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Saturday December 31, 2022

Books in December

Having discovered that a number of well-known authors (some surprisingly) have tried their hands at extending the James Bond canon, I decided to read them. William Boyd was the first one I found, after reading The Romantic, and this led on to the others via a review column. I already knew knew Anthony Horowitz had written Trigger Mortis ("the" sequel to Goldfinger), using some of the text or chapters that Fleming had already written. At the time of publication, I took the opportunity to read it as well as Goldfinger; I did not know however that since then he had written a second Bond novel.
As a Guardian reviewer, Sarah Ditum, points out - modern day authors have an issue with recreating Bond - a "cold war relic". Fleming himself is acknowledged to be a sadist, a racist and a misogynist - maybe of his time - and the parts of his style that are easy to pastiche are also intolerably obnoxious. Thus the author's task is simple and borderline impossible: do Bond exactly the same, and make it different.
Most of these authors tone him down and the contemporary reviewers of the individual books give better opinions than I can on how well each of them does this and how much is left of the "real" Bond.
I'm listing the books in the order in which I read them. With each one I thought I liked it the best, but looking back at them, I think they are pretty equal in my estimation. In each case the narrators chosen for the books are heavyweight actors with very distinctive voices, and known for their portrayals of suave English gentlemen.

• Solo William Boyd [read by Dominic West]
  Boyd is an excellent story teller and the overall structure and pace are very much in keeping with the original Bond novels. As in many of his novels, (notably the first), Boyd draws on his knowledge and experience of Africa to provide the backdrop to this adventure. It's set in 1969, chronologically 6 years after the last Bond book, and we find 007 celebrating his 45th birthday - alone. The subsequent mission sees him sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in a small West African nation but seemingly without any tangible means to set about it. We are all set for a classic Bond outing - albeit with a rather convoluted plot.


• Forever and a Day Anthony Horowitz [Read by Matthew Goode]
  I was in two minds about this before I read it, as I wasn't too keen on Trigger Mortis; I wanted to like it but... didn't much - despite my gushing devotion to Horowitz. However, as acknowledged by Horowitz, quite a few sections of that book were written by Fleming himself, with Horowitz filling in the blanks. I feel that this book is far better in that the author is less contrained by anyone else's style - not only in terms of the writing but also in the general character of Bond. Some noted that Horowitz was still "labouring in Bond's shadow", but I think that because it's a prequel so we can observe Bond's character less than fully formed - in a Good way! - and I applaud the portrayal of his relatively emancipated female lead.
  Initially not knowing this was a prequel, I was quite taken aback buy the opening of the book (certainly obeyed the rules of fiction and got my attention): "007 floats in the waters of Marseille, killed by an unknown hand.... M laid down his pipe and said tetchily: 'We have no choice. We're just going to bring forward this other chap you've been preparing. But you didn't tell me his name.'..."
  <INSERT CLASSIC LINE HERE>.
  It's time for James Bond to earn his licence to kill.


• Devil May Care Sebastian Faulks [read by Jeremy Northam]
  This book was published in 2008 to celebrate the Centenary of Ian Fleming's birth. It's apparently written in Fleming's style and set in 1967, keeping the same time frame, and seeing Bond return to action after a sabbatical following the death of his wife. The arch enemy is Dr Julius Gorner, a megalomaniac chemist, (my favourite kind!), complete with the physical deformity apparently almost de rigeur in the Bond movies. However, the female side-kick is once again not just a pretty face, proving herself suspiciously useful in a fight, and ultimately a fully independent character in her own right. [It has to be said that the unreconstructed Bond character is manipulated from the outset into accepting her as a partner, believing her to be a conventional damsel in distress]. Faulks said: My female lead has a little more depth than Fleming's women, but not at the expense of glamour.


• Colonel Sun Kingsley Amis [read by Simon Vance]
  Kingsley Amis published this work in 1968 under the pseudonym "Robert Markham" - which is presumably why I was never previously aware of its existence. Colonel Sun is the first James Bond continuation novel published after Ian Fleming's death in 1964. The story begins with M's being kidnapped, and Bond's being sent to track him down and rescue him - and I trust it's not too much of a spoiler to say his mission is successful!
  Colonel Sun is the villain of the piece, and is an interesting choice - being "ostensibly the most repellent racial caricature of all", and yet "arguably as much a critique of Fleming's two-dimensional villains as a continuation of the pattern" - as is the choice of baddie nation being China over the traditional USSR. Similarly the female lead "both conforms to the Fleming formula for Bond girls and deviates from it". I recommend reading this 2018 review by John Dugdale as it covers this in more detail plus a number of points I found most interesting.
  Apparently elements from this story have been used for some of the films, including adapting the torture scene for Spectre (2015). Much of Blofeld's dialogue in the torture scene was written by Amis for Sun, resulting in an acknowledgement to Amis' estate in the end title credits.
  Amis wrote two other Bond related works, of which I was also ignorant: the literary study, The James Bond Dossier and the humorous The Book of Bond.
  

There are in fact several other illustrious novelists who have turned their hands to Bond stories - but I think I have had my fill for now...!

Posted on December 31, 2022 at 12:15 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Thursday December 29, 2022

Christmas Jigsaws

Today I completed my cat jigsaw, which was a Christmas present from Rob. It's very pretty, and an absolutely exquisitely made item - each piece made of thick wood in a unique shape - some of the shapes are identifiable as other objects - an anchor, squirrel etc. This made it quite difficult but then also a bit easier as well.... (work that out).
Alongside this, we started our new Mike Wilks jigsaw: "A".

Posted on December 29, 2022 at 6:16 PM. Category: Staying at Home.

Sunday December 25, 2022

Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2022 at 6:41 PM. Category: Red Letter Days.

Wednesday November 30, 2022

Books in November

• An Air That Kills Andrew Taylor [read by Philip Franks]
  Suffering from deprivation of Marwood and Lovett, I decided to try a previous series - removed from the Ashes of London by a couple of hundred years. Anyway, I love it so much, I think I can now count Andrew Taylor as one of my new favourite authors.
  The Lydmouth books were written in the 1990s - much earlier in Taylor's writing career. They are set post-WW2 in a very clearly described period of change. Our protagonists are a policeman new to the area, and a young "career woman" - both of them have similar issues in finding their places not only in the local community but also in society in general. Those who used to be controlling forces in village life, ex-military officers, those with titles, landowners etc while not the force they once were (many in reduced financial circumstances), still believe they can exert influence and attempt to enforce their views on "the lower orders". Policemen (especially in-comers), and women, should know their place.
  These two - similar to Marwood and Lovett - do not really have any kind of relationship in the book - just more of an interaction. Their lives are described essentially separately, which I particularly like. (They do not develop into Steed and Mrs Peel).
  I was so enamoured of the book that I immediately wanted to move on to the next in the series. However, one thing I enjoyed was that the story is set in November, and the description of the weather and so on are totally in keeping with the time in which I am reading it. The next book seems to be set in June, so I am going to defer reading it until the season turns....!
  Other readers like me, moving on from the 18th century stories, have mentioned finding it disappointing - but far from it for me. I think perhaps they liked the "Georgette Heyer" model of historical novels, unfavourably comparing the dismal backdrop of the 1950's and the not-always-likeable characters. However, I am fascinated by this period and feel he writes about it, and the people living in it with great realism and perception. [One reader says they prefer the "historical" novels which made me smile as I need to point out that although it's also only yesterday to me, the 1950's are three-quarters of a century ago...].


• The Cat Who Caught a Killer by L T Shearer
  If you love cats and the so-called cosy crime genre (as I do) you will enjoy this book. It's not a demanding read and would provide perfect travel reading - especially if you were off for a weekend in London, as the protagonist (Lulu) lives on a canal boat and so the book includes picturesque descriptions of, and information about, the area around Little Venice.
  As many other readers have commented, the calico cat of the title does somewhat steal the show, and since it is revealed in the opening pages, I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the cat has the power of human speech. "Conrad" as Lulu names him, is not at all twee, but rather a sensible, down-to-earth and serious character - and despite there being no real hint of this in the text, I was also driven to wonder if his vocalisations were more an expression of Lulu's loneliness after the loss of her husband, since (again realistically) no-one else ever hears anything other than cat language. However, despite never hearing Conrad speak in actual words, all the other human characters are immediately captivated when they meet him - as I'm sure you will be too.
  
