October has been a beautiful month with the trees all putting on a glorious show of colours before they shed their leaves. One of the highlights of the month for us is always a trip up to Pitlochry to wander around our favourite light show, the Enchanted Forest.
This year has been particularly hectic for my husband and I with lots of work changes and stresses, so instead of a single night, we decided to make a weekend of it and booked a lodge at Moness in Aberfeldy. Of course, travelling with two little kids is never as peaceful or relaxing as we imagine, but we all had fun.
The Enchanted Forest is such a long standing tradition of ours and we’ve had so many different experiences here at different points in our relationship from getting engaged here 11 years ago, returning as newlyweds a month after our wedding to now sharing the excitement with our little daughters.
The Enchanted Forest was really wonderful this year, the theme was Symphony of Nature, and it had some really beautiful and impressive features. It was a late night for our little girls but both really enjoyed it, especially with the treat of chips for dinner and a toasted marshmallow afterwards.
In contrast to last year, when the kids didn’t really want to stand still and preferred the interactive parts, our favourite parts of the show were the sections over Loch Faskally with a display projected over the water, and another part with beautiful fountains of water all illuminated. Our youngest also loved wandering across the sparkly bridge and finding all the frogs hiding in the forest.
Moness Resort was a great place to stay, we woke to the excitement of ducks quacking at our windows demanding breakfast every morning, before enjoying an early swim in the pool we early risers had all to ourselves. It was a lovely weekend adventure, but I’m glad to be safe and cosy at home while the winds howl, rain patters against the window and Storm Ashley rages outside. Have a lovely week. X
This weekend we marked a very special celebration in our family calendar as the 11th of October marked the ninth anniversary of adopting our cat Mara from the SSPCA.
Given that we adopted Mara as an adult, I feel incredibly lucky that we’ve enjoyed so many years of her companionship, though it is frustrating not knowing exactly how old she is. Generally, she’s still in good health though her eyes have given her some trouble this year. In the summer, I’d noticed she was wincing and reluctant to open her left eye. A trip to the vet revealed she had an ulcer, requiring eyedrops and a cone to stop her scratching it. As always, she tolerated the treatment with minimum complaint, she really is the most easy-going and stoic cat ever, and the ulcer healed up quickly, though her eyes still seem a little dry and puffy but it could just be aging.
As autumn rolls around once more, we’ve settled into a cosy evening routine of putting the kids to bed then curling up on the couch with a blanket and Mara stretched out on my lap. It’s the loveliest way to unwind at the end of a busy day, and very reminiscent of all those cosy years together when it was just the three of us before the kids.
Through all the twists and turns life has taken, I can honestly say that the decision to adopt Mara has been one of the best we’ve ever made, as she has been such a steadfast and affectionate companion. I’m eternally grateful that we found Mara and really happy to have a reason to spoil her a little bit more than usual. Have a lovely week. X
September was a slow month for reading as the kids were off nursery with tummy bugs and colds.
Tilly and the Lost Fairy Tales by Anna James
September often has me seeking out stories with magic, and this series is such a comfort read. In the second installment of the series, Tilly and her friend Oskar, find themselves in Paris investigating some very mixed up fairy tales. This one shows turmoil at the heart of the Under Library as the book wanderers elect a new leader, the children’s old adversary returns and a new villain introduces themselves. This series is such a treat for readers with this one offering some fun and amusing fresh twists on beloved fairy tales.
Rosa by Starlight by Hillary McKay
A modern fairytale, this was much sadder than I anticipated, as orphaned Rosa has the chance to visit Venice with her neglectful aunt and uncle. One thing that I loved was the role of cats as patient and comforting childhood companions, that reminded me so much the special relationship I had with our own family pet. I did find this quite a sad story for children but one with a lovely ending full of found family and a touch of magic.
The House by the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
I put off reading this for a long time because it was so hyped when it came out. This very much reminded me of Good Omens and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as an unassuming social worker, Linus Baker, who has been living a predictable and lonely life is given an assignment to visit an orphanage full of extraordinary children. The story is a cosy comfort read in that it’s a slow burn romance and one where Linus’ own growth take centre stage, and there isn’t much action or adventure to drive the plot, but it does tackle some serious themes about prejudice, foster care and found families.
