One of the many things which I have enjoyed this month, with the start of the better, warmer weather, has been the opportunity to read outside in the garden and I have been fortunate enough to stumble across two absolutely fantastic books, both of which I would thoroughly recommend.

As you can tell, I enjoy many different genres, and these two books are sooo different from each other. The first is Six Years by Harlan Coben. I have read two of his books previously – The Woods and Caught – and did enjoy them, but I bought Six Years for a friend last year and I remember her saying how much she was enjoying it at the time, so thought that I would give it a go. The basic premise is that, six years ago, Jake Fisher falls profoundly in love with Natalie during a three-month whirlwind romance at a retreat. He is then shocked beyond belief when she suddenly leaves him and marries another man, making Jake promise that he will never try to contact her again. He manages to keep this promise until he learns that her husband has died. He attends the funeral, hoping to re-establish contact with Natalie, only to see that the grieving widow is not Natalie, and that there are also two teenage children in tow. Jake then sets out to find Natalie, showing unbelievable amounts of persistence in the face of countless obstructions and messages that he should leave well alone.

Within just a few pages, I realised that I was completely hooked, and that this book was going to steal an awful lot of my time until I had completed it and found out the real story of what happened to Natalie all those years ago. Jake, the narrator, is a likeable character, and you can’t help but admire his determination, against all the odds (bearing in mind that this is a thriller!), to continue his quest for his one true love. There are so many intriguing questions raised and tangled mysteries revealed, making for a complex but compelling plotline, that it could be quite difficult to follow, but there are recaps along the way, which are incredibly helpful. I found that it was, without doubt, a literal page-turner, as Coben revealed just enough of the various layers of the mystery, intrigue and secrets to hold my attention completely, making me want to keep reading to find out more. The ending was relatively predictable, but the twists and turns along the way made this acceptable to my mind, and the exploration of the depth and passion of a lost love as a theme throughout the book was strong.

The second book which I have absolutely loved this month is Fly a Little Higher by Laura Sobiech. If you haven’t come across the Sobiech family before, I urge you to watch Zach Sobiech’s “My Last Days” film which I first saw posted on a friend’s Facebook page in May 2013 and watched – and was affected by – immediately. Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer which is most common in children, at the age of 14, in 2010. In 2012, he was told that he had about a year to live. His mother, Laura, who wrote this book after his death in 2013, advised him to start writing letters to those closest to him but, having been a very keen musician for years, he wrote songs instead. His beautiful song, “Clouds”, was released in December 2012 and immediately went viral, leading to a very interesting and unexpected final few months of his life.

In this book, Laura tells us more of Zach’s life and story. I had been waiting to read this for a while as I had been so inspired by the whole family, so, again, got completely and immediately hooked by it. It is beautifully written, and is an incredibly poignant, honest and open account of Zach’s illness and the effect it had on him, the entire family, their friends and, ultimately, a much, much wider community. Zach was so, so much more than his illness – his faith, maturity, positivity, bravery and grace throughout are absolute testament to that. It is, as you would expect, an emotional book, and Laura is very generously and honestly open, but it is certainly not a sad book. Yes, it is heart breaking at the end, and I certainly shed some tears, as I did when I first watched the film, but it also touches you on so many levels. It is much more than an account of Zach’s final years – it shows the absolute power of faith, family, friends, hope, how one person can make a difference and the ability to continue to live a beautiful and fulfilling life even though you know it is coming to an end.

I honestly can’t praise this book enough. I’m desperately trying to choose the right words to make you all pick up this book, as it is a truly inspirational, powerful read.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about these books if you have already read them or, if you follow my recommendations, what you think of them after reading them. Alternatively, I’d love to hear of any books you’re loving at the moment – I’m always on the lookout for a good read.

NOTE: Please click below to read the comment by Laura Sobiech, in which she clarifies how money is raised for the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund and how much has been raised in Zach’s name so far. Thank you so much, Laura.

I have to say that I had the most lovely few days celebrating my birthday at the end of last week – and if you can get away with making it last for three days, that can’t be a bad thing!

My celebrations started on Thursday, when I had my little dinner party. I spent a lovely day preparing for it – making the table settings look pretty and making the food and drinks. It was a lovely evening – a small group of people who are very special to me, with food, drink and chat which all seemed to go down well. It was a great way to begin my birthday  – and to christen the newly decorated dining room!

