Archive Entries for July 2018
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Tuesday July 31, 2018
Books in July
- Leaving Those Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear
[read by Julie Teal]
It's 1933. Usha Pramal has been murdered and her brother, newly arrived in England from India, asks Maisie to find out the truth about her death. It's an intriguing mystery. Usha seems to have been an altogether good woman about whom no-one says anything other than good. And yet her British employers - who brought her with them to England - appear to have dismissed her for no reason.
There are good period descriptions of the times - exploring an ayah's hostel for women in Usha'a position (ie brought to England and then dismissed with no income) which exploits its residents under a mask of Christian good works. And there is a lot about Maisie's personal dilemmas, which many faithful fans are beginning to find annoying; I think I find it less so in listening to the books as it's a bit like listening to an old friend unburdening herself. In fact I think the author has a problem here - she has an independent protagonist with a perfect "boyfriend", however, the relationship cannot stand still. If Maisie marries into the aristocracy, she will be totally prevented from continuing with any independent career especially one as bizarre as a detective bureau. So as things are, the two of them are living in a kind of limbo which is rather like an allegory of the larger picture, life between-the-wars.
- Night of the Lightbringer by Peter Tremayne
[read by Caroline Lennon]
I never approached Sister Fidelma mysteries with enough respect I think, even though I enjoyed the first one I read (a very long time ago). This is the 28th novel and in order to give her more clout as an independent woman of her time (rather like Maisie in the previous book I guess) has long since ceased to be Sister and is now more reliant on her high rank and education. She is now married (to Edulf, a Saxon) and has a son. We are now in Ireland, AD 671, and the plot begins like many after it (from Midsummer Murders to the County Guides Sussex murder) with a body inside the unlit bonfire at a pagan festival....
I was always conscious of Fidelma being from Cashel but - shame on me and my lack of Geographical knowledge - I never knew or even questioned where Cashel was - especially as, in the couple of books I read, Fidelma travels very far from home. And even worse, it was only when I knitted some socks in a colourway named "Cashel" that I took the trouble to find out! - Clouds of Witness
by Dorothy L Sayers [Dramatisation]
Another bedtime story for me.
Written in 1926, this is the second Wimsey story - and very dated even by the rather twee standards of the series. Lord Peter Wimsey's brother, the Duke of Denver, stands accused of murder and - rather arrogantly I think - seems to believe it won't come to anything despite being found with the body, plus having the usual means, motive, and opportunity. Wimsey leaves it all to the 11th hour including a transatlantic crossing by air to present the evidence to save his brother.
Of passing interest to me was the fact that a copy of Clouds of Witness was one of the books modified* by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell in their adulterations of library books from the Islington and Hampstead libraries in the early 1960s. [* for which - in this case altering the blurb on the dust jacket describing the plot - they were sentenced to a draconian 6 months in prison, and yet today regarded as guerilla-art-pranks and proudly displayed in a gallery of the library...!]
Posted on July 31, 2018 at 2:57 PM. Category: Books of the Month.
Thursday July 12, 2018
Culture overload
Today I spent the day in London with a rather punishing schedule of art and culture.
First to the V&A - I have a membership there that I am not planning to renew so had to pack everything in before the end of July - specifically "Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up" (followed by lunch in the members room).
It is a stunning exhibition - full of her personal belongings - rather grisly medical supports - as well as her photography and art. Even having read about it in the past, I was staggered by how ill she was throughout her life and the disabilities and pain she must have had to endure; I'm sure if it were me I would have simply given up. I was particularly enamoured of the huge display case full of the ethnic costumes she always chose to wear - made me want to rethink my wardrobe immediately. I felt I should have stayed much longer but it was a hot day and a bit too crowded which never makes it much fun.
Then it was on to the Tate to see "Aftermath: Art in the Wake of World War One" (followed by tea in the members room). I have to say I enjoyed the overall experience at the Tate better as it was far less crowded (rather a glum subject for mass appeal) with its cool spacious and airy rooms. Most of the items on display were poignant if not utterly grim but I did think the floating angel [Ernst Barlach, 1927] was really lovely - the original was deemed to be degenerate by the Nazis , and melted down, but Barlach kept the mould, from which this version was made.
One personal point of interest for me was that coincidentally while on the 52 bus (sitting in traffic bound for Hyde Park Corner) I was somehow drawn to observe a war memorial which turned out to be dedicated to the First World War casualties of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The side closest to me included a rather compelling sculpture of a soldier leaning with his arms outstretched, and to my surprise that specific bronze "the driver" (a smaller version) by Charles Sargeant Jagger was on display as part of Aftermath. [Also on display was Jagger's bronze relief "No Man's Land"].
There are four life-size bronze figures around the outside of the memorial (an officer, a driver, a shell-carrier, and - controversially at the time - a fallen soldier); I was able to observe 3 of them fairly closely from the bus. The memorial is famous for its realist contrast with other First World War memorials, and attracted much public debate. Here a picture of the area in 1925 with a view of the memorial:
And finally we found that they still had the Big Screen up in Trafalgar Square with a live feed from the Royal Opera House - Don Giovanni - so we stayed to watch that in the evening; it was an interesting experience, with everyone able to randomly walk around and talk, plus the police sirens and general noise of London.
I was expecting to run into protesters (Trump's visit) but I guess they are saving themselves as he'd only just landed.
Posted on July 12, 2018 at 7:31 AM. Category: Art and Culture.
Saturday July 7, 2018
Colourful Kit Bag
I've been neglecting weaving spinning and dying lately - I admit I went to a "Brioche" class last week which was interesting, and did make me think of redrafting my fisherman's rib hat in two colours in the future.... But apart from that, it's been far too hot to think about sweaters (and hats!).
What I have been involved in is making up a rather posher version of my Pattern of the Month for July. This bag (or the illustration of it) really "spoke" to me through the ages as it were, when I first found it in a 1940s magazine. As is often the case, the actual bag and the instructions were fairly rudimentary and I changed it quite a lot in the making. I am so delighted with the result - better than I ever expected since it involved working with leather - and just as well given the amount I spent on materials. [So much for the make do and mend ethos of the original bag!].
I did stick with the idea of using oddments I already had, but I used mostly chunky yarns so I did not have to work with the yarn doubled - which can be a bit of a nuisance when doing crochet, even though many old and new patterns seem to suggest it. As I selected my yarns based on colour, some of them were used double to achieve the thickness I wanted.
I used a 4mm hook with my chunky yarn, and worked in double crochet (American single crochet) in order to achieve a firmer fabric.
For the base, I used 2mm thick leather, which was tough to work but made up surprisingly well. I made the base to be an oval shape to suit the offcut of leather I had and I made rudimentary leather handles, plus a clip-on shoulder strap.
The only element I've so far failed to completely solve is the closure at the top - the bag will gape open when the shoulder strap is used - so still working on that, and nothing wholly satisfactory has presented itself yet.
Posted on July 7, 2018 at 10:28 AM. Category: Knitting and Crochet.
