This is my reading material at the moment – post-war Paris, rife with murder and mystery on the one hand, then advice about my broccoli and onions on the other…

My recent creative urges (must be this spring-like weather) have led me to dig out my old lino-cutting stuff. The knives look like they might still be up to the job, but the actual lino tiles themselves pretty much crumbled to dust in my hands – that’s how long it’s been since I printed anything! And I was so disappointed when I went to Hobbycraft to replenish supplies – in the whole huge warehouse of craft-related paraphenalia, the only item they could supply me with was a roller! Oh, and paper. Hopeless! Thank goodness for the internet.

My most favouritest thing of all when I was at art college (apart from the cider drinking and the discount at Top Shop) was screen printing, but it’s something I’ve never attempted at home… until now! Well, no, not NOW now, but soon. Probably.

Maybe I can satisfy my urges in the meantime with a spot of potato printing until my supplies arrive.

Oh, and I’m very excited about this book that’s due out at the end of the month…

I’m reading ‘Persuasion‘ by Jane Austen at the moment. I adore Jane Austen. I love reading generally and there’s no one else I can think of who can so transport me away from everything that’s going on around me and plonk me right there in 19th century Bath (or wherever). I feel my heart rate slow a bit, my brow unfurrows and I’m smiling when I’m in Austen-land.

I was saving ‘Persuasion’. I’ve read ‘Pride & Prejudice’, ‘Sense & Sensibility’ and ‘Emma’ so many times, but I was consciously staying away from ‘Persuasion’, saving it for a special treat. Oh, it’s lovely! Lovely Anne, I think she might be my new favourite Jane Austen heroine. So overlooked and ill-advised!

People took a lot more notice of what other people said back then. You see played out how one piece of bad advice early on in life can reverberate through a persons whole existence. I wonder how different my life would be today if I had ever taken any notice of peoples (my mothers) advice?

Jane Austen herself though; she’s the greatest heroine of them all. How does someone write like that? Observe so well what people are like? I am never surprised that she is so many peoples perennial favourite. I know I’d sound a lot cleverer if I banged on about someone more obscure. Possibly foreign. Possibly no longer in print and in the original language. But, I like what I like, and I like reading about girls learning about life and getting their man.

(Looking forward now to re-reading ‘Northanger Abbey’, which I have read only once and can’t really remember. Will save the unread ‘Mansfield Park’ for as long as possible though. Possibly. Or maybe, if I just read the first page…).

I’ve got a pile of books to read this weekend, I may have to set myself up in the garden with a big pitcher of iced lemonade and just try to absorb everything.

These two I ordered from the library, I’ve flicked through, there’s loads of wonderful stuff in there…

I’ve also got these two books, ordered from Amazon with some birthday vouchers (thanks Chris)…

The best book I read whilst on holiday was Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

This isn’t your normal run-of-the-mill private detective whodunit type book. It’s extremely entertaining, but then you realise you’ve been thinking about profound stuff like death and loss and love, really quite deeply.

One reviewer on the cover of the book summed it up really well by likening the experience of reading this book to being in a hall of mirrors. It’s just like that! Some strands of the story are obvious, but they just serve to blindside you when something unexpected is revealed, and you find yourself scooting back to earlier chapters to check.

A double thumbs up from me!