From Abscond to Unsettled

I had expected to read more books last month as I was home all month. I suspect family history activities got in the way. 

As we are off travelling shortly and will not have too much time to read I am pleased that I am ahead of the game in the Goodreads Reading Challenge

2025 Reading Challenge

2025

READING

CHALLENGE

books completed

15 books ahead of schedule

64/100 (64%)

View Challenge

I must have been in a generous mood last month as I awarded rare (for me) five stars to two titles on the list, The Paris Novel and The Diamond Eye. 

Once again my month provided an eclectic mix of biography, history, fiction, murders and kids' books. Family was a theme in several of the works.  I particularly enjoyed Unsettled as it made me think and reflect on Australian history and made me ponder on any interactions that may have occurred between my white and indigenous ancestors.  Balcony over Jerusalem by John Lyons, a news journalist who keeps popping up on the ABC, providing me with a perspective on the ongoing situation in the Middle East. My four Libby accounts provided most of the eBooks I read in June.

BTW I also read a few that aren't yet listed on Goodreads.

Wine on Wednesday

We have been known to have a tipple with dinner, not just on a Wednesday, but whenever we feel like a drop.

Most of the wines we consume at home come via Qantas Wine. Others find their way to our door via a local  grog shop or with a generous visitor. We are partial to bubbles, dry whites and rose. On occasion we may be tempted with a glass of red. We have been known to accompany a meal in a restaurant or cruise ship with wine. Family celebrations are often accompanied by a glass or two of bubbly.

I often take photos of the bottles we empty so that we can seek them out at a later date. Following are a some snaps of  wine we have sampled this year. 

Birthday Bubbles

Dinner at the Toronto Hotel

Pre-flight Bubbles - Sydney

Californian Rose in Japan

On Board Regent Seven Seas Explorer

Bubbles by the Backyard

Celebrating with cousins - Hamilton Island

Sparkling Rose, Hamilton Island

Frogs on Friday

 I just hopped into my photo archive to find a few snaps of Kermit's mates.

Hiding in the grass- Bali, Indonesia

Camouflaged in Pungalina, Northern Territory, Australia

Sign in a Museum - Baradine, NSW, Australia

Enjoying the sunshine in Bali, Indonesia

Old frog - Heraklia, Turkey

Sugimoto Shrine, Japan

Mural, Valariso, Chile

Frog's cousin, a Toad in Seven Spirit Bay, Arnhem Land, Australia

Bicycles - Not just for riding

 Now that I've recovered for the 2025 AtoZ Blogging Challenge I feel like posting some more snaps taken on my travels. 

Among my collection of Bicycle Snaps are several that may not be used as a means of transport. Following are some snaps of riderless bikes.

Looking down on Kotor from a mountain in Montenegro

Decorating a canal in Amsterdam

An exhibit at the Jameson Warehouse in Cork, Ireland

Outside a shop in Hoi An, Vietnam

Exhibit at Cawdor Castle in Scotland

Perhaps it was a delivery vehicle - Lucca, Italy

Pink Panther has lost his way in Castletown on the Isle of Man

Sky high - Castletown, Isle of Man

Wismar, Germany

Lucca, Italy

Perhaps someone rides this - Kilkenny, Ireland

Advertising - St Tropez, France

Bakery Bike - Lacock, England

Flower filled - Chelsea garden Show, England

Riderless for the moment - Poperinge, Belgium

In the foyer - Intercontinental Hotel, Shangai, China