On Palestine by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe
This is a book offering an American and Israeli context for the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel between two somewhat controversial anti-Zionist academics, it’s a combination of transcribed dialogue, essays and speeches. Published in 2015, it’s incredibly relevant with some interesting insights into possible future scenarios for Israel and Palestine, but it did seem a bit repetitive in places.
After a week of warmth and sunshine, there’s a nip in the air and the garden has definitely gone over. As today is the autumn Equinox, it seems like a good time to share a long overdue update on our garden.
It’s been a patchy summer here in the West of Scotland, seems like we never had more than a couple of days of sunshine and warmth before being soaked by another deluge of rain. Most of the veg I sowed struggled in the cool, wet weather, though the kids have enjoyed eating peas fresh from the pod, and I’m still hopeful the tomatoes will ripen before the first frost.
Growing fruit has been much more successful. We picked bowlfuls of strawberries all through June, a handful of cherries from a dwarf tree, we got about twelve sweet and juicy plums from the Victoria plum tree, and we had enough rhubarb and apples to bake a pie (with lots of apples still to pick).
This year, we’ve let the ground along the fence grow wild, while the climbing roses, clematis and apple trees establish themselves. The long border pretty much takes care of itself, though I want to divide the geraniums and move some to the front garden. It’s been my best year for sunflowers, they grew tall and flowered despite the weather.
It’s not all been good in the garden as we’ve only seen sparrow and starling fledglings, and after noticing that we hadn’t seen the Robin or Blue Tits around for a while, we checked their nests and found both abandoned. I fear one of the neighbourhood cats either got one of the parents or scared them off as all the Tits and Robins stopped visiting the garden for a while. This loss was counterbalanced somewhat by the arrival of a hoglet that has moved in and built a nest inside the little brick house we put together for it, and appears every evening for his supper of wet cat food and hedgehog food. Watching our resident hedgehog scurry around in the evenings is more entertaining than TV.
The biggest change was removing the bamboo, which provided an excellent screen but was an environmental deadzone with nothing but a few spiders inhabiting it, and I’m planning to plant a couple of trees there instead.
Our garden is such a wild clash of ideas, but it is also the best antidote I know to the almost constant climate doomism that pervades the news. I really love seeing how excited the kids are when picking fresh food from the garden, and it’s an easy way of helping them to connect with nature and learn about so many environmental issues. It is our little haven, surprisingly calm and private, in the bustling city. Have a lovely week. X
It felt like we only had a handful of sunny days, and August was a dark and stormy month which was reflected in my reading as I found myself drawn to the mysteries, magical realism, romances and children’s adventures I normally reserve for the long, dark evenings of autumn and winter. I also thoroughly enjoyed listening to two non-fiction audiobooks last month.
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
This book was inspired by people frequently confusing Naomi Klein (No Logo and This Changes Everything) with Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth), like all doppelgangers there are similarities between them, but also significant differences. Doppelganger is a fascinating snapshot in time about personal branding, influencers and authenticity, and starts with Naomi Klein reflecting on her own evolution from No Logo to present, the choices and experiences that led her down one path as she tries to understand why her doppelganger took opposite paths. I was really interested in the exploration of political diagonialism when different groups find common ground that diverge from the traditional left-right political wings, and how the right has increasingly welcomed exiles from the left, combined with the persistent failure of the left to engage with fears and suspicion around vaccinations, social media and privacy, climate change, and other divisive topics. This is such a book full of big ideas that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to on audiobook.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
I have a soft spot for stories about witches and magic set in the real world like Chocolat, Practical Magic and The Once and Future Witches, and this is historical fiction with a dash of magical realism. Loosely inspired by Leigh Bardugo’s Spanish Jewish ancestors who converted to Christianity to escape the Inquisition and then disappeared, the story follows a scullion, Luzia, who has a just a little bit of magic that draws the attention of ambitious patrons who use her to further their own ends. Leigh Bardugo is one of my favourite writers and while this isn’t her best work, it’s an enjoyable tale with lots of tension, a bit of romance and a couple of clever twists.
The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
I’ve read a few Inspector Poirot mysteries but decided to try Christie’s other famous sleuth, Miss Marple. When the dead body of a young woman is found in Colonel Bantry’s library, while he calls the police, his wife calls Miss Marple to help them solve the mystery of who the victim is, who killed her and how she ended up in their library. This is a clever little mystery with plenty of suspects, a few red herrings and a reveal that I didn’t see coming but wrapped up the story very neatly.
Christmas At the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin
A bit early for Christmas stories, but couldn’t resist this when I saw it on Netgalley. This is a romance novel about Anais, a recently divorced novelist with writer’s block and a delapidated hotel she got as part of her divorce settlement. With the help of her loyal cousin, Manon, she sets about renovating the hotel in time for its Christmas opening but soon discovers that the hotel has its own secrets and a mystery to solve. I really enjoyed the strong female friendship through this, the slow burn romance and learning about French Christmas traditions along the way. This is a lighthearted and escapist romance perfect to curl up with as the evenings draw in and the countdown to Christmas begins. Christmas At the Little Paris Hotel is out on 26th September, thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Rebecca Raisin for the advanced reading copy.
The Island at the Edge of Night by Lucy Strange
A heart pounding, nail bitingly tense middlegrade thriller, the story follows 12 year old Faye Fitzgerald when she’s sent to a reform school for wicked children on a remote and desolate island for a crime she can’t remember. This is absolutely gripping, full of mystery, twists and turns. At times, this was so tense and foreboding, it could have been written by Daphne du Maurier, and other times it reminded me of classic adventures like The Wolves of Willoughby Chase with brave children outwitting devious and cruel adults.
One Garden Against the World by Kate Bradbury
This is such a love letter to nature, and Kate Bradbury is such an inspiration to me. One Garden Against the World is about the many ways gardeners can help nature, and maybe even mitigate climate change. This is poignant and disheartening as she battles other people’s indifference, denial and cruelty, frets about the lack of rain during record breaking heatwaves and recites grim statistics about the collapse of bird, insect and hedgehog populations, yet is also so informative and inspiring. Kate Bradbury is so full of useful advice and her reverence for nature really shines through it all. I loved all the audacious and eccentric anecdotes she shares from rescuing caterpillars before the local council gardeners mowed down nettles in the park to fattening up hedgehogs from the local rescue centre in her garden.
I’ve always been delighted by how much wildlife there is in our urban garden from bees and hover flies to sparrows and blue tits, but nothing causes quite as much excitement as spotting a hedgehog. Just over a week ago, we drew the living room curtains to find a little hedgehog hastily gathering leaves to make a nest under the pallet woodshed.
The very same day, I took the girls to the pet shop to buy some hedgehog food and my husband built a little hedgehog house out of spare bricks and a paving slab, and we were delighted to see the hedgehog shuffle inside just as dawn broke the next day. We also set up a little motion sensor camera to watch him without disturbing him, and spotted the mouse that also lives in the woodshed nabbing some food.
Our hedgehog house
Small, shy and very skittish, catching a glimpse of our little Tiggywinks has been the highlight of my evening every night for the last week. We think it’s a male and probably born this year judging by his size, so I’m hoping between the food we leave out and all the insects in our garden, he’ll put on enough weight to survive the winter. Given the decline in hedgehog numbers across Britain, I’m happy to help any that find their way into our garden, but we try not to disturb him too much.
Leaving food and water for the hedgehog has quickly become part of our little daughters’ bedtime routine even though they’re both fast asleep by the time he emerges, and he’s usually in his own bed just before our early risers wake.
View from the window and night camera
I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of watching hedgehogs snuffle and shuffle around the garden, perhaps because they’re nocturnal and increasingly rare, there is almost something magical about them. Have a lovely week. X
There’s been a slight crisp coldness sneaking into our mornings foreshadowing autumn, and after a very overcast and rainy summer, I’m ready for the change of season. Despite the weather, the highlight of my summer was our family holiday, when we returned to East Lothian again though a different caravan park this time around, right beside the seaside.
There’s something so wholesome and nostalgic about the simplicity of spending days at the beach paddling in the sea and filling our pockets full of shells then returning to a cosy caravan in the evening.
The weather was patchy with the best days on the days we arrived and departed, and mostly overcast with showers in between but it didn’t stop us from doing everything we had planned. We are none of us very good at relaxing and usually squeeze a lot of activities and sightseeing into our holidays, and this trip was no exception.
