Agatha Raisin...

Thursday 31st March 2011

Goodness... When it comes to my reading habits... 

I always seem to get completely caught up in reading a whole series...

The most recent one that I have lost whole days reading is the Agatha Raisin series by M C Beaton.

I just happened to be browsing through Bargain Books and saw a few books from the Agatha Raisin series and I bought...

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death

Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam

Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (truly hilarious)

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came

Now that I have finished reading these... 

and I started the series in the middle (missed the first 6 books out of the series)...

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist

Of course... I normally find myself going straight to Amazon.co.uk to find the rest of the series...

but there just seemed to be too many...

I have really enjoyed reading these books... she is a modern day... middle aged Miss Marple who happily blunders through and into the middle of murder cases...

So I am feeling rather self righteous and have reserved

Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate

Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance

Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon

Agatha Raisin and the Love, Lies and Liquor

Agatha Raisin and the Kissing Christmas Goodbye

from my local library... 

they even have a very useful email service to let me know when they arrive...

Of course all of them have arrived except for the one that I need to read next...

Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House...

This is always the way of things.  I just have to find patience and get on with work that needs to be done.

Only two more in the series after I read the ones above...

Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison

and

Agatha Raisin:  There Goes the Bride

I'm also holding my breath because when I went to look at the authors Website... which of course I couldn't resist doing...  I discovered on her News page that the BBC are intending to repeat their Agatha Raisin series on BBC Radio 7 very soon...  I am now checking the Radio 7 website on a daily basis...

Grey Heron in Waterworks...

Wednesday 30th March 2011

For Watery Wednesday this week I have a series of photographs of the Grey Heron...

I took these photographs while walking in the Waterworks Park in North Belfast...

It is such a beautiful place... busy with lots of people walking... with prams... children... dogs...

Others like the heron are enjoying a little bit of fishing...

I love birds but with the heron it has been a little strained at times... when (possibly not this one although it is very local to us) it killed a couple of our precious Koi Carp... resulting in the pond having to be covered in a netting wire to keep our fish safe...  

One of our favourite called Cloud was lost at this time... Cloud was our friendliest fish who always came to the surface to greet us when we went into the garden took its breakfast from our fingers...

While I stood and watched the Heron and photographed it it waded slowly behind the shrubs...

And gradually became obscured...  I loved the way the heron was reflected in the lake water...

The grey heron is such a majestic bird...

So elegant in its lovely grey plumage and fine black crest...  This bird still has a greyish coloured head so it may well be an young bird from last year...

The first Magnolia Blossoms...

Monday 28th March 2011

For Macro Monday... I have taken a few photos of the first Magnolia Blossoms of the Spring...

These are probably some of my most favourite shrubs in the garden...

The pink Leonard Messell is situated just outside the kitchen window and the robin sits in it and tweets at me in the morning if I am tardy in bringing breakfast out to the birdtable...

We are still having frost at night and the first blossoms often get a little frostbitten...

The first stellata blossoms open surrounded by furry buds giving a hint of what is to come...

Last year I was away in Kent visiting my mum for 2 weeks at this time of year and missed the best of my magnolia's blossoming time...  So I am really enjoying every moment of it this year...

My friendly garden Robin...

Sunday 27th March 2011

For SOOC Sunday this week... 

This is one of our friendly garden robins...

We are so very fond of these chirpy inquisitive little birds...

During the winter we usually have at least 5 robins feeding at the bird table and our resident robin spends much time chasing other robins.  I think that our resident robin usually raises a healthy brood of young robins and they are the ones who we feed all winter and then by Spring our Robin expects the others to leave home and find somewhere new...

This one followed me around... 

while I was taking photos in the garden of the newly coming out magnolia blossoms...  

The robins have such a beautiful song and I really enjoy seeing them...

Turning on the Charm...

Saturday 26th March 2011

Tiggy turning on the charm and hoping for some dried catnip...

Minnie and Neil...

Friday 25th March 2011

Once upon a time... there were two sisters... now there is Minnie...

When Beryl was still with us she used to favour me...

And Minnie spent time with Neil...

She spends every evening impersonating a limpet... 

with her very most favourite person in the whole world...

As soon as Neil sits down...

Moorhen...

Wednesday 23 March 2011

I took this series photos of the Moorhen while walking along the tow path by the River Lagan.

I thought they would be nice for Watery Wednesday...

I love the elegant little moorhen...  This one was paddling in the shallow water at the edge of the river...

She noticed me taking photographs of her...

Obviously decided that the best option was to ignore me completely...

I loved this photo showing her elegant golden toes...

She paused to take another look at me...

Decided I had been there for too long...

Turned her back on me...

And swam away...

Hellebores

Monday 21st March 2011

Macro Monday... couldn't resist taking a few photographs of one of my white speckled hellebores...

These are some of my favourite blossoms in the Spring garden...

Wonderful stamens... deep maroon speckles...

Beautiful plump buds...

Glossy new leaves... I have cut off all of the old leaves from last year...

Everything about this plant appeals to me...

The blossoms turn a wonderful primrose yellow colour as they die off...

Beautiful ruffled petals...

SOOC Sunday - Wood Anemone

Sunday 20th March 2011

For SOOC Sunday I have chosen a few photographs that I took of a clump of Wood Anemones that are truly beautiful at this time of year.  These were taken a few years ago as there were a few photographs of Gillie and Shane within the batch.   I find that I don't go out for walks as often without them.

I adore wood anemone.  They have the most beautiful foliage...

And pure white blossoms...

There are some beautiful carpets of wood anemone on the hill in a few places...

I love how they light up in the sunlight...