52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 34

We were on mid-semester break this week.

Yeah!

Scott's got a mate who lives in Ndola, 

so we thought we'd go for a road trip and visit.

Rudd, his wife and 2 kids live on a beautiful farm.

They have a strawberry field.

So, of course,

we had to go strawberry picking.

Sunday we spent the day in Nsobe.

It was World Cup finals.

(Rugby)

The All Blacks won.

(Was there ever any doubt?)

We got to the bar to watch the game, 

and as we were about to order some water,

(it was a hot morning),

we came across this

So this is my hubby at 10am

And while the boys watched the rugby,

Ethan went fishing.

Yes there is a fish there. 

In the afternoon, 

Ethan played badminton.

Happiness is...

....spending time with great mates.

One Foot in the Grave - Jeaniene Frost

How appropriate that book 2 in my weekend of reading is also book 2 in the Cat & Bones series?

Once again, Sarah  introduced me to this fabulous series. I loved the first one, and One Foot in the Grave is even better. 

When we last saw Cat in Halfway to the Grave, she left Bones. She thought it would be best for them to be apart. She left him a note, took her mother and joined a secret part of Homeland Security, continuing her work as a vampire slayer.

Now, five years later, there's a hit put on her life. And, she comes, face to face with Bones. 

Can you feel the heat?

It was great to have Cat and Bones back. They team up to find out who's got it out for her. We learn more about Cat's father, the vampire who, allegedly, raped her mother. We also learn that she has an uncle. 

Oh, and then there's chapter 32. You will read this book in one day, for no other reason than you need  to get to chapter 32. You. Will. Not. Regret. It.

Dark Magic - Christine Feehan

Don't you just love vacation time?

This week we've been on mid-semester break.

Friday, we got in the car and had a road trip to Ndola.

That meant 4 hours in the car, 

with nothing to do but listen to music and read.

And that's what I did.

The first book I got through was

Dark Magic.

This is book 4 in the Carpathians series.

Having not read the first three, I was a little confused at the beginning. There were parts that confused me. Apparently, the Carpathians are a species that cannot go out during the day and feed on blood. But they are not vampires. If a Carpathian doesn't find his lifemate, he turns either to the sun (death) or crosses over and becomes a vampire (evil).

In Dark Magic, Gregori is a powerful Carpathian. He is a hunter and a healer. He is destined to be with Savannah, half human and half Carpathian. She ran away from her family, not wanting to be someone's lifemate, and is known as world famous magician. While she's attracted to him, she does not want or understand what it means to be his lifemate. Gregori, meanwhile is afraid he'll see her as a monster he sometimes feel he is.

It's a fabulous story. We've got Carpathians, evil vampires and vampire hunters who are just as evil and lead by a vampire. What more could you want?

Five Question Friday

We're on mid-semester break.

 Yeah!

Today we're off to Ndola.

Scott's mate has a farm and I have a whole stack of books that need reading.

But we don't leave for another couple of hours,

which gives me time for...

Five Question Friday!

1. Where do you escape to when you've had enough?

While we were in Dar, whenever we needed to get away, we'd hop on over for a weekend getaway to Zanzibar. Just to spend a weekend laying on the beach, doing absolutely nothing recharged you for the weeks ahead. 

We have yet to find a place here to getaway to. We've been exploring different places. But in the meantime, a Sunday afternoon, sitting at Sugarbush, sipping wine, does wonders!

2. What shows are you watching this fall?
Well it's spring here. And we don't necessarily get a whole batch of new shows, but I do have my Must See TV line up.  Castle, Private Practice, The Big Bang Theory, Cougar Town, and NCIS are all on my list.

3. What was the longest roadtrip you've ever taken and where did you go?
A few years ago, we decided to drive up to Ruaha. It took us a day to get to Iringa, where we stopped and spent the night, then completed the trip the next day.

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World?
YES!
Ethan's been asking for awhile now. We've basically "decided" (cos you never know, things change) that we'll go next year. The current plan is to go home for Christmas, then head there for New Years. Ethan's already making his list of characters he wants to meet.

5. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I dunno. There have been many posts where I've said something I didn't do, or want to do, or a secret about me, that I think you all know me. I'm pretty much an open book.

Writer's Workshop - Things I've never done

I am 40 years old.

And I've never...

1. Gone bungee jumping

2. Cooked Christmas dinner

3. Gone skydiving

4. Been to New Orleans

5. Joined the mile high club

6. Been to Egypt

7. Been to Australia

8. Met a vampire

9. Cleaned the toilet

10. Handled a gun

11. Watched any of the Godfather movies

12. Spent a night in jail

13. Eaten frog legs

14. Had breakfast at Tiffany's

15. Seen the Macy's parade

16. Ran in a marathon

17. Ran in a half marathon

18. Worn a pair of skinny jeans

19. Watched Jersey Shore

20. Driven a race car

21. Made a sex tape

22. Had such a hard time thinking of 22 things I've never done

Check out Mama Kat and see what others have never done.

The Darkest Night - Gena Showalter

Don't you just love getting some mail from a mate?

What's better is when she sends a care package for you and your son!

It gets even better...

in the package there's a book with one sexy cover!

Maddox is a Lord of the Underworld. Create to protect the Gods, he was angry the Gods put Pandora in charge of keeping the box safe. So he, along with some others, wanted to prove to the Gods that a woman wasn't strong enough and released the evils into the world. As a punishment, each Lord has been cursed with the spirit of a demon. Maddox holds Violence within him. Violence killed Pandora and as a further punishment, every night at midnight, Maddox must die in the same violent way, only to return the next day and start over.

Ashlyn Darrow is a human. She hears voices. And not the schizophrenic kind. Where ever she goes, she hears the voices of conversations that have taken place there, no matter how long ago it was. 

Ashlyn goes to Budapest for work. While there, she "hears" conversations about angels that live in a fortress upon a hill. Convinced they can help her, she heads to find them. And so begins the steam.

Ok, so it's not quite BDB, but it was good! I love the idea of using Greek Mythology into our world. Is it myth? Or was it real? 

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 33

Hello, my name is Tima and I love to shop.

I cannot recall if it was in high school or university that I was first introduced to Margaret Atwood. Knowing me, it was in high school, but I didn't appreciate her until university.

I'm a fan of dystopia, and after chatting with one of my colleagues, we came to the conclusion that Margaret Atwood is the Queen of Dystopia. I know there are those of you who will argue this with me. Hear me out. In 1985, she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. I don't think it was called dystopia at the time. We all just knew it as science fiction.  

A few years ago I read Oryx and Crane, and loved it. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing on Amazon and came across her new book, The Year of the Flood. This is the sequel to the Oryx and Crane. So of course, I had to get it. And since it's been a few years since reading Oryx and Crane, I needed to get that one again for a re-read.

And guess what came in the mail this week?

Then my dearest mate Sarah (you can visit her here), introduced me to Erin Confren's Life Planners. After some staring at the website, I caved and decided to organise my life.

And when I collected my books, guess what else was waiting for me?

Happiness is getting some treats in the mail.