We enjoyed a morning in Edinburgh visiting the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, which exceeded all expectations and was really fun with so many interactive displays that the kids loved. Our favourite parts were feeling (and bumping) our way through the mirror maze and the Vortex, which is an optical illusion with a bridge through a revolving tunnel that had us all clinging to the barrier convinced we were going to be tilted and turned upside down.
We also returned to one of the beautiful beaches we’d discovered on our holiday last year. Coldingham Bay is a beautiful beach with colourful beach huts and crashing waves favoured by surfers and bodyboarders. My husband and our oldest daughter went splashing in the waves while I built sandcastles for our youngest to smash. We all took a wander along the hill and found a rocky little shingle where the kids entertained themselves stacking pebbles, before returning to the main sandy beach for one last splash in the sea before heading home. It was definitely one of my favourite parts of our holiday.
As much as I love our little family holidays and look forward to so many more as our girls grow, after a few days living in close quarters in a caravan, it’s always good to return home to be reunited with our cat Mara who stayed home with my dad pet-sitting while we were away. Now we’re looking forward to autumn and another wee break away. X
It’s been a busy summer and I’ve been struggling to find time to blog, but July was a great month for reading with a couple of books that will definitely be in my end of year favourites.
Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
This is such a hard book to describe, it’s a love story but also a story of survival and resistance. Against the Loveless World follows Nahr reflecting on her life up to the present where she is serving a sentence in an Israeli prison for acts of terrorism, and looking back at all the twists and turns through life that brought her there. It is dark in places with descriptions of rape and prostitution as Nahr struggles to survive in the Palestinian diaspora scattered around the middle East before she eventually found her way back to the West Bank. Against the Loveless World is such a powerful story, and one that was surprisingly uplifting and inspiring about family, friendship, love, survival, ordinary and revolutionary acts of resistance.
Keedie by Elle McNicoll
Set five years before A Kind of Spark, the prequel focuses on Addie’s bold, impulsive and forthright autistic sister, Keedie. I didn’t love this quite as much as A Kind Of Spark because in some ways Keedie is a bit more prickly, uncompromising and impulsive than Addie but it’s still a captivating story that I thoroughly enjoyed full of friendships and bullying, family dynamics, self-acceptance and disability-positivity, and the claustrophobia of small Scottish towns that reminded me so much of my own adolescence.
They Called Me A Lioness by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri
This is the short autobiography of a 16 year old Palestinian girl, Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested and imprisoned for 8 months for slapping an Israeli soldier. It offers such a fascinating insight into the reality of life under occupation from the checkpoints, separate roads, walls carving up the West Bank to the military raids, arrests and beatings. Despite everything she endures, this is such a hopeful book with the writer imagining a future where Muslims, Christians and Jews can all live together peacefully as equals in one whole country. What really shines is that beyond the organised forms of protest like weekly marches in her village or the violent clashes between protesters and soldiers, so much of the resistance is just refusing to give up and continuing to find joy, love and carrying on with ordinary life under the brutal military occupation.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
This has been on my TBR for a while but this summer seemed like the perfect time to read it as the story starts in July 2024. Published in 1993, Parable of the Sower describes a nightmarish, dystopian future where climate change has ravaged the world causing droughts, wildfires and mass migration as people attempt to flee further and further north to find safety. The story is narrated by Lauren who lives in a small walled off community in Southern California as her family tries to stay safe behind their walls fending off incursions from burglars, rapists and arsonists, she frets about what will happen when their safety is breached, and how she reacts when her worst fears come true. I was absolutely captivated by this story of survival, resilience, friendship and community against the odds and this is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Though I’ve lived in the West of Scotland for most of my life (with the exception of four very happy years as an undergrad in Aberdeen), I’m still exploring my country and finding new places.
When we found ourselves with a free Saturday that also happened to be gloriously warm and sunny, we decided to have a day trip to the beach that a former colleague had mentioned. Seamill is a lovely sandy beach peppered with rocky outcrops on the Ayrshire coast with an impressive view of the Isle of Arran across the sea.
As the tide was receding when we arrived, our daughters had a little splash and paddle in the sea but we spent most of our time exploring the rock pools as they became accessible. My husband was in his element ankle deep in the water, lifting to rocks to see what he could find underneath, and I’m always delighted whenever he finds a starfish.
