Sloooowly moving

Don't you just love moving someplace new? Well, we're technically not yet moving as the floors aren't ready yet but I'm already packing all our stuff and transporting it to the house. And boy, I love doing this!

Not only because something is finally happening but also because you go through all your possessions... books, clothes, stashes of fabric, slides, CDs, letters ...

You discover so many things you totally forgot about, dig up old diaries (and of course read them before putting them into a box), find old letters (read them as well), go through all the unfinished projects (and immediately decide to sew a few things, starting today), spend the day playing excellent music from the nineties, go through all the coffee table books (an remember for each and every one where you got it) and read all the dedications ... and spend hours and hours going through all the dresses and remembering on which occasion you wore them ...

And I can't remember when I last saw an empty shelf in this apartment!

Approaching the end ...

78. THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE (Marple)
A famous yet miserable actress, a friendly but annoying neighbour, a successful albeit deadly party and ... peace at last.

Memorable quotes:
-"After you've fallen in love with a man and married him and got used to his ways and settled down comfortably - to go and throw it all up and start again! It seems to me madness."
-"... bossy women seldom get themselves murdered. I can't think why not. When you come to think of it, it's rather a pity."
-"Children feel things, you know ... They feel things more than the people around them ever imagine. The sense of hurt, of being rejected, of not belonging." 

Favourite Guest Character: Jason Rudd, probably
Mystery: ***
Final Solution: *****
Entertainment: ***
11/15


77. THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS (Marple)
Two groups of people challenge each other by telling mysteries - but of course only Miss Marple is able to give the correct answer. Mostly because the people everywhere are very much alike and by knowing the psychology of everyone in St. Mary Mead, she can solve just about any problem. Even the ones that haven't happened yet!

Memorable quotes:
-"... so many people seem to me not to be either bad or good, but simply, you know, very silly."
-"Everybody is very much alike, really. but fortunately, perhaps, they don't realize it."
-"I love stories about sinuous Spanish dancers. It makes me forget how old and fat I am." 
-"This is real life; and real life stops just where it chooses."
-"But there are quite a number of people who aren't stupid, and one shudders to think of what they might accomplish unless they had very strongly rooted principles."

Favourite Guest Character: Jane Helier, the actress
Favourite Stories: The Blue Geranium, The Affair at the Bungalow, The Bloodstained Pavement ...
Mystery: ***
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
10/15


76. ENDLESS NIGHT
Gypsy's Acre, poor Michael, rich Ellie, love at first sight, an eccentric architect, a wonderful house, murder, murder, murder, murder  ... A very enjoyable novel with a great narration by Michael.

Memorable quotes:
-"Two things run together, side by side. Weakness and strength. The weakness of fading vitality and the strength of frustrated power."
-"If a girl is going to have any sense at all, she'll have it at twenty-one."
-"Mothers are like that. Always inclined to be suspicious of daughters-in-law." 
-"Faces are tricky unless you can connect up when and where you'd seen them."
-"Where large sums of money are concerned it is advisable to trust nobody."

Favourite Guest Character: Michael Rogers
Mystery: ***
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
10/15

Sour cherry cake

What do you do if you have a large sour cherry tree growing in your garden? You can't really eat sour cherries - at least I can't - but I can surely make a cake. Basic chocolate sponge cake, sour cherries and filling made of yogurt, cottage cheese, gelatin (and vanilla, sugar, lemon juice, and cream). Delicious!

I really need to find another way to use those sour cherries, I can't make dozens of cakes!

Watching Le Tour!

I've always been a fan of Tour de France. I admired the athletes, I watched some stages live, cycled some of the mountain passes they did, admired the athletes even more and last but not least, enjoyed the scenery every single time. There is just something special about France.

So I was really excited to learn this year's route start on Corsica and visits plenty of familiar places! I'll try and dig up some old photographs from my very numerous and enjoyable visits to France.

Porto Cervo:

Arles (they had much nicer weather than we did:

Montpellier: