Sep
30
2009
0

Compassion

Compassion UK is an amazing organisation that works in 25 of the worlds poorest countries. They operate child sponsorship projects and for just £21 a month you can sponsor a child and make a massive difference to their lives. Compassion supports the whole family through the local churches, offering improved healthcare, access to eduction, training, social and emotional and spiritual care. As a sponsor you receive a picture of your child, their name, some information about them and their family and where they live. You also get regular letters and the children love hearing from their sponsors. I cannot help thinking how life changing this small amount of money must be to these children and their families.

Last year my Mum and Dad became Compassion reps and as a result they had the privilege of going out to Ethiopia on a reps trip and they had the opportunity to meet one of their children (I think they have 4 sponsor children now…. Dad is a bit of a soft touch really!!!

Here is a short video they made of their trip. Please watch it and consider whether you might be able to afford £21 a month to hep provide support and love to one of these children.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa68P1XTPTM&layer_token=60a4372030ef2d2b[/youtube]

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags:
Sep
30
2009
0

September books

51lVsDtr77L._SL500_AA240_The Absent Wife by Karen Gillece is quite a sad book about a woman called Jean Quick who disappeared 18 years ago leaving her husband and two young children. They had little contact with her during this time, but they receive a telephone call from a young woman called Star who tells them that Jean has died, but also that she was Jean’s daughter. The story is told from differing perspectives and flicks back and forth in time periods. I was left feeling a little bit disappointed by this book. It felt quite unfinished and the characters left me cold, and I wanted to empathise with them, but just found them all incredibly selfish and irritating!!

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51JB31J28QL._SL500_AA240_2nd Chance by James Patterson is a brilliant really fast-moving detective crime novel. It is set in San Franscisco and opens with the shooting of a little black girl outside her church. There follows a series of murders, all of which appear to be racially related, but there is also something else that links the cases. James Patterson is the master of these sorts of stories and I really like the fact he writes in such short chapters as it means I can easily put the book down and pick it up again without losing my place!!

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51HBDBQJ81L._SL500_AA240_The Beach House by James patterson & Peter de Jonge is quite a good book but it has the most improbable and rushed ending.

Jack Mullen is training to be a lawyer and things are going quite well until his young brother is washed up on the shore and he is pronounced as having died from drowning. Jack does his own investigations and uncovers a sinister story of pornography, corruption, beating and deaths. Quite a good read, but 2nd Chance is better!!

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51TNYY4NNYL._SL500_AA240_The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella is both a rather sweet romance novel and a historical story. Set in 1944 in Naples Captain James Gould is sent out to become the ‘wedding officer’, dealing with the British servicemen who are marrying the local prostitutes. Rather predictably he ends up meeting and falling in love with his own Italian woman, although in this case she isn’t a prostitute!

Much like Capella’s previous novel The Food of Love there is a huge focus on the local cuisine. Unlike the Food of Love I didn’t absolutely love The Wedding Officer. It was a nice enough book but was extremely slow going at the beginning and therefore I will be sending it off to be Bookcrossed.

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41XR212YMQL._SL500_AA240_The Vanished Man by Jeffrey Deaver is a masterclass in crime writing. A gifted illusionist becomes a killer who tricks law enforcement agencies into missing clues through magic, misdirection and illusion. It has a cracking pace and there are so many twists and turns it almost become hard to follow, but somehow the story hangs together. The story explains some of the tricks of the trade, but most of all it is a great read. Well worth getting hold of if you like this genre of story.

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51KDR1A2uNL._SL500_AA240_A Good War by Patrick Bishop is a really mediocre Second World War Novel. I picked it up in one of the shops in Hay-on-Wye and thought it looked like a good read but it was just disappointing. The characters weren’t well developed enough to be likeable and the story kind of dragged until the last few chapters or so. Not one to bother with really!!!

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41nHpPaaiUL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU02_The Model Wife by Julia Llewellyn is a really nice chick lit book. Poppy is a 22-year-old model who meets and falls in love with a married man, Luke. She falls pregnant and Luke leaves his wife and moves in and marries Poppy. Luke’s ex-wife starts writing a newspaper column about her divorce and The Bimbo. This book was quite clever because it addressed lots of things from affairs, to being a single-parent and drugs. There were some laugh out loud moments and I really enjoyed it.

