Lest We Forget - A Few Words On Armistice Day

Hi!!!

Good morning everyone. Happy Friday! Today, as you probably know, is Armistice Day and so I've put together a short post to honour that.

Today, Armistice Day, as on Remembrance Sunday, there will be a two minute silence to honour those who have died in conflicts worldwide since WW1. I wanted to encourage you to stop at 11am and take the time to think about those who have fought and are fighting and those who are impacted and have been impacted by war. To think about the things that others have done for us. Whatever we may think about war, those who have served and are serving deserve to be remembered and respected.

Thank you so much for reading.
Do you have any comments or maybe suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.
Speak soon.

Enjoy your Friday!

GingerSnaps xxx

So, To Sum It All Up - October in Photographs.

Hi!!!

In October, I got a new phone. Finally. It's only taken me a year of dealing with one that wasn't working properly to actually get myself to the Carphone Warehouse to upgrade it. I now have a very pretty rose-gold Samsung Galaxy S7. One of the reasons I chose it was its snazzy camera - it is so good! - and I've been playing around with taking photos on it all month. I thought I'd put some into a little autumnal photo essay to share with you all. Its also a bit of an October summary, which is nice.

One perk of getting the bus everyday (yes there are some...) is that I get to walk through some very pretty places to get to the bus stop.

 I love walking and I love being outside so the parks and tree lined roads are always a highlight of my day.

I've been spending quite a lot of time in the house as the nights draw in.

 My room has seen more blankets and books joining the crew, the fan in my bedroom being packed away (yay!) and the living room has been home to board games and even more cups of tea than normal.
 

I've made a little routine of reading on weekday mornings rather than getting dressed straight away which has been nice. I'm currently reading Atonement by Ian McEwan, and I'm about half way through - it is a great read - so points to me!

Oh also, I got glasses this month - I'm short sighted (recently diagnosed). I don't wear them while reading, but they make a nice addition to photos of books, so never mind, haha. Mine are from Vision Express, just in case you were wondering.

I went on a little trip out to Leamington Spa with the familia and  this month on one of my days off (massive YES to days off) and I took some pictures of the autumnal sights in my beloved Jephson Gardens (and made friends with a squirrel).

It is beautiful at all times of the year, but would definitely encourage you to take a trip out this autumn, especially if you're Midlands based like me, because its even more lovely.

I spent some time with my family a few weekends back. It was lovely to see everyone - I hadn't seen some of my cousins in a year which seriously needed to be fixed. I watched Spirited Away for the first time with the littlest ones, played Uno and Snap, ate lots of cake and did a bit of a makeup master class with one of my older younger cousins (did that make sense?). Anyway, it was loads of fun and thanks to my Auntie for having us and everyone else for carving out time to spend with us.

We popped into Hemel Hempstead and St Albans while we were visiting, as we always do, and I did some serious shopping in Hemel Hempstead at TKMaxx, as well as other places. And then in St Albans, we went to the cathedral, which we have done once or twice before - it is such a lovely place to walk around and take in, as are the grounds.

A trip to the Watford Palace theatre was also something we managed to fit into our weekend - we went to see Arms and the Man on Friday night. It was an excellent production (as many are at the Palace), the actors were great and I laughed a whole lot which is always good.

Then, we travelled back home because I had tickets to go and see Jake Bugg at the O2 Academy in Birmingham, which had been bought for me for my birthday (thanks Uncle B!). It was such an amazing gig, and I had such a great time. The set list was fantastic and all my favourites were played and Jake's performance was outstanding (vocals, guitar and personality wise). A major highlight of this year.

 

And then, as it does every October, Halloween happened. Look at the coffee table display for the living room - isn't it super cute?

 

 

 

We had a little family get together with some very nice food, a fire going in the fire pit and some fireworks. When we do fireworks in our family, the policy is 'go big or go home' so the grass is looking a little worse for wear but the neighbours got to see a great display (as did we!). Oh and the next day we all met up again for a huge Sunday lunch.

It was loads of fun - thanks everyone!

So, I hope you liked this post! It was quite different from anything I've done before but I really liked putting it together and looking back on what was a great month.

What did you get up to this October? Did you enjoy this post? Do you like photo based posts as much as me? Got any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks ever so much for reading. Oh and I hope you had a gloriously lovely and sparkly Bonfire Night last night!

I hope your day is spectacular!

