Monthly Archives: March 2025

Our New Book Club With Jayne.

You all know how much I love reading and my books and so does my best friend Jayne, who I lunch with once a month. Anywho in January I suggested to Jayne that we make our own little Book Club, just the two of us, as she loves reading too and we are very alike in our tastes. She thought it was a great idea so today, as well as lunch, we had our inaugural meeting of our Book Club.

We didn’t manage to meet up during February as she and I were too busy with things on, so whilst DH was away at the beginning of February for the week I put together some things to mark the start of our Book Club including the first book as I had two copies of the same book for Christmas. I bought one copy then DH bought me another copy as part of my Christmas presents, so I thought that would be the perfect one to start with.

I made a book cosy for both of us and a book mark in the same material

I got us a magnetic bookmark each with our names on.

A pen and little pin badge.

A cotton book bag to keep everything in.

A Pride & Prejudice Bag Charm with a tea cup, book and hat on and below some book stickers.

You cannot read without a mug of tea and these teabags came with book quotes on them.

The pin badge.

The above is a book journal to record the books we read and our opinions etc, also with our names on.

This is our first book “The Cinnamon Bun Book Store” by Laurie Gilmore which is quite appropriate. It is a cosy mystery book.

We have arranged to see each other for lunch on April 15th which is five weeks away so we think that will be ample time for us both to read the book and then discuss it when we see each other. People have often said you must belong to various Book Clubs but I have always stayed away from them because the ones I do know of locally, the books they choose are, in one word, depressing! I am sure to them they think they are wonderful but I think of them as being esoteric or thought provoking. I, however, read to escape and read for enjoyment not to make me depressed!

I thought I would show you my TBR shelves as they stand at the moment :

This shelf holds my fantasy books, my crime books and my Christmas books to read, as well as some of the Clive Cussler books I am reading too.

The middle shelf here holds my Biographies, my Historical books, and crime books.

The middle shelf here holds my Agatha Christie books, books on London and about Bookshops, some of my recipe and garden books and some other factual books.

There are quite a lot but this is one of my Aims this year is to do more reading but to also get my TBR shelves down a little bit. I did say to Jayne that having our little Book Club would also be a good idea to keep me reading. So we will not only be Ladies Who Lunch but Ladies Who Read too! I think, as both our Birthdays are in June, we should call it The Gemini Book Club, what do you think?

Our next get together in April is to a local, well local-ish, bookshop called The High Peak Bookstore near Buxton, Derbyshire. It is well known, if a good drive away but hopefully the weather will be nice and it is a lovely drive. The building used to be an old Garage and it was bought and turned into the bookstore and the original owners have retired but their daughter runs it now. There is also a cafe so we can get some lunch too. We will be able to pick our next book to read then.

Really looking forward to our new Book Club.

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco Bookworm xxxx

Coco’s Corner.

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Happy 3rd Birthday Miss Coco Floof!

It is Little Miss Coco’s Third Birthday today! Where has three years gone to? She will be having her presents tonight when DH gets home from work. She has some new toys and a packet of treats from Mungo & Maud and some of their wipes which I used to have for Treacle, they are great for eyes, ears and pads. As I showed you last week she was so tiny when she first came home with us at eight weeks old and now she is such a big, grown up doggy.

She was so tiny she could not get up the step into the kitchen.

She loved taking all her toys into her bed with her and she is still like this now!

Above Eldest with her. Below Youngest with her.

When she was tiny we stopped her going up to the main garden as there were too many places for us to lose her, but it did not stop her looking and trying to find a way to get up to the garden!!!!

Growing up!

Above at the village park and below at work with Eldest!

Above First Airecut!!

In fact we have been leaving her out of her crate whilst we are out for a little while to see how she gets on and so far she has been very good. In fact I think she just goes up to our room, gets on the bed and goes to sleep! We are still keeping the crate up so that if we have any workman in or I am answering the door it is handy for her to go in there and she actually goes in there on her own during the day when she is fed up with her basket next to my desk!

When Treacle passed we, as a family, had a big dicussion about having a puppy. I know that we are encouraged to adopt dogs but I so wanted another Airedale. They are very much, in my family, a family dog as my Grandfather used to breed them so my Mom grew up with Airedales. It was her that had the first one I knew after my Dad passed. We did discuss the looking after of a new puppy as it is mostly on me as I am at home all day and the Boys would look after her if we were away and also if anything happened. DH was a little concerned but because I am at home all day and quite often for long hours I really, really missed Treacle, so we decided to get a new puppy and Coco arrived. I am so glad we had her and she really is a wonderful dog, very loving as they all have been and extremely gentle with the children but can be very puppy like even though she is three!!!

Anyway Miss Coco Happy Birthday, have a wonderful day. We all love you very much.

Hugs & Love, Susie, DH, Eldest, Partner, Youngest, Fiancé, The Girls, Little Man, Blaze, Honey & Star x

Monday Here.

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I know we say that the weeks fly by but so do the weekends! We all had a busy one; DH was out on Friday setting up for Saturday’s swimming competition and then out early on Saturday for the day. I spent the day doing home jobs, the washing & ironing and shopping, got to bed late and then up early again Sunday morning as they were all with us for Sunday dinner for Fiancé’s Birthday. They all went home about 4.00pm, DH cleared up and I cleaned, again, we had some tea and were shattered!

The Girls are on half term holiday this week, when all the other schools were off last week, because of the Shrove Tide Match in Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. A football match which runs up and down the main road of Ashbourne centre and to the outskirts and takes place over the two days. It is for those born in Ashbourne above and below the river and they are known as the Uppers and the Downers. I always have to make sure when I go to Eldest’s work I go the main road way avoiding the town centre which is completely closed off.

This week is relatively quiet, which makes a change, although DH is at another swimming event, on Sunday this time. I will be quilting again. Tomorrow Jayne and I are out for lunch which will be lovely as I have not seen her since January due to us both not being able to make it in February. I will tell you all about that afterwards.

Little Man has taken to his cot and loves it. The “sleeping bag” he is in is a great invention as it keeps their body and legs warm. I remember when Eldest was in this very cot and you used to put the blankets on him but by the morning they were in one corner and he was in the other! I put him in baby grows for quite a while to keep him warm! On the back of the cot is Little Man’s first quilt I made for him.

He also loves dinner time and is starting to use his spoon but hands are still preferred at the moment!

As you can see it has been very frosty over the last few days, although it is due to get a little warmer later this week. This is Coco’s preferred spot at the moment. This is where the Boys den used to be and we removed it and at the moment it is being called Coco’s Platform, she could run for Government!!!!!