  [Although this book is definitely not a comedy, I could not help but be reminded of Lynne Truss's hilarious books about the Evil Talking Cats (ETCs). (Note: Conrad is definitely not one of those).]


• Trueman and Riley
  Two bickering detectives solve Yorkshire's trickiest cases. The duo began life in a BBC Radio 4 play in 2002, with DI Trueman called back to work after a nervous breakdown in order to solve a high profile murder case, backed up by Detective Superintendent Riley. This was followed by three further crime dramas in 2005.
  
  I thought this was an excellent radio drama series, with short episodes, involving amusing and interesting yet everyday police cases. I listened to all 3 series and a prequel. It's presented in the highly professional manner heard in the early radio dramas (before TV) with a minimal cast used to great effect. The actors work well together seemingly with real rapport - as do the characters they depict.
  Robert Daws and Duncan Preston - both exceedingly well known actors from TV - star as Trueman and Riley, and the director is Toby Swift.
  
  

Posted on November 30, 2022 at 12:37 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Thursday November 17, 2022

Living

Poignantly sad - as we have to accept with Kazuo Ishiguro - but ultimately uplifting.
A civil servant in post-war London lives a humdrum life, but is motivated to carry through a small project at work which makes a real change. This apparently makes a deep impression on his colleagues; however, sadly, it does not seem to have a lasting effect... As the reviewers say, it's a part tailor-made for Bill Nighy.

I must say that the working environment in the "planing office" strongly reminded me of my (short) time working for the British Rail property department. Some considerable time later than "post-war" but still working with Dickensian ledgers, and the culture largely unchanged.

Posted on November 17, 2022 at 6:22 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Wednesday November 16, 2022

Christmas Cactus

They are lovely but they've gone off a bit early....
[..so not only not a Cactus but but also not Christmas]
You can see my original one (bottom right) is traumatised but still hanging in there and even has a few flowers.

Posted on November 16, 2022 at 4:10 PM. Category: The Garden.

Monday October 31, 2022

Books in October

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
  Wonderful, classic Kingsolver in that it gently weaves the big issues (here it's opioid over-prescription and the 'left behind sections dividing American society) into a gripping roller-coaster of a story. Loosely based on Dickens' David Copperfield, it is narrated by a poor child from a trailer park in rural Virginia. Initially looked after by neighbours, later disastrously fostered and abused, little wonder he makes a lot of bad choices through his own inexperience.
  It's funny, poignant, page-turning dramatic, and eventually uplifting as the decent humans on the fringe of his life, who have tried in their humble way to offer him better choices and foster his talents, see him move into adulthood with more options than he ever imagined. A picture of rural America that pulls you in and stays with you.
  Can't recommend it highly enough.


• Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham [read by Maxine Peake]
  This is a stand-alone novel and as usual with this author it's a very imaginative treatment for a murder investigation, and it's skilfully written. Usually with his stand-alone novels I am at first resistant, (as there's no DI Thorne - which is odd in itself as I don't find Thorne a very sympathetic hero); but then, I'm quickly drawn into the story and completely won over. Often I find putting aside a known character refreshes both reader and author as he has a renewed sense of freedom in his subject.
  Sadly though, with this book I found that, fond as I am of both author (and narrator), I did not enjoy it as much as some of his others (eg Rush of Blood and Die of Shame). However, I'm very happy to acknowledge that in this case, my lack of enjoyment seems to be wholly to do with personal taste rather than any shortcomings in the narrative.
  The story is told in the voice of an ex-DC, Alice - and we already have a certain element of "the unreliable narrator" at play because Alice has been committed to a psychiatric hospital after a breakdown following an "incident" involving the death of a colleague. After one of the other inmates is found dead, Alice is determined to find the killer, and is certain the police investigation cannot succeed without her help...
  

Posted on October 31, 2022 at 12:05 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Wednesday October 19, 2022

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

Just been to a "proper" matinee performance (ie - in the morning!) at the Everyman - Lesley Manville and lots of dresses - a sheer delight.

In passing, I have also noticed that there is a 1992 "TV movie" which would be fun to see in memory of Angela Lansbury (Mrs 'Arris) - in which I fervently hope she gives centre stage to her astonishing cockney accent, which I experienced in a rather peculiar episode of Murder She Wrote, set in London [1987 It Runs in the Family].

This version of Mrs 'Arris also stars Omar Sharif, apparently, where presumably any kind of vaguely foreign accent will do for a Frenchman (I say all this with much affection - and, after all, I may be wrong...).

Posted on October 19, 2022 at 4:05 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Saturday October 8, 2022

The Lost King

I - along with the rest of the world it seems - was fascinated by the discovery of the last resting place of Richard III under a car park in Leicester in 2012. I have to admit that seeing the news footage of Philippa Langley shedding a few tears as they dug made me think she was a bit wet (no pun intended). However, after seeing this film I can see why she would do so.
Having said that, it is certain that she is an unusual woman; apart from anything else, her sheer obsession with the project is a bit weird (as even her imaginary Richard tells her). Although I don't swallow entirely whole the depictions in the film, I think she would definitely have had to put up with a lot of adversity during her single-minded mission - which single-mindedness she managed to sustain over quite a long period of research, which was not really made clear in the film. The Leicester University employees have complained about their characterisations - and I would say probably fairly because there is no doubt that Philippa could not have achieved any of the archaeological side of things without them - but equally, there is no doubt they would not have undertaken the dig without her obsession - and - probably more significantly - the sums of money she raised.
Also, I would comment on the Uni's strenuous denials about misogyny. I'm sure they don't suffer from "institutional misogyny" - and even in the context of the film I did not really see the portrayal of the designated "villain of the piece" as so very bad - neither for him nor the Uni. But I'm afraid that my experience tells me that the attitude of people (not only men) towards strange ladies with obsessions and strong emotional commitment - not to mention illnesses regarded by many as imaginary - are not always kind. I do believe it must have been hard to make academics, who, to be fair, are a bit strange themselves, as well as prone to pomposity (sorry but they are) listen to her. It could only have been improved if she'd lived alone with 27 with cats. [...and I speak as one who quite likes cats myself].
As to the historical makeover of Richard - I think this has long been accepted to one degree or another. I remember an exhibition in the 1970s of Plantagenet portraits where you can clearly see the "enhancements" by the Tudors to emphasise a hunch back for Richard - and when I heard a radio play of Josephine Tey's 1951 novel The Daughter of Time in the 1980s, I was wholly convinced by it. As I've already been inspired to watch the documentary Richard III: the King in the Car Park (narrated by Simon Farnaby), perhaps it's time I actually read Tey's novel itself...

Posted on October 8, 2022 at 11:35 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Friday September 30, 2022

Books in September

• The Romantic by William Boyd
  There's no doubt Boyd is a master story-teller - but he distinguishes himself from others by being an excellent writer to boot. Here we have a wonderful story, splendidly written, and illustrating why he has been described by some as the finest storyteller of his generation.
  "The Romantic" is written in a style he has employed previously, being a whole-life biography, apparently gathered from historical source material, giving him the scope to use a variety of historical backdrops, while his protagonist, Cashel Greville Ross, is pulled in many different directions, both emotionally and geographically. The "source material" is fictional, but very convincing, in similar vein to Boyd's famous 1990s hoax biography of an "underrated" post-war artist [see note*]. In this story, however, we are transported through 19th century Europe, India, and the Americas, as Cashel's, adventures appear to be driven entirely by apparently random external events rather than by his own choosing. This calls to mind previous comparisons with some of Evelyn Waugh's heroes, but in this case perhaps more like Amis' "Lucky Jim", where despite equal shares of good and bad luck, he manages to deal with success as well as reversals of fortune, coming out, if not actually "on top", perhaps better than he might have expected.
  Although Cashel is swayed by his passions for several women - and one in particular haunts him to the end - I would not entirely describe him a romantic in that way. He is a romantic in that he seizes on each unlikely opportunity that life offers with total commitment, where other men might take a "once bitten twice shy" approach. The resulting exploits are indeed romantic, covering the Battle of Waterloo, sojourns in Italy with the "romantic" poets (Shelley and Byron), a safari to find the source of the Nile, and, perhaps less romantically, an enforced period in a debtors prison in London.
  