GingerSnaps xxx 

Recent Reads - Books - 5 Books To Enjoy This Autumn/Winter By Genre.

Hi!!!

I love reading all year round as I'm sure many of you do. However, I know for lots of people it is an activity best enjoyed at home in autumn and winter, while sat under a blanket with a mug of tea. With that in mind, I've put together a little collection of books that I have read in the last 18 months or so and really enjoyed for you to consider reading. I've organised it into genres and picked one from each - I'm aware there are more genres but I wanted to keep these to things I've read recently so have chosen five. And excuse the fact that there are only three books in the photos - I couldn't locate some of them.

Award Winning General Fiction - Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

Since Elizabeth Is Missing first came out, I'd been wanting to read it, and never got round to it. My lovely best friend Elf Girl included it in a blog post and when I mentioned it to her, she let me borrow and read her copy.

It is about an elderly woman called Maud, who suffers from dementia, and her efforts to find her friend Elizabeth, who she believes is missing and about her past, and in particular, her sister Sukey.

It is such a beautiful book, and is deserving of all the critical acclaim it has received.

Healey writes in a very descriptive and sometimes poetic way. The book is a character driven piece, which I loved.

It talks about dementia in a very eye-opening and honest way and it is emotional at times to witness through the first person narrative the struggles Maud experiences.

It's a must read.

General Fiction - Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

I read Funny Girl on holiday earlier this year and it was a very enjoyable book.
It follows a team working on a BBC sitcom in the 1960s and explores many themes and social issues within that, as well as having romantic and comical elements. It's very entertaining.
The book also features photographs at certain points which help you create a picture of the world the characters are living in as you go, which is really unique and something that I really liked about it.
 Its a fun read.
I have also reviewed this book in full, and you can  read that here.

Young Adult Fiction - Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns was a book that I never thought I would read, and yet it is one of my all time favourites and means a lot a to me.
It follows Q as he tries to find out where the girl he has loved silently for years has disappeared to, as he and his friends leave high school.
It is full of stunning language, it is incredibly meaningful and thought-provoking and yet so much fun.
There are so many elements to this book and so many things to take away and I love it.
I have reviewed it in full, and you can catch that here.

 

Sci-Fi/Fantasy - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

My most recent post about books was about the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde and The Eyre Affair is the first in the series.
This is the book in which we first meet Thursday, and are introduced to life in the version of the 1980s that she lives in (which features dodos, time travel and literary detectives!)
It is a unique, dynamic, funny and imaginative book that I adore.

Crime - The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo's Calling is the first in the Cormoran Strike series.
A supermodel called Lula falls from the balcony of her London apartment and to her death. Her brother asks Strike, a private detective, to look into it because he believes there was more to it than meets the eye.
It is a very good novel. I haven't read the others in the series yet, so can't comment on anything other than this one.
It was written by JK Rowling under a pseudonym, which she has decided to reveal, so if you like her writing then maybe this could be a good read for you.
I thought it was very detailed and descriptive, I liked the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the story. I will say that I wasn't completely keen on the way she writes dialogue sometimes (e.g writing out accents...) but other than that I loved it and have passed it on to several people.

That brings a end to this post, then. Thanks for reading.

What are your favourite books? Have you read any of these? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Speak to you all soon. Oh, and HAPPY BLOOMING NOVEMBER!!!

Have a terrific day!

GingerSnaps xxx

Recent Reads - Books - What's Happening, Thursday Next?

Hi!!!

 

Well, hey there everybody. Happy Friday! Today's post is about some of my favourite books, one of which I finished reading last weekend. This is a bit like a review but not, and you'll soon see why, but if you're looking for some ideas for what to read this weekend, then look no further.

 

 

Let me introduce you to Thursday Next, a smart and brave literary heroine, and the books you can find her in.

 

The Eyre Affair is the first in a series of books that follow Thursday Next and her adventures, and Lost In A Good Book (which I finished last week) is the second. At the time of writing there are seven books.

 

Thursday and co live in 1985, but not as we know it. It is a parallel 1985 in which the Crimean War is still going on, people have pet dodos, Wales is a Republic and the Goliath Corporation hold a scary amount of power and control. Thursday works for SpecOps (who are kind of like MI5) as a literary detective - other SpecOps divisions include the ChronoGuard (time-travelling police) and the Werewolves and Vampires Disposal unit.

