Summer is over. So I just thought, it's the perfect time to reread one of my favourite books.😉 Plus, my autumn reading always needs: - a sultry contractor - the cutest stray dog - more than one semicolon amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CNDYN5W6 #Romcom #TheLakeDistrict #YouWereSummer

All I did was get a better price on Ma and Pops' home insurance, which is up for renewal this month. They didn't ask me to; they didn't want to trouble me. It took just half an hour on my laptop. That's all. I got it down to almost half. My lovely Pops was so, so grateful. 🥹

I always think I have patience for days; that is, until I have a conversation with someone who... loves to... leave plenty of... dramatic pauses... in their sentences... when they're... telling a............. story.

A friend's step kids (aged 21 and 25) pay him and his wife £400 EACH a month for lodge. One helps in a kitchen and the other works in a care home. The parents both have good jobs in Lincolnshire. I think it's a lot. Am I out of touch? When he told me, my reaction was:

My ma always looks serious when talking about picking brambles in October. "You mustn't do it," she says. "You can't eat them - the witches have weed on them." Apparently, that's how witches prepare for Halloween - they fly over bramble bushes and empty their bladders. 🤨

Yes, my patio door is wide open this morning. Yes, it's nearing the end of October. Yes, it's reading 7°C outside. No, I'm not cold. (the plastic board is to stop squeaky visitors getting in 🐁🐁)

This is the last of this year's marigolds. What makes it special is that it's not only the result of a wayward seed from the year before, it also got to this size in just decorative stones. No soil. Not ONLY that, it never got watered this past summer - and it was in full sun!

I often start my day with two coffees and 15 minutes of window-shopping with CruiseTV. Once I've imagined myself on a 14-night trip to see the Autumnal Colours of Canada in a cabin with a balcony, and all meals included, I'll have a great day.😎 There's no harm in dreaming.

I don't know what it is, but my tolerance for graphic violence in movies is wearing thin. I started watching The Last Duel and only managed about five minutes of the first gory battle scene. Nope. Sorry. It's not for me.

I will swear, BUT there's a time and place. Never in front of my parents or anyone who doesn't like it. And NEVER when tiny ears can hear. Call me stuffy, but I don't think it's nice to drop multiple f-bombs down supermarket aisles at 11am. Swearing isn't included in BOGOF deals.

I said it last year, and now there are whispers they may rethink the Strictly hosting line-up for next year, I'll say it again: La Voix would be brilliant at it! Johannes upstairs; La Voix downstairs. (Two judges instead of three would also save the BBC money!)

With the odd exception, my relatives fall into two categories: - Those who show up unannounced and start by saying, "Sorry it's been a while..." - Those who phone to say when they're coming over (just before their kid's birthday) and finish with, "... but we can't stop long."

I'm never bored when I'm on my own. Never. I can always find something to do/read/make/watch. I am always the life and soul of the party (of one)! When a social gathering requires more than one chair, though...

I got over my ex by making him my MC's ex and highlighting everything that made me better off without him. Of course, by the 400th edit, I'd changed his name and hair colour. By the 500th, readers probably think he's someone like Tom Hiddleston. He's not. He's... really not.

Frasier said this in an episode in 1997. But I feel the hugging craze didn't cross the pond until the late noughties. I can say with certainty that it hasn't crossed *my* garden pond even now in 2026.

Astronomers and astrophysicists could easily brighten up their days by telling us funny fibs because... who are we to disprove it? They could say that 'maverick' planets 11,000 light-years away orbit a big, green, wobbly, bobbly sun, and the majority of us would react with:

Everything I know about semicolon use is self taught. If they were discussed at school in the 80s, I don't remember. But I think I would. I recall reading (and hating) Chaucer's work and being *told* my thoughts on Brave New World. Commas and full stops, yes. Other punctuation?

Why did I name my MC in 'You Were Summer' Jo, after Jo March in 'Little Women'? Because, growing up, that's who I wanted to be like: I wanted to be the brave wordsmith who put her family first and fought conformity. Instead, I'm more of a Beth - but healthier. #ohwell

When I worked in offices, what peeved me most was those who ate their lunch at their desk and used their lunchbreak to go out. My issue was they spent 15-20 mins away from their desks preparing their lunch in the kitchen and chatting to those in there who were ON their lunch.

I clicked on the ... and the "☹️ Not interested in this post" option. The response: X will use this to make your timeline better. The result:

Any other Big Brother fans getting Twinks vibes from this lovely fairy? I feel it's exactly what she would say, too. 😊