  ---

  * Note: The way this hoax was perpetrated, moving a total fiction into reality - with some people even claiming to have met the artist and seen a retrospective exhibition of his work - reminds me of Hilary Mantel, whose untimely death was announced this month. She had a number of well-made points in her 2017 Reith Lectures on the subject of "History" and so-called historical fact:
  Once we can no longer speak for ourselves, we are interpreted. When we remember, we don't reproduce the past, we create it.
  Evidence is always partial. Facts are not truth, though they are part of it -- information is not knowledge. And history is not the past -- it is the method we have evolved of organizing our ignorance of the past. It's the record of what's left on the record.


• Fatal Isles, Wild Shores, and Cruel Tides by Maria Adolfsson [Read by Hattie Ladbury]

  This is a relatively new book series, translated from Swedish, featuring DI Karen Eiken Hornby, who has returned to her native island home after a period working in England. She has her demons, which seems de rigeur for every fictional detective in order to provide additional background interest, but in this case it goes beyond the usual hackneyed tropes of the genre. Her history has left her traumatised, informing her life in the present, but not dished up to us in one emotional dollop. Rather the mystery story definitely takes centre stage - as it should.
  And they are remarkably good mystery stories, which reinforce the appeal of the "cold case" without actually following that format. Here the answer to a couple of very modern murders lies in the past, and the solutions will definitely keep you guessing. They also have thrilling endings where you truly experience the fear as Karen realises she is finally facing a killer.
  And - a word on Karen's "native island home" - which is "Doggerland". I have to confess I read two books without actually taking in that these islands are in fact fictional. I know - but as I am used to being deemed poor at geography, I would not think it unusual that I had not heard of some small Scandinavian islands, which I imagined to be like the Faroes. In fact they are rather bigger, being based on the submerged prehistoric land bridge, the remains of which form the "Dogger Bank" somewhere in the North Sea.

  I have read the first two of the series, and looking forward to the third which is available this month. I also note with keen anticipation there seem to be one or two more in the wings awaiting translation.

  
  

Posted on September 30, 2022 at 6:36 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Wednesday September 14, 2022

See How They Run

I persuaded G to come with me to this, which I thought sounded just my cup of tea - and how right I was. It's something of an homage to Agatha Christie, as well as something of a parody. The action takes place during the first run of The Mousetrap in the 1950s (still going and now in its 70th year), expected to last 6 months. It's a playful and self-aware look at the murder mystery genre as well as "the movies" - I simply loved it.
And speaking of cups of tea... we went as silver screeners - a new experience for G, who may not have enjoyed the film quite as thoroughly as I, but did like the cake....

Posted on September 14, 2022 at 7:41 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Wednesday September 7, 2022

Much Ado

Keen to get back to theatre outings, I got myself a Friday Rush ticket for this - and to be frank I had low expectations, but only because the plot is slight, I have seen it many times before, and it relies on being very wordily witty. After all, what can you do with Shakespeare?
Well - I soon found out. I don't usually warm towards changing the era and background to traditional productions for no reason (like Sweeney Todd in the 1940s - why? didn't add anything to it at all); however, this setting was an art deco Riviera hotel in the 1920s/30s, so the actual spectacle of the sets and costumes were splendid, and the updating of the music to a swing/jazz format with lots of dancing was brilliant (hey nonny no). There was a lot of pure slapstick comedy (not my favourite but very funny when well executed) which could be said to overshadow the bard's wonderful wordplay, but then again it also carried you through it, if you're less of a Shakespeare scholar. I guess my only reservation was a certain lack of chemistry between Beatrice and and Benedict - but that kind of thing either happens or not in my experience. [Maybe they were saving themselves for the evening performance!].
Overall a great afternoon. So glad I caught the final week.

Posted on September 7, 2022 at 4:40 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Wednesday August 31, 2022

Books in August

• The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton [read by Jot Davies]
  I was expecting a conventional murder mystery, but what an extraordinary book this turned out to be. Compelling from the opening chapter, it's not only fascinating but a very clever book, dealing as it does with different timelines throughout. The protagonist, Aiden (or is he?), seems to be in a kind of limbo - as in: an existence between life and death (or heaven and hell) - and, weirder still, inhabits the bodies of a number of different characters, reliving the day of the eponymous death over and over again. Despite the obvious possibility of confusion for the reader, (especially in an audio book format!), it was pretty clearly explained throughout - since the protagonist was definitely more confused by his circumstances than any reader.
  I would categorise this as fantasy, sci-fi, maybe gothic horror, so if you hate those, maybe this book won't appeal - but ... I can only repeat: what an extraordinary book.


• Fair Warning Michael Connelly [read by Peter Giles and Zach Villa]
  Of all of Connelly's creations I believe I like Jack McEvoy the very best.
  The Scarecrow scared me half to death - and I'm not even a crow! So I've been greatly looking forward to this book - and it was as excellent. Luckily it did not scare me quite so much (maybe because I don't meet the profile of the victims) but the mystery, detection, and research were as intriguing as ever.
  We see Jack now working as a journalist for an online consumer website (Fair Warning) getting sucked into a murder investigation. He starts looking into the safety protocols (and there are virtually none) for consumers who voluntarily submit their samples to DNA labs for analysis, and uncovers a network of sexual predators illegally tapping into this source of information.
  Fair Warning is/was a real on-line website, which is made clear at the end, where - being an audio book - Connelly interviews its erstwhile editor. I say "ertstwhile" because when I went to view the site, I find it has since been forced to close. Even though it was aimed at American consumers/workers I was very sad to see that the closure was seemingly caused by on-line trolling through social media. I'm not offering an opinion on the accusations but it seems to me that the overall aims and objectives of such a site can only be seen as a "Good Thing". And the result is not "changes for the better", but - as with some other websites for rather less noble causes [MagKnits] - total shut down. The people running these enterprises, being of an age, decide it's simpler to retire, rather than to fight to continue a non-profit site.
  

Posted on August 31, 2022 at 10:20 AM. Category: Books of the Month.

Thursday August 25, 2022

Jack Absolute Flies Again

This was a lot of fun; the cast were delightful and their exuberance was contagious. I don't remember there being quite so many Malapropisms in the Rivals itself (upon which this production is based) but... Overall a very good evening.
I had read a rather lukewarm review prior to seeing it - maybe the bar was set impossibly high by One Man, Two Guvnors. However, part of me wonders if the reviewer left early, as all the things he quoted and picked at appeared in the first 10 minutes, and I think you certainly needed to warm up with the characters - and the style - as the play went along.

Posted on August 25, 2022 at 11:42 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Tuesday August 9, 2022

National Theatre Live: Prima Facie

Jodie Comer has come to the local Everyman as part of the NT Live Programme. Very popular - I think we got the last 2 tickets (which are in the front row).

Posted on August 9, 2022 at 11:35 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Sunday July 31, 2022

Books in July

• A Song from Dead Lips by William Shaw [read by Cameron Stewart]
  I thought The Birdwatcher was a great book, and I'm wondering why it took me so long to read another offering from Shaw.
  This story is also excellent, and again was a good fit with my interests - which, apart from the dead bodies thing, was set in the not too distant past of London in the 1960s. This era covered my life from a very small child to a young adult, so I can remember it, but as it were "through a glass darkly" (which must also apply to the author as we are of an age). However, it seems to me to quite accurately reflect what I remember of wandering around London as a teenager - trying to find Carnaby Street and the Swinging Sixties, (unsuccessfully) - and looking for Rupert Street (successfully) to find a wonderful shoe shop, (as opposed to the Raymond Review Bar). So having been reminded of all this - I find I strongly agree with a the NY Times comment "an elegy for an entire neglected generation".
  The war in Biafra is featured fairly centrally as part of the unravelling of the murder mystery. This war provided my first exposure, (with zero appreciation of the true situation), to mass appeals for aid for victims of a terrible famine, and of graphic TV footage showing starving children. The war itself ended by the 1970s and Biafra disappeared as both a news item and a separate state. An estimated 2 million civilians died of starvation, of which three quarters were children.


• The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz
  "I've written three books and our deal is over.", says an exasperated Horowitz, having been subjected to a series of near death experiences as a well as some ridicule (which is worse I wonder...?) through his relationship with the irritating ex DI Hawthorne. As you can imagine, this state of affairs lasts about 5 minutes before Anthony finds himself on the wrong side of the law, and has (reluctantly) to call upon Hawthorne for assistance.
  I have come upon this fourth in the series somewhat sooner than I expected as I was lucky enough to be allowed a review copy; thus I've read it on the page as opposed to listening to it.
  This particular story - another of the "locked room" genre - revolves around a theatre production of a play written by Anthony himself; the play receives a scathing review, leading to... a murder. As with many other snippets revealed in these books, it drove me to look up "Mindgame", to find that it is indeed a play of his from 1999, (and it did receive lukewarm reviews at the time, but, happily, spawned no murders that I could find). Once again, I loved the book- my favourite Horowitz series - clever, thrilling, and wonderfully entertaining. And as I love Rory Kinnear's narration so much, I shall definitely be listening to it all over again once the audio version is available.