 

The first story follows our heroine on the trail for a major player in the literary crime market, Acheron Hades, who has been kidnapping characters from fiction and holding them to ransom - including Jane Eyre. In order to stop him, Thursday must find a way into the books themselves.

 

And then, in the second story, Thursday finds herself jumping into fiction again in order to find the truth when the Goliath Corporation meddle with her personal life, and she finds that lost Shakespeare manuscripts, a few too many coincidences and impending Armageddon are all part of a bigger plan - but whose? With the addition of some wonderful 'new' characters - ever wanted to meet the Cheshire Cat? - as well as all our book one favourites, its an awesome adventure.

 

 The books are an amazing mix of science fiction, fantasy, comedy and references to a bucket load of books. The characters all have such clever, often pun filled, names like Paige Turner, Bowden Cable (like the things on bikes?), as well as a personal favourite, Landen Park-Laine, and of course Thursday Next. The plot is interesting and unique and full of surprises and sub-plots and the world Thursday lives in is so vividly described. I absolutely adore these books and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

 

Jasper Fforde gets two thumbs up and a round of applause from me.

 

I hope you enjoyed today's post - it was a lot of fun to write.

Have you read the Thursday Next books? Do you have any book recomendations for me? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

 

I hope your day is brilliant!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



 

I've Been Thinking... - The Joy Of Colouring Books.

Hi!!!

Good evening everyone. I wanted to have a chat with you today about colouring books because I really like them. I know colouring in for 'grown ups' has been really popular recently, and it might all seem a bit odd, but honestly, I couldn't be happier.



I was a big fan of colouring in when I was little. I used to like 'fashion' type colouring in books, where I could colour in outfits to my liking and add in patterns (I've always liked clothes!). I liked taking control over the colours that would be on the page and I think there was a sense of accomplishment in finishing each piece.

Then, last Christmas, having seen a hundred and one grown-up colouring books in WHSmith every day, I decided that I'd ask for one and see what they were like. My mom bought me The Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford (as well as another colouring book and some pencils). Then Elf Girl bought me this colouring book based on The Chronicles of Narnia (I have always loved the stories for my birthday.
 

My favourite parts of colouring in are still present - choosing colours is still a painstakingly thoughtful process, which I enjoy, and I still feel proud of myself when I complete a picture. The main difference in adult's colouring books and children's colouring books that I have noticed, is that the pictures are far more intricate and detailed, which means it takes me a quite a while to finish the pictures. This gives me time to really savour and consider the images, which is lovely.

A lot of the books are marketed as products to aid mindfulness, and I'm not sure I can comment fully or correctly on the subject because I'm not really all that clued up on the concept, but what I can say is that it is lovely to sit down and take time away from technology to enjoy colouring. It can certainly help you step away from things and puts you in a different mind set.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should treat yourself to a colouring book this Autumn because there is joy to be found inside their pages.

I hope you liked this post, and that you may have found a new activity to fill some of your lovely autumn evenings.

Do you own any colouring books? Which ones would you recommend? Do you think you might buy one now? Do you have any other comments or maybe suggestions for posts you'd like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks so much for reading.

I hope your day is delightful!

GingerSnaps xxx

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do - Music - Let's Discuss People's Obession With Owning Music (And Bands And Singers).

Hi!!!

How are things, guys? I hope you're all having a nice week. I've had the idea to write a post like this one for ages but today I found a little spark of inspiration to sit down and type this (always a nice feeling). So, without further ado, let's talk about people, music and their ideas of ownership.

 



The little spark of inspiration came from scrolling through the comments on a YouTube video. I like to consume my music in various ways - I like listening to CDs and I like watching music videos, sometimes on MTV, and sometimes, when I want to listen to something particular or new, I like using YouTube. The majority of the videos in my YouTube history and recomendations are music related.

 

Today I clicked onto Sam Tsui's channel - if you're not subscribed then oh my goodness, go and listen to his amazing mashups please - and saw a cover of 'Stressed Out' by Twenty One Pilots. I decided to watch it because I really like Twenty One Pilots and I love Sam's covers. And, as I often do, I had a little scroll through the comments while I was listening.

 

It was in the comments sections that I saw things like, and I am paraphrasing here, "It's weird that this song has become mainstream" and "I miss when I could say Twenty One Pilots and no one knew who they were". This kind of thing bothers me.

