Reading with Ortensia, October Edition

Before delving into what I listened to and read last month, I want to mention that there is now a link in the blog that takes you straight to a page where all the reading and listening of the month are stored. All in one place, in case you miss a post or want to have a look at some suggestions.

Back to September audios and papers now, here is what I have been up to.

AUDIO BOOKS

DON’T LET HIM IN by Lisa Jewel, The latest of her novels and my first listening of Jewel’s book, and and must say it doesn’t make a difference if you read her or listen to her, you simply can’t stop till you reach the end. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

THE VACATION by Kathryn Croft, Set in Italy it was nicely plotted but a bit unrealistic and not original at all.🌟🌟

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS by Sarah Denzil, dark and twisted enough to make you keep listening, but there is something amiss, and some questions and motivations never find an answer.🌟🌟🌟

THE CHATEAU by Avery Bishop, a damn good psychological thriller with a twist by the end that you do not see coming.🌟🌟🌟 🌟

A PARISH MURDER by Mary Grand, a good old-fashioned whodunit at its best. I already downloaded more from this author, who indeed gave me lots of Agatha’s vibes.🌟🌟🌟🌟

WATCHING YOU by Lisa Jewel, probably the only one of her past books I haven’t read, and once again I was not disappointed, but to be completely honest, I found it a bit overwhelming and confusing at tracts; too many characters and a bit of rambling in the end.🌟🌟🌟

PAPER BOOKS

A DEATH IN BERLIN by Simon Sparrow, this was the third instalment in the Inspector Shenke trilogy, a series that I loved and highly recommend. I personally preferred the first two books to this one, but purely because of the environments where the crime had taken place. They were, for my personal taste, more intriguing.🌟🌟🌟

I KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE by Dorothy Koomson, well plotted, well thought through characters, an intriguing plot that could be close to home to anyone, with a bit of imagination.🌟🌟🌟

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Curiosity killed the foot

The years when my midsummer weekend was spent at the school fair selling second-hand everything and desperately trying to stop my kids from re-buying the very same toys we had donated, are long gone.
Now I can eventually enjoy the weekend of midsummer and all the fun that it brings along, weather permitting of course.
This year the main attraction was an Abba tribute and I was determined not to miss it so, when my neighbours suggested to go all together, we jumped in.
Well, to be honest, I jumped in, the travelling husband had more to be dragged in… metaphorically because, actually, in a proper matter of action it ended up being the other way around.
It all started with a police car coming up our road and pulling over straight in front of our house. I was in the study and quickly wheeled my chair by the window to see better.
A few minutes had passed and a guard got out of the car and headed to the neighbours’. But which ones?

From the window in the home office, I couldn’t see. I had to reach the sitting room window, as fast as possible.
I jumped on my feet but barely made it to the corridor before falling to the ground.
My right leg was completely numb with pins and needles and I tripped in my flip flops, twisting my foot 90 degrees and brushing the ankle bone on the ground. The pain was so excruciating to take my breath away.
Unable even to scream I dragged myself to the threshold of the sitting room where the travelling husband was watching a tennis match on TV oblivious to all the happening.
When I eventually found my voice back I screamed in pain and then I screamed at him.
I mean what the heck was he doing still sitting there, he should have been by the window finding out what was going on; but it was none of our business. Or at least not while the tennis was still on.
Thankfully Sky still inserts adds and during one of them he eventually gets up from the couch and helps me up the stairs and set me on the bed with some ice on the foot, now swollen and turning greenish.
As bad as it sounds, I could still put some weight on it, therefore it could not be broken. I went through that twice in the past, I know the feeling. This was not the case, despite the fact an hour later the pain was so very much breathtaking, that I couldn’t bend or touch my ankle. And I still didn’t know where the guard went and why. To make it even worse then, it was nearly time to leave for the Abba tribute.
I texted my neighbour explaining what had happened, (not why, too embarrassing) and that we were going to be late, hoping the few painkillers I had just swallowed would do what they said on the tin.
My neighbour’s reply arrived nearly immediately and with it the revelation of the reason why the guards came up. They were actually at theirs because they were helping with a case at work. Easy peasy; No drama; No juicy gory stories there. Deeply disappointed I told the traveling husband.
“See, You would have found out everything anyway and without risking killing yourself in the process. You just had to be patient .”
Right! He was right.. again! It is not always a case of no pain no gain.
Eventually, the painkiller kicked in and holding the traveling husband’s arm I hopped down to the beach. The show was a disaster and I was glad to be so high in drugs because that, was the only way to make it through it. They were not even in 4. They were just two playing the four ABBA in turns.
Anyway, we made it there, we made it back and we solved a mystery.
What I still haven’t figured out yet, is what happened to my foot and ankle, because 2 weeks later, even if I can now touch it without screaming with pain, there is still some swelling and I can’t twist it or bend it, unless I want to relive the pain of giving birth . The good news , is that I can walk on it, andI just have to keep it straight, do not put much weight on it and avoid sitting cross-legged. It cannot be that bad, right?!