A trip to the beach for a picnic, a stroll along the shore and a paddle in the sea is always one of my favourite ways to spend a sunny day, and always appreciate finding another lovely beach to visit. Have a lovely week. X
Blogging has fallen by the wayside once again, and only finding time to share my June reviews midway through July.
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
Listened to this on Audiobook, and it really felt like catching up with an old friend who occasionally gives really good advice about dieting, dating, technology and social media. What really comes across is that she is every bit as much of a Gilmore Girls fan as the fans themselves. This is a whistle stop tour of Lauren’s life, more thematic than chronological it reminded me of Carrie Fisher’s trilogy of short autobiographies. Short on scandals and gossip but full of wry commentary and self-deprecating humour, this is a thoroughly enjoyable autobiography.
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
This had a slow start, introducing all the characters and intrigue, but the second half was absolutely gripping. A Magic Steeped In Poison follows a girl called Ning whose mother was a shennong, a kind of tea mage, but both her mother and sister were poisoned by someone who has been contaminating tea around the Empire. Her mum succumbs to the poison but Ning travels to the capital city to compete in the competition to become the new royal shennong and ask the princess to heal her sister. Along the way she meets a mysterious but handsome exile, and finds herself embroiled in imperial politics. This definitely suffers from some pacing issues and the magic is a bit of a muddle but I’m keen to find out how it all works out in the concluding part.
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Every so often I read a book I love so much I want to press it into the hands of every reader I know, and I could tell right from the first page that this would be one of those books because every word of this hits home. I’ve always been drawn to stories about underdogs challenging injustice and this story follows an 11 year old autistic girl, Addie, as she learns about women from her own little scottish village who were tried and executed as witches. Recognising that the witches were most probably women who didn’t fit in and feeling kinship with them, Addie starts a campaign for a village memorial. Like so many children’s books, this has some pretty big themes like disability, friendship and bullying, shame and self acceptance, but is a wonderful story and definitely one of my favourites of the year.
Dirty Laundry by Roxanne Emery and Richard Pink
Over the years, I’ve overcome a lot of insecurities and so this (audio)book really surprised me because I expected a lighthearted but candid book about ADHD similar to the Instagram content they share, instead it ended up highlighting how often I’ve blamed myself for being lazy and useless because of symptoms I now know are part of ADHD. There were so many parts I could relate to from my sudden all consuming interests and hobbies, directional dyslexia, losing possessions, time blindness and struggles with housekeeping and personal hygiene. There are lots of useful tips to help make life easier but at times I wondered how Rox would cope without her organised and infinitely patient husband Rich, but the general relationship advice of being honest and treating each other with kindness and understanding is solid.
The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
This is a paranormal mystery-heist loosely inspired by the real story of a black woman called Clara Johnson who shot and killed a white policeman but was acquitted. In this story, Clara has paranormal abilities to communicate with spirits, and is one of several humans who have made deals with deities known as Enigmas who can bestow charms on people for a price. The Monsters We Defy is a really intriguing paranormal mystery as Clara finds herself trying to rescue people who have gone missing and free herself from the deal she made with an Enigma. I really enjoyed the richly described setting in Washington DC during the 1920s, the exploration of race and class during that era, the tense and spooky atmosphere, and slow burn romance.
The Kingdom Across the Sea by Zohra Nabi
A thrilling and gripping children’s fantasy about a recently orphaned young girl, Yara, who finds herself travelling from Bournemouth into a magical kingdom across the sea on a journey of self discovery. Trying to follow the last letter of her mother’s instructions, Yara tracks down a sorceress and finds herself against alchemists plotting to destroy all sorcerers who have been forced into hiding. This is such an exciting and heartwarming story of bravery, determination, identity, friendship and found family.
The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
I loved The Travelling Cat Chronicles (reviewed here) a few years ago and picked this up recently while looking after my own beloved cat Mara after we discovered an ulcer on her eye. Both of these books really capture the eccentricities and personalities of the animals that we take on as pets, but also the sense of companionship, sense of purpose and well-being that pet ownership provides. The Goodbye Cat is seven short stories about different cats and the people who love and care for them with some new characters and others recurring from The Travelling Cat Chronicles.
Halfway through the year and I’m slightly ahead of my reading goal. What have you been reading lately? X
Lovely and Grateful 
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