• Secret Water by Arthur Ransome [Read by Gareth Armstrong]
  This is not quite so adventurous - nor set in such a picturesque a location - as some of the other books up to this point. The Swallows' Father was unable - at the last minute - to take them on a planned sailing trip all together, so he arranges something else for them to do, a little more statically: a mapping project while camped on islands within tidal mud flats; he also arranges for the Amazons come to Norfolk to join them. Since it directly follows the (alarming) events in We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea, one can only surmise that the adults felt they needed a safer environment for their unaccompanied children. What could possibly go wrong? Nevertheless, the 3 youngest of them manage to end up in yet another disastrous situation. Again we watch helplessly as, despite sound planning, they make a series of last-minute faulty decisions, inevitably leading to their being stranded in the middle of the causeway as the tide comes in...
  

Posted on July 31, 2022 at 11:17 AM. Category: Books of the Month.

Saturday July 30, 2022

WOMAD

Rob felt he wanted to go to WOMAD just for the day this year, so I drove us there - and and back in the middle of the night. It was quite crowded enough for me - though Rob tells me fewer numbers than previous years - but none the less jolly and festive for all that.

ADG7

Les Amazones d'Afrique

Taraf de Caliu

Posted on July 30, 2022 at 11:52 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Thursday July 28, 2022

South Pacific

This is my favourite musical (maybe second to Sweeney Todd), thus I've seen a lot of productions, and, seriously, this is the best. Truth to tell, most shows suffer because of my internal comparison with the film. However, I haven't seen such a charming and enthusiastically naive Nellie since Mitzi Gaynor - and There is Nothing Like a Dame is performed quite brilliantly (unlike some stagings where you think "is this ever going to end?"). True, modern productions benefit from performers being miked up, but nonetheless this one is really exceptional.
The musical itself has a lot of underlying serious themes - not sure if they are considered PC these days, but they are certainly at least addressed. This one showed very clearly the "unintended consequences" - of war, I suppose you could say - where a military outfit descends on a pacific island, totally disrupts the local economy, and then abruptly ships out. Being a creation of Americans, not long after said war, there is no real blame attached - just a terrible sadness. One even wonders how Nellie will fare after her "happy ever after" moment - maybe her good heart and her cock-eyed optimism will be enough to see her through.

Posted on July 28, 2022 at 11:53 AM. Category: Art and Culture.

Tuesday July 12, 2022

The Glass Menagerie

An interesting production of this play. The character of Tom is played by two actors - one is the young, brash, and pretty resentful Tom in the timeline of the story, and the other is the older, cynical, tortured (and perhaps unsuccessful), writer Tom who acts as narrator, played brilliantly, I felt, by Paul Hilton. I'm not sure if this was how it was originally intended, but overall I think it worked well as a construct - the way the story is told, in itself, separates the characters.

As to the other aspects of the staging, I am little more lukewarm. The set is spacious, without any borders, which is a little contrary to the intimate nature of the play; I was uncomfortable with it. The most intimate scene was created by an excellent lighting design for the blackout and candlelight - which was a necessity given the set. But by far the most peculiar aspect was the menagerie itself - which was HUGE. I can see it was allegorical; however, to me, Laura's precious and slightly broken unicorn is sufficient as the real allegory, and not her collection. I always imagined the menagerie to be in a rather small cabinet in keeping with their life of relative poverty, and only large in its importance to Laura; I don't think it needs to be physically large and looming to convey this.

Posted on July 12, 2022 at 11:53 AM. Category: Art and Culture.

Saturday July 9, 2022

Hampton Court Flower Show

My sister got tickets for the show, and it was her first visit - which unfortunately was not really a good experience for her. We hooked up at Wisley and I think we'd have had a nicer day if we had stayed there. Instead, as we had parking available to us, we drove into Kingston, and spent over 2 hours in absolutely solid traffic the like of which I have not seen there before, and arrived at lunch time. Queues for eating were off the scale, so we did not try for a restaurant. From the limited other choices, we queued for burgers, and then sat on the ground as it was the only shade available. I had failed to brief her about what to wear, so she spent the whole time shaking dust out of her sandals. And I would say - the gardens were not as lovely as I have seen in previous years - too much scrubby wild garden/recycling/mindfulness themes - too much hard core structuring, and not enough plants.
However, the real problem was - it was too hot.
It was too hot to shop in the many lovely retail outlets, too hot to view the gardens for more than about 10 minutes at a time, and too hot buy plants.

I do hope I'll be able to persuade her to go again on a cooler year - if there ever is one, which judging by the gloomy climate predictions may be unlikely.

Posted on July 9, 2022 at 6:18 PM. Category: The Garden.

Thursday June 30, 2022

Books in June

• The Cliff House by Christopher Brookmyre
  This is another excellent novel from Chris Brookmyre - an all time favourite since he first introduced us to Jack Parlabane and his version of the "Tartan Noire" novel. Since then he has not stuck to the one detective - despite his evident popularity - but has explored a lot of different writing techniques and styles, and all with great success in my opinion.
  This is a "locked room" mystery, set in luxury a retreat isolated on a remote Scottish island a la "And Then There Were None". The characters are looking forward to a relaxing hen weekend with the usual copious quantities of alcohol and gourmet dining provided by their very own personal chef. However, the bloody demise of the chef on the first evening is a fairly strong indicator that things are not going to plan... and then they discover that they have no communications with the outside world...
  The story is narrated through the eyes of each character in turn, gradually revealing that each of them has a (greater or lesser) dark secret in their past, increasing the tension as we wait to find out which of them might be bent on such a ghastly form of blackmail revenge.
  If you share my own taste for well-written twisty plots and properly rounded endings, you can always be sure of a great read when you open any of CB's books - this one being no exception.


• In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear [read by Julie Teal]
  Here we find Maisie at the very start of WW2, with events from the previous war all too sharp in her memory. The story concerns Belgian refugees who remained in Britain after WW1, and a tragic event from their past which led to an inexplicable string of murders so many years later.
  The book provides an excellent account of every day life, as civilians start to get to grips with the rituals of gas masks and sheltering from air raids - as well as some less well-remembered political points (see note).
  Note: Before the Blitz started, the government ordered London Transport not to allow people to use the tube stations as shelters - which seems astonishing now, as we more or less identify that period with Londoners sheltering in the Underground. It seems that though Churchill was happy to use a disused underground station as a refuge himself, he talked about forcibly preventing the general populace from doing the same. However, Underground station staff found that it was impossible to stop people entering and setting up their own primitive camps below ground, and in October 1940, the government policy was changed. The short branch line to Aldwych station (often used now and in the past for filming historic dramas) was closed and given over to the public, and three disused stations were specially opened to the public.
  


• Riviera Gold by Laurie R King[Read by Jenny Sterlin]
  I would say: 'I love these books', but I have found the last two slightly harder going.
  The books are really about Mary rather than Holmes, and I think she writes well about the latter, with understanding and affection, but I'm not keen on her treatment of some of the other characters. Speaking as a Brit, I suppose, I do not really like Mary's rift with Mycroft, and as I mentioned before, I actively dislike what she has done with Mrs Hudson (now "Clarissa", apparently). This story features "Clarissa" centre stage, so I found it hard to engage with it, plus I found the method of the telling - the plot interspersed with "conversations" between two women in a different timeline - rather confusing, (although that may have been simply that it was not ideal for an audio book). And while I do enjoy the author's peppering the stories with well-known characters from the period (in this case Picasso - probably not very realistically in my opinion but... what do I know?), I did prefer her use of fictional characters (ie Lord Peter Wimsey and Kim for example).


