Nobody, apparently, wanted brown furniture any longer, as it was considered too cumbersome, not to say too dull, for contemporary tastes.

Though the series is very easy reading it is full of original observations and I usually learn about a dozen new words per book. Bertie is growing up and ventures out on his own to visit his mother, Irene, in Aberdeen, a trip he is really not looking forward to.Catch up once again with the extended family at No 44, in this the latest instalment in the Scotland Street series.

These include the 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman , the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the Von Igelfeld series and the Corduroy Mansions novels. and I would like not to think that we were still in the seventeenth century, as divided amongst ourselves as they were at that time, pitted against each other, with one vision of the good battling another, and people despising others for their opinions. Despite the fact that little happens in the way of plot, this book made me laugh out loud many times, boil with fury and frustration. Bruce, a strikingly handsome surveyor, is a narcissist who thinks all women should want to date him.Warm hearted, humorous and always wonderfully wise, Love in the Time of Bertie offers philosophical insight as well as sartorial elegance. Sister Maria-Flore dei Flori de Montagna, the social-climbing nun, plays a more prominent role by dispensing her type of advice and wisdom to Bertie's father, Angus and Bruce. A perfect way to relax, enjoying another opportunity to look in on the lives of Bertie and the other residents of 44 Scotland Street. I'm happy with the threads that seem to be a little more tied off, but there are plenty of loose ends to keep going. Suits, he thought, might be going the way of men’s hats and ties – both of which were now seen only infrequently on any man under forty.