Very surprised to see the size of this embassy.........

There are numerous embassies in Ottawa, and although we did see a couple it was the American one which surprised me.  It was huge and my photos will not do it justice.  There was a huge amount of security and cameras all around the building.

I don't remember who we were talking to, but we mentioned there wasn't a soul about when we passed by it; and we passed by it a couple of times.  They said prior to Donald Trump imposing all the tariffs and restrictions against Canada there would be numerous people lining up outside of the embassy.  It's now dwindled down to nothing.

There was a lone protester outside the embassy one day.  Very peaceful just holding up a sign telling people to buy Canadian.  I never said anything to him, just gave him the thumbs up as we passed by!

Books I read in September........

 Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aimie K. Runyan

Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.

As she proves her competence, Claire’s importance to her father grows. She accompanies him on his travels and becomes his confidante and private secretary. She learns her father’s architectural trade and becomes indispensable to his work. But when his bright young protégé, Adolphe Salles, takes up more of Gustave’s time, Claire resents being pushed aside.

Slowly, the animosity between Claire and Adolphe turns to friendship…and then to something more. After their marriage in 1885 preserves the Eiffel legacy, they are privileged by the biggest commission of Eiffel’s career: a great iron tower dominating the 1889 World’s Fair to demonstrate the leading role of Paris in the world of art and architecture. Now hostess to the scientific elite, such as Thomas Edison, Claire is under the watchful eye not only of her family and father’s circle, but also the world.

When Gustave Eiffel’s involvement in a disastrous endeavor to build a canal in Panama ends in his imprisonment, it is up to Claire to secure her father’s freedom but also preserve the hard-won family legacy.

Claire Eiffel’s story of love, devotion, and the frantic pursuit to preserve her family’s legacy is not only an inspired reflection of real personages and historical events, but a hymn to the iconic tower that dominates the City of Lights.

This was an okay book.  Interesting to learn about the family behind the architect Gustave Eiffel, whose company built the Eiffel tower.  Part fiction, part non fiction.  

This is the same author who wrote "The School for German Brides," and that was a good book.

The Innocent by David Baldacci

America has enemies - ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career...

It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.

Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway -- her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.

Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.  Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life... and perhaps his own.

Really good fast paced book.  Can't say I have read any of this author's books before, but I certainly will now.  First book in the series.

Fall I Want by Lyra Parish

Autumn

The brokenhearted billionaire visits Cozy Creek to escape. I never expected to become his fake girlfriend or fall madly in love...but here we are.

My first impression of Zane Alexander isn't great. The second is worse, but when he uses his powers of persuasion to get me to hang out with him, I can’t say no. We quickly go from familiar strangers to flirty friends.

When my ex returns, Zane flawlessly pretends to be my boyfriend to protect me. He’s so damn good at it, I almost believe it.

I don’t know when our relationship moves from pretending to passionate, but I catch feelings. As our exes desperately crawl back into our lives like zombies, I realize there is only one man for me, and (f)all I want is him.

Zane

Everything changes the moment I see her. Autumn's enchanting gaze makes my heart race, so I push her away to protect myself. Immediately, I regret it. But when I find her standing in my haunted house, I convince her to be my friend. She begrudgingly agrees.

As the leaves transform and Cozy Creek's fall festivities come alive, our playful charade blossoms into something more.

The lines between real and pretend begin to blur, and I find myself falling under her spell.

I should keep my broken heart in check, but instead, I fight for love that feels like magic.

This woman is all I've ever needed and (f)all I want. 

This is first book in the Cozy Creek collection.  All six books are written by different authors and all are standalone books.  I enjoyed the book, but did think it was a bit "raunchy" for me!!!  Bit predictable but a light hearted book and a quick read.

Will You, Won't You Want Me by Nora Zelevansky

Marjorie Plum never meant to peak in high school. She was Queen Bee. Now, 10 years later, she's lost her sparkle. At her bleakest moment, she’s surprised by renewed interest from a questionable childhood crush, and the bickering with her cranky boss—at a potentially game-changing new job—grows increasingly like flirtatious banter. Suddenly, she’s faced with a choice between the life she always dreamed of and one she never thought to imagine. With the help of a precocious 11-year-old tutee, who unknowingly becomes the Ghost of Marjorie Past, and a musician roommate, who looks like a pixie and talks like the Dalai Lama, Marjorie struggles with the ultimate question: Who does she want to be? Nora Zelevansky’s Will You Won’t You Want Me? is a funny, often surprising, novel about growing up when you are already supposed to be grown.

A typical "chick-lit" book.  Fun and fast read, and I really enjoyed it.

"Party Girls Die in Pearls, by Plum Sykes"

It’s 1985, and at Oxford University, Pimm’s, punting, and ball gowns are de rigeur. Ursula Flowerbutton, a studious country girl, arrives for her first term anticipating nothing more sinister than days spent poring over history books in gilded libraries—and, if she’s lucky, an invitation to a ball.

But when she discovers a glamorous classmate on a chaise longue with her throat cut, Ursula is catapulted into a murder investigation.

Determined to bag her first scoop for the famous student newspaper Cherwell, Ursula enlists the help of trend-setting American exchange student Nancy Feingold to unravel the case. While navigating a whirl of black-tie parties and secret dining societies, the girls discover a surfeit of suspects. From broken-hearted boyfriends to snobby Sloane Rangers, lovelorn librarians to dishy dons, none can be presumed innocent—and Ursula’s investigations mean that she may be next on the murderer’s list.

I preferred the other book I read of Plum Sykes back in June/July of this year.  This was okay, I gave it a 3 out of 5 on Goodreads.  Will say I didn't figure out who the murderer was until close to when it was revealed.  Made me glad I never went to Oxford University.....but then I never went to any university!! 🤷

Educated by Tara Westover

One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

I received this book as part of the free giveaway from Indigo bookstore.  I have read it before, and I enjoyed it as much as the first time around.  This book makes you think.....and brings to mind that you can choose your friends, but you are stuck with your family whether you like it or not...LOL

The True Love Bookshop by Annie Rains

In this powerful romance and celebration of friendship, a widow relies on the crucial support of her friends to help guide her through her grief and open herself up for love once again.

For Tess Lane, owning Lakeside Books is a dream come true, but it’s the weekly book club she hosts for the women in town that Tess enjoys the most. The gatherings have been her lifeline over the past three years since her husband’s mysterious death. Tess has tried to move on, but when River Harrison shows up on her doorstep, all her lingering questions come rushing back.…

River, a former marine turned private investigator, was her husband’s best friend, and seeing him again is a reminder of everything Tess lost. At first, she tries to ignore him, but Tess comes to realize that this is her chance, once and for all, to find the answers that have troubled her for years.

With the support of her friends, Tess joins River on a journey of discovery that leads them to the edges of Somerset Lake and on a road trip down the Carolina coast. Although their adventure isn’t always easy, Tess starts to find the joy in life again. But when secrets surrounding her husband’s death are finally revealed, can Tess find it in her heart to forgive the mistakes of the past … and maybe even open herself up to love again?

When I was around half way through this book, I had the feeling I had read this book before?  However I looked on both this blog and my book review blog and nothing came up.  It was a good story with enough twists in it to keep you entertained.  A light book to read, with enough in it to keep you interested.

Little Voices by Lisa Brandt

Melanie Watson accepted that some dreams simply weren't meant for her.

Years spent putting family first left little room for ambition, and she was convinced her opportunity for something bigger had passed. Then a chance encounter changes everything, thrusting her into a world she never imagined and opening doors she thought were permanently closed.

Now, Melanie must decide whether she's brave enough to embrace the future she's always wanted—or risk losing it all.

A heartwarming story about second chances, self-discovery, and the courage to pursue a dream at any age.

I won this book in a Giveaway on Goodreads.  I will say I struggled to read it and was close to giving up on it.  Then the character Barry appeared in the book and things picked up and it turned out to be a good book.  I just couldn't understand what was going on to start with, however there are a couple of twists in the book and it all makes sense in the end.  A very imaginative book, but too slow of a start for me.

The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable

1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy's capital. One of the OSS's few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she's tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.

Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.

As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she's been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…

A fictional story written about true events of the war.  It was pretty ingenious how they operated in that department.  It was an action filled book, but does have a sad ending to it......

Again a mixed bag of books I read in September.  My favourite book, The Innocent by David Baldacci.  My least favourite, probably Little Voices by Lisa Brandt, that was just an odd book...LOL

Confusing words

Saw this on Facebook, and when I looked at the list, I too thought how easy it is to confuse some of these words......

what do you think?

Bytown........

 Bytown was the original name of Ottawa.  It was founded in 1826 and was located where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River.  Here is a link to more history on Bytown.

There is a museum there now and we visited it.  Following are some photos from there.

Here is a link to the Bytown Museum.  This was the cheapest museum to visit, and it is the smallest.  However, I did find it very interesting.

I had hoped you would be able to read the info on the photos, but I don't think you will be able.

There are eight locks from the Rideau Canal down to the Ottawa River.  The building in the top left of the photo is the hotel Chateau Laurier.  Hubby wouldn't go into the lobby, so we didn't go inside of it. BOO 😒

This is looking down towards the Ottawa river.

It takes a boat 1 1/2 hours to travel through the locks.  Boats are charged $2 per foot ; size of boat to travel through the locks.

They were cleaning out the garbage from the locks and doing maintenance on them when we were there.  The guy we were talking to did say they had a few boats due to go down the locks later in the day.  It was a a bit quieter than normal he said for a weekend.

Also for some reason I forgot when going down the hill to the museum, I would have to get back up!!!!  Those steps were flipping steep!!

Some random photos........

Thought I'd make a post with some random photos about random things........

I was in Costco this week and saw these two arcade games.  Sent a photo to our son and told him the boys would love them.

Son: "If only we had a generous grand parent that would want to buy that for our kids."

Me: I totally agree....if only 😉

Local store was clearing out some coffee.  I bought a package one day to try it out.  Rather strong but okay, so went back the next day and bought another 8 boxes.......coffee is so flipping expensive nowadays.

Walmart has finally stocked up on socks, so been buying packages of these ones.  For only $3 for three pairs they're a good deal.

I mentioned about the deal at Indigo where if you bought one book you could get a Murdoku book for $10; they're normally $24.99 each.  So I picked up 3 for $10 books, as they have restocked those with new ones.  I did try the first puzzle and was totally confused 😕

Indigo also had buy one get on for half price on their puzzles.  So picked up two; and with that I have spent the last of my birthday gift cards from Indigo.

Hubby's favourite birthday card was from the grandsons this year.

8 year old picked it out and wrote it.  While five year old put all the stickers in it...LOL

So there you go, random photos about random things.

Can't get this song out of my head for some reason..........

 

It was written in 1949 by Kirsty MacColl's dad, Ewan MacColl.  Kirsty MacColl sang with the Pogues, The Fairytale of New York.  The Pogues released a very popular version of Dirty Old Town as well.

The Gentlemen Series 2 - Netflix

 

Just finished watching this series and loved it as much as the first series.  The only problem is, by the time the third series is made, I will have forgotten what has happened prior!!!  The joy of getting old I guess?