• Winter Holiday, and We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome
  [Read by Gareth Armstrong]
  While Peter Duck is a true adventure story in the style of Treasure Island, these two books are a whole other kettle of fish. In Winter Holiday the Swallows and Amazons meet up with the Ds for the first time, with snow everywhere, and the lake frozen over. Nancy is in bed with the mumps, but still well in charge of the rest - who are in quarantine for the duration and unable to return to school - and their expedition to the "North Pole". This is perhaps the more realistic of the two books, in that the children end up in a very bad situation in a blizzard - all very low key unless you have actually been in that situation - and they are lucky to escape perishing from exposure while no-one has any idea where they can be. It's also a perfect illustration of mis-communications ["when you see a signal start for the North Pole"], which provides a good lesson to inform your later life!
  In the same vein, We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea is even more heart-stoppingly awful, as we watch the Swallows step-by-step make the wrong decisions in an unfamiliar boat - culminating in the inevitable loss of the anchor, and the start of a ghastly trip across the North Sea in a storm. In some ways it could be said that this is a slightly less realistic scenario, but only in as much as - duffers or not - the more realistic outcome would have been that they all drowned. Luckily, with many more books in the series, this was not the case. Again, this is agonising reading as an adult, and again, I love the way the adults are depicted - especially in the closing chapter, as Mr Walker is viewed by the children at a distance, explaining to his wife what their children had really been up to.
  

Posted on June 30, 2022 at 12:44 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Wednesday June 8, 2022

Downton Abbey

I had an indulgent afternoon out on my own at the Everyman cinema, with a Silver Screen ticket. Designed for the over 55s, the ticket includes free tea and cake, and - along with the twee nature of Downton - perfect in every way!
As for the film - I did feel that the plot was slightly better than previous offerings, relying less on the splendid costumes and locations and more on a proper story. It reflected the New Era in the life of Downton, where they accept a film crew descending on them in exchange for a fee - welcome, however distasteful - and thus it also allowed them to reflect the changes in the film industry through the latest innovation of the "talkies".
However, I'm sure the many fans of Downton would love it whatever the intricacies of the plot (or lack thereof).

Posted on June 8, 2022 at 7:53 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Tuesday May 31, 2022

Books in May

• The Cook by Ajay Chowdhury
  Overall, despite its having a decent plot and potentially interesting characters, this book was not really to my taste. I don't think that should put anyone else off reading it - my taste is by no means everyone's. Kamil Rahman appeared first in The Waiter, and although I prefer to read books in order, when the publishers via Netgalley kindly offered me Kamil's second outing to review, I decided to read it first. I feel that may have been my mistake. Reviews of The Waiter, explicitly mention the vivid interweaving of cultures by alternating between past events in Kolkata and the present in London being so enjoyable. However, unlike the first book, the action here is based solely in London, and I found it very hard to engage with the characters and the communities. Even though I the fault may be with me, (in that the age and background of the players is well outside my demographic), I think the author should have made me engage more, and thus given me more of an interest in things about which I know little. I have the slight impression that the author said all he wanted to about the characters in the first book, (perhaps an indication that they are a little shallow?). Even the themes of homelessness and domestic abuse - which are shocking and ever-present in our society - failed to raise the emotions in the way they should have.
  Despite the good story, I felt Kamil's investigation came across as implausible; the concept of a familiar crew getting together to solve a mystery on their own smacked almost of children's books. All books with "amateur detectives" have this kind of inherent problem - I heard one experienced author saying: "why would a person in reality accept being questioned by anyone other than the police?". However, again, I think it's the author's job to answer that question, and make me suspend my disbelief. Despite all this, I am still keen to read "The Waiter", and I hope we might get improved characterisations as the series - and the author - progress.


• A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz [Read by Rory Kinnear]
  Of course, as with most of Anthony Horowitz's (may I call you Tony? no?) output - I loved this next book in this series. The plot is good, the characters wonderful, and ... well, what more can I say?
  As this was an audio book - and I would say again what an appropriate reader they have found in Rory Kinnear - they followed an apparent trend, by including an interview with the author at the end. I found this really interesting, not only in Anthony's opinion and insights about writing this and other books, but in his sheer irrepressible enthusiasm for his craft. This is reminiscent of some anecdotes I heard from friends who worked with him in his youth in advertising, when "all he ever wanted to do was to write and write".
  I was also very pleased to discover that far more books are in plan for this series, (beyond the "three book deal"). True to the professional he is, Anthony explained that he will need to vary the form in those future books, and how he might do so, to avoid his own fictional role as "Watson" becoming stale.


• Hot to Trot by M C Beaton with R W Green [read by Penelope Keith]
  As Marion Chesney died in 2019, I thought this would be the last Agatha Raising book I would read; however, this book credits Rod Green as a co-author, and it seems clear he will continue to write the Agatha books*. He makes it clear that Marion worked with him and supplied him with some future storylines - as well as approving his first few chapters on her behalf - before she passed away. I think he really has done a good job, although I do detect a slight mellowing - and I suspect he will be unable to bring himself to make Agatha quite as outrageously foolish as she has been under Marion's watch. (I always likened Agatha to an adult version of Blyton's Noddy - he is based on naughty 3 year old mentality, while she is a naughty 50 year old.)
  * R W Green also seems to be continuing the Hamish McBeth series - a delight yet to come for me - I loved the TV series with Robert Carlyle, and was rather put off to discover that it and he ("not a Highlander!") were intensely disapproved of by Marion. I hope sooner or later Green will achieve full credit for the books that he's responsible for.


• Swallowdale and Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome
  [Read by Gareth Armstrong]
  Swallowdale takes place the year after Swallows and Amazons. The Swallows - so excited with the prospect of another summer holiday in the Lake District - have to deal with an accident which holes their boat, putting it out of action for the duration of the story (a couple of weeks); this means they cannot camp on Wild Cat Island until it is mended. Instead they find a "secret" valley in which to camp, and a cave - both of which in fact remembered by their relatives from when they were children. Not to mention the "shipwreck" itself at the start of the book, again, there is a very scary element when a sudden mist descends while the the two youngest children (by then, aged only 8 and 10) are making their way back to camp on their own after an "expedition", and they become lost. Once again - despite knowing the outcome - this is especially frightening to read as an adult where you can not only clearly see that, for all their certainty, they are nowhere near where they should be, as they try to follow the (wrong) beck, but you can also fully understand the true peril of being lost and exposed on the fells.
  Peter Duck is quite a different sort of book. Although it still features the S&As, and although it is described very realistically, it is definitely a bit of a tall tale of adventure. Peter Duck himself is a (fictional) old seafaring man living in retirement on the Norfolk Broads. He is referenced in Swallowdale more or less as Titty's imaginary friend, and she names the "secret" cave after him. It is suggested that this is a story made up while the S&As were staying on a Norfolk wherry with Captain Flint, during the winter between the first two books*. Because of he nature of the story, Ransome has a degree of freedom to write an exciting thriller with somewhat larger than life villains and heroes - and yet at the same time staying on the edge of reality - definite shades of Treasure Island.
  * [I see wikipedia describes it as "metafiction"]
  

Posted on May 31, 2022 at 9:57 AM. Category: Books of the Month.

Sunday May 29, 2022

Bletchley Park

I was unexpectedly invited to join a friend and (long ago) colleague on a "works outing" through the company social club (* see note).

It was a terrific day out, and the group was treated to an excellent lunch and tour of the site - and of course we got to see the (or one of the) all important enigma machines. I could thoroughly recommend it as a day out for anyone. The atmosphere of the place has been recreated with dim lighting, recording, and projections - everything looking as though the occupants had just stepped out for a moment.

Below is the bright and airy Library inside the Mansion - but the huts where the coders worked were more or less windowless and very eerie. [And highly reinforced externally with concrete structures.]

Towards the end of the afternoon Sally and I went across to the National Museum of Computing, which is adjacent to the site. The staff gave us 100% attention and considering it was the end of the day, were still stunningly committed to their task of explaining the history of the machines on display. I was totally gripped - Sally rather less so, as by that time we were both pretty tired and still had to drive home....
We still managed a retail visit to stock up on our "careless talk costs lives" coasters, and the posters about saving gas and electricity, which I felt highly appropriate to display in our house today... though maybe not in order to build more aircraft...

* Note: It's a real shame that after a century of existence, this year sees the demise of our "works social clubs" after the company announced they will no longer support them. Personally, I think it's really mean spirited since the cost involved - the level of actual monetary support having been progressively cut year on year since I joined in the 1980s - must be really trivial for such a large multinational (and profitable) organisation. However, I also see that the reality is that the interest in the clubs has dwindled. Frankly, I think younger employees probably have better things to do with their free time, with social media filling this particular gap, enabling them to more easily access a "club" environment on a broader scale. This is not true for the "retirees" section though; although retirees potentially have the same opportunity for broader social interactions, the club enabled them to retain those loose bonds with old colleagues that they no longer met every day at work - every outing was a kind of class reunion.

