A Good Read

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons 

It is widely thought that Lisa del Giocondo was the inspiration for Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting The Mona Lisa. She was the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.

Imagine da Vinci's studio, bursting with genius imagination, towering commissions and demanding patrons, as well as discontented muses, friends and rivals, and in the midst of all this sits the painting of Mona Lisa. For five hundred tumultuous years, amid a whirlwind of power, money and intrigue, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo was sought after and stolen.

Weaving through the years, the story takes us from the dazzling world of Florentine studios, via rivalry, murder and heartbreak, to the French courts at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and into the Twentieth Century.

This is the story of the painting narrated by the painting.

The majority of my book club friends didn’t like this, they thought a talking painting was silly, but I liked it. I thought the journey of the painting that Solomons created was quite clever.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Addiction, Time Wasting or

Excercise For The Little Grey Cells?

I never understood Sudoku, I couldn't see the point of it but last March when I visited my darling daughter in Australia she explained how it worked. I bought a puzzle book and became hooked, and now I have installed it on my phone!

Oh dear, whilst I'm sure there has to be a certain amount of brain activity playing any games, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is addictive and time wasting! But also fun and challenging!

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

A Good Read

Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer is the fourth book in the Clifton Chronicles series.

     

This is the one I was meant to request instead of the other Be Careful What You Wish For! 

When Ross Buchanan is forced to resign as chairman of the Barrington Shipping Company, Emma Clifton wants to replace him. But Don Pedro Martinez intends to install his puppet, the egregious Major Alex Fisher, in order to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to build its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham.

Back in London, Harry and Emma's adopted daughter wins a scholarship to the Slade Academy of Art where she falls in love with a fellow student, Clive Bingham, who asks her to marry him. Both families are delighted until Priscilla Bingham, Jessica's future mother-in-law, has a visit from an old friend, Lady Virginia Fenwick, who drops her particular brand of poison into the wedding chalice.

Then, without warning, Cedric Hardcastle, a bluff Yorkshireman who no one has come across before, takes his place on the board of Barringtons. This causes an upheaval that none of them could have anticipated, and will change the lives of every member of the Clifton and Barrington families. Hardcastle's first decision is who to support to become the next chairman of the board: Emma Clifton or Major Alex Fisher? And with that decision, the story takes yet another twist.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

A Fairly Good Read

Be Careful What You Wish For by Vivien Brown
Two women swap homes for a month, each wanting a bit of time away from their normal everyday lives and problems.
Former actress Madi is recovering from cancer and wants to escape from her lonely London life. She has started to forget things and has a feeling that she is being watched.
Prue feels suffocated by her claustrophobic village life and has suffered a devastating public humiliation. All she wants now is anonymity in London.
Two strangers, a chance to escape …. Or is it?

I thought I had requested Be Careful What You Wish for by Jeffrey Archer, but it wasn't until I got home and actually looked at the book that I realised my mistake!! So I thought I might as well read it. It was ok. I liked the main characters and it was interesting, if a bit predictable, reading how they each settled into their new habitats. There were hints that something was afoot but halfway through nothing significant had happened, it did pick up a bit though.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Afternoon Tea

My WI's annual summer outing was to Ongar garden centre 

where we enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea.

Mini quiches, sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and cakes. Most of us couldn't manage it all, we took the cakes home for later! 

And afterwards we browsed around the shop

It was a lovely day with glorious weather

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

Morris Dancing

Morris Dancing is a traditional form of English folk dance. Its history is long and somewhat debated, with the earliest written record dating back to 1448. While its exact origins are unclear, it is believed to be at least 600 years old and possibly older. Each village had its own distinct dance style and dances which have been passed down through the generations since time immemorial. In days gone by, to be chosen to dance The Morris was an honour.

Last Thursday the Mayflower Morris Men were performing in the village pub

All dances involve musicians, rhythmic stepping, choreographed figures, and the use of bells, swords, handkerchiefs, colourful costumes, beautiful hats and stick-clashing - said to frighten away evil spirits.

There is also a Fool and an Animal - this time a naughty badger

The audience were invited to join in, I joined in the next one.

Me and my lovely friend.

We all had a wonderful time.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x