Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

lostinrates

:eek:

JanCee wrote: »

One of my friends told me she knew she had failed her driving test halfway through, she was on a dual carriageway & the car was not very responsive, she looked down & realised the handbrake was still on.

dh failed a few times its the first time he's ever faced that and it WAS really valuable. It came at the same time as he was applying for contracts....so double doses of ''learning'' experience.

My family's favourite of his failures was when the tester said ''turn right''....so he did. Sadly, he did so long before the right turn, and turned before the bollards...up the wrong side of the road:eek::eek:

we have never let him live that down:whistle::whistle::whistle:

fc123

Lovely pics of the baby horse NDG

lemonjelly wrote: »

What did you get?

Well....I thought I would try some new authors unfamiliar to me and had read a review recently so took that a sa starting point;

Wild Abandon by Joe Dunthorne

Kate and Albert, sister and brother, are not yet the last two human beings on earth, but Albert is hopeful. The secluded communal farm they grew up on is - after twenty years - disintegrating, taking their parents' marriage with it. They both try to escape: Kate, at seventeen, to a suburbia she knows only through fiction and Albert, at eleven, into preparations for the end of the world - which is coming, he is sure.

And then there is Don: father of the family, leader and maker of elaborate speeches. Faced with the prospect of saving his community, his marriage, his son from apocalyptic visions and his daughter from impending men, he sets to work on reunifying the commune by bringing it into the modern age, through self-sufficiency, charisma and a rave with a 10k soundsystem.

The last day on earth is coming. Bring your own booze.

The Hopeless life of Charlie Summers by Paul Torday

Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army and is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam. Bilbo runs an investment fund company and business is booming.

Bilbo persuades Eck to join the company as a 'greeter' for moneyed clients. All Eck has to do is supply the contacts with entertainment and large G&Ts and then the fund managers will do the rest. Soon Eck is able to buy himself a luxury sports car and decadent flat.

It is on a golfing trip to France that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur whose latest scheme is to import Japanese dog food into the UK. Soon Charlie lands on Eck's doorstep with his suitcase, intent on staying and relaunching his dog food business in the area. But with the financial crash looming, Eck begins to ask himself if they are so very different...

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

By
Lovely Treez (Belfast, N Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: When God Was a Rabbit (Hardcover)
When God Was A Rabbit is one of Waterstone's Top 11 for 2011 and that recommendation plus its wonderful title attracted me to this very impressive debut novel.

The story is divided into two parts, 1968 and 1995, the first of which deals with the childhood of our narrator, Elly Portman, spent in Essex and Cornwall and the latter concerns events in Elly's life as an adult, mostly in London and New York. Family relationships are a strong focus for the author, especially the bond between Elly and her older brother, Joe who is at pains to "fit in" with his peers. The Portmans are not exactly your typical middle-class family as is clearly demonstrated when they embark on their Cornish adventure, opening a rather unconventional B+B which attracts some idiosyncratic characters. Moving to Cornwall means an end to Elly's close relationship with her best friend Jenny Penny but this bond is renewed in the second half of the book.

You've probably gathered by now that this is a very "busy" novel, filled to the brim with big themes such as love in its many shapes and forms, bereavement, family relationships and identity. It's a credit to Sarah Winman's writing that the story remains fluid, whimsical and almost magical even when exploring the darker side of humanity. Yes, the characters are quirky but they are fully rounded, believable and extremely engaging. There are moments of wonderful comedy, especially the Jubilee Street Party and the school nativity play, but these are balanced by bleaker episodes such as those dealing with domestic and sexual abuse and the aftermath of 9/11.

From the opening lines, you are drawn into Elly's world and you're immersed in the ebb and flow of family life. When God Was A Rabbit is an excellent first novel and one which will hopefully resonate with many readers.

There are more...but then the post would be huge I just cut and pasted the 'abouts' and there seems to be a few topical themes running through them:cool:.
I got Salmon Fishing in the Yemen too.....don't know why but I think The White Horse might like that one It's got a public sector theme to it.

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not worried about money, we've got that covered.... but I felt forced to make inadequate decisions about things that I knew nothing about - the whole process is really rushed and if you're asked questions you kind of give the answer you think you're supposed to give as you don't know what all the choices are. I was feeling I was making decisions I was hopelessly unqualified for and it mattered and I didn't want to get stuff wrong, and some stuff I didn't know how to decide .... so those bits weren't being done.

I know what you mean about the above....and I am guessing there is a sort of 'rush' about it too so no time to research or ask anyone else either. I also am guessing that organising something like this is a first too and doing anything for the 1st time is hard as everything is out of the know zone.

I have only been to 4 funerals + all of grandparents who had a long life though one i spent outside as DD was small and started to grumble. OH went to one years ago of a friend who was 21 and died in a hit and run.....the place was overflowing and very, very emotional.

Unfortunately son has already been to 3 all of kids same age is him at the time (so from 17 - 22). 2 drug overdoses and one suicide.

misskool

made my first ever fruit leather tonight. now just the 6 hours it takes to find out if i made it right. must read instructions before starting things at 7pm. :rotfl:

fc123

misskool wrote: »

made my first ever fruit leather tonight. now just the 6 hours it takes to find out if i made it right. must read instructions before starting things at 7pm. :rotfl:

What's Fruit Leather? Glad to hear sis is OK too......

misskool

fc123 wrote: »

What's Fruit Leather? Glad to hear sis is OK too......

it's like those posh fruit sticks, basically dried fruit puree. But I've never made it before so it's a bit of hit and miss tonight. Tried it on the free blackberries so is ok, only cost of greaseproof paper and bit of electric for dehydrator.

thanks, just spoke to her and trying to convince her to max out on painkillers. my parents are baby-ing her, so she's being looked after.

