Back to Normal...

Sorry I didn't post my Wednesday challenge update this week. The thing is, I haven't actually finished a book this week. I decided to start reading the second book in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga and, what with travelling and adventuring, I'm only halfway through it now. I only have seven books left before I hit my target of 50 so I'm starting to think more carefully about what I want to read next. If you guys have any suggestions they would be most appreciated.

Life has returned to normal now after our week of adventure. I'm so worn out from all of the travelling but I'm already looking forward to the next one. We have a cabin in the New Forest booked for October with some friends so I don't even have to wait long. This is a little bit of a random post just to say hi and that I'm back. I'll leave you with some snapshots of Matt enjoying our bank holiday adventure at Mottisfont...

Wales...

We're back from our adventure in Wales now. It has been a busy week off but I've enjoyed every second of it. We drove up to Wales on Thursday, stopping at Tredegar House on the way for a picnic. I love breaking up a journey with a stroll outside and a mini adventure.

Our few days in Wales involved a castle, a beach, lots of relaxing and catching up. It was awesome even if the weather didn't want to co operate. You don't need sunshine to have a good time. Our trip to Wales ended Sunday and we headed back to Bath wishing our time off would last a little longer...

Cornwall (and Devon) Continued...

Monday we headed to the National Trust property of Cotehele and we walked and walked and walked. It was a really good day. The sun was shining and there was so much to see and do. As soon as we walked in the property there was a small weapon exhibition and Matt got to hold two swords. He was pretty happy about that!

After walking around the property we headed into the grounds, walking around the gardens and orchard before wandering down to the quay and having some lunch. After lunch we walked to Cotehele Mill and then back up to the house and the car park.

Somehow we had enough energy left for a fish and chip dinner and a trip to Fowey to watch the fireworks. A brilliant end to the day even if it left me completely worn out!

 And then it was Tuesday and that meant time to go home but not before we had a morning trip to Charlestown with Matt's Dad. Then we were on the road. We broke up our journey on the way home at Castle Drogo which was so much fun. I think that Matt and I could have spent the entire day there to be honest but unfortunately we had to get home. We did have time to wander through the castle though and even found some time to check out the view. Although we did get soaked doing so and it decided to tip it down as we wandered through the grounds. Oh well.

So there we have it, our little Cornish adventure. I had such a lovely time and it's great to think that my week off is only just beginning. We're in Wales right now visiting Matt's Mum and hopefully having more adventures and I'll be back to post about those on Tuesday.

Our Trip to Cornwall

We set of from Bath on Saturday and decided to stop at Killerton to have a little packed lunch and break up the journey some what. Unfortunately it started to rain not long after we got there but we still had our picnic, wandered around the grounds and took photos of flowers (a theme of our trip).

The evening was dedicated to catching up, eating good food and generally having a nice time. The weather Sunday was still looking a little suspect so we decided to head to the Eden Project. I’d never been before so I was pretty excited and it definitely did not disappoint. We spent the entire day there, wandering around and taking photos.

After the Eden Project we headed out to dinner at a lovely place right on the beach before getting an early night. I was so worn out!

Speaking of worn out, I'm pretty tired right now so I think I'll post the rest of our Cornish adventures tomorrow. Hope you all don't mind.

Wednesday Challenge Update 22.08.12

Image from Goodreads

The Rook - Daniel O'Malley

From Goodreads:

The body you are wearing used to be mine.
So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.
She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own. 

I found this book whilst looking through the Kindle summer offers and I'm glad that I took the risk and bought it. It was such a fun read and I found that I couldn't put it down. I have always loved the idea of a secret organisation and this one was no different. Watching Myfanwy try and disguise her loss of memory to others in the group was always interesting and I found myself really invested in the character. 

Image from Goodreads

Peter and Wendy - J.M. Barrie

I thought I was very familiar with the story of Peter Pan. I'd watched adaptations including the (1953!!) animated Disney film and Spielberg's 1991 film, Hook and it feels like a story that you just knew from your childhood. Since I was doing this challenge though I thought I'd read the book they were all based on and I found myself constantly surprised by it. The book reads much more eerily and adult than any of the adaptations I was familiar with. I also found Peter Pan to be extremely cocky, annoying and a bit of an idiot. The book was fun to read and I enjoyed tales of their adventures but I found myself worrying about Peter. He has terrible problems with his memory, he doesn't really care for anyone else and he has trouble differentiating between make believe and real life. And not in a cute childish way either. He does it when it comes to food so the Lost Boys never know if they'll get a real meal or just a make believe one! I'm so glad I read this book and despite what I've said I did enjoy it. I guess I was just surprised how different it was to what I'd imagined.


So those are my books for the week and they bring my total to 43/50. I can't believe how close I'm getting to 50 now. As always you can keep up with what I'm currently reading on my Goodreads page or look at past weeks of the challenge here.
 

Next week....

We have a week off after our last day of work tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited. I am more than ready for a few days away from the workplace and I am looking forward to many adventures with Matt during the week. We're heading to Cornwall on Saturday for a few days before driving up to Wales on the Thursday before finishing with a day in the New Forest on Bank Holiday Monday. I know it's a pretty hectic schedule but I couldn't be happier. I hope the weather is good but I know, no matter what, we're going to have a lovely time. My posts on here may be a little sporadic whilst I'm away but if I'm not on here much rest assured I'll be out somewhere enjoying an adventure.

(photos below - first 3 photos from Wales May 2011, final 3 from Cornwall June 2011)

 

Wednesday Challenge Update 15.08.12

Image from Goodreads

By Light Alone - Adam Roberts

From Goodreads:

In a world where we have been genetically engineered so that we can photosynthesise sunlight with our hair hunger is a thing of the past, food an indulgence. The poor grow their hair, the rich affect baldness and flaunt their wealth by still eating. But other hungers remain...

The young daughter of an affluent New York family is kidnapped. The ransom demands are refused. Years later a young women arrives at the family home claiming to be their long lost daughter. She has changed so much, she has lived on light, can anyone be sure that she has come home?

If I'm honest the main reason I chose to read this book was that I liked the cover. The premise is also really cool. I mean, imagine if we really could photosynthesise sunlight with our hair. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this book though. There were a few ideas which I loved but overall the book took too long to get going and I felt that the ending (which was my favourite part) was hurried and squished onto a few pages. I really, really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

Image from Goodreads

 Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

From Goodreads:

Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

This book, was amazing! I read the entire thing in one day, I couldn't put it down. I liked the familiarity of London with the added magical aspects. I don't really know what else to say about the book except that I really, really like it. I'm definitely excited to read the others in the series.

Image from Goodreads

 The Son of Tarzan - Edgar Rice Burroughs

There's no description on Goodreads for this book but basically it follows young Jack Greystoke (Tarzan's son) during a random chain of events which eventually see him enter the jungle in Africa with one of Tarzan's old friends Akut the great ape. The book describes his jungle adventures as well as the animals and people he meets as it appears he has left his aristocratic London life behind. 
I really enjoyed this, the fourth book in the Tarzan series, more than the third one actually. Although the story was remarkably similar to the original Tarzan book I liked the fresh spin on it. I always enjoy the action and adventure in a Tarzan book, I feel like I'm going to work my way through it the whole series.




So I managed to read 3 books this week (I must have really been on a roll) and it brings my total to 41/50. As always you can keep up with what I'm currently reading on my Goodreads page or look at past weeks for the book challenge here.


 
 

Weekend Adventuring...

1. Matt's wedding ring in the grass
2. Matt walking along the canal on Saturday
3. Blackberries!
4. Ice cream for lunch!
5. Bath Abbey. This is the first one I've ever taken even though I've lived in Bath 6 years!
6. Matt relaxing in the grounds of Lacock Abbey
7. Sundial at Lacock
8. Bee! I'm so scared of them so I'm pretty proud I got this photo
9. Plant life at Lacock
10. A glimpse of Lacock Abbey through the trees
11. Matt and I

This weekend was lovely. We spent Saturday walking along the canal and being tourists in our own city, eating ice cream for lunch and generally being silly. It was awesome. It was also the 9 month mark of our marriage. I can't believe we're three quarters of the way through our first year. It's going so fast! Sunday saw us heading to Lacock Abbey for their bee and honey day after waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. The day ended up being really warm and although the events of the honey day weren't great, Lacock was lovely as always. We spent a lot of time wandering the grounds and enjoying the unexpected sunshine.

Wednesday Challenge Update 08.08.12

From Goodreads

A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin

From Goodreads: 

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Like a lot of people I've been hooked on the Game of Thrones TV series and so I thought I'd take the plunge and start reading the books. I didn't realise it would take me so long to read this first one. I guess I've got used to storming through a couple of books a week so for one to take me 10 days was a shock. I really enjoyed the detail in went to, the politics and the connections between characters. I did find it slightly difficult to read but I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm going to have to read the next one now...

So that's my only book this week and it brings my total to 38/50. You can keep up with what I'm currently reading on my Goodreads page or look at past weeks for the book challenge here.

The Weekend...

This weekend was a quiet one. I was working both days but there was some time left over for cups of tea, Olympic viewing (I'm obsessed) and board games together. We spent hours one evening playing board games. I love the opportunity they give us to chat and hang out without a screen in front of us and I also enjoy a little healthy competition. Although I nearly always lose.