Some Lovely Greetings Cards

 It was a chilly start at the HUGE boot sale last Saturday although the cloud soon went the East wind was very cold. I didn't stay very long as most of the people selling were once again market traders, dealers and house clearance businesses. But a few private sellers are starting to emerge and from one I found some gorgeous greetings cards.

When I said " what lovely cards you are selling" she said her mother used to work in a printers where they were made and at the end of season they were given big bundles of unsold cards. She said she still had dozens at home. I bought 11 cards for £2. 

Below - And they included cards with illustrations by Eric Ravilious and Angela Harding. The Owl and Hare will be put away for Christmas cards as they are snowy scenes as will the fox and badger cards, above, by Sally Elford.

I also picked up from other people the new pack of pens for 50p and some larger  envelopes also 50p.

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News From the Week and the April Library Book Photo

A good week of sunshine. The magnolias are now in full flower and green shoots appearing  on hedges and trees around although I noticed when I was over by the coast last week that the Hawthorn hedges are a week or more ahead to those here in Mid Suffolk.

In the garden something else was also enjoying the sun -  the first proper butterfly sighting of the year - a Peacock on the roof tiles, unfolded it's wings to sunbathe. Not many things around for it to feed on so I hope it survives.

I've moved the 11 tomato seedlings from modules to pots, although I only need 5, and they are now out in the greenhouse with fleece right ready. My pepper and aubergine seedlings are now pricked out into modules. Plenty of peppers but just 2 aubergines but I'll make that enough for this year. They are still on the spare bedroom window cill/sill (which is right?!)  for now.

 Brought these 10 books below home from the mobile library van this week. 9 were reserved and I spotted that the van had another M.W.Craven on the shelves- it's a small novella from the 'Quick Reads' collection from 2022. It's been read already and  took less than an hour.

Several favourite authors this month - Alys Clare, Elly Griffiths with her new series of time travelling detective, Tracy Chevalier, Kate Webb and Jim Eldridge. A couple of new-to-me authors - Jim Kelly and Elif Shafak and Robert Peston (although he's a bit odd when on TV news etc!) Decided to re-read 'A Croft in the Hills' while the library still have a copy. I had a copy once, and her other books,  but they  went in one of the moves.

In March I collected these 9 below and read five of them, took lots of photos of the pages from "The Year Unfolding" to use on the blog and returned the others unread. I decided not to read 'Murder on the Marlow Belle' as it's on TV catch up channel and I rather watch it.

The books that I've read have been added to the Books Read 2025 page

Have a good weekend, I'm off to watch the EGD in her ballet school show. Enjoy the early April sunshine if you have it.

Back sometime next week

Ahead of the Times?

The author wrote this book in 2021

Did he know something we didn't?

 

This was a new-to-me-author and the book was on my shelves although I can't remember who mentioned the author or where I found the book - it wasn't new so must have been from a charity shop. The story was excellent and it means I've found a new series to read as this is the fourth out of six so far about Washington Poe who works for the National Crime Agency - with socially awkward but brilliant civilian analyst, computer whizz and profiler Tilly Bradshaw.

This story reaches back to soldiers serving in Afghanistan, involves stolen historical artefacts and all happens while preparations are going on for putting in place security at a International summit being held at a Cumbrian Hotel.

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