Mid May Musings

May is flying past !  As everything blooms outside this book was the perfect read for those who love gardens.   The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly tells the tale of several gardens at old, historic English homes, and the lives of the people that created them...and lived with them.  I had to enjoy it with a cuppa and a scone.   These scones are so easy to make - you can find the recipe here  Apricot White Chocolate Scones

I have been enjoying several good books this month...

I really enjoy Stephanie Dray's books...she seems to do so much research for her historical fiction novels and you can learn SO much about different periods in history.  This one tells about the ancestral home of Lafayette through the stories of his wife, the chateau and the women involved in the chateau during WW One and Two.  I loved it - and learned SO much about Lafayette!

So thankful for our local Public Library...they really feed my reading habit.  Some other titles I enjoyed this month are...

If you read The Lilac Girls and The Lost Roses, this completes the saga of the Woolsey family and the part they played in history.  Once again...this author does so much research that even though it is fiction, I learned SO much.

Another historical fiction about the Warsaw Ghetto...again, very well researched and I learned a lot about real life hero  Dr. Janusz Korcsak, who was an advocate for children before the war and tried to be a savior for children throughout the terrible times in the ghetto.

Getting out of my historical fiction genre and starting this today...I have heard so much about this book, so I suggested it for my Book Club that finally got together last week.   Everyone voted to read it, so I will lead the discussion next month and look forward to reading this!

Purchased the book from Thriftbooks and now have earned a FREE BOOK - Yippee!

Amazon purchases this month include these timers.  I love to have lamps on timers but my old timers are starting to make that clicking sound...they are the older, rotary type of timers and somewhat bulky.  Susan at Between Naps On The Porch recommended these on one of her posts so I am going to give them a try.

Ever in search of the perfect mascara, I have noticed a lot of bloggers and posts on Pinterest seem to love this Lash Princess.  A bargain at 4.99 I ordered the waterproof version.

I really love my FitBit Versa 2....love that it not only tracks my steps but also am able to see my email and texts right on my wrist...and reply to texts by speaking into it.  I feel like Dick Tracy and his watch in the old comic strips! (Wow, just dated myself!!!) But I did not like the bands that came with the Versa...used the navy blue during the winter and switched to the pink for the Spring...but the look was a little too casual for me. I found this mother of pearl looking band on Amazon...

I just love the way it looks...

It feels more like a bracelet ...

and it came with this handy tool that made it fairly easy to take out a link to make the perfect fit!

And...I don't have a recipe for this...just had some tomatoes that were left over from making a salad, some spinach that needed to be used before it turned bad, and had some shrimp in the freezer.  I sautéed it all together with some onion, garlic, and served it over pasta...it was a huge hit.  Though next time I take a photo I have to remember to wipe the drops from the plate...a food stylist I am not!!!

Other good news...today our 5th floor cafe reopened - over a year closed since Covid.  Our building includes a beautiful continental breakfast and one of the best parts of living here is having breakfast with friends and a great view!  It was SO good to be back today...still a limited menu and social distancing...but great to see our friends and neighbors and chat over a cup of coffee!

What have you been reading and buying this May ?   Please share your ideas in the comments below - I would be thrilled to hear from you!

Thank you so much for stopping by Our New Vista! Have a great day!