Some Bonnie Drama

When you own a vehicle that's over 40 years old you're kind of aware it's not going to be the easiest of rides. In the few years Bonnie has been on the drive we've had all sorts of adventures and mishaps, I may share them in more detail at some point, but just to paint a picture these include

- Ending up nose dive in a ditch off the A1 at midnight because the electrics decide to completely stop working.... no engine, no lights, no hazard lights. Thank heavens for a passing ambulance, but that's another story.
- Being unable to start her at a tiny village fete in the back end of no-where where we just happened to park to go on a coastal walk. We became the star attraction - the very kind village folk pushed us round the car park twice to try and jump start her before giving up and taking us to the garage next door. People are so kind.
- The gear box falling out in a car park in the pouring rain in a car-park in Bodmin. Cue hubby spending quite some time under the van and me trying to work out whether being broken down counted as parking by the ticket machine.
- The break lights not working for our Peak District camping trip - my parents followed us home so no-one drove into the back of us.

She did however get me to my wedding in one piece and not too late!

Oh Bonnie.

But now we've had a more dramatic mishap - a fire - which only thanks to the quick thinking of C and our ex-fireman next door neighbour (lucky, huh?) didn't destroy her completely.

She was stationary on the drive, C had started her up and run back to the house to get something and when he came out - flames! With the help of our neighbour he managed to get it out before it caught too much, but the engine's pretty damaged and the paint work is peeling, upholstery burned at the back.

We're waiting for the insurance to sort out where she will be taken and when - we think it will be fixable but no idea how long it will take. We are not complaining though as it could have been so much worse, I can't even bear to think about what it would have been like if he'd been on the road. He's safe, if a little frustrated, Bonnie's intact, if a little worse for wear, and I am glad C is ok, but a little disappointed there won't be any camper adventures this year.

I hope you're all well and have no dramas whereever you are :)

Checking In: April

Making : I've returned to some old unfinished cross-stitch WIPs in the hope of transforming them into finished objects before the end of the decade... watch this space :) I've also returned to my granny square gilet, maybe it will be finished by next winter!

Cooking : Nothing, but having yummy enchiladas cooked for me by my wonderful hubby.

Drinking : Options hot chocolate

Reading: The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles. Absolutely amazing and very different to what I was expecting.


Wanting: To find my dream job. I don't know what it is mind, but finding it would be rather nice.


Looking: forward to some free time :)


Deciding: Which words in my monstrously long thesis need to be cut so that I don't send my examiners to sleep.


Enjoying: The beautiful blossoms of Spring.


Wondering: When the first BBQ will be.


Loving: The fact Lent is over and I can reward myself with chocolate again.


Pondering: Where should we live? Do we stay or do we go? How far? This country? 


Buying: Still nothing. Maybe a wowcher holiday when payday comes :)


Watching: The Masters. Not through choice.


Hoping: It gets sunnier again after some torrential downpours today. 


Marvelling: At all the lambs in the fields! They appeared so quickly, almost like magic! (I'm sure the Mama sheep wouldn't agree with me there!)


Needing: A good night's sleep, I'm still struggling in the good quality sleep department.


Wearing: My SPRING clothes, it's nearly time for the big winter-summer wardrobe switch :)


Knowing: Freedom is not so very far away now.


Thinking: About post-war East and West German literary and filmic representations of Wehrmacht soldiers. Again, not really through choice any more.


Sorting: out the study - the house needs quite a spring clean.


Getting: Excited about out trip to Wales in May. 


Coveting: Some time to use up all of the wool that is really irritating hubby at the moment... we may have reached the limit (!)


Opening: A big can of worms by mentioning the wool.


Feeling: At peace. Amazingly.


Hearing: A cat purr. From my lap and blocking easy access to my laptop but she's happy so I'm being accommodating!

The Year in Books - April

This month I read Louise Doughty's 'Apple Tree Yard'. Well, read might be a bit too loose a term, a better word is probably 'inhaled' - it's quite a page turner! This book was a slightly different choice for me, I don't read many thrillers, but it has made me want to expand my reading areas as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plot centres around Dr Yvonne Carmichael, an eminent geneticist, whose unplanned and sporadic affair with a mysterious stranger ends with her sitting in the docks at the Old Bailey. The novel jumps around in time, revealing different aspects of Yvonne's life gradually, and tantalisingly, leaving you wanting to know more. I quite liked her as a character, and the book posed a lot of 'what ifs', which I always enjoy. There weren't many sudden surprises, as the book revealed everything as it went along which is what made it so gripping I guess. All in all a great read.

Next month I'm going to read 'Suite Francaise' by Irene Nemirovsky - I read it as an undergraduate a long time ago and want to reread it before going to watch the film adaptation which is either coming out soon or already out. 

Linking with Laura at Circle of Pines, pop over to see what everyone else has on their bookshelves! 

Plodding Along

Despite a lengthy absence from blogland I'm still here! Plodding along in the background, reading along but not managing to be as involved as usual. I'm in the midst of heavy writing and editing, with the target date of 5th May for a final full thesis to send to supervisors, as good as I can possibly make it so any corrections will be minimal and submission as soon as possible.

The end is in sight.

I'm still managing to enjoy the onset of Spring

My 'treat' in the evenings is adding the finishing touches to a very special blanket

And two days a week working at Leicester Uni is keeping me sane. The train journeys are allowing me time and space to read at last.

Isn't Spring the most glorious season?