well.

Elm trees in Autumn
Have a lovely weekend Barbara

Happy Saturday, Barb! I hope you are enjoying the weekend. And I hope you end up enjoying Fahrenheit 451. Fingers crossed.

A late but heartfelt Happy Birthday Barbara! I hope you had a lovely day and I wish you all good things for the coming year.

I'm sorry to hear about Marina's health issues and hope that she's recovering quickly.

Happy Saturday, Barbara!

>243 The_Hibernator: Thanks so much, Rachel. I enjoyed Quicker Than The Eye very much.

>244 cushlareads: Allegra Cushla, I'll soon start a new thread with photos of the Engadin.

>245 Deern: Thanks so mjuch, Nathalie for the well wishes. Marina feels much better but some of the blocked sternocostal joints still give her pain.

>246 charl08: Thanks so much, Charlotte. I loved Bradbury's Quicker Than The Eye very much.

>247 PaulCranswick: Ah, Paul, what a most beautiful autumn photo. I love it. Thanks so much. xx

>248 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I read Quicker Than The Eye but have not ime to read another Bradbury. Too many other books are waiting to be read. :-)

>249 karenmarie: Thanks so much, Karen for the well wishes. Marina isn't quite back to her old-self.

>250 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I hope you have a lovely day, too.

Please, follow me on my new thread.