Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson, Upbeat Novel, and Wildfire Smoke

 I read Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson recently and recommend it to anyone who enjoys an upbeat charming novel wherein the main character is a young woman who faces challenges. This novel is set in about 1950, first in London and then in Drumburly, Scotland.

Bel was orphaned when a child and raised by her kind aunt in an English village. When the aunt died Bel had to sell the house and take the small amount of money from the sale and move to London to find a job. She found a job as a secretary in a shipping company where several potential suitors meet her. Bel is innocent and runs into a big problem. She flees to the tiny outpost of Drumburly in Scotland where her friend and her father are on vacation fishing. 

I liked this book so much I was happy to hear there is a sequel, so I bought it and will soon learn more about Bel and her adventures.

I discovered D.E. Stevenson only a few years ago. We fans call ourselves Dessies. My very favorite of her novels is Miss Buncle's Book, which is very humorous. I am glad many of her books are back in print and also available as ebooks. If you like immersing yourself in stories set in 1940s and 1950s in rural England and Scotish border towns and people facing problem and even falling in love, these novels provide that. Humor too.

By the way, I have very eclectic taste in reading. For example I enjoy the Murderbot series by Martha Wells and just bought the third book in her series, Rogue Protocol. "Sci-Fi's favorite anti-social AI is back on a mission." "Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?" I will review the Murderbot series in a future post. I recently discovered two authors new to me, Jamie Buckingham and Sean Dietrich "Sean of the South." So many good books out there. What are you reading today?

 Smoke from Wild Fires in Canada and Northern USA

June 30 2023. I am adding this note to say I am concerned about all the poor air quality and smoke in much of eastern Canada and eastern USA and in northern states including Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. My sister says the air in western Wisconsin where she lives is very smokey and in the unhealthy zone. She has developed a cough from going out in her garden. I am praying that the fires in Canada go out today! Does everyone know that room air purifiers with HEPA filters remove smoke? I got two of them (for living room and for bedroom) to remove pollen and dust and during California smoke hazard days learned that they help clean the air from smoke too. Love you guys.

Dragon and Hearts in a Tree

My neighbor's dragon. It is gorgeous and the head is about 5 feet across. I think it is chomping on some plants. Below is another discovery on my walk with Bounce; two hearts in a tree. The tree was recently pruned and the pruning yielded these amazing hearts with a reddish color.

I think I should title this post Dragon Hearts. That sounds like a fantasy novel I might read. 

The fires in my county and the neighboring county are 54 percent contained, which is good news. However, much of California is having a heat wave starting Sunday Sept. 6, and our state is very dry. Good news is that two of my best friends are allowed back home after their evacuation and their homes are safe and sound. Our God is Mighty to Save.

I have been happily attending church outside on recent Sundays, we are all required to wear masks. One recent Sunday we did not have church at church because we were caring for 50 evacuees, from the area fires. They slept at our church, we fed them, etc. so church was online only one Sunday. Now many/most evacuees are home, thank goodness.

Princess Fluffy and Wild Fires Near My House

 

My relaxed kitty, the first photo is after I took the second photo where she is closer to being asleep. In the first photo she is half awake and looking at me.

Wild Fires Near My House. Smoke and white ashes in the air. 

Added note on Sept. 4. As of September 4, there are 925 homes destroyed in the county I live in, most of them were country homes nestled in lovely spots among trees. 

I posted the two photos of Fluffy automatically yesterday, that post was set ahead of time. I did not get Internet restored to my house until late yesterday. 120 people already read this post before I was able to add this note about the wild fires. In my area of California almost 400 homes are destroyed, and several of my best friends are evacuated from their homes, and I am safe at home and not evacuated. My sons are in their homes too. The air quality sometimes is rated as hazardous so I stay inside with windows closed. Lots of white ash from the fires has fallen all over outside. I have two apps on my cell phone AirNow and AirVisual which tell the air quality for where I live. No walks these past few days for me and Bounce. 

When I drove my car I had to wash off all the ash first so I could see through the windshield. From zero percent containment of the fires they are now 29 percent contained (50 percent contained as of Sept. 4), a great direction to be going in. The fires were caused by lightning strikes all over California, in a storm with no rain, just lightning and dry tinder. It is very nerve wracking to be stuck at home, and on alert for potential evacuation. I have a suitcase packed with essentials. I am optimistic that the fires are being contained and am praying for rain, for our city to stay safe and for my friends' homes to be safe so they can return to them. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to you all, friends both near and far, and let you know what is going on here.