In a Vase on Monday - Cooling down

 It seems the weather is cooling down a little, well it was until the sun melted through the clouds this afternoon.  I joined friends this morning from the WI walking group and had a very pleasant walk when it felt comfortable to wear trousers.  Now I am back, I'm ready to share the flowers I picked last night, yet arranged and photographed early this morning.  I am linking in with Cathy for this post.

I am pleased to say that Munstead Wood is thriving after moving it into the conservatory border.  Joining are blooms is Chrysanthemum White Gem 21fm and Alchemilla erythropoda. This Alchemilla is half the size of A. mollis, with longer blooms in proportion.

That is all I can say for the flowers, the vase was my mother's. collected by my father on his visit to Japan over 55 years ago, and a special 'treasure' for me now.

As for reading, with all the hot weather, it has been something I have enjoyed.  

The Marriage Portrait was sent as a gift by my friend Mandy, a wonderful surprise!  Out came my Italian Guide Books, and of course various links on the internet gave me background on the period, names for parts of costumes etc.  Maggie O'Farrell really kept the suspense going, I enjoyed this fairly gruesome tale, and got the feeling of the period and position of women in 16th century Italy. I certainly would recommend this one.

Next month our book club are vising The Wells Literary Festival where Donal Ryan will talk to us, and therefore the reason behind our choosing The Queen of Dirt Island. It took me some time to get into this book, punctuation with no speech marks seem odd. After a few 'chapters' by this I refer to the short two sides of a page with a Title which stand for chapters, I started to enjoy the format and found the author's or rather the cadences of the characters' voices.

Father Frank by Paul Burke is our read for October and I have already finished that one.  What a hoot!  As I read it in the evenings, whilst everyone else were on their phones, with my sister and partner staying over, they would glance over in my direction as I tittered or laughed out loud.  Later my sister borrowed the book, and she too thought how amusing it was.  

Finally I am just reading through Flower Hunters which I ordered from our lending library, after being shown it by my gardening friend Hilary, who with other books had this one as a birthday present.  I would highly recommend this well researched book.  I am just on Carl Linnaeus, and am already captivated and recommend Mary and John Gribbin's book.