I'm back! Happy birthday to me, and a special book treat....

I feel so refreshed and somewhat relaxed now. It was a fabulous weekend away. There was a heron on our dock on the first morning:

There was fishing, cards, a family turkey dinner, shopping in the US - a day trip to Watertown, NY, my first time in that state, and lots of new clothes and even some books: 4 new ones from Borders:
- Curse of Chalion - Lois McMaster Bujold
- Winter Study - Nevada Barr
-Old Man's War - John Scalzi (point to Chris!!)
- The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion (I've long wanted to read this)
and 3 used ones from Picton's only bookstore, Olivia & Company:
- Dragon Fantastic - ed Martin and Rosalind Greenberg
- Tricks - Ed McBain
- The Song of Rhiannon - Evangaline Walton (with the original cover.....now I need books one and two!)

There were sunny days and a wind storm that - yes, you guessed it, knocked out the power on our part of the island! Not where my sister-in-law's house is, but only where the cottage is on the east side. I think I said something like, "Not again! not so soon after the tornado!" but since the fire was lit (we had very cold nights so the wood stove was on) we could light the candles. I know some people find the city relaxing, and we have friends who go to Toronto or New York to relax. Us, we go to the country. So it was a very welcome break indeed.

Then, it was my birthday yesterday. This is one of my presents (note the big smile, the glow....)

Yes, it is hot today - (son isn't wearing a shirt for a reason!) but I'm glowing because I'm so happy: that's my copy of North and South in my hands, and as soon as I finish here, I'm off to the tv to finally see it on the big screen. As many of you wrote on my last post, you too have this DVD, so you know how excited I am! No small You tube screen on my computer! Richard Armitage up close! And, I also received wonderful book gift certificates !!! Oh yes, it was a lovely day with family, and at work with my co-workers.

I also picked up a real treasure while in Picton, and I thought I would share with you some of the glorious pictures. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, "Thorn Rose", The Brothers Grimm version, illustrated splendidly by Errol Le Cain. It's a Puffin book, so it's from England, copyright 1975.

I love this picture! All the fairies, the leaves and flowers and dark tree trunks.

I love the evil fairy flying by on the dragon!





My daughter loves this book too, and is showing you her favourite of the fairies.

It's the fairy riding the unicorn. She has just discovered unicorns and dragons, and is fascinated by them.


She asked me what mine was, and I said, "Oh, I love the one flying with the magic wand." My daughter is very creeped out by the wicked fairy who curses Sleeping Beauty. I love how she is painted in the corner, all in black. Holly-Anne asked why, and I said, "It's because she was left out. Only 12 fairies were invited, and there were 13 fairies in all."

I didn't get much reading done on my weekend holiday. So it was only today that I finished reading "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. What an excellent fantasy! I will do a longer review later, I just wanted to let you know that if you are looking for a new fantasy to read, with magic, and dragons, and creepy mystery killing creatures, then this is one to try.

And I thank you for all the lovely Star Trek comments on my last post! I am so thrilled so many of us have gone to see it! I almost saw it a third time while in Picton, with my niece who can't find any of her friends to go with, but we couldn't get the time.

Meanwhile, I hear North and South calling. I wish my American blogging friends a fabulous Memorial Weekend. I really hope you can get some time away, some time to read, some time to yourselves.

York, England

As you can see, I have changed my header! I LOVE this photo. It's part of the wall around York, built in the 13 and 14th centuries. The door looks like it's from the 16th century. I love the idea that people can enter through the door - or leave! - friends, who don't need to use the main gates to enter the city. It's like a secret doorway.

I am going to put some photos of York on, but I'm not sure how many I can upload into a post, nor how often the commentary will match, so bear with me. Out of the 130 odd photos we took of York, I'm attempting to whittle them down to 10-20 for you and this blog! Though I'd rather show them all!


This is the view coming into to York city centre from Lendal Bridge. We have just come under the city walls - the train station is on the other side of the walls to the left - and we are now inside the walled city. York Minster, the finest Gothic cathedral in England with stained glass windows, is in the background. There are no high rise buildings in York, so the Minster can be seen from quite a distance away. It is an awesome sight, and York is the only city that I have fallen in love with on sight, absolutely, and completely.


York Minster. The entrance is just to the left side of the picture. It is extremely difficult to catch all this beautiful cathedral with a digital camera!