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51g3ZarIBgL._SL500_AA240_I listened to Things I Want my Daughter to Know by Elizabeth Noble on audio book. It is a lovely, lovely book to listen to when driving around. When Barbara realises that her time on earth is running out due to her cancer she sets about writing to her four, very different daughters. She effectively writes all the things that she will never be able to tell them, all the things she has learnt and the advice that she would like to give them should she be able to stay with them.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They were well developed and they felt so different and yet their families ties were beautifully explained. Interestingly the reviews on Amazon of the paper book are very varied but somehow listening to it gave the story more space and time to develop and I loved it.

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51Q8SM0RAEL._SL500_AA240_I also tried to listen to My Friend Leonard by James Frey but I only made it though half of the first CD before deciding that I couldn’t bear to listen to a minute more, let along another 10 hours of it.

I think I found the voice of the guy reading it very irritating, but more than that I found the narrative unbelievably annoying. Short sentences, often repeating each other, or the phrases in the previous sentence. I just couldn’t do it!!! I think I might be able to read the book but I definitely couldn’t listen to it!!

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51PWEWXGHDL._SL500_AA240_Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare is a curious little book. It is a kind of novelised memoir of Horatio’s childhood growing up in a ramshackle farm in Wales. Prior to his birth he charts his parents love affair, both with each other but also with the farm, right through his childhood and his parents separation. A lot of the story is about sheep, feeding them, lambing, death and eating them. It is a charming book, rather rambly in places but that kind of seemed to fit with both the childhood the author had, but also his relationship with his parents. At times they seem rather disjointed, and other times they are a tight unit. A lovely, if rather unusual read.

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41uCe5bKG0L._SL500_AA240_I read The Stepmother by Carrie Adams expecting some schmaltzy chick-lit bollocks. What I got instead was a great read with some rather insightful observation into the trials and tribulations of being a stepmother. What I also got was the perspective from the first wife and a rather fascinating comparison between the two. Much to my surprise it was a really good read without it being saccharine sweet and trite. All in all a good chick-lit.

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51Iy4JeY0SL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU02_Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly is a cracking and fast-paced thriller. Life gets a little weird for computer and science genius Henry Pierce when he moves to a new flat and starts getting lots of phone calls for a prostitute to has disappeared. Unable to stop himself from trying to find out what has happened to her he becomes embroiled in a nasty and dark conspiracy. A great read!

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Sep
29
2009
5

Nap time with Jesus

dok
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

From one of my favourite websites, LOLcats.

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags:
Sep
26
2009
4

London Zoo

P1020140The Mister and I have had a lovely day. We decided to go out to London Zoo for the day which was lovely. No talk of weddings, moving to Yorkshire or job hunting (well almost no talk anyway!!!)

London Zoo was fabulous. Apparently I went there when I was very little but I can’t remember it. It was fabulous, but also exhausting as there is so much to see! The best bits though were all the little babies!!! Very cute lion cubs and meer cat babies (who were just the dinkiest things I have ever seen!!!) They also have displays int he days showing off some of the animals. We went to two of them and they showed off a couple of very clever parrots called George and Mildred, the cutest Burrowing Owl in the world and a couple of meercats that they were training. We spent hours meandering and watching the animals and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. A brilliant, brilliant day out, but my legs ache now!!

Anyway, here are some pictures. There are lots more on flickr if you want to click through and see more!

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Sep
18
2009
1

Busy, busy

Well things have been pretty busy in Doris-land. I have been up in Leeds because I had an interview in Northallerton. I didn’t get the job because, of all things, I messed up a Child Protection question. I guess in some ways it made things a little easier for me because I wasn’t sure I wanted the job anyway, and I wasn’t sure what I would have said if they offered it to me. However, the team manager gave me some very helpful feedback about the interview, and said that she would shortlist me again if I applied for another job.

I have also been looking around Harrogate and Leeds for places for us to live. We were considering buying up here, but trying to sell my flat and buy another place was all becoming a bit much, so I think we are going to try and rent in Leeds for a few months. At least it will give me a chance to move up here and get my head straight, as well as giving us a chance to decide where we want to live.

So, I am feeling a little better. A little more in control, and I guess we just have to take one thing at a time. So, we need to find somewhere to rent and I need to get my CV done so that I can put my application out to a few agencies. I think I might do temp work for a little while. The money is reasonable, and there would be no responsibilities other than turning up and getting on with my work.

Life is busy, but it is also good.

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: , ,
Sep
08
2009
10

Slight stress

I have had a bit of a meltdown today. I think everything has just moved up a gear or two and I am feeling a bit stressed.

