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Happy birthday, lovely Claire! As ever, a joy to read your words....now I need to go and click some links and root around the library website for copies of books....xoxoxo

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Thank you Mel! We had a wonderful time and both managed to come home with more books stashed in the suitcase than we went with! xxx

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That's the sign of an excellent holiday! xo

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Absolutely!! xx

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Emma Thompson deserved an Oscar just for that one sobbing scene in S&S. Not a crier but gets me every time

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Yes!!! A sobbing masterclass! I remember Hugh Grant saying in an interview that he felt he was knocking that scene out of the park and then Emma started her next level sob and he felt utterly upstaged! 😂👏🏻👏🏻

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Another few to add to my list, and happy (belated) birthday, I hope it was just lovely! xo

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Thank you! It was lovely, fancy brunch, modern art gallery, tea and cake with a bookstagram friend, non-pizza express pizza for dinner! 💫

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tea and cake and books sound perfect! Auguri again and hope you are celebrating your Substack accomplishments too!

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Hope you had a lovely birthday up in Edinburgh, what a beautiful city to spend time in. On the subject of books about mental health Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss that I read a few weeks ago is a brilliant read, one of the ones that definitely lives up to all the book jacket hype!

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Thank you so much Sharon, it was a wonderful birthday and break. It seems like forever ago already. This time last week we were utterly exhausted after a day at the zoo (on the steepest of hills!). Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't read that, but have seen it everywhere, so you've reminded me to add it to my list!

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Happy birthday, Claire - sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Another great post - thank you for everything you've given me to get my teeth into!

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Thank you, Rebecca! We had a brilliant adventure. Utterly exhausting, but totally worth it––as the best holidays always are. I'm exceedingly pleased to here I'm giving you some watching and reading inspiration along the way. I LOVE putting these posts together.

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LOL - that's what I like to hear, Claire - a holiday which wears you out so much (in a good way!) that you need another holiday...!!! Glad you had such a lovely time! 🙌

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That's absolutely what I need!!

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🤣

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Happy Birthday lovely! ✨🌺✨ Rebecca’s book also on my list! 📕

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Thank you so much, Claire! I think you might really enjoy Earthed <3

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Apr 9, 2023Liked by Claire Holden

Happy Edinburgh birthday xxx

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Thank you my friend! A joy to spend it with you ... eating marzipan-based cake! (I bought some marzipan fudge to bring home, just to add insult to injury!) xxx

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Happy bath day, Claire! Loved the video. We were brought up to revere books: putting a cup on them was unheard of. Have a lovely day!

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Thank you so much, Terry. I had a wonderful birthday. Glad you enjoyed the Fran Lebowitz video! Bloody love her. And I couldn't believe the guy walking round the antique book fair with a cup of red wine!! Gave me the jitters!

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deletedApr 9, 2023Liked by Claire Holden
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Thanks, Luisa! And thank you again for the recommendation. I really hadn't been expecting the book to be such a tough read (yep, didn't read any blurb!), but I'm glad I hadn't really, it just seemed so much more honest and raw that way.

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