This is Stonegate, that was the Via Praetoria of Roman York. The Romans built a walled fortress here in the 2nd century AD, and much of it is buried under medieval streets and houses in the city center, but the street layout of the Romans remains. I used to work in one of the shops to the left, the third window from the front of the picture, I think. It's gone now (my shop), and it now houses a beer shop, where Toby bought some local ale. These shops are 14th century, you can tell from their shape and the size of the shops inside - quite small. Of especial note to us book readers, Stonegate used to be the book sellers and printers street, in medieval York. In the building far at the back on the right side is the only bookstore now on Stonegate, a used bookstore (the stone building at the very end), that I used to wander into on my lunches, when we had enough money. At the end of this street, you can see the Minster. I love Stonegate, and despite the crowds, you can see the many centuries of architecture, the buildings built onto one another, that are part of York's history and charm.

I do not have any pictures of the Shambles, because I took many with our regular camera 8 years ago when we lived in York! What we did do instead this time, was go for a walk on the medieval wall that encircles old York. York is one of two walled cities left in England, the other being Chester. The walls have one break where a road was put through (by Bootham Bar), and there is a section that used to be a marsh so no wall was ever built, but other than that, the wall is complete, and you can walk around the city centre - it's about 3 miles altogether. Unfortunately we left our friends' house too late in the morning to be able to walk along all the wall and catch the train in time, so we walked only a small part of the wall, and I took photos of anything of interest we saw. We started at Bootham Bar, which is the only Bar (gate entrance to the city) built on the site of a Roman one. Below is the picture of us coming up on the bar from inside the city. I love the medieval buildings lining this street here!





Next is the view of the gate from up on the wall. I thought it was interesting how the city is built right up to the wall inside, and on the outside, the outer ramparts remain, so the wall is higher than the city outside the walls.



Here is a picture of me along the wall, with part of York Minster behind me. Part of what i wanted to do was see if you could see the Minster from all parts of the wall, which is what is said about the Minster!



The view of the next gate, the houses built higgledy-piggledy up to the wall.


YOu can still see the Minster from the wall:


The roman tower ruin, excavated a few years ago:


The view of the outer part of the wall, with what I think is the outline of the original moat:



Monk Bar, the second gate we came to. This one has three stories, a working porticullis, and statues on the outer edge, holding stones - to represent a strong force to the enemy. Unfortunately we didn't think to take any pictures of it from the ground!


Next up is the second oldest church in YOrk, St Cuthbert's in Peasholme Greene. I had never come across this one, and time and again I come across headstones left as markers of an ancient graveyard, like here. This church dates from 670, and I have never seen one with a cross built into the stonework like this one has. I like the quiet melancholy of a graveyard, and I find church architecture fascinating up until the Reformation.




This is St William's College, built in 1453 for Minister Chantry priests, put into private hands after the Dissolution of the Churches. It now houses meeting rooms. I love the careful restoration and character of these medieval houses. It gives a good idea of how small houses were back in the middle ages, and that even then, very few were stand-alone houses!





Next is a back view of York Minster. By this time we were running for the train, so I had only a spare minute to take the final two pictures of our stay in York. I discovered that the grounds are well-kept and have benches placed for sitting and looking at either the Minster or at the houses on the edge of the grounds. I had not seen this before, or I would have come here 8 years ago!


Last, High Petergate St, leading back into the heart of medieval York shopping area. The red building on the right is a tavern now, but once was the birthplace of the very infamous Guy Fawkes, the one and only man who tried to blow up Parliament.


We've come in a small circle now, since our friend Keith took us through shortcuts across the city so we could catch our train on time. Here is what the backstreets of York city centre look like:



The door really is leaning to the right! It's the entrance to the building on the left in the bigger picture (with my husband and Keith in front of me), Bedern Hall built in 1252. York, and towns and cities, including London, are like this: off the main streets, beautiful buildings are hidden away, old houses and interesting historical places.


I hope you enjoyed this little tour of York. There is so much more to it, though you have an idea of its history and architecture now, and how pretty the city is. I think it is lovely, and even in the darkest winter days, there is something soulful about this city. Both my husband and I miss it, and our friends there, very much! It was so wonderful to be back to visit it again.

As a side note to my Gentle Mystery readers, there is a mystery series set in York, by John Baker: the Sam Turner mysteries, published by Indigo. I have most of the books, which number 6 now, I think. I like them, and they certainly have the atmosphere of York in them!

Interesting posts at other blogger's sites......