Posted on May 29, 2022 at 7:46 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Thursday May 26, 2022

Betchworth Castle Walk

Following the relatively uninteresting (and hot) walk along the river Mole last month, I was told that one could walk in the opposite direction on a footpath to Brockham - so we did. After stopping for a cup of tea and a cake at the Reading Room coffee and cake house in the village, we walked back and took a diversion following signs to Betchworth Castle. The latter is not a castle but a derelict medieval house, in process of being saved as a scheduled monument.

Below is an interesting object sighted on the banks of a fishing lake, on the way to Brockham. Someone has set up a wooden hunter - viewed through the hedgerow, it certainly had us fooled for a while...!

Posted on May 26, 2022 at 3:36 PM. Category: Days Out.

Saturday May 14, 2022

Sonning - Busman's Honeymoon

Lord Peter Wimsey - upper crust sleuth - has married his lovely fiancee, Harriet Vane. But his honeymoon bliss is shattered when the dead body of the house's previous owner turns up in the cellar.

It seems long ago now that I signed up for this outing to The Mill - and after much rescheduling - here we are again. I did hear a radio production of this story in 2014 with Ian Carmichael, from which I remember the plot was slight enough and a cactus played a leading role. Nonetheless, (ignoring the cactus who was a bit wooden), the acting in this production was probably the best I have seen at Sonning* - at best it's challenging in such a small and intimate space. James Sheldon as Lord Peter was really excellent, convincingly depicting Wimsey's determined gaiety as he tries to overcome his somewhat fragile mental state, as well as his sheer joy at being with Harriet (Kate Tydman). I should really mention all the cast as they were a brilliant set of experienced supporting actors - and I was delighted to find Noel White stepping up as the police Inspector one again, (though the audience refrained from cheering on this occasion and probably quite appropriately as it was a less tongue-in-cheek production!).
I also need to say - the meals provided at the Mill are really excellent, and it was so good to enjoy the experience with the usual group of friends and colleagues, especially now I have retired.

* I was interested to read a rather critical review which to me hardly described the same play that I saw - all I can say is it must have been an off day, and since the reviewer admits, he may have eaten too much beforehand I can only conclude it affected his judgement, though why it would have done so negatively I cannot imagine...

Posted on May 14, 2022 at 3:43 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Wednesday May 11, 2022

Ryeland Sheep

I went to pick up two Ryeland fleeces from a neighbour - hoping that someone in the Guild might like to spin them - otherwise I shall do so myself. Above are the two boys in person - very friendly and interested in the prospect of nibbles. Not looking quite as teddy-bear like as they are before shearing. These are chocolate Ryelands and the fleece has some grey so it will be interesting to see what the yarn turns out like.

Also, as always on this day, I am thinking of my school friend Kate, whose birthday it would have been. Today particularly I'm remembering her, and her sisters, as they commemorate and celebrate her life.

Posted on May 11, 2022 at 12:09 PM. Category: Spinning, Dying, Weaving.

Saturday April 30, 2022

Books in April

• Low Actionby Andrew Cartmel [Read by Finlay Robertson]
  Another interesting excursion into the world of popular music - in this case: Punk.
  Our hero, the Vinyl Detective - a moniker he has come to rue - is again drawn into danger (and a murder plot) with the lure of finding a rare record. As before, I found the mystery and characters highly engaging - already looking forward to the next one.
  I also have to say, I enjoy the setting of the characters lives, which is in and around Richmond and Surrey. In this book in particular there are many fairly detailed descriptions of journeys taken by bike and car to places very familiar to me and which I have great delight in unpicking. I especially hope the author does actually live in the residence described as the detective's home - which is lovely - since I know he lives or lived in that area.


• Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome [Read by Gareth Armstrong]
  I decided to listen to the Swallows and Amazons books - it's a very long time since I read them. I do plan to approach them in order but for nostalgic reasons I had to start with this one. It was the first one I read - aged about 8 - when I knew nothing about the book nor that it was part of any series. In truth, I was probably a bit young for it, but I went to the local library (located in a tin hut behind the Parish Hall) every week after Brownies, and I was always drawn to plain book covers (this one red with no dust cover) where the contents provided all the colour and excitement you could ever want.
  At the time I remember being completely mystified in trying to keep track of a rather large number of children - introduced all at once - and by the fact that they all called each other Captain, Able Seaman, and so on, when there were no boats in sight. I think in hindsight that I must have struggled with the reading - or was simply missing the experience to really understand what was happening - because it was quite a surprise to find how thrilling the plot is. The children face real jeopardy from a wild fire, which, as an adult, makes you sick with fear - even when you know the outcome...
  Despite that, there are a lot of interesting nuggets of information in the book which clearly stayed with me into adulthood, without my ever consciously remembering where they came from, and it was fun to rediscover them.


• A Rising Man, A Necessary Evil, Smoke and Ashes, A Death in the East,
  and The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee [Read by Simon Bubb]

  For me, these books are wonderful, and splendidly narrated by Simon Bubb.
  Set in India, just after the first World War, it's the time of the British Raj, a time of nationalistic agitation against direct rule and India's push for independence. Again for me, I think they are perfectly pitched - and I feel comfortable in that view because of the author's ethnicity. Abir Mukherjee is a Scottish Bengali author, so to my mind he is able to tread a tricky line describing the inherent injustice of the era but also with some insight into "Britishness" and all that that conveys.
  His two protagonists are Captain Sam Wyndham (ex policeman relocated from Scotland Yard), and Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee (educated in England and called Surrender-not, by his British superiors, claiming to be unable to pronounce his name). Banerjee has rejected his family's plan for his career and instead chose to join the police; in the first few books he is accepting of the status quo, however I think his attitudes harden as the author uses the novel to reflect social issues of the time. Wyndham's attitude to politics seems moderately neutral, especially compared with his peers in the force - but then he has his own internal demons from his experiences fighting in the war in Europe (WW1) to deal with. He does offer a certain wry cynicism in his thinking, but not generally expressed. I find his attitudes somewhat warmly familiar. My own Father was in India in the 1930's up until independence. He was first in the British Army and then later the Indian Army, and he definitely had no chauvinistic illusions about Britain's "right to rule", or the general superiority of the then rulers. At the same time, he wasn't standing up to be counted - just doing a job. At the current point in the stories, Sam reminds me of him - probably without the opioid addiction though...
  We are now up to the 5th book, but I'm not quite up to date in my reading yet.

  
  

Posted on April 30, 2022 at 8:36 AM. Category: Books of the Month.

Saturday April 23, 2022

Spring lambs

I made these as a bit of fun for our Guild meeting.
They were quite popular but I think better in look than taste - but then I'm not fond of marsh mallow. Probably more fun with kids for both eating and creating.

Posted on April 23, 2022 at 10:41 AM. Category: Kitchen and food.

Thursday April 21, 2022

Mole Valley Walk

While visiting a local garden centre I noticed there was access to a trail along the River Mole, so Rob and I met up to take a walk. In practice is was a very hot day, with lots of dog walkers, and we saw very few birds. We followed trails on both sides of the river, and eventually had to turn back as the path to the Box Hill view point was closed for renovations to the steps.
We did spend some time watching some cock pheasants making enthusiastic amorous advances to "the ladies"...

...and Rob took some good photos of a few butterflies.

Posted on April 21, 2022 at 3:38 PM. Category: Days Out.

Sunday April 17, 2022

Easter Sunday

So we hid the hand-crafted eggs around the garden for the almost-two-year-old to find in the Grand Egg Hunt - but unfortunately the magpies found them first... however I suspect they must have been very disappointed when they found no actual "egg".

Posted on April 17, 2022 at 5:13 PM. Category: The Garden.

Friday April 15, 2022

Summer Pots

I copied a commercial collection to create these pretty pots for the summer - however, they include French lavender with saxifrage and primula, which are not a compatible seasonal combination, so I will no doubt be replacing some of them in a couple of weeks, as they die back.
Below are extravagantly pretty pink "parrot" tulips that somehow escaped the attention of the squirrels last autumn.

Posted on April 15, 2022 at 11:12 AM. Category: The Garden.

