Book review: "The Maiden of Mayfair" by Lawana Blackwell

I bought this novel having thoroughly enjoyed two other of Blackwell’s books, “The Widow of Larkspur Inn” and “The Courtship of the Vicar’s Daughter”. The characters were so real that I liked spending time with them, and the plots slowly evolved in a realistic (if somewhat idealistic) fashion.

I’m not sure I enjoyed this one quite so much, because the plot didn’t really “grab” me – it’s evolution was so slow I found myself losing interest, until the final flurry at the end. There was one twist which made things quite interesting, but I found the main conflict towards the end of the novel a little irritating. And while I did develop sympathy for a few of the main characters, most of them were somewhat one-dimensional.

That said, it is still a charming read. It is a story of personal discovery and development set in Victorian London. The plot centres around Sarah Matthews, a young orphan who comes to live with a wealthy widow and a cast of quirky servants. The origin of her birth is always in question and this is what really drives the plot through various twists and turns, with some romance thrown in for good measure. I’d recommend this book if you want a light, non-challenging and wholesome read.

Well done, Michael Campbell

Michael walked away with the US Open in golf yesterday. The first Kiwi to win a major in some 40 years. What an inspiration to all of us, and a lesson in perserverance. An awesome victory for a great bloke. :-)


P.S. Good on ya Norm for winning Dancing with the Stars!

Update on mystery piano man

I originally posted about the mysterious virtuoso who showed up on a beach in Kent here. It now looks like the authorities have their hands full following up on leads from the public, but one in particular (from the Czech Republic) looks promising. Details here.

Take your pick...

Kitten dials 111

Tabby the cat may be only four months old but he already knows what to do in case of an emergency.

In fact, there was no apparent emergency when he was left home alone on Saturday night, but Tabby dialled 111 anyway - sparking a police callout that saw officers break into the Mt Eden home of the Abhayaratne family.

Arriving home to what appeared to be a break-in, the family were stunned to discover that nothing was missing. The smashed glass door was the only sign that someone had been inside until a note revealed the police were the culprits.

It explained that a 111 call had been received and officers had no choice but to break in after getting no response from inside the house.

"It [the note] said the cat had called 111. We thought we had been burgled at first and couldn't believe it," said 14-year-old Harindu Abhayaratne.

The telephone, which is also a fax machine, sits on a desk in the lounge. Its big buttons would easily be triggered by a kitten strolling over them.

Tabby has been known to turn on the television with the remote, but this was his first phonecall.

Harindu's mother, Mihiri, said she had sometimes scolded the children for not turning off the TV, before realising Tabby was to blame.

She said insurance had paid for replacing the glass, and the family would now be extra careful about where they left the phone.

Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said police were called to the house on Saturday. "We answered the callout and entered the property, but there was only the cat there."

*From the Herald

Something Fishy

An Aussie woman was caught with 51 live tropical fish on her body as she arrived at Melbourne Airport on a flight from Singapore, after customs officials became suspicious of “flipping” noises coming from her skirt. The woman was wearing an apron of plastic water-filled bags containing the fish, under her clothes.

Wow. Imagine how long it would have taken for her to get that outfit ready. Did she really think no-one would notice the flipping?

NZ Idol v2

I see that the queues are forming again for the NZ Idol auditions. That’s all well and good, but what happened to our winner from last year, Ben Lummis? He was crowned with much glory, and had heaps of publicity for about a month, while he released one single and an album. But then what happened? Where were the follow up singles, the signings, the concerts, etc etc? Apparently the recording contract is for a year. We haven’t heard a peep out of the young man for months on end. Which is quite a pity, because he has an amazing talent. I suppose he will just fade into obscurity now. Hopefully he got what he wanted out of the whole experience.

Will the same thing happen this year? For the auditionees, I suppose the possibility of appearing on television is enough motivation for them. But if it were me (and I’m far too shy!) I would be wondering about the validity of the actual prize.

'Dancing with the Stars' Travesty

I was shocked last night when Bernice and D'Artangan were voted out, and Tim and Rebecca remained! I'm sure Tim is a very nice guy, and it's nice that the South Island is behind him, but Bernice is a far superior dancer. This is a dancing competition, people!

If Tim and Rebecca can get such poor scores from the judges and still pull through, that means they have a chance of winning the whole competition, which would be terribly unjust. Come on, New Zealand, vote for one of the couples who can dance well (either Norm and Carol-Ann, or Shane and Nerida). This competition should be won on merit, not just popularity.

Exfoliation and all that jazz

I went to a "hen's night" on Saturday. For my American readers, that is similar to a "Bachelorette Party" I think. The bridesmaids had hired out a hotel suite, cooked us a lovely meal and got some beauty therapists in do give us some pampering. I decided to have a facial, something I’ve never done before. The woman began to rub substances on my face and said, “You skin is so dry! When was the last time you exfoliated?” I racked my brain. Then I remembered I had used a face mask at home a few weeks back, so I told her that. But she wasn’t happy with the type of mask. “You need a peel,” she said. A what?

So my question is, does anyone out there actually take this stuff seriously? Does anyone exfoliate their face on a regular basis and notice a positive difference? Is this something you can do at home, and would you want to? I was proud of myself for just using a mask. And hey, I moisturise every day after cleansing. What more do they want? I’m sure that women never used to “peel” their faces and they still got on fine. Do I realise have to add something else to my forever-growing To-do list?