Five on Friday - My week

Five on Friday - It's been a funny week, full of variety. From granny squares to cakes with some flowers, films, and chocolate thrown in for good measure. I'm joining with the Five on Friday group again this week. Instead of a walk along the beach, I'm inviting you to have a look at the things I've seen and experienced this week.  

We (M) planted these yellow daisy like plants last year. Any flower that looks like this is an instant favourite with me. There's just something special about them. With their big larger than life long petals and bright cheerfulness they are a delight to find in a border. At the moment they are in full bloom and provide a welcome home each time you park on the drive. 
   


Easter crispy cakes. These simple little cakes are made all year really but with a few eggs added are suddenly Easter cakes. Teen 2 made these, melting milk chocolate in a covered dish in the microwave. Stirring in enough crisped rice to evenly coat and then spooning them into cup cases to set in the fridge with a few eggs nestled in the top.

One night this week we went to our friends house and watched a film together with other families and a lovely dog called Misty. This is one we've seen many times now called God's Not Dead, the trailer is here, we've seen the second film in the series too. The films are projected onto a giant pull down screen with surround sound. With nibbles half time it's just like being at the cinema. I particularly love the music but the simple message of the story is brilliant. There are some deep thoughtful moments and some hard going emotional parts but overall it's a good family film with passionate beliefs. I'm a bit confused about the age though as the box says PG but Amazon say (12).   

The local WI wanted me to show them how to crochet, we decided on a simple granny square as that would be the easiest thing to start with. I prepared a slide show with pictures and instructions. They all bought along wool and a crochet hook and wine and Prosecco. With tea, coffee and crisps we were good to go. Whoever thought the WI was dull. There were some interesting shapes and we all agreed it was fun, but not easy to teach others to crochet. If you crochet or even knit, you may like to remember how and when you learnt. Was it from a book, another adult guiding you. Of course today there is google and youtube with a whole range of methods. It can still be confusing as each person has their own particular style, method and habits. Personally I learnt from a book and asking my Mum for help. 
For the tutorial of the granny square and for turning it into a heart afterwards there's a link here.

It's book club time and this is the book we've been reading. A long time ago I started coming up with the questions for the book and for this one I wasn't able to find any on-line from other book clubs. So it was time for me to check out some reviews and draw thoughts together and shape some questions ready for a discussion. Rather than tell you what the book is about, here are the questions we are discussing. 

1. What are your feelings about the book, eg the plot and were you moved or gripped with interest?

2. What did you think about the characters, Daisy so perfect, Kian a well loved guy and Jules – what were your feelings about her before and after Daisy's murder? 

3. What do you think about the book's structure eg the book is full of time jumps and reflections. Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way she did? Was the many descriptions about the pub, extended family and Ruby necessary and how did they contribute to the telling of the story?

4. What did you feel when you'd finished reading? Do you think it 'a weak payoff when the concluding action happens off-screen' as one review says. Or was this book never about crime solving but a story of enduring love and commitment?

5. How do you feel about the issue of 'being nice' to girls in light of this book eg the international discussion about the socialization of girls to be “nice” even when they have warning bells going off in their heads.

6. Have you read any of Susan Lewis other works and would you choose to read any in the future.

I'll leave you with an interesting critical review of the book here. See what you think, obviously it contains spoilers. If you're interested in more of Susan Lewis books see here.
Next months book is Mercy by Jodi Picoult.