Saturday, April 27, 2013

A Back from the Deep Freeze Weekly Link Round-Up




Between the reappearance of posts here and what I've been posting on my Facebook page, many of you have deduced that I've returned from my hiatus. What I didn't mention here was the fact that I didn't post because Denis and I spent an entire month in the UK. It had absolutely nothing to do with my being sick of blogging. It was a splendid month, although the weather did its best to change our minds!

View from our Lancashire cottage
When we first unpacked our bags in the Lancashire cottage that we hired for a week, the hills were green, the trees were showing signs of buds, and ducks and geese were swimming in the Rochdale Canal right out front. But then Russia and Scandinavia decided to share. The wind began to beat and howl against the stone walls of the cottage, ice appeared in the canal, and the snow began to fall. The day this photo was taken, we were supposed to leave for Scotland. We didn't. We were snowed in and couldn't get out. The farmer who owns the cottage took Denis to town in his Land Rover so we could have a bit of food in the house. The drifts were quite deep in places; not all that far away from the cottage, the body of a man was found in the snowdrifts in a pasture. Thousands of people were without electricity, and a week later there were still major roads that hadn't been dug out.

For the entire month, the sun seldom shone, the wind was an almost constant companion, and it was always cold, cold, c-c-c-cold. But guess what? We still had a marvelous time (picture me thumbing my nose at Mother Nature here), and I'll be sharing parts of it with you all over the next several weeks. But now I'd best try to find some links to share!


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff
  • Here's a six-year-old who guesses what classic novels are all about from looking at their covers.
  • This family cleaned their house and found their pet--- that had been missing since 1982. And that's all I'm going to say.
  • Why we need to invent new words. (I do it, and I'll bet you do, too!)
  • For fellow archaeology buffs, a medieval knight was unearthed in an Edinburgh car park (parking lot).
  • Check out what this medieval cat walked across!
  • Now this is one strong shortlist for the 2013 Women's Prize for Fiction!
  • Matthew McAlister believes Georges Simenon is the best French-language novelist you've never heard of.
  • Vacationing in England? Would you like to stay in a castle? Check out Astley Castle in Warwickshire.
  • For the first time since 1947, a copy of the first book printed in America will be sold at auction.
  • In one of those studies that doesn't surprise anyone who loves to read, it's been determined that home libraries provide a huge educational advantage. (Duh.)
  • Someone bought a used copy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Strength to Love and discovered it was signed by the author. Not bad for a $3.50 purchase.

I   ♥  Lists

Digital Reading & More

Book Candy

That's it for this week. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll post a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

14 comments:

  1. Cathy - It sounds as though the weather did its best to be different to what you're used to where you live now. I am so glad you had a good time though and enjoyed yourself. And thanks as ever for the links!

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    1. It's no use to rail at the weather. It will be whatever it wishes to be. I'm glad you enjoy the links!

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  2. I have a feeling you and Denis would have a marvelous time no matter where you went. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate but you have a great story now!

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    1. Oh, I have lots of great stories-- including the rental car trying to slide off into the Rochdale Canal when we left the next day!

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  3. Okay...Snow or heat?!?! Now you get to have 100 degrees on Monday!!!

    You win in the weather department and in the best use of time while traveling in a blizzard.
    You were missed mightily. Glad that you're home safe and sound though.

    All is now right with the blogging world.
    Fondly,
    Gaye

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    1. It's good to be home, Gaye. It took an entire week for my knees to warm up, though! LOL

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  4. Great photo. Hope your cottage was warm and cozy while snowed in. Found some found items in your lists!

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    1. So many of those old cottages are built of stone. With good windows to keep the drafts out and a nice fire, the wind can howl and the snow can pile up, but it's nice and warm inside. I'm glad you found some goodies in my lists!

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  5. Too bad that you and Denis were snowed in. However, I'm sure you read up a storm! (pun intended)

    Can't wait for your book reviews. I'm sure they will send us to the library, or a bookstore or online bookseller immediately.

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    1. You're right: I read a lot more than I expected to while we were over there, and the weather had a lot to do with it. I'm way behind in book reviews, so I'd better get started once I've responded to comments! :-)

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  6. I was so happy when I saw your logo in my Bloglovin email. This is one of my favorite blog features.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoy it. Kind words like yours are all I need to just keep on pluggin' away! :-)

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  7. My warped mind - when I read that a body was found near where you were staying, I almost died laughing. Wouldn't you know a mystery would occur wherever you were. It's sort of like living in the Maine town where Jessica Fletcher lived in "Murder, She Wrote." Oh - Cabot Cove I think. More people died in that town than lived there.

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    1. It would seem that way, wouldn't it? In this case, I think the poor soul just had a few too many at his local and misjudged the weather.

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