Hi
Last time I emailed you, I was on my way to Austin, Texas to visit my aunt. I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous. I thought it would be snakes and guns all the way but I flipping LOVED it!
The first night I was there, we went to the Austin Rodeo. It was an excellent start to the holiday and the guys in the picture above were so lovely when I asked them for a picture, even if they are keenly showing off their sausages. At that point, I thought it might be my only chance to get a picture with a cowboy, but actually there are men wearing hats and cowboy boots everywhere.
I almost bought some cowboy boots but settled for borrowing some of Val’s instead. I did a fair amount of shopping before I got to the point of feeling that I needed the boots, so had no room in my case. I’ve realised, in the cold light of being back in England in a post-holiday slump, that cowboy boots don’t really fit into my day-to-day life so it was probably for the best.
Austin is located on a river and was a lot more picturesque than I’d expected. We hired a very cool retro boat one day and went kayaking along a creek on another day. We went to ABGB, short for Austin Beer Garden Brewery, where there was a band playing and I ended up dancing with a very patient man who didn’t mind that I had no idea what I was doing. Once Val realised I was up for dancing we went out most evenings and the last night we finished up at Donn’s Depot in downtown Austin which was amazing. There was a swing band, and people of all ages dancing. It was fantastic.
There was some brilliant graffiti in the loos in ABGB and Donn’s Depot. The one on the right is our new family motto and we’ve parroted it to each other a few times in the last couple of weeks. It definitely focuses the mind. The other one I saw and thought of you…
Reading and Watching
I took the fourth book in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series, The Pearl Sister, on holiday with me. It was a dual time-line with the historical strand set in Australia in the late 1800s. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did and for anyone who loves dual time-line books or family saga I can’t recommend this series highly enough.
I also finished reading Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. It’s a cowboy romance, quite steamy, and the cover art is phenomenal which is what caught my eye in the first place. Emmy is a barrel-racer. It was hard to imagine exactly what that is, but now I’ve been to a rodeo I know! It was one of only two events that had women in and it was pretty impressive. Anyway, Emmy had an accident and lost her nerve so heads back home where Luke, her brother’s best friend, is on hand to help her out…
I’m in the middle of reading First Time Caller by BK Borison. It’s billed as a Sleepless in Seattle inspired love story, and starts when Lucie’s daughter calls in to a late-night radio talk show trying to get her mum a date. It is a gorgeous slow-burn with characters you can’t help but love. I’m rooting for the happy-ever-after but these people have a lot of issues! It’s fantastic. I’ve only just seen that the same author already has another series out so I will be delving into that too.
Continuing the cowboy theme, I’ve just binged Ransom Canyon on Netflix. Oh my goodness. I’m devastated it’s over. Yantsy just breaks my heart. Terrible name for a fine-looking cowboy but I can get past it. And on a completely different note, I’m loving that Race Across the World has started again, and Interior Design Masters.
Enjoy the sunshine. It’s finally spring!
Happy reading!
Victoria
xx