Thursday March 31, 2022

Books in March

• Troubled Bloodby Robert Galbraith[Read by Robert Glenister]
  I guess this is another one of those I'd been saving up for a rainy day, and it did not disappoint. It is a long book - I believe JK Rowling has been criticised for this in general - but fans are as much interested in the story of the characters as in the mystery plot so I can't see there will be many complaints. As to the plot: it is pretty complex and, in hindsight, highly improbable; however it's told in such a way that disbelief is suspended and it becomes wholly convincing. Strike and Robin investigate a 20 year old unsolved missing person case - with little hope of resolution after so many years. On the plus side, as they are not the police, and as it is all so long ago, some witnesses are more forthcoming than they were at the time - whilst on the negative side, others are more determined than ever that some facts should never be revealed. Add to this a fascinating diversion into the occult as they try to decipher the long-dead DI's casebook, (written as he descended into a mental breakdown), and we are all set for a jolly time!
  Robert Glenister is a simply brilliant reader, and to me he particularly excels himself with this book. He is truly narrating rather than acting out but manages to voice each character quite distinctively, and even includes the "stage directions" as written (yawns, coughs etc) without ever over-doing it or becoming a distraction from the text.
  I think this illustrates a bit of a loss for Mark Billingham's books, which are now narrated by the author; Mark is brilliant, but a comedian first and actor second, (actually I should revise that immediately as I think that these days he has to be classed as an author first).


• The Edge by Dick Francis [Read by Tony Britton]
  Dick Francis' books always have a "theme" and they are always at their best when that theme sticks to racing. However in this book the "theme" is not only racing but also a good deal about the Canadian railway system, as the entire action of the plot is on board a racing "special" which is transporting owners and horses between the race venues.
  Some other readers noted - as did I - that the more gripping elements were a bit diluted since the hero, working under cover throughout, never really confronted the the villain of the piece in his true persona. But in truth, the book was not among his best because it was published after Mary had died, and I think there is no doubt when considering the Francis catalogue, that she put the true magic into the books. I think his technical information, structure, and plotting are all sound, but the gut-wrenching emotion, and thrilling sense of jeopardy, are missing without her influence.


• The Department of Sensitive Crimes, The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists , The Talented Mr. Varg, and The Man with the Silver Saab
  by Älexander McCall Smith [Read by Saul Reichlin]

  This is an amusing set of tongue-in-cheek mysteries from "Älexander" McCall Smith. It satirises the "scandi-noir" books, dwelling excessively on philosophy and ethics (somewhat at the expense of plot). Enjoyable rather than ground breaking.
  It's a particularly nice touch to have Saul Reichlin's gravelly narration, as heard in the famous Dragon Tattoo (Millenium) series - and others.

  
  

Posted on March 31, 2022 at 11:15 AM. Category: Books of the Month.

Monday March 21, 2022

The Duke

Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren pretending to be old - but in fact portraying characters from the 1960s that were well over 10 years younger than the actors are now. [To be fair I think working people had generally much harder lives then]. Anyway - a lovely film, a great cast, and a courtroom drama and script approved of by the Law Society Gazette.
Based on the true story, Kempton Bunton is shown as a charming if hopelessly irritating man with a practised line in standing up for working people and OAPs. I dearly hope they took the script from his actual testimony in court, but, even if so, I'm sure it had to be much edited to avoid dull procedural legal guff in what is billed as a comedy.

Posted on March 21, 2022 at 11:51 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Sunday March 6, 2022

Spring Pots

My Autumn bulbs in the beds were been decimated (or worse) by squirrels digging them up to eat - a lack of acorns this year due to the oak processionary moth. However, I protected some small pots with chicken wire....

Posted on March 6, 2022 at 10:33 AM. Category: The Garden.

Monday February 28, 2022

Books in February

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  I chose to review an early copy of this book (courtesy of Random House and NetGalley) because, as I trained as a chemist, the title interested me. To be clear, I did not expect it to be about chemistry, and - if my friends are anything to go by - I need to reassure other readers that it is not really about chemistry. It is a brilliant piece of story-telling with a fair mix of triumphs, tragedies, and humour, but with a set of very serious messages - which you can either enjoy - or ignore.
  The major problem in life for the heroine is misogyny in science - and the secondary problem is her uncompromising attitude to it. The author is able to magnify these points as the book is set in the America of the early 1960s, where women do not have the brains to pursue serious careers, and when they do, must be suitably modest, and accepting of an inferior role. Although much less overt today, we know that underlying attitudes (unintentional bias at the very least) still severely limit women's success in science (and any other professional fields you care to mention). I read that the author "worked widely in the fields of technology, medicine, and education" and suspect the book is a reflection of her experiences, first or second hand.
  I notice the book's publicity blurb focuses on the central character - but the book is crammed with delightful characters - all brimming with idiosyncrasies, and who are in many ways easily as interesting as her: the precocious daughter, the abused neighbour, the vicar who doesn't believe in God, the slighted secretaries... the dog... In fact they are the real "enablers" who, through their extraordinary natures and kindnesses, give her some degree of freedom to be so fiercely determined in her outlook.
  I can't recommend this book enough - like Nigella Lawson, I was sorry when it came to an end.
  [I read that it has already been taken up by Apple to become a TV series - an obvious development - but I dearly hope they do it justice.]


• The Appeal by Janice Hallett [read by Aysha Kala, Daniel Philpott, Rachel Adedeji, and Sid Sagar]
  I think this is an astonishingly good first novel; the major thing wrong with saying that is that it makes it sound as though it "could be improved on with practice" and this is definitely not the case in my opinion. In fact, it's a really intriguing mystery, presented to the reader in an highly original manner. A series of emails and other documentation is shared with us, as it is in the process of being scrutinised by some junior members of a legal team in preparation for an appeal hearing. It is fascinating to eavesdrop on these messages, as they gradually reveal a conspiracy (and then a murder) as well as the characters of all the players - and they really are "players", all being stalwarts of village society and members of the local amateur dramatic society. The "appeal" is a clever title referring not only to the court appeal, but also a potential fraud relating to a charity appeal.
  I'd also like to confirm that it has a very satisfactory ending - always a key point for me!
  This book was a Christmas gift, but I actually listened to most of it as an audio book. Given the nature of the presentation (emails, post-it notes, facsimiles of flyers, whatsapp messages etc), representing it off the page was pretty challenging, and, once again, very well done. [On some occasions I was glad to have the book to refer to, but I think it would have worked well enough without it].


• Cry Baby by Mark Billingham [read by Mark Billingham as narrator, joined by a host of others including Robert Glenister and David Morrissey ]
  A prequel: we've gone back to 1996, and the point in Thorne's life where he's breaking up with his wife, and in the process of purchasing his famous north London bachelor flat. It's a case involving a child abduction which is doubly traumatic for Thorne as he is still haunted by dreams of a previous, and similar, case which ended all too tragically.
  In the epilogue, we return to the present with Thorne briefly reflecting on the case. My only reason for mentioning this is that Mark now puts (lovely) Helen definitively in the past (yes, I'm still annoyed), with Thorne relishing thoughts of moving on. I can see from a writer's point of view, it's easier to have new characters to explore, and I would also say that this inability to settle is very "real" but we have now got to the stage where Thorne will for ever be playing at Jack the Lad in his (I interpret) slobby flat, continually moving on as each new woman finally observes his feet of clay.
  The most interesting thing about this audio book was that it was presented almost as radio drama. The prose was narrated by Mark - so the complete book was actually read out - but all the dialogue was voiced by individual actors, and it really worked so well; all credit to the actors and editors for making it come across so naturally, (because I suspect it was not like a play where all the cast can be recording in one room as a piece). David Morrissey got to reprise his role as the voice of Thorne, and Robert Glenister, who was missing his role as narrator on previous books, had a chance to be included. I would not like all audio books to be adapted in this way but it really was very original and refreshing.


• Flowers for the Judge by Margery Allingham [Read by David Thorpe]
  As I mentioned when I read the Campion novel last month, I have read only one other Margery Allingham book previously, (Black Plumes), and I found it fairly light-hearted and none too riveting. Mr Campion's Farewell was very much in the same vein - but then, it was not actually written by Allingham, although I had thought it a fairly good pastiche. Hence this book was all a bit of a surprise - a pleasant surprise. It had an interesting plot, and, as far as I can judge, was pretty well written. I was quite captivated by the dramatic descriptions of the coroner's court and the Old Bailey.
  [I note that a reviewer on "Good Reads" states "at times, this is one of the best books that Allingham has written" - and also mentions the courtroom scenes which confirms to me that this may be one of her better Campions.]
  A point of interest to me: the inquest seemed to have a jury - which I thought a bit odd and was driven to look it up; it seems that they have been "rarely used" in England since 1927, and are only mandatory in very specific circumstances - since 1977, their rulings do not commit a person to trial, (a change which took place after Lord Lucan was charged in 1975 - presumably in his absence). As is often the way, having never noticed them before, I subsequently saw a coroner's jury performing in an old black and white movie.