I applied for a job on Saturday, was informed yesterday that I have been shortlisted and have been offered an interview next Wednesday. This is all well and good but I am suddenly feeling a bit panicked that their timescales are going to be totally different to mine. There is absolutely no way that I can pack up my life and put my flat on the market and move to Yorkshire in one month. The enormity of the next few months kind of struck me today and I started feeling a bit sick.

I am convinced that I am making the right decision in moving north, but I am starting to think that this job might not be the right one for me if it puts pressure on me to move very soon. I think I need to have a bit more time to get my head around things. Not to mention the fact that they point blank told me that they wouldn’t consider offering me travel expenses for interview, let alone relocation expenses.

Maybe I just have an attack of the nerves. I know everything will be ok in the end, but it all seems to be happening very quickly!!! I am not that good with change, and there are a lot of changes in the offing!!!!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Sep
03
2009
5

August books

51KADNRWXYL._SL500_AA240_Around the World in 80 Dates by Jennifer Cox is kind of a travel manual crossed with diary. Jennifer was a single 30-something, disillusioned with all the men she meets in England, so she decides to go around the world, dating men as she goes. With the help of her friends, also known as the Date Wranglers, she sets off on her expedition. During her time she meets lots of useless men, and finds one or two really special ones. I really enjoyed this book. An unusual read, and funny in places.

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5181H3QMFXL._SL500_AA240_I read My Fabulous Divorce by Clare Dowling before I went away at the weekend.

To be honest I can’t remember much about it, other than it involved a woman who was trying to divorce her ex-husband she still had feelings for and her new partner who was incredibly dull. The fact that I can’t remember much about it speaks volumes so it can’t have been than good!!!

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The Crimson Rooms by Katharine McMahon is a great read. Set in the 1920’s it focuses on a woman called Evelyn Gifford who is one of the first female solicitors. She manages to get work in the legal field, against much opposition, and becomes involved in two cases, one involving a woman whose children are in care and are possibly going to be deported to Canada, and the second, a man who is accused of shooting his wife.

This book was as much about female lawyers at the time as it was about the cases she worked on. It was a fascinating read and I really enjoyed it. The author also wrote The Rose of Sebastopol which I really enjoyed and The Alchemist’s Daughter which I didn’t enjoy so much. (Very weirdly I couldn’t upload of picture of this book)

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513wTMySklL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU02_Crack House by Harry Keeble and Kris Hollington is a cracking, if rather shocking read!

Harry Keeble was the head of the Haringey Drugs Squad and it was he who pioneered various methods of finding and shutting down the crack houses in his borough. He is a hard-core cop but clearly passionate about his job and finding and nailing the ‘scum’ who dealt crack on his patch. His methods were hard-nosed and often violent, but then again when you consider that the culture surrounding crack dealing includes gangs, guns, prostitution and knives it is hard to blame him for being so straightforward.

Some of the stories that were told were horrifying and in particular I was especially moved by the plight of the children who got caught in the cross-fire of crack use and the culture surrounding it. In the book he mentions both Victoria Climbie and Damilola Taylor who died in his locality, amonst countless other children who were taken into care and suffered in many ways, both as a result of their families, but also as a result of the care system.

This book is well worth a read and it is proof once again that the work of the police is not an easy ride, and it reminds me that the work I do to follow up these people it not a walk in the park either!

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41NP355ZQTL._SL500_AA240_I listened to Warnings of Gales by Annie Sanders on CD. This is a great chick lit story and I really enjoyed it as it was undemanding.

The three women in the book at Imogen, a very capable mother of three who lives in London with her banker husband; Sophie a rather ditzy mother of three who has a loving husband but she is rather chaotic. Finally Jo, a single mother of a mixed race child who also holds down a full-time job as a GP. The only thing that ties these women together is Sophie. She is friends with both Imogen and Jo, but they are not friends with each other. However, the three of them, plus their 6 children all go on holiday to a cottage in Cornwall for three weeks and their two rather useless husbands join them at the weekend.

The reason I loved this book is that it was mainly about not judging people by the image they present. Arguments, lost children, control-freakery and bitching are all part of the story. However, the thing that triumphs in the end is genuine friendship borne out of difficult circumstances.

A lovely book to listen to whilst I was driving everywhere!!

