Scenes from the garden

Saturday
Today was a lovely sunny, fresh and cool day, so lovely after the excessive heat we have had recently. Unfortunately, I spent most of it inside, preparing for Book Club which I am hosting and leading on Monday. I finished the book, The House of Doors by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng, a few days ago, but now I need to do a bit of background research, and think of some discussion questions. I’m not exactly in my comfort zone when I'm leading, as I feel rather inadequate compared to some of the other ladies, who are obviously much more widely read than me, and seem to do a much better job. It’s a fascinating book, fiction, but featuring several real life people, the British author Somerset Maugham, the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen, and an actual murder trial - Ethel Proudlock. I have read his previous book The Garden of Evening Mists, which I loved. I’ve watched several interviews with him about the book, which were quite informative. I took some time this morning to chat with Peter and Judy, my brother and sister in law, and this afternoon to do some ironing.
Since I didn’t get out for exercise today, my blip is a collage of scenes from the garden, including several feathered friend visitors.
I tried a new recipe this evening, Farro with mushrooms, shallots and kale, which was good- will definitely do again.