Photography
Happy Easter!
… and Passover and Spring Time and everything else you’re celebrating right around now! Alas, RL had other ideas than letting me enjoy books, blogging and such of late — I’d been hoping to get back to it earlier this year, but … the best-laid plans of mice and men and a’ that. I’m still […]
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Ngaio Marsh: Death at the Bar
Well, as it turns out, I can’t leave well alone with just two books by Ngaio Marsh in a row, so here we go … As I revisited Overture to Death — the book immediately following Artists in Crime and Death in a White Tie — last year as part of the Appointment with Agatha […]
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Lauren Belfer: City of Light
Blurb: “The year is 1901. Buffalo, New York, is poised for glory. With its booming industry and newly electrified streets, Buffalo is a model for the century just beginning. Louisa Barrett has made this dazzling city her home. Headmistress of Buffalo’s most prestigious school, Louisa is at ease in a world of men, protected by […]
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Ian Rankin: Knots and Crosses
Blurb: ‘And in Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you …?’ ‘ That sort of thing’ is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, […]
Read MoreEaster 2022
… and Passover, and Springtime. I hope you’re having a wonderful, sun-filled, relaxing weekend! This is how Easter Sunday started hereabouts:
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Bonn: Retro Views
One of the few things that helped keeping my spirits up while away was trying my hand at a sort of color-faux-iPhone version of “classic movie night time scenery” views (as in: set in Europe), courtesy of an endless series of night sessions in my cooperation partners’ new office, which is right on Bonn’s main […]
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Cherry Blossoms
One thing that made me grin when surfing social media during my recent hospital stay was this post: — both because of the “World’s Top Destinations” listing and for pitying the hordes of visitors flocking here these days to see the city’s famed cherry blossoms … because very recently it had looked more like they […]
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Q1 / 2022 Reading Recap
Well, as it turned out 2022 began as 2021 had ended — all work and no play, albeit with the addition of a hospital detour to boot. (Nothing serious, just way more painful and, all told, protracted, than it had any right to be.) So I’m back to posting one summary post for the first […]
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Vita Sackville-West, Knole and Sissinghurst
Coming to the end of the first quarter of the year, one of the (M)DWS authors in residence was Vita Sackville-West — I’m sorry I didn’t manage to squeeze in more books by James Baldwin too, but I have every intention of making up for that during the rest of the year. Anyway, I’m glad […]
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Holiday Spirituality
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Task 1: Are there any places or events that are particularly spiritually meaningful to you this time of year? Share a picture or description with us. There are, and it’s put a damper on my Christmas not to be able to go there this and last year. Neither my […]
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Ngaio Marsh: Off With His Head (Death of a Fool)
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Festive Tasks, Door 19 — Community Traditions & Folklore: Read a fairy tale, or folklore story, or books based on either. Marsh’s third (de facto) holiday mystery, though not exactly set on Christmas but on and around Winter Solstice — because here her focus is on creating (with […]
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Christmas Goodies
First of all, I of course got to unwrap the mystery pacakge from a totally unexpected early visit by Santa back in November … … which turned out to contain a set of absolutely gorgeous quilted mug rugs that will go perfectly with my tableware, living room furniture and just about everything else. Thank you […]
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Personal Holiday Traditions
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Festive Tasks, Door 23 Task 1: How do you get through the festive season? Do you throw yourself in whole hog, are you happy to go with the flow, or do you hunker down and wait for it all to be over? Are you a traditionalist, or do you […]
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Holiday Lights
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Festive Tasks, Door 3 — Light(s), Task 2: Share some photos of your favorite light display, if you have them, or if you have a neighbor who goes ‘all out’, snap a photo to share. Our neighborhood is not an ostentatious one when it comes to Christmas light displays […]
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Martha Grimes: Jerusalem Inn
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Festive Tasks, Door 13 — Holiday Shopping: Read a book about someone who works retail, or that has a retail establishment on the cover (shop, café etc). Of all the early Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes, this is probably my favorite — not only because it’s got, […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 19 – City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style …
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Task 2: How does your community celebrate the season – i.e., how do you know it’s Christmas in your community? Fetes? Fairs? Markets? Concerts? Bonfires? If there are many, tell us about your favorite. Pictures if you’ve got them. Light decorations and Christmas market from the first weekend of […]
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It’s beginning to look just a little bit like Christmas …
Another week from hell, and it looks very much like there will be more of the same in store almost all the way through Christmas — looks like the year is intent on finishing in style (in the same style as it’s adopted in the last several months, that is). So, I decided that enough […]
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A Spontaneous Splurge
My BFF and I only went down to “that store” a couple of weeks ago (see Festive Tasks: Gifts post), but we decided before another wave of restrictions is going to hit in light of the rising infection figures and the new variant, we might as well go back to stock up on essentials. The […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 17 – Holiday Food (Tasks 1 – 3)
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE As for the other squares where I’ve completed several tasks in a single post (Gifts, Holiday Shopping, and Correspondence), I’m dividing this into several pages, one per task. Task 1: What’s your favorite seasonal drink? Can be alcoholic or virgin, complicated cocktails, festive punches / noggs or just […]
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Festive Tasks: Door 3, Task 1 – Here Comes the Sun
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Task 1: How long is the longest day of the year where you live? How long is the shortest? Does your home town/country celebrate the solstice? Bonn does not so much celebrate the solstice as enjoy the longer evenings in summer generally. According to TimeandDate.com and Climate-Data.org, the […]
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