My actual birthday was then on Friday, and I had the biggest treat – a complete day off from all work and housework. D did the school run, which left me free to go back to bed with a cup of tea and a great book – what a luxury, to be able to devour page after page in one sitting. The rest of the day proceeded in a similar fashion – a long, indulgent bath in the middle of the day; a Netflix binge (how have I never watched Spooks when it was on TV for so many years? Now hooked!); a lunch of leftover fig and parma ham salad with a glass of wine; more reading on one of our new outdoor beanbags in the gorgeous sunny garden; and finally, a spot of colouring! I have come across various articles recently about the rising popularity of adults buying colouring books for themselves – apparently, this is a phenomenon that has spread across the Channel from Europe, with bookshops and other retailers reporting a huge increase in the numbers of colouring books being bought for adults, as they turn to colouring for its therapeutic, de-stressing benefits. The Huffington Post featured an interesting article on it here, clearly stating that “The practice generates wellness, quietness and also stimulates brain areas related to motor skills, the senses and creativity.” So, as I always loved colouring as a child, and enjoyed joining in when the children were younger, I thought that I would give it a go – and, I’m pleased to say, that I still love it! I had bought the children some colouring books a couple of years ago which contain some quite intricate patterns, so I chose one of those, and really enjoyed it.

We then went out for a lovely family meal on Friday to a great pub in a village not too far away. It serves a mixture of superbly cooked pub meals alongside stone-baked pizzas from their pizza oven, which were a great hit with the children, so it was a really lovely night.

The activities of Saturday were actually nothing to do with my birthday, but it felt very special to be able to meet up with my university friends just the day after. We all got together at our friend, Tracy’s, house in Lincolnshire and had a fantastic afternoon. We had all contributed to the food (it was a great excuse for me to try out the recent recipe I had seen for Caramel, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popcorn, which fortunately was as yummy as I’d hoped!), so had a lovely meal, copious amounts of wine, and lots of catching-up chat. It really was so good to all be together and, as always, we stayed much longer than we expected, which is always a good sign!

So, all in all, I had a very special few days, which made me reflect on how lucky I am to have such exceptional people in my life: my truly lovely sisters and friends, and D, G and B. I am someone who prefers to have a smaller number of very special, close friends than lots of people whom I’m not so close to, and to spend time with so many of them within such a few days was so nice.

Having a day off also made me reflect on how rejuvenating it is to just take some time to completely unwind and relax. I don’t usually ever “stop” completely during the week, both because there always seems so much to do but also largely because I feel terribly guilty if I do, for some reason. But D knew how much I had enjoyed my day and said that I should do it more often, as he wouldn’t mind, and wouldn’t feel guilty if it was him, so I just might. I do believe that, although people these days are without doubt busier than ever before, it does sometimes seem to become a sort of contest at times to be the busiest person, with a standard response to the question “How are you?” being “Busy”, rather than a proper answer. There shouldn’t be any shame in making time for yourself to relax in whichever way you prefer, if you possibly can, so I will look forward to my next “day off”, whenever that may be, with joyful anticipation.

I have to confess that I’ve never  been great at drinking the recommended daily allowance of water. I’ve always had a glass of it on my bedside table, and sip it before going to sleep, during the night and when I first wake up, and I have it when I go to the gym and sometimes at work, but, apart from that, I know that I don’t drink nearly enough of it. I have just  always found it to be “boring”, so it has rarely been my beverage of choice. However, there are, as we know, countless benefits of drinking water – it is fantastic for fluid balance (roughly 60% of the body is made of water), calorie control, clearer skin, kidney function, brain power, hangover cure, muscle use and concentration aid, to name but a few.

So, I decided that I should really give it more of a fighting chance, so have been experimenting with adding various natural ingredients to it, to give it more flavour – hence, fancy water!

Of course, you can choose any combination of fruits and herbs that you desire, but some do go together a little better than others, so I’m showing my favourites here – the ones which I believe have worked the best and provide the nicest flavours. The best thing about them is that they are completely natural, all made using fruits that I already had at home and herbs from my garden. They are ridiculously easy to make but alter the taste incredibly well, so that I no longer have to endure “boring” water!

Blackberry and Mint

The blackberries add sweetness while the mint is beautifully refreshing, so this combination works well – with the added bonus that the blackberries make the water such a pretty colour!

Blackberry and Sage

The contrast here, of a little sweet and sour, provides a subtle but refreshing taste.

Citrus and Cucumber

This is not only one of the most flavourful combinations, but it also helps to flush any toxins out of your system – all good!

Cucumber and Mint

Both cucumber and mint are known for their refreshing flavours, so this mixture is particularly good on a hot day.

Lemon and Lime

The amount of citrus fruit in this adds a real zing and is better the longer you are able to leave it to infuse.

Orange, Lemon and Ginger

As well as being one of my favourites from a taste point of view, this is incredibly good for you – oranges help your circulation, lemons aid digestion and ginger is a fantastic immune system booster.

Orange and Mint

The orange in this one provides a little sweetness, which compliments the fresh, cool taste of the mint perfectly.

Strawberry and Basil

This is possibly my favourite flavour combination, as I absolutely adore basil, with its aromatic flavour, which goes so well with the strawberry. Plus just how pretty does it look? If you leave it longer, it also turns the water pale pink!

Despite all the odds, we have just been lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful, sunny Bank holiday weekend in north Norfolk – our favourite place, as you know, if you have read my previous posts. We always go out for plenty of walks while we are there, as we are simply spoilt for choice for stunning places to exercise the dogs – and ourselves! Our favourite haunts are Brancaster beach, Holkham beach and pine woods, Wells-next-the-Sea and Burnham Overy Staithe. This weekend, though, I decided to “spice it up” a little with a Treasure Trails mystery, to keep us entertained on our walk.

If you haven’t tried a Treasure Trails hunt before, they are great fun – and I absolutely love them! You can buy a trail online at www.treasuretrails.co.uk – there are over 1200 self-guided themed treasure hunts all across the UK to choose from – and either download it instantly or request for it to be posted to you. Each trail is either a murder mystery, a spy mission or a treasure hunt, so, by solving the clues, you will be uncovering a murderer, completing a mission or discovering the location of missing treasure – what could be more fun? In a nutshell, it is an imaginative way to explore areas of the UK, following simple directions, cracking the clues and finding some interesting sights and facts along the way.

So where did this fantastic idea begin? Well, Treasure Trails started in 2005 in Cornwall when a Treasure Trail was written around the founders home town for a charity event –  this was so successful that he decided to write more trails around Cornwall and sell them at craft shows. Someone who had completed one of the trails then entered him into the Cornwall Tourism Business Awards, in which the silver prize was won. This then led him to believe that perhaps they could be written for all areas of the UK, for plenty more people to enjoy!

We have previously completed trails in Burnham Market in Norfolk and in Melbourne in Derbyshire, both of which were treasure hunts, but, this time, we opted for a murder mystery, which involved a longer walk and the challenge of discovering both the murderer and the murder weapon. We chose the trail around Burnham Deepdale and Brancaster Staithe, with the brief of solving the mystery of the murder of Captain Johnathon C Gull (see what they did there?).  We followed the directions and solved the clues as we went along – the answers to the clues were located on buildings, monuments, signs and memorials, each one allowing us to eliminate suspects and weapons, to leave just one of each. The directions were perfectly clear and we really liked the variety of clues – sometimes we had to look out for images, sometimes dates on buildings, other times we had to count letters or words on signs to solve the puzzle. The trail booklet also provides snippets of information about the area as you go along, which is a bonus.

We were completely successful all the way around – until we came to the final clue! Arrgghhh! We looked and looked and couldn’t find the map we needed in order to eliminate the final suspect. However, Treasure Trails also have this covered. You can, if you get completely stumped as we did, text the reference number and clue number to them and they send the answer back to you. Be warned though – you can only do this three times! Fortunately, we only had to do this at the end which enabled us to solve the mystery – a satisfying feeling for all!

So we had a great afternoon. It’s always good to get the children away from screens and spend time together outdoors, and these trails involve us all working together, negotiating, solving problems and following directions, along with learning about and appreciating the local area. We find that, due to constantly searching and scrutinising, we look up more and take far more notice of the area around us. For example, although we have walked the coastal path countless times, we noticed several houses which we haven’t spotted previously!

Thank you, Treasure Trails, for a great experience. We’re already looking forward to the next one!