Bulbs, Books and a Boy :: Five on Friday

Hello there, the sun is shining but it's a chilly day. Bulbs are sprouting up and it all looks lovely outside. Ignore any weeds, I've not felt like gardening, the soil here is clay so quite slippery when wet. When we go out to fetch coal, or Angus goes out, a well worn path of clay mud appears. You can imagine the mess at this time of year. We do have towels down in the conservatory, but dogs can't wipe their own feet, so it can be a performance letting him out. We have a bowl of soapy water and a flannel... he's not keen but would happily walk in streams. 

1) Bulbs: Glorious Daffodils, more to come. The last photo will soon be a beautiful display of bright red tulips. 

2) Finished book: Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café by Milly Johnson. I've read it before, but found it in a charity shop and read it again. It's about a cleaning company, infidelity and revenge, with lots of issues along the way. Milly Johnson always tells a good story with a deeper side gently unravelling. 

3) Library books: Every four weeks, the mobile library visits the villages. I place an order and await notification... then they all appear at once! I've started on Sweet Tomorrow's by Debbie Macomber. Her books are always entertaining, very light and often one of the character's knit. When I feel in a slump about reading, Debbie Macomber gets me back reading again. I love how her books (American) say 'visit with you'. In the UK we'd say, going to visit or something similar... it's not as cosy. Two of the books are non-fiction and the Anthony Horowitz book, I actually cancelled that book but it arrived anyway. I'll scan read it and return it. My eldest son & fiancée brought me the last book in this series for Christmas, so it will be good to roughly follow the story line.  

4)  Audiobook: Echoes in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope, book 19 out of 21 part series. I've listened to about half of these on the library app and borrowed the other books to read. They've gone on a bit but they were an enjoyable series. Thea Osbourne with her dog Hepsie (Hepzibar) is a house sitter who is hired to look after the house whilst the family are away. Things always go wrong, often resulting in a body for the police. There are family changes for Thea which create tension at home. Overall a light entertaining mystery.

5) Angus and his hedgehog: A new toy from Johnny's girlfriend, he carries new toys round with him for a while. I was sat on the sofa reading, so he brought me an upside down hedgehog.

What gardening jobs do you do in February?
What are you reading at the moment? 
Do you belong to your local library?