Five Friday Favourites :: July 28

I sometimes have trouble falling asleep, but I find that listening to the sound of rain or waves, help me drift off. And it's also great for focusing on sketching or writing. There are loads of rain/wave apps, and websites too. The one I have been using lately is called Rain Sounds (Google Play).

On a whim, I bought The Sewing Machine book by Natalie Fergie for my Kindle. I loved it! I wish it had been longer because I finished it in just a few days. It is the story of one sewing machine and two families who are connected to it over a span of 100 years. It is a bit difficult to say any more than that to not spoil anything, because there's a twist in the tale! It is set in Edinburgh and it made me long to go back there. Apart from the story itself, it is a story of kindness to strangers. Little kindnesses and great life changing kindnesses. Highly recommended. I hope Natalie Fergie writes more equally lovely books.

There are continually surprising things appearing in our front garden. Most recently, what appears to be a corn stalk! It is a weed, in the sense that we didn't plant it, but I've decided to leave it for now to see if it actually is a corn stalk. I love how random that would be! :-)

I saw the Hokusai exhibition at the British Museum a few weeks ago and I'm glad I did. For one thing, it was a beautiful exhibition, but it's actually sold out! You can take a chance on getting tickets on the day, but this exhibition is really popular. If you're a member of the British Museum, you can walk straight in of course! (I feel a bit bad recommending something that's actually sold out, but hey-ho. ;-) )

Last week the BBC Proms had a film special of John Williams music. It was SO good! You can catch it on BBC iPlayer. Music from Indiana Jones, E.T., Harry Potter and lots more. And of course Star Wars! Did I mention it was good?

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