National Book Token buys!

When I was in Waterstone’s with Lucy I got 2 books as well. I had a few NBT’s to spend. The yellow book is by a Russian Writer who has lived in Kyiv for many years. It says it’s a black comedy. It was £12.99 and £10 of that goes to Oxfam for Ukraine.
The other, as you can see is a Seamus Heaney poetry book. I love his writing. There are lots of others I love too. 

Today has been Summer and I had my legs out! I pottered around the garden as much as my knee would allow.
I had an appointment with the Dr in Settle so after that we went to the garden centre. I had to get some insect spray but I got an organic one that is not harmful to other insects or animals. The plants are infested with whitefly, blackfly and aphids. I have tried the washing up liquid, nettle and water remedy but nothing has worked. They are killing everything from rocket leaves, to pepper and tomato plants and roses. If it’s not that it’s slugs eating the courgette plants, lettuce and cabbage. It must be all the rain lately.
I really don’t like killing any living thing but I have no option this time. :-(

I was at the Dr about my head pains which are like stabs and go down to my ear. He said the only thing he can think of is that it is the thin layer of muscle over the scalp which is tensing up for whatever reason and he advised massage and heat or cold applied - which ever works best.
Worth a try. He did reassure me that it’s nothing serious.
 I asked him to document about my knee too although it’s the musculo- skeletal specialist I need to contact. 

Our next but one neighbour was telling us about her son’s wedding at the weekend. Just before the evening do the bride went to the loo with her friend and said she felt funny in her tummy. She went to the loo and then called her friend to come in - she was giving birth! She didn’t know she was pregnant - she delivered a baby boy in the toilets. Unfortunately baby has a hole in his heart and also has Down’s Syndrome.
I hope he will survive. What a shock for the couple who have a 2 year old boy too. Her wedding dress had to be thrown away.

157/365
Two books

Two books came into the house,
Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney. 
This was many years ago, I recall 
my daughter brought them home.
From time to time I’d pick one up and
read a verse or two but as a working mum
time was too short for such indulgences
and by bedtime I was too knackered.
The years rolled by, life changed
retirement came and with that - time,
time to read, time to listen, time to write
I haunted charity shop bookshelves,
parcels arrived from Abe, and Amazon
some books had notes written in pencil
by previous readers, students or poetry lovers
these notes were interesting, educational
for one such as I, who had never studied
English - language or literature.
I am still no expert on such matters.
I have not read Shakespeare or Chaucer
But I know what I like, I like words,
plain speaking down to earth words
that tell it like it is, that tell about life,
about nature and about love.
Two books came into the house
and since then, many more.

Goodnight :-)X