Requiem for an Angel

Books

Author: Andrew Taylor

This book came to me from Deloise. It was on the shelf on Texada and I kept putting off starting it; it’s big and you know the rules. The book is actually three books in one, hence the size of it.

The Last Four Things

The story starts out when Michael and Sally Appleyard’s daughter, Lucy, had been taken. Michael is a Detective Sergeant and Sally is a Deacon in the Church of England. Could the kidnapping be related to either of their professions? There were always those who wanted revenge for an arrest and there were certainly many who did not believe women had a place in the church hierarchy. Shortly before the kidnapping, during Lucy’s first service, an unhinged woman disrupts the sermon with obscene curses. By the end of the book we know who the kidnapper was and the unhinged woman is also identified.

The Judgement of Strangers

In this book, a prequel to the previous one, Michael is a young boy and living with his godfather, David Byfield, for the summer. David is also a minister in the Church of England but is very much opposed to the ordination of women. As a widower, David is raising his daughter, Rosemary, on his own. But when he meets Vanessa he is smitten and the two wed. After a few mysterious animal deaths in the community, and some very un-ministerial conduct on the part of David, Vanessa is murdered by Rosemary during a summer party at the neighbours.

The Office of the Dead

Going even further back, we meet Rosemary (Rosie) as a young girl living with her mother, Janet, and David. Janet’s recently-divorced friend, Wendy, has come to stay with the family while she sorts herself out. Janet’s father, who is slipping deeper and deeper into senility, completes the family living in the house. When David decides that Janet’s father must move to a nursing home the news doesn’t go over well. One morning the father is found dead and it is believed to be suicide. When the police aren’t satisfied with that explanation Janet overdoses on sleeping pills and takes the blame. But was it really her?

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Happy Birthday Stacia

Cards

July 17, 2024

I purchased sewing-themed panels and charms many years ago with the intention of quilting them, sewing on the charms, and using them as wall hangings – one for Stacia, one for Deloise and one for me. Earlier this year I made stitching pillows for each of us.

I had some fabric pieces remaining as well as all the charms so as soon as I finished the pillows I set them aside for birthday cards.

I used a stitch holder (from knitting) as a hanger – something I saw on Facebook.

Restraint

Journal

Thursday, July 11, 2024

For a long time I’ve shown great restraint in making fabric purchases, or really any quilting-related purchases. On my last trip to Calgary and Saskatoon I admit there were a few dollars spent in various quilting shops. I purchased fabric to make some screens for Elizabeth, some fabric for a couple of projects that are yet to be started, and a pattern. Once I got home I realized I didn’t need the fabric I purchased for one of the projects, but I did need some fabric for the pattern I purchased. But overall I think I showed great restraint..

I belong to a number of sewing and crafting sites on Facebook. I often see something that I really like but, unless it is free, I pass it up. I saw a book today by a designer that I really like. I already have one of her patterns but I’ve yet to make it. So do I really need one of her books with all those cute projects? I said “no” but I admit that it has gone into my amazon wish list. So I’m giving myself a 50% rating for restraint.

We’ve had a Texada neighbour who has a few cleaning clients; she’s been cleaning the studio after each of our visits. She is very thorough so Pat decided to ask her if she’d do some cleaning at our home. I’ve always shied away from a cleaner in our living space but I know that I’m not keeping up with the cleaning. Bev is going to come this afternoon and start tackling the main floor.

There was so much cleaning I wanted to do before she comes but I restrained from doing my “house concert” clean. I thought I should do some tidying up so the surfaces were a bit clearer. That led to cleaning a shelf in the pantry, that led to cleaning three shelves in a cupboard, and then to cleaning under the sink.

There is a lot more I could/should do but I’m practicing restraint!

Does it really help?

Journal

Monday, July 8, 2024

A few days ago I decided to update my daily task list with a number of things that I had removed from rotation after my diagnosis. I have barely been keeping up with the “regular” tasks that come up each day but I felt it was time to get back to some regular divesting. The first task from this old list was to “Clean a Drawer”.

I chose to clean out behind one of the doors in the cabinet I have in my sewing room. The cabinet holds mostly extra office stuff – pens, tape, notepads, and such. I hardly ever go into the cupboard; it contains mostly computer-related items. I weeded out a number of manuals for things I no longer have and then started looking to identify the various cords on the shelves. I kept most of them for the simple reason that I had no idea what they were (or are) for. There were a few software programs that I haven’t run since I switched to the Mac so why I kept them is a mystery.

I also found seven CD’s full of photos ranging back as far as 2005. I know that because there were baby photos of Will and Dylan. I don’t have a CD player on my computer but my laptop does. When I plugged one of the discs into it nothing came up. Thanks to a pair of needle-nosed tweezers I was able to get the CD out.

We have a portable CD-Rom player so I attached it to the Mac with the intention of moving the photos I wanted to keep into my Photos app. So far I have dealt with two of the CD’s so there is still lots to do. I’m enjoying looking through the old photos again; most of them are when the grandkids were small.

There were a few things that went to the garbage, a few things that will be sent to the thrift store and a few things that Pat is going to try his luck at selling. The cupboard is much cleaner now but my desk and work table still have a few things that need to be sorted.

If I load all the photos onto my computer, have I really reduced anything?