• Slow Horses, Dead Lions, and The List
  by Mick Herron [Read by Seán Barrett]
  

  My friend Tony recommended these books some good while ago, and I was pleased to find them in audio book form. They are really gripping and well-written and I can hardly wait to continue with the series.
  The overall style owes a lot to Le Carré, who popularised a much more dangerous and less- glamorous view of spies - intentionally a polar opposite to the cinematic version of James Bond. Personally, I enjoyed these stories more than Le Carré in general, (probable exception being Tinker Tailor...), who is more cerebral, and much more poignantly sad. I can't comment intelligently on the comparative writing skill, but although these retain the introspection, sense of anxiety, and tragedy, they are more overt thriller than psychological thriller, and each story has a comforting sense of resolution at the end, (which always suits me better in this type of fiction!).
  Apparently they are due to be released on April 1st as a 6 part series on Apple TV. Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb (a kind of subverted George Smiley) - hard to imagine since Lamb is overwhelming fat but from the pre-release photos they seem to have focussed on other characteristics - and Kristin Scott Thomas (a personal favourite of mine) is perfectly cast as Diana Taverner.

  
  

Posted on February 28, 2022 at 7:06 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Sunday February 13, 2022

Death on the Nile

So Poirot has reined in the controversial moustaches (seen in Murder on the Orient Express) - maybe too hot for Egypt. It was all beautifully acted out by a star-studded cast, and the locations were stunning - well worth seeing on the big screen (or as big as it gets these days). True, there were minor plot alterations to fit in with the history that Brannagh is creating, but none of which I would quibble with. However, excellent though it was, and much as I enjoy watching different interpretations of the same play/material.... it made me feel there is little left to be explored in this story - which is not good. Unfortunately, when making a Christie production, you have a dilemma as to whether perfectly act out her story as told, or make changes about which die-hard fans will inevitably be up in arms. Brannagh has done good work here but whether it proves enough of a success to make a solid franchise is up for debate. Poirot did point the way to a future adaptation in relating his dream of "retiring to grow vegetable marrows" - but will Roger Ackroyd ever make it onto the big screen? It's a hard novel to adapt, having the "unreliable narrator" as fairly key to the plot, so there would be scope for some innovative fresh approach...
[My main regret is that Peter Ustinov played Poirot in the seventies version. Much as I like Ustinov, (as Poirot and otherwise) he cannot help but make the stories much more light-hearted than they should be. I can see Poirot as a somewhat comic character but not a clown; I think David Suchet gets the balance right, where the humour lies mainly in how seriously Poirot takes himself. Even then, the later TV adaptations of the novels did not work anything like as well as the original short stories.]

Posted on February 13, 2022 at 4:50 PM. Category: Art and Culture.

Saturday February 12, 2022

Unravel 2022

After just squeezing in a trip to Unravel in 2020, about 2 weeks before everything shut down for the duration, we are back again for the reopening in 2022. We had lunch at the Giggling Squid before starting on our retail experience, and almost immediately met some friends for a cup of tea once in the Maltings.

Having got our priorities right, we then did actually buy some yarn - I got my usual couple of balls of sock yarn (as if I had not had my fill of socks lately!), and then in a surprise departure, bought some skeins from The Knitting Shed and Debonnaire, with a plan to make shawls/wraps. The yarns below are variously merino, silk, and mohair.

Posted on February 12, 2022 at 10:25 PM. Category: Knitting and Crochet.

Monday January 31, 2022

Books in January

• The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
  Janice Hallett's second book offers another (quite different) innovative way of presenting a mystery story. Much of the text is a digital transcription of a number of audio files, apparently found on the mobile phone of a - now missing - ex-convict. This automated digitisation process is not perfect, and results in a writing style which has the effect of emphasising the educational background and underprivileged upbringing of the narrator. Indeed a lot of the story stems from his attempts to unravel a mysterious, somewhat traumatic, and imperfectly recalled event from his schooldays. The "code" of the title is (possibly) embedded in some books for children written in the 1940s by a prolific authoress now out of favour due to her mainly sexist and racist attitudes - sound familiar? I loved it. We are treated to short excerpts of Enid Blyton pastiche - clearly great fun for Hallett to write - and the protagonist, Steven, as a relatively newly-literate adult, seems to find the stories as compelling as most juniors did in their era. For myself, I was totally hooked as Steven unravelled the mystery, if not partly because the plot was (fully intentionally I believe) not without some similarities to those children's adventure yarns of old. The episodic nature of the "files", plus the constant fear for Steven's safety, made the book hard to put down.
  However, the above only describes some elements of what made the book appeal so much to me - for the rest, you will have to read it yourself. Overall, the story is a contemporary thriller completely grounded in a gritty reality, and has the most wonderful twist of a conclusion, which moves us far beyond childhood nostalgia and the Famous Five.


• The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber [Read by Jill Tanner]
  I watched the BBC production of this book (over 10 years ago as it turns out) starring Romola Garai. It was an excellent production and I recommended the book to Alison (she likes a chunky read to get her teeth into) but I never read it myself. I do remember wondering how they managed to get such a lengthy tome into 4 episodes. However, now I have read it in full I think they did a remarkably good job. Of course, I would not recommend the screen version as a substitute for the book itself; the latter is wonderfully rich, full of fascinating characters, absorbing descriptions, and evoking a fantastic picture of Victorian life at every level. Despite its length I was sorry to have to finish it. It's hardly surprising that many readers (and screen watchers) were eager for more stories and episodes. However, I think the author had said all he wanted about the characters. The ending was left a little open, and the audience reaction reminded me of The Magus with everyone wanting to be explicitly reassured that it "all turned out alright". This includes me, since I had thought that there might more closure in the book itself, but this was not so. Nonetheless, I think, perhaps more than Fowles, the author strongly indicates that Sugar and Sophie will be "OK", (and that William never will be).
  Faber did subsequently write a short story collection The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories (which I did read) where he "returns to Silver Street to find it still teeming with life, and conjures further tantalising glimpses of Sugar, Clara, Mr Bodley" etc. This is not any kind of sequel - which it does not claim to be - nevetheless, a large number of fans seemed to find it disappointing, having had high expectations of that "closure". I think this says more about the readers than the book.


• Mr Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley [Read by David Thorpe]
  As I referenced when talking about Dune, Dick Francis, etc, I see that Albert Campion has become a franchise. He was a character created by Margery Allingham in the 1920s - apparently intended as a parody of Lord Peter Wimsey, which I can easily understand - but she died in 1966, and I thought so too did Campion. However, her last novel was completed posthumously by her husband, Philip Youngman Carter, who in turn wrote a couple more books, and then when he died in 1969, the baton passed, after some years, to Mike Ripley, who (with the approval and agreement of the Margery Allingham Society), completed Carter's last manuscript, which became Mr Campion's Farewell, published in 2014. (Phew!) Since then, Ripley seems to have published a Campion novel every year.
  So, back to the point - this novel.
  I enjoyed it for what it was... which was, I guess... everything I imagined it would be.
  After all, Ripley is a talented crime writer so really no less than I would have expected from him, retaining a fairly light-hearted treatment for a mystery thriller. I was particularly delighted at the absence of the brittle dialogue, and impenetrable 1920s "bright young things" jargon, which made the last Allingham book I listened to - Black Plumes - almost impossible to understand. So I think if you like the originals, you will like this one - as I did.
  At the same time I noted that at one point, while considering the "goings on" he is investigating at the quaint English village of Lindsay Carfax - which I can tell you has distinct shades of Christie's Bertram's Hotel - Campion concludes that the (not-so) secret society of "Carders", seems "all a bit childish really". And for me: completely worthy of Enid Blyton I would say...
  

Posted on January 31, 2022 at 11:12 PM. Category: Books of the Month.

Friday January 28, 2022

Christmas Jigsaw - completed

Finally completed the Christmas jigsaw over teatime this afternoon.

Posted on January 28, 2022 at 6:37 PM. Category: Staying at Home.