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21GDBS8AANL._SL500_AA159_Blowfly by Patricia Cornwall is a distinctly disappointing read. Her novels on crime and pathology first got me fascinated in the genre, but this one is very different to her other novels. Despite having read the whole book I am still unsure of the story. There were a few murders, a bit of stalking and a little bit of forensic pathology, but other than that it felt very ‘bitty’. Also, it didn’t really have an ending which was kind of disappointing!!!

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51C4KESSW3L._SL500_AA240_Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs is a really good novel about forensic anthropology. I think she is the mistress of these sorts of novel and they focus around her main character Temperance Brennan. As often in her novels there are several themes, murder, intrigue, a stalker and in this particular story the theme of smuggling; whether that be animals or drugs. A good book if you like murder mystery and crime stories.

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51LeyV5My4L._SL500_AA240_Born on Blue Day by Daniel Tammet is a brilliant book. Daniel has Aspergers and Savant Syndrome which makes him absolutely brilliant in many ways, but his ability to relate to other people can be impaired. This book is beautifully descriptive of how he copes with his gifts and how he manages in his day to day life. He also has synaesthesia which means that he seens numbers as shapes, textures and colours.

I love this book because it showed very clearly how someone with very difficult issues can manage to live an extremely fulfilling life and the impact that his very large family has had on his ability to cope. The ways he explains his thought processes are absolutely fascinating and I think this is a brilliant read!!!

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31nkHSO46ML._SL500_AA180_When the Swallows Come Again by Victor Pemberton is a rather sickly sweet book which is set in London during The Blitz. It is about a girl called Mary Trimble who is struggling to look after her siblings and her rather useless grandfather after her parents were killed by a bomb.

It’s quite a sweet book, but not exactly life changing and the story if rather predictable. It whiled away the hours rather than being life-changing!

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized |
Sep
01
2009
20

Ah yes… the major news…

On 25 August The Mister gave me something shiny. Exciting eh???

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Sep
01
2009
1

A holiday of three parts

I have had a brilliant couple of weeks… but it has been pretty hectic. So, here is a quick run down.

PART 1
P1010698Firstly The Mister and I flew to Guernsey for my cousin Matthew’s wedding. It was in the most beautiful venue, on top of the cliff and the weather was lovely. The bride looked wonderful and had some fab bridesmaids, and the bridegroom and his 7 best men all looked very dashing in their feature hats. The evening do featured both the bride and the bridegroom’s bands and a marvellous time was had by all.

I love my family. They certainly know how to have a good time and this wedding was a classic example of a good time being had by all!

(for more pics click on this one to go to flickr)
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PART 2
P1010871After flying back from Guernsey The Mister and I drove up to Wales to spend some time camping with friends and their two boys, as well as being close enough to spend some time with birdie and family.

We had a fabulous few days, even though the weather was rather too blustery at times and made the tents rock in a rather alarming manner in the middle of the night. It was fab to spend some time with birdie, especially as I hadn’t met her daughter yet which was pretty appalling as she is over a year old now The Groover seriously kept me entertained. I don’t know how mr and mrs birdie do it. He is so full of beans he exhausting, but I adore him, he is such fun!!

We also went to Hay-on-Wye for the day and spent loads of time wandering around bookshops (this is probably The Mister’s favourite activity of all time) as well as eating the most fabulous ice-cream sundaes.

A lovely few days and a much needed rest in the middle of the madness.
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PART 3
P1010932P1010907Greenbelt!!! Once again we made the annual pilgramage to Cheltenham racecourse to wander aimlessly, listen to talks and music and to spend time sitting in the Tiny Tea Tent or the Beer Tent, chatting with old friends and watching the world go by. In some ways it was a little like returning to the scene of the crime as The Mister and I got together in the Beer Tent last year (photograpic evidence!!!) It was very different doing Greenbelt as part of a couple for the first time. I loved it in so many ways, but it also meant I had to be not so selfish. I guess the nice thing was wandering off to do our own things and then meeting up later. Fabulous stuff.

Highlights for me were seeing Ockham’s Razor which were an aerial gymnastic/circus act. It was absolutely fantastic and well worth seeing!!! The other highlight had to be Beer and Hymns. I love this event so much. The singing is quite divine, the beer is good, and in general people take part in this event with a huge amount of fun, but also a great deal of sincerity. I have never doubted that the people who go to B&H’s really mean what they sing, and in some way it is way more liberating than church. Singing at the top of your voice with several hundred other people is a wonderful experience.

Greenbelt is an amazing place. So much to see and hear, so many friends to pass the time of day with and so much time to think, and be and enjoy.

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

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