I understand it, I really do. As someone who listens to and loves indie music and as someone who likes to hunt out new bands and music, I understand that sense of "wait, what?" when you first hear some of those acts being played on the radio. But my "wait, what?" is out of excitement. I want the bands and singers that I love to be able to continue making music and that is made a whole lot easier by more radio play. When I listen to things, especially new bands, its likely that I'll share their songs with at least one person, but if it don't then that isn't because I want to hold an exclusive listening right to them. It's because I listen to a lot of music and I might forget or I mightn't know anyone that I think would particularly love it.

 

However, it isn't necessarily those people or those comments that bother me, so much as the comments such as, and I quote, "...they're not ours anymore...". Excuse me, what? They were never yours. But I find this happens all the time. People think that because they own the albums, know the words to the songs, maybe because they've seen a gig or two, that the music and the artist is theirs. What people seem to fail to grasp, is that they own the songs and the CDs and the gig tickets and the merchandise. They don't own the people. They might feel connected to their favourite musicians - I certainly do - but that doesn't mean that they are yours and yours alone to keep in a little bubble of 'lesser-known-ness'.

These people are ultimately trying to make a living. They love what they do and they love the people that support them and they are lucky to have such great opportunities but they have bills to pay. They want to be able, as I think many of us do, to be able to make a career out of what they love doing and you can't make a career if your fans are trapping you inside a little bubble of 'lesser-known-ness'.

 

I remember when The Arctic Monkeys released 'AM' a few years ago and people kept telling me how long they'd been listening to The Arctic Monkeys and how they had specifically been the ones to get me into their music and so on and so forth. Some people treated the new album and the band like a book they were letting me borrow - like it was theirs and they'd want it back when I was done, like they'd have bought the sequel before me. Here's the thing though, I'm a huge Arctics fan, I like so many of their songs. I'm an Alex Turner fan, for that matter - his soundtrack for Submarine was just incredible. But they are not 'my' band as they are not anyone's band, no matter how they feel about it, and I wouldn't want it to be like that.

 

A song by Circa Waves was featured in a TV advert last year. I think it was 'My Love' but I only saw it a few times so I couldn't be sure. And when I first saw it, I was a felt a little bit weird - but not because 'my music' was going to end up in the 'mainstream', just because I wanted more for them than advert music. That's a different thing.

 

I love feeling like I'm in on the start of something great or I'm in a little club of people who also own all three albums and dance around their house to the songs I like best. But at the same time, I like to see artists grow. I like the micro-communities that bands and singers are capable of forming. And most of all, I'm in it for the music. It doesn't matter to me whether things are cool or mainstream or new or old. It matters to me that I enjoy the songs, that the guitars are played well, that the violins are in tune and that whoever is singing has a voice I love.

 

And with that, I'm off to listen to some Van Morrison. And you can too, if you so wish, I don't mind sharing.

 

Thank you for reading this post, I know its a bit different but hopefully you enjoyed it.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with me or do you think I'm way off base? Do you have any music recomendations for me? Lets all discuss this stuff in the comments below.

Speak soon, my lovelies.

 

Go forth and listen to your favourite songs!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 

I've Been Thinking... - I Saw The Magnificent Seven... It Was Magnificent.

Hi!!!

Good morning, folks. This week I have been quite busy so when plans were made to fill yesterday afternoon with lunch, shops and a cinema trip, I was absolutely delighted. Elf Girl and I went to see The Magnificent Seven at our local cinema yesterday and I'm here to tell you all about it.





The Magnificent Seven is an excellent film. The cast are stellar and the characters they played were awesome (when we left the cinema, we tried to pick favourites and couldn't because they were all great). It has a great soundtrack, which features many elements of the original, the costumes were impressive and the director deserves a huge pat on the back because it was filmed wonderfully.

Plot wise, it is quite similar to the original in terms of essential components - bad guy taking money from people in a small town (except in this it is in America, not Mexico), and a team with various talents and backgrounds forms to try and stop him - with a little extra flair, which makes for very entertaining, and a uniquely familiar, viewing experience.
It has all of those classic elements that make a good Western film. It has hats and horses and guns, it has beautiful landscape shots, it has saloons and gun twirling and jokes every now and then. It has a sense of camaraderie and fun as well as tension.

I personally LOVED it and would recommend that you go and see it this weekend.

I hope you enjoyed this mini-review of The Magnificent Seven.

Have you seen it yet? Do you want to? What are your favourite Westerns? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

Have an awesome day!

GingerSnaps xxx