A Novel Life

I did a bit of stitching on Tuesday evening and <- this is what I was working on. If you remember the last update on this one, you'll know that I've only done a bit more on the bottom row, but it's a much nicer and truer photo than the last one I posted, so it's nice to get that aspect of it, if nothing else.

I've been doing rather a lot of reading lately. I read Trollope's 'Framley Parsonage' which I'd started just before falling ill, then went on to finish Ann Radcliffe's 'The Italian', an 18th century gothic novel I'd not touched for 4 years!! I've also read Mary Elizabeth Braddon's 'Aurora Floyd', which pleasantly surprised me. I'd really enjoyed 'Lady Audley's Secret' last month, but I was afraid AF was going to be just a re-hash of LAS. It wasn't though, the heroine is basically innocent, just a bit dim at times!! I'm now on to the last 2 tales in the World's Classics collection of Elizabeth Gaskell's shorter works called 'The Moorland Cottage and Other Stories' and have also borrowed MEB's 'The Doctor's Wife' from the Uni. I decided to read as many books as I could from the Uni library's great literatre collection as it saves lots of money buying them and means that I can 'save' my own resources for taing away when we go to Taiwan and I want something to read. I have lots of late 16th-early 20th fiction that I haven't read yet, but there are an awful lot of titles that I don't have, but want to read. Another perk of working at the Uni, (where, yes, I've decided to stay doing what I do now and anymore casual bits and bobs that seem decent, esp as the pay for even those is really good and I can use the libraries etc.)

My College teacher 'phoned the other night and I talked about catching up with her, so that felt a bit better and I feel more motivated. She gave me some good suggestions and now I feel that I can move forward again. Uni term finishes for a month this coming Weds, so I can work more or less full-time on my C&G over the 4-5 week period. That should see me well caught up and even on with my folder etc. I've decided that it's workday time only though and that evenings and weekends will be spent on personal projects, unless, of course, I'm enjoying a piece greatly and want to carry on with it.=) So, there should be more personal stitching coming up, including finishing this band sampler and a hardanger cushion with pink/purple hand-dyed Caron threads on white Oslo fabric. Looking forward to that as it works up lovely and fast. May do some more cross stitch after that too. Stay tuned, progress and photos coming up!