The Outlander Series, books 4 and 5 by Diana Gabaldon: I finished book 4 this month and began wading through book 5 (my copy of The Fiery Cross has a whopping 1,412 pages; as I type this post, I am currently on page 645). I don't mind admitting that, as much as I love the … Continue reading For the Love of Books | Currently Reading November 2019
Look closely at the tower ... The small Norman town of Ste.-Mére-Eglise is famous today because it lay at the epicentre of the D-Day drop zones for the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. In the early hours of 6 June, 1944, a house in the town square was burning. The German commander ordered the … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Ste. Mére Eglise and the Airborne Museum
High up on the bluffs above Omaha Beach lies the American Military Cemetery. The 9,386 marble crosses and Stars of David constitute the most striking American presence in Normandy today. The 30,000-square-foot visitors' centre provides displays and films which help to provide a visual connection to the D-Day events on Omaha Beach. Numerous photographs and … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | The American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach
The town of Arromanches-les-Bains was chosen by the Operation Overlord planners as the site for one of the two Mulberries, the artificial ports planted offshore to handle the movement of men and supplies before established ports could be captured. The remains of what was called Mulberry B are still clearly visible on the beach. For … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Arromanches
During the half-term week at the end of October, we travelled to Bayeux in Normandy, France for a few days. Pont de Normandie Our plan was to visit the sites of the D-Day Landings and Bayeux was the perfect town in which to base ourselves. Bayeux claims to have been the first town to be … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Bayeux
The lovely Mary-Lou of Patio Postcards blog pointed me recently in the direction of Brené Brown‘s new weekly gratitude practice, TGIF. Most of us would recognise TGIF as an acronym for Thank God It’s Friday, but in Brené’s world it stands for Trusting, Grateful, Inspired and Fun. Trusting: that I can keep on top of our Christmas preparations. … Continue reading TGIF #12
Miss Tilly celebrated her first birthday recently and what better way to mark the occasion that to join a family get-together in London. On a sunny but chilly Sunday afternoon, we gathered at Chiswick House and Gardens. All seven puppies plus mum and dad. It was all rather chaotic, as well as being rather lovely. … Continue reading Tilly’s Family Reunion
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to attend the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall. This year I made it happen for The Boy Child and me. On the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday, the Royal British Legion hosts a televised commemoration and celebration of our country's … Continue reading Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall
Like the last few years, I'm using a 6x8 album from Simple Stories to record December Daily. The journaling cards were all purchased from In A Creative Bubble and both the red and green cardstock are from Bazzill Basics. The embellishments are last year's Christmas range from Doodlebug Design. I have a mix of of … Continue reading December Daily 2019 | Foundation Pages
Those of you who attend residential scrapbooking retreats will know that sticking and gluing goes on well in to the wee small hours. Most people bring along their own projects to work on (I started work on this year's December Daily), but for those who hadn’t, the GoGo Getaway ladies had two self-paced classes available. … Continue reading Gogo Getaway | After Hours
This West London Life 