Ok, I am cheating here. But I am out of time again on a Sunday night, another day in which I don't even attempt to do the Sunday Salon - not that I've joined the group, but I want to!! all my company is gone, we had a lovely visit and I got to give tarot readings to my sister, niece, my eldest son, and niece's friend last night. So my mind is a bit frazzled, what with so much visiting and travelling, late nights talking and too much work at work. Therefore, I am cheating and sending you to various posts that I have seen on different blogs as I set up my links to them again (thanks, sis!! an unforgettable visit! "sure, I know how to do backgrounds....I'll just press this button. Oh, it's not saved? Ah, uh-oh. Ooops. Well, you wanted a new background anyway....") and letting others entertain you - the posts are worth seeing!

Raidergirl3 at An Adventure in Reading has this to say about the Bookers. As she says, do you pay attention to the Bookers?

Ann at Table Talk has this to say about Hilary Mantel's article in the paper in the UK this weekend, on authors reading other work while writing. Do you have any comments? do you read to learn about the human experience (and only for this, as Hilary posits) or do you read to be entertained? This was Ann's Sunday Salon, so please go and leave her comments and open up the discussion. You'll find my thoughts as a reader and a writer there.

Stefanie at So Many Books has a fun post on a study of book readers called the 'Modus Operandi of Avid Book readers'. Do you agree? As she says, it doesn't reveal us to ourselves , we already know how we read and how our experiences affect our reading, but when we are trying to encourage others to read, this is something to keep in mind.

The unforgettable Emily at Telecommuter Talk has TWO 40 answer memes. She's not the Queen of Memes for nothing!!! oops, double negative, I should say: all hail the Queen of Memes!! and they are both fun, and not ones we have seen (or I haven't anyway, but I am still baby blogger). Look for me to do them very soon!

Charlotte at Charlotte's Web has done the second of Emily's memes.

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf has posted her Weekly Geeks #13, so for those of you who don't know what it is yet, visit the link. I will be posting my authors shortly.

Bybee at Naked without Books has already posted hers. How well do you know Bybee? Can you spot her HOTTIE??

Carl here at Stainless Steel Droppings has an amazing library shot, plus photos of his book/desk area (I feel better about my desk already! although he has a good reason....), a contest, a giveaway, and a review of the Dark Knight here. I am saving myself for a review of the movie until I can do it justice, mostly I need some time! because I loved this movie. There is so much thought put into this movie, so much creativity and genius in every part of it. It is breathtaking (literally! in some scenes!), moving, haunting, dark, and soooo satisfying. I will first in line when it comes out in dvd! and I have to go see it again, because there are so many twists and plots that I know I missed things. And I want to watch the actors this time, because they are so good and make Batman and the Joker alive (how could I feel sorry for the Joker even when he's ranting? and then feel this terrible ache again because Heath Ledger isn't here - both for his family and for the rest of us - and he is the Joker) and it is acting genius from everyone involved. It is better than Ironman, which is one of the best movies of the summer (especially in the fantasy genre). Anyway, will save the rest for a proper post, but do go see it. It is worth it. And Carl has posters too :-)

John at The Book Mine Set has a link to a blog who has excerpted 'tips on how to write a Canadian novel" from Will and Ian Ferguson's How To Be A Canadian. He wants to know if the description fits the Canadian books you have read, either for his Canadian Book Challenge or on your own. And, if you haven't joined, it's not too late to join this year's Challenge which is only a month old. I'm not even on his list yet since I haven't read a single book yet in my challenge list!

Which brings me to the sad confession that I managed to read one book from July 16 to today: one. Yes, one book in two weeks. I think I can say in answer to that question on one of the Booking Through Thursday questions a while back: do your reading habits change with the seasons? I had said no, but now I have to give an emphatic yes! Yes, I read slightly less in the summer! I had read 5 books in July before the 16th, so I am keeping pace (with myself, but I am dismayed that I didn't read more! I did have a good holiday, and lovely company. Just not plenty of reading!

I am still in the process of adding many links, to challenges, and to other book blogs, so if you don't see your name in the list (and it was before), please don't worry! It's coming! And I do not have an exciting new blog since I cannot figure out how to do a great banner like Carl, Chris (Stuff as Dreams), Rhinoa, Bride of the Book God, both Stephanies and Nymeth all have. Someday I will! but in the horror of deleting everything, my sister forgot to show me how to do the banner.

The kids are camping out in the living room since it is a civic holiday tomorrow. So I'm being called to mom duty. Happy reading, everyone! It's good to be back.