Going away....

Mr W and I are going away for a few days on Saturday, not quite a week, and as we've had such lovely weather all of this week, I am anticipating 6 days of torrential rain holed up in a holiday cottage. Obviously, I have packed lots of books (in fact I've added to the stack since I took this picture but didn't have time to re-take them - late additions include the recently Virago published The lifeboat and a second hand Rebecca Shaw paperback to reread along with Patrick Gale's Notes on an exhibition after hearing him speak on Friday night).

I'm particularly excited about the new Sue Townsend as I always enjoy her books; another extravagance is the new Marina Lewyca, Various pets dead and alive. I've packed The saffron eaters, because it is set in Cornwall, the Laura Ingalls Wilder autobiography because I didn't get around to reading it in Tenerife, and the new Helen Dunmore for the same reason. I've got a new Susan Scarlett out in February called Ten Way Street (thanks to Greyladies again) and a reread of The lost art of keeping secrets by Eva Rice. Mr W will enjoy Chrissie Wellington's autobiography and I hope to be inspired by it too - for those of you don't know, she is the world champion Ironman Triathlete, and has held the title several times. I'm particularly inspired by her because like me she struggled with various mental health issues in her twenties - and look what she has achieved!!

Plenty to keep me occupied and there's a couple of magazines in the book bag too, and a cute cross stitch to have a go at.

I'll be taking a (well deserved I hope) post Orange longlist break, and be back with some Easter baking around Easter weekend. For lent will be over and I can be let loose on the kitchen again, although I'm definitely going to cut down on the cake excesses of 2011 and early 2012.