… from the house to the barn.
White cat prefers the concrete footpath. Can you see how he has actual cat fur on his paws, in the winter he walks about on four thick little cushions of fur. He is an Himalayan cat. He and the sheep are the only ones on the farm who are actually designed for brutal cold. The irony is that he is the inside cat, due to his extreme age. He keeps reminding me of how old he is too. He and Big Dog were here when I arrived. 
Thing One. 
Enjoying the cold sun, we were barely above freezing all day yesterday.
I have finally received my new Kindle, which will be very useful for reading whilst travelling. Though I still live in fear of them closing our only local bookstore. It is the only one for hundreds of miles so I shall still frequent it. Like everyone I cannot do without books. So I won’t. I will keep collecting them.
However the Kindle does not take up too much room and there is no bookstore where I am going in California for three days, plus seven flights next week so I will need lots of books. Now, you are all readers. What are you reading? Anything I should down load? I am not used to selecting books off a screen, so any recommendations would be brilliant. I need to build a wee reading list. Any favourites?
The Daily View.
Good morning. Cold but still. John is going to work on building the pump a wee warm box while I am away, he has a list to work through, so until then it is working well bringing the pump and the pulsator in and out. Once you start lifting it frequently it is not that heavy and I sleep so much better with it inside in the warm. Yesterday morning even the iodine was frozen solid and NEVER touch metal with wet hands when it is only 17F outside. How do I forget these lessons so fast?
Have a lovely day. I really must try and focus on my packing. I have three nights in California. Now what shall we cook while I am there? I shall have to cruise about your sites and see what you are eating.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
82 responses to “The Well Worn Path …”
A couple of books which I’ve rently enjoyed/ am still enjoying: The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill, ‘A Fraction of the Whole’ by Steve Toltz, A Discovery of Witches’ by Deborah Harkness. Also, one which I told you about ages ago ‘The Whole Hog’ by Lyall Watson – some amazing tales and facts about Pigs!
Christine
Thank you Christine and wouldn’t a pig be a great addition to your own little menagerie.. c
Oh yes, but we’ve been there and even bred them for a couple of years. Our mai problem is lack of land; we only have the 1/3 acre which the house sits on. We used to rent some adjacent land from one of the glen’s crofters but he charged an arm and a leg so the whole thing became economically non-viable. We loved it while it lasted though!
Christine
I really like the perspective in that first image of the pathway to the barn. It appears so much farther from this angle. And lovely pic of the sunshine basker.
Morning Audrey! c
The Poisonwood Bible remains one of my favorite works of fiction of all time. The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher, if you like urban fantasy (I didn’t know I did until I read this series) The Dresden files is a must-read. Also, the Mists of Avalon, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I could go on and on and on!
I just read your page and added a tree grows in brooklyn. the Poisonwood Bible is one of those books that I have a copy in every country i lived in and delightfully ended up carting two copies out to the US.. yes I carried books, I had read, about in my suitcases instead of clothes, I also had to leave my burnt oven mitt behind that time! c
I am sad for your oven mitt. But happy about Poisonwood Bible. I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I do. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn may public domain now, I’m not sure. Sometimes the great ones are free!
Celi, I loved reading “Wait for Me! Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister”, by Deborah Devonshire. What a life!
I read the other Mitford Sisters book ages ago, what a life indeed, i will get this one too! c
I’m a real fan of Graham Robb. Try “The Parisians” and ” The Discovery of France: a historical geography”. Check it out of Amazon – I think you’ll like him. The other and most essential, if you haven’t already read them, is the series of “Dance to the Music of Time” by Anthony Powell – I’ve just checked that they are all available in the Amazon Kindle store..
I could never switch to electronic reading myself, though it is so very convenient for traveling. I keep lugging books around :). Just started the new Alice Munro collection which is exquisite. I think you would really like her, if you have not read her short stories before.
How cozy and furry white cat looks!
Hi Celi! I thoroughly enjoyed, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit, by Mark Seal, so interesting and a true story. Also enjoyed City of Thieves by David Benioff, the Floor of Heaven by Howard Blum, and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. So many fabulous books out there!!! So excited about your upcoming trip home!!! xo
One of my favorite books is Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger. It is on Kindle. It was one of the best books I have read in years. I was so moved by the style of the writing as well as the story. The characters are so rich and I was so sad to get to the last page. I wanted it to continue forever. Another good one is A Painted House by John Grisham. It is not his usual legal/thriller fiction. It is about a young Arkansas boy whose family sharecrops in the 1950s. Love them both! I have really enjoyed looking through all the answers from your other readers.
Anything by Terry Pratchett, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, and anything by Connie Willis. I would still buy cheap paperbacks and just leave them behind on my travels, I don’t think I can go to an e-reader. I’ll be interested in hearing what you think of it. It might be that you can download some of the classics for free (like you can on Gutenberg.org).
I’m so glad you’re getting excited…I would be, too! I am reading several California history books I don’t think you’d care about, but in between, I just re-read juvenile/adult fiction “Island of the Blue Dolphins.” If you read it years ago, I recommend it now as an adult. There are so many more historical implications. They recently discovered the cave (they think they did) where the actual young woman lived. It’s off the coast of California, thus my interest in re-reading.
And on my Kindle I love the Milly Reynolds mysteries…the Mike Malone series. They’re delightful. They are quick reads, fully of British humor and understatement. They’re perfect for long flights. You could finish one in the time it takes to get from one place to the next.
My Kindle goes everywhere with me…even though I still have stacks and stacks of books sitting by my bed…I’m guaranteed a long life. Too much left to read! 🙂
Ouch, frozen pump hands!
Your well worn path looks SO comforting…….
White cat looks exactly like the picture of a cat that my son took in northern China!
I usually try to pack the week before because I add/subtract items all week long. lol Happy packing!
My kindle came today to, now what shall i do with it first?
How exciting is this, you have a ready made list!! morning beverley.. and welcome.. c
A list – it would be a case of take one of the top and add one to the bottom 🙂
I had to chuckle at your well worn path as we have an unfortunate one of those in the front yard from the house to the car…it came with the house and grass will NOT grow there. I just read The Secret Life of Bees and thought of you and your bees…I’m late in getting to that one. The Game of Thrones series is really fun to read, whether you like science fiction or not I think. The world created is so vivid and thorough in these books. Good luck with the packing and the Kindle!
A Country Year by Sue Hubbell and Sylvia’s Farm – the journal of an improbable shepherd. Both fun and very well written.
Sylvia Jorrin
I just think it’s so exotic that you have peacocks walking around your farm!