Happy Sunday ,have agreat week ahead and do not forget to subscribe and follow.

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The disappearance of the traveling husband

A bit late posting g this week. Again but yesterday I was unwell( thus will go on next post) and it has has been two very busy weeks.

Two long and busy weeks ending with the sudden disappearance of the traveling husband.

Nothing to worry about though, he is now back. Yes, he is like one of the zombie in that old movie, “he always comes back”.

But let’s go with order.

Come the night between Thursday and Friday, I roll over the traveling husband’s side of the bed and realise it is empty. I do not worry, nothing really out of the ordinary. We are both evening tea drinkers and I simply assume he is the bathroom. I don’t even bother to check if the ensuite’s lights are on or off.

Some time later, I wake up again and stretch my arm on the other side of the bed and the husband is still not there. I am not sure how long had passed but long enough and too long for him to be still in the bathroom . Surely the man has passed the mid-century and prostate tricks are around the corner but I believe he is still far too young for that and so this time I pay attention if the ensuite lights are on or off. They re off.

At this point there could be three explanations:

1- the traveling husband had collapsed and somehow switched off the lights while falling on the bathroom floor;

2- the traveling husband tripped on the doorstep of the bathroom , banged his head and lost conciousness before having the chance to switch on the lights but somehow landed inside the ensuite and close the door behind him;

3- The traveling husband was having the longest night wee in the history and in the pitch dark.

Being my turn to have that night wee, I pretty soon realise none of the above scenario were to be considered. The traveling husband was not in the bathroom, either standing by toilet or laying on the floor; and neither he was nearer the room.

His day clothes were still on the chair, and his pjs was not hanging behind the door. I felt entitled to exclude he made a run.

Of course he could have spare clothes ready somewhere but my guts told me that was not the case. And if it was, there was nothing I could really do in the middle of night and if I really wanted a chance to to dissuade him from walking out our marriage, surely it was not a good idea doing it with tired puffy eyes. I needed my beauty sleep and a clear head.

I went back to bed and slept another few good solid hours till the alarm clock went off. I first checked with my hand the traveling husband’s side and, unless during his nightly absence he had grown fluffily ears and long silk hair, he was not there. The dogs had happily taken over his space.

I then got up, slipped on my dressing gown and head toward the stairs to make myself some much needed coffee to solve the mystery of the sudden disappearance of my husband.

A mystery that, truth to be told, I didn’t have to work hard to solve.

“Poop, Poop, Poop” or whatever noise the tennis balls make. Step after step the TV noise coming from the sitting room was getting louder and clearer.

The traveling husband never left the house. He was in front of the TV since 3.30 am watching the semifinal of the Australian Open.

Devotion someone calls it, I call it madness!!!!Men work in a mysterious way indeed… but thankfully women are there to solve it😉

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