A little of our London trip

 Visited with the cousins in England. It was amazing!  Here are a few (unedited) highlights.

Kensington Palace Garden

The Shard

The Globe Theater with a modern-day performance of MacBeth

Tower Bridge

We had a great time and would love to go back!

See more fun photos here and here.

I'm bored

 No, this is not the lament of a school-age child after one week's worth of summer, though it could be!  It's me!  I'm bored!  What do you do when you're bored?  There is only so much TV that can be watched and Internet that can be surfed.

I've done all the laundry.  The house is (fairly) clean. Dinner tonight is easy to warm up.    I've made a thank you card, and I did some other crafting. I've run errands.  I've watched the shows I want to watch.  This is what happens when you wake up too early (Thanks to the neighbors for chopping down a giant tree that was providing wonderful shade in my bedroom).  Now what?

I wonder what Chat GPT will say.

It said I could watch a movie (nope), go for a walk (not feeling it), rearrange a room (not gonna happen), or scroll Google Earth.  Chat GPT clearly does not know me!  One of its seriously lame suggestions was to go on Youtube and learn a new skill such as, get this, origami, speedcubing, or lockpicking.  Yes, it said that!  I guess I will look up what speedcubing is and get back to you.  But for now...

Have a great week!  Don't forget to visit Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Fun Photos!

One of my favorite outings in London was visiting the Tower of London because I read so much historical fiction about England's kings and queens and royal families, and the tower almost always plays a role in these stories.

Traitor's Gate

 

Window Seat in one of the chambers.

The ravens are the guardians of the tower.  But they will bite!  Both my husband and I got bitten.
Mine was on top of my foot (thanks for my shoe protecting me)
and his was on his shin (thankfully he had on jeans).

 They don't allow you to take photos of the Crown Jewels, or else you'd see some of those beauties here.

You can visit Wordless Wednesday here and here.

Sunday Synopsis - The Queen's Fool

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory


Philippa Gregory is the queen of English historical fiction. The compelling main character of The Queen's Fool is Hannah Verde, aka Hannah Green, who has fled the inquisition in Spain and arrived in England with her book-maker father. The book follows her life from her quiet life with her father to being begged for a fool. Robert Dudley, King Edward's protector and adviser, discovers Hannah and her "sight," the ability to see into the future.

She is sent to spy on Catholic Queen Mary who has a bitter rivalry with her Protestant half sister Elizabeth. Hannah finds herself amid a court of lies, deception, and religious persecution. In the process, she develops a loving bond with Mary who ends up in disgrace due to not one, but two hysterical pregnancies and numerous burnings and beheadings.

Hannah is also betrothed to Daniel, another who fled the religious persecution in Spain and must hide his true faith in England. Daniel plans his escape, along with his family and Hannah's father, but Hannah must stay at court until she is released from service. She will eventually join Daniel and her father in Calais, but even then, there is fear and betrayal. When Calais falls to the French, she will find herself back in England and still in service to Robert Dudley.

This is a fast-paced enjoyable read full of intrigue, rivalries, deception, and even war. It will bring about a new perspective on both Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth, the offspring of Henry VIII. No one can write historical fiction that is both fascinating and realistic quite like Gregory. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

View all my reviews

Was Anne Boleyn a Sweetheart?

 

I've been getting in the mood for my visit to the UK by reading historical fiction.  I'm currently reading a book set in England during Henry VIII's reign and courtship of Anne Boleyn.  The author continually has Henry refer to Anne as "sweetheart."  First, I don't know that Henry VIII would call anyone sweetheart, and second, I didn't think the term had been coined at that time.  But, as it turns out, I was wrong. It was first used in the year 1290 in England.  Hmmm. I still think the author overused the term, and coming out of Henry's mouth just doesn't seem right.

Have a great week!  And don't forget to visit Happy Tuesday!

Sunday Synopsis - Tai Pan

Tai-Pan by James Clavell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book number 2 in the Asian Saga. After reading and loving Shogun, I was so looking forward to this one. This is not a sequel, however. There are 5 books in the series, but all except one are actually stand-alone books.

When I first started this one, I wanted to stop. I didn't like it, but my husband encouraged me to keep going, so I did, and I ended up liking it a lot.

This book is set in the 1840's at the founding of Hong Kong. The Tai Pan, Supreme Leader of all China's tai pans, is a Scott named Dirk Struan. The book is mainly about his struggles to keep his fleet as the leading established fleet in Hong Kong and to prevent his rival from sabotaging or taking over his role. These business dealings are accompanied by themes of love, family, politics, and strife between England and China. It's another long book, although not as long as Shogun, but it is well worth the time spent reading it.0

View all my reviews

Let's Confuse the Young 'uns

 This list would definitely confuse some young folks.

Rotary phones

Using the phone to call "Time" and "Information."

45's (records)

8 Tracks

Pong

VHS

Getting film developed

Image Credit

Card Catalog

Encyclopedia

Sears Catalog

Bunny Ears (Antennae)

Yellow Pages

Pay phones

And bonus - paying for long distance calls

What else can you recall that would confuse the young 'uns?

Find more Thursday 13 here.

Not-so-wordless Wednesday

 

In 2018 we went to Memphis to watch the Rockets play against the Grizzlies.  We happened to be staying in the same hotel as our team.  I was able to get several pictures with players. Here is one of them.  (NaNa) Memphis would be a great city to visit even if you were going for a simple vacation.  

I hope you will visit Wordless Wednesday here and here and get them to add me to the list while I'm out of town.

It's Madness!

 Is March Madness supposed to go into April?  Apparently, it usually does.  The biggest games this season were both in April (Final Four and Championship).  At the point of this writing, I don't know the outcome of the game, but I've got my fingers crossed for Houston. (ETA:  sad face)  I find myself watching a lot of basketball lately, college and NBA, and it's so stressful!  The NBA playoffs will start in about two weeks, but they play a series of games with each opponent rather than just one and done.  I'm not sure which way is best.

How about some funnies now?

This is some TRUTH!

Maxine and I can be so immature!

I love a good pun.

Hee hee!

Poor men!  Seems like I'm picking on them.

Truth

Be sure to visit Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis - The Hive

The Hive by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a suspenseful thriller, although at times it was a little strange. The story begins with detective Lindsey Jackman investigating the death of writer Sarah Baker, who is found at the bottom of a ravine. To understand what Sarah was after, Lindsey needs to examine several members of "The Hive," the inside members of a cult run by skincare guru Marnie Spellman who claims to have had an otherworldly encounter with a hive of bees. This led her to the main ingredient in her line of wildly successful products.

As the story continues, we learn that there were actually two murders, one of them having been an aspiring member of The Hive. We learn each character's story, and more and more secrets are revealed. There are multiple layers to the plot, and surprising twists and turns. Greg Olsen can definitely write a mysterious suspense thriller. It was a little unbelievable, but at least it was different.

View all my reviews

Random Happy Tuesday

 Whoops! I forgot to post last week!

I had jury duty about a month ago, but I didn't get picked.  People complain about having to go to jury duty, but I really wouldn't have minded having to serve.

What is the pay where you are?  The courts here in Harris County have finally gone up to a whopping $30 a day (unless you get chosen, then it's 50).  Yeah.  Thirty whole dollars. (I believe the national average is 50.)

What I really dislike, though, is that they have gone to a debit card system.  Instead of a check, you activate a debit card which is loaded with your pay a couple of days later.  So, you can only use the card for a purchase of exactly or less than $30.  And if you don't use your card within 90 days, you forfeit your pay.  I guess it goes back to the county.  That's not right.  But, at least the pay is no longer just $6.  Yes, it used to be $6! That's a joke, right?

And speaking of jokes...

Truly Groan-worthy!

Please visit my friends at Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Have a great week!

It's Great to be Free!

 My husband and I have been watching the mini-series A Gentleman in Moscow (after having read the book. The show is great, but the book is even better.)  

It made me realize, though, how much we take freedom for granted in much of the world.  I can't imagine not having it! And I've realized that I know very little about Russian history.   It's hard to imagine a world where you are forbidden to do so many things we take for granted. So, today, I am thankful to be free.  And now, moving on to less serious topics!  Feel free to laugh or groan.

Have a great week, and don't forget to visit my friends at Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts.