Mary Ellen

@maryellenuk

Norn Irish mental health nurse in Hertfordshire. Mainly here for books and cats.

564 Folgt565 Follower335 Posts

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Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 7d

I love my job but the surgery I working at today was like a furnace 🥵 I would much rather have been at home lazing around with the cats!

A large cream coloured cat tree by a large window, with a beige coloured cat sleeping near the top and a grey cat sleeping lower down.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 14d

Back from hols! We visited a cat cafe in Belfast on our last day which was great - but made us realise how much we missed these two little scamps 😻

Grey cat with green eyes, lying on her side with her paws raised and bent in a friendly way.

Light coloured cat with yellow eyes, sitting on a red patterned rug, one paw in front and looking up at the camera.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 18d

Meet Harry the cat who lives next door to my sister. Despite the resting bitch face, he is actually very friendly. Love him!

A fluffy ginger cat sitting on the pavement, staring at the camera with a grumpy look on his face.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 19d

Early Sunday morning walk along Belfast Lough with my wee sister. Happy days.

Some yellowing grass, foliage and rocks in the foreground, blue sea and a cloudy sky with some teasing blue between the clouds.

Another sea view with some darker green foliage and trees in the foreground.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 20d

July reads 📚💙

A collage of book covers: Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin; Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie; Uprising by Tahmima Anam; A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr; A Mind of My Own by Kathy Burke; The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet; Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse; Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· 24d

Had an amazing personal shopping experience at my local independent book shop today (thank you @rickymcmaster.bsky.social). Narrowed it down to 5 but plenty more for my TBR list!

View of a cute reading room, lots of books on shelves, tables, benches with colourful cushions, gabled ceiling and star lamps.

A wall of filled bookshelves in the background, in the foreground a table. On the table a wooden tray with a green teapot, cup and saucer, and a glass of water, some yellow roses in a vase and a pair of glasses.

A pile of purchased books: Mother Naked by Glen James Brown; On Earth as it is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia; She Who Remains by Rene Karabash; The Wolves of Staro Selvo by Zdravka Evtimova; The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe.

A green tote bag with gold lettering which says Books on the Hill and a gold picture of a candle in a lantern.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Jul 1

June reads 💙📚 A mixed bag this month, includes my favourite and least favourite reads of the year so far!

A collage of book covers: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; Departure(s) by Julian Barnes; Hooked by Asako Yuzuki; Theo of Golden by Allen Levi; None of This is True by Lisa Jewell; The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo; Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa; Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham; New Techniques of Grief Therapy by Robert A Neimeyer; The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Jun 24

I think I may also spread myself out by the back door hoping for an occasional breeze 🥵😹

Grey cat lying spread out on a light carpet.

Beige cat lying spread out on a carpet that is a slightly darker shade of beige.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Jun 20

Wow. Just finished this stunningly beautiful book. Ní Ghríofa trawls through the archives of Cork Lunatic Asylum and through fact and fiction, brings to life its female psychiatrist and some of the female patients. This will be one of my favourite books of the year.

Book cover of Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa. Blue cover with an old fashioned photo of a woman in the background, it looks slightly faded, and the book title written across her face.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Jun 6

Ridiculous cat

Light coloured cat sitting up in a ridiculous pose with his hind legs splayed in front of him and his tail in the middle.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Jun 1

May reads 📚💙

A collage of book covers: Few and Far Between by Jan Carson; My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier; The Ferryman & His Wife by Frode Grytten; The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie; Catland by Kathryn Hughes; Seascraper by Benjamin Wood; The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley; Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· May 30

Happy Caturday ☀️😻

Light coloured cat with yellow eyes, sat on a window sill staring fixedly at something off camera.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· May 9

Mochi recovering well from the ✂️ #caturday

A beige cat snoozing on the sofa with a clear plastic buster collar round his neck.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· May 4

Nearly 2 months in and Sapphire is starting to get used to Mochi. We have gone from suspicion to annoyance to tolerance. Am hoping it will be friendship next! #cats #wishfulthinking

2 cats on a grey cat tree. A grey loaf cat on the left and slightly lower on the right, a light coloured cat sitting up and staring at the camera with his yellow eyes.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· May 3

April reads 📚💙 Favourites were Drive Your Plow and London Falling

A collage of book covers: Family Matter by Claire Lynch; The Street Clinic by Dorcas Gwata; On the Calculation of Volume III by Solvej Balle; Heart the Lover by Lily King; There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm; The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke; The Master by Colm Tóibín; London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe; Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk; The Lost Girls of Autism by Gina Rippon.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· May 2

Wee day trip to London. #banksy #blindedbytheflag

Banksy statue of a man dressed in a suit. The statue is black on a stone plinth. The man is holding out a flag which is covering his face, walking forward as if he is about to fall off the plinth.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Apr 25

Took this wee man to the vet today, he was incredibly friendly with the lovely vet, even after she jabbed him! #caturday

Light coloured cat sitting on a windowsill looking majestic.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Apr 18

Beautiful walk today on the Herts/Bucks borders. Bluebell season! ☀️💙

A stream with green bushes on both sides, viewed from a wooden bridge.

A cute row of old red brick houses with white lancet windows and doors (arched to point at the top).

A view of the countryside, green grass in the foreground, with bushes and trees of different shades of green and purple in the distance.

A wooded area with a blanket of bluebells on the ground.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Apr 12

Just finished this book 🪐📚💙 Has anyone read it? Mind blowing sci-fi, my brain is reeling!

Book cover for There is No Anti Memetics Division by qntm. Picture of a deer in a hazy landscape.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Apr 11

Happy Caturday Blueskyers

A golden eyed light coloured kitten looking deceptively innocent, sitting on a pale blue and white duvet.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Apr 1

March reads 📚💙 Favourite was Lonesome Dove which took up most of my reading time this month! Most fun read was The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers.

A collage of colourful book covers: The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers by Samuel Burr; Strange Pictures by Uketsu; Domination by Alice Roberts; The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie; The Director by Daniel Kehlmann; Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller; Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty; Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Mar 24

Kitten taking a break from bouncing off the walls for a #tongueouttuesday pic

Light coloured cat with big ears and golden eyes sticking his tongue out.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Mar 14

Happy Caturday! Meet Mochi, the newest member of our family. He’s very friendly and playful, full of inexhaustible kitten energy. Sapphire is still getting used to him!

A pale coloured Burmese kitten, with big yellow eyes and pointy ears. He’s sitting on some blankets in the bottom half of a pink plastic carrier.

Mary Ellen@maryellenuk· Mar 11

I’ve visited several cat cafes over the years but today I found the best one ever in Porto! Not only did we sit in a sunny courtyard surrounded by beautiful rescue cats, but the menu was 100% vegan 😻