Anyways, might get salmon fishing in yemen now thanks for pointing it out

fc123

misskool wrote: »

it's like those posh fruit sticks, basically dried fruit puree. But I've never made it before so it's a bit of hit and miss tonight. Tried it on the free blackberries so is ok, only cost of greaseproof paper and bit of electric for dehydrator.

thanks, just spoke to her and trying to convince her to max out on painkillers. my parents are baby-ing her, so she's being looked after.

Anyways, might get salmon fishing in yemen now thanks for pointing it out

I read the reviews and it sounded so bizarre I just have to give it a go........the author has written several books and had very good reviews so I am hoping I have found a new author to enjoy.

I fancied reading 'tales with a bit of humour' this holiday so I hope I have chosen well. Bought OH some John Grishams as he has just read his 1st one and enjoyed it. He loved the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

5.0 out of 5 stars "Salmon fishing in the desert sounds more of a minority sport.", 5 July 2007
By
Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)



This review is from: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Hardcover)
(4.5 stars) One of the most delightful and original satires I've read in ages, this debut novel pokes fun at every aspect of British society, from government spin-meisters and crass politicians to marriages of convenience, TV interview programs, consumerism, and the belief that many of the world's problems would be solved if only other people were "more like us." This satire is particularly refreshing, however, since the author writes it with a smile on his face, preferring to !!!!! balloons with his witty needling, rather than wield a rapier in a slashing attack.

The absurdity begins on the first page, when mild-mannered and unimaginative Dr. Alfred Jones, a fisheries specialist, receives a letter asking for his participation in a project to introduce Scottish salmon and the sport of salmon fishing into the wadis of the Yemen during the yearly rains. Alfred finds the whole idea ludicrous and ignores the letter, until the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and eventually the prime minister weigh in. The PM's office favors this effort for its "environmental message," the new links it will forge to a Middle Eastern country, and not incidentally, the huge, positive news story that may push stories of Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia off the front page.

Through letters, e-mails, memos, diary entries, newspaper articles, records of the House of Commons, interviews, and even intercepted al-Qaeda e-mail traffic, the story of Alfred's efforts to create a suitable environment for salmon in the mountains of western Yemen unfolds. Gradually, Alfred becomes intrigued with the research possibilities of the project, and his contact with His Excellency Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zaidi bani Tihama, an avid salmon-fisherman who lives part of the year on a Scottish estate, broadens his vision and stimulates his imagination.

Within the framework that includes the salmon project, Alfred's love life (or lack of love life, since his wife lives in Geneva), and the sheikh's broad vision of a more peaceful world achieved through fishing, the author pokes fun at modern life--government officials who take credit for all Alfred's work, foreign policy which reflects the belief that the Middle Eastern poor hate the British because they do not have TV and material benefits, and even a communications expert who proposes a "Voice of Britain" TV channel with a quiz show in which poor Iraqi contestants can win dishwashers.

Not even the army's "Bereavement Management Center," escapes the author's attention--calls are outsourced to Hyderabad.

As Alfred accepts the sheikh's "belief in belief," he grows emotionally, and when the prime minister insists on going to the Yemen for the first release of ten thousand young salmon into the wadi, the scene is set for a grand finale. Filled with timely observations, an entertaining cast of characters, and a unique and well-developed story line (though the conclusion is a bit weak), this novel breaks new ground.

There are not many satires that can be called "charming," and there may be even fewer novels about salmon fishing that can completely captivate those of us who have never climbed into a set of waders. Mary Whipple

neverdespairgirl

lostinrates wrote: »

He's beautiful. As is the lovely mare.

The both are - Junior's inherited Lottie's stubborness already, though! At 11 months pregnant, Lottie jumped over a 6 foot fence to get back to her old field.

neverdespairgirl

GDB2222 wrote: »

I was looking at his body and thinking it simply wasn't possible. Poor mummy horse, I guess.

He is quite large in comparison to his mother - Olivia, my sister, was midwife, and she said it was quite a tough birth.

neverdespairgirl

LIR, you asked if my Mama had made Isaac a cake for his birthday party - a pic, below, of the Thomas the tank engine cake she made for him, plus carriages:

vivatifosi

misskool wrote: »

Anyways, might get salmon fishing in yemen now thanks for pointing it out

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen is one of the most popular books in libraries over the past few years. Even now it is the choice of many reading groups. I've spoken to several people who have read it and I don't know anyone who hasn't completely enjoyed it. I read mostly non-fiction and this is one of the very few fiction books on my "to read" list.

I'm currently reading this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Worst-Date-Ever-Heart-throbs-Abominations/dp/0330457659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313734238&sr=8-1

I picked it up in the library when someone brought it back (I'd never heard of it) and felt it had a lot of merit. It's very hard to find a book that:

a) slates Liz Jones
b) is written by someone who has written scripts for BrassEye
c) totally takes the rip out of celebrity culture
d) and then goes to Africa for the more serious issue of dictators in Uganda.