The local Westcott History group has done some investigation on the little village of Westcott that we now inhabit and reveals that it was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The sign on the green has a small thatched dovecote upon it with the letters of the compass above (though the N has been replaced with a T to spell out WEST of Westcott).
The village sits in an Area of Natural Beauty at the foot of the North Surrey Downs by Ranmore Common which is criss-crossed by many footpaths and walkways including the Pilgrim’s Way that runs all the way down to Canterbury. A path runs passed our front door and down to where it crosses Pipps Brook before climbing up towards the common.
We are in the lovely named Mole Valley District (named after the river that is so called for its habit of disappearing into the ground to emerge elsewhere), and near to the old market town of Dorking (why does everyone snigger at the name?)
Dotted around the countryside are many fine pubs and picturesque villages and just over the ridge of the Downs is the UKs largest vineyard, Denbies, who make some very fine wines.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
New home sweet home…
Well we have moved into our new home at last after many months of negotiating and waiting for everybody involved being ready. On Monday the 11th the removal men arrived (from the old peoples home it seemed – four guys, the youngest of which was in his fifties the oldest nearer seventy) and started to shift our mountain of possessions in the pouring rain (and that is even though we were leaving the dining suite, sideboard, wardrobes, TV cabinet and all of the appliances with the exception of the freezer behind). In fact they soon filled the first van up and had to arrange for another to come for the remaining household items and garden plants and equipment. The elderly removal team then went off to wait at the new house while Sue went with friend Carole to the estate agents to wait for the monies to exchange and to pick up the keys while I took some of our more valuable items and the cat in our car to join the old boys at the new place.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tits like coconuts…
With the weather turning nippy and many a bird finding things becoming harder, it is important to think about how you look after your little friends this winter. Apparently half a coconut hung from a tree branch is a favorite of many a small bird and will help see them through this tough time of year. (What did you think I was talking about?)
Trip to Geneva…
We recently had a short weekend break to Geneva with a couple of friends for a spur of the moment holiday. We had all done a good deal of research and so had a plan of what we wanted to do and see. The main tourist season had ended so we missed out on a few of the events that we would have liked to catch but we did have a nice day out to the nearby suburb of Carouge that has a delightful market, some fabulous arty shops including an awesome toy shop. We loved the old town and the view from the top of the cathedral across the city and lake was spectacular. Naturally we ventured out onto the lake passed the fountain, crossing several times in the little taxi boats. (A single pass ticket can get you on all public transport from trains, trams, busses and boats and also gives benefits for several attractions around town and is available for 48 and 72hr periods). We ate well in several establishments from the quirky and intimate ‘at my cousins house we eat chicken’ to more exclusive establishments (Though I seemed to have found a taste for expensive drinks without even trying) and Sue and I enjoyed the locally caught Perch.
Moving House…
Things seem to be progressing now at last (fingers and toes crossed). We have finally exchanged contracts and set a date of the 11th of December for the big day. We have been busy writing to our service providers, packing boxes and making arrangements for the move. We will take the week off and hope to have most things sorted for when friends and family start arriving for Christmas. We have ordered our new range cooker and dishwasher after checking twice on the size (how big!), and I needed a lie down afterwards when I saw the bill.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
More of wot I have read…
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
Friday, October 13, 2006
More of wot I have read…
Lindbergh - by A. Scott Berg
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
A new set of wheels…
I collected my new company car this week and returned the 'old' Saab with a few thousand more miles on the clock.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Bricks and mortar II...
We have now found another property which we have had an offer accepted on this time in a village called Westcott just west of Dorking in amongst the picturesque Surrey hills in the delightfully named Mole Valley District. The house is a three bedroom mid-terrace house with a reasonable sized kitchen and garden. Westcott is a little village with a church, a bakery, two convenience stores and three pubs. There are several walking and cycling paths out into the countryside, up into the gentle rolling hills, and over to Denbies Vineyard (the largest in the UK). Dorking itself is a bustling town with lovely historic buildings, smuggler’s caves, and antique shops along with all the essentials and with good transport links to London and elsewhere.
A marriage on the border…
We had a couple of days off recently to attend a wedding of one of Sue’s work colleagues at Hexham in Northumberland. The wedding was at Langley Castle a few miles away from the historic town and from Hadrian’s Wall between two families that have historic Scottish and Reiver names. The event was wonderful and in a great setting we ate and drank well and danced traditional rounds to the live folk band before boogying down to the disco.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
A harvest festival…
Once again the autumn signifies the end of summer and the last warm days as they shorten as we get closer to winter. In the garden it is a time of bounty as we reap what we have sown. An abundance of courgettes, tomatoes and blackberries has led to Sue making more chutneys and jams. We have been pleasantly surprised with this year’s melon, sweet peppers and butternut squash which are large and plentiful. The hot, dry summer that benefited the more exotic crops was not so good for our traditional mainstay and we had a disappointing return from our potatoes and our corn as we were not able to give them enough water.
More of wot I have heard…
Nouvelle Vague, Vol I
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
More of wot I have read…
The Accidental - by Ali Smith
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
More of wot I have heard…
Still - by Lily Allen
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
Bricks and mortar…
We are slowly getting closer to completing on our house sale and are looking at moving out at the end of the month. We went and had another look at the house we were thinking of buying and now that the owner has moved out it looked different empty. We spent quite a while there measuring and looking at what we wanted to change. It didn’t look as attractive proposition as it did before and so we were up until 2am trying to work out in our minds what we really wanted and eventually decided it wasn’t that house, so we pulled out. Now we are looking for somewhere else again. We will stay with friends and family and rent until we find the right one.
Flowers in your hair…
We spent a long weekend camping in a field beside the river Thames with several thousand other people at the annual Womad Festival. Originally set up by Peter Gabriel, the festival has been going now for many years and celebrates WOrld Music, Arts and Dance. I met Sue and her sister Deb after work on Thursday and together we drove up to reading where we joined Dave who had gone on ahead earlier in the day to set up the tents with his brother Steve. The two tents we had were huge and drew admiring/envious glances from other campers. The main event started on Friday and this was when Blonde-Deb and the boys joined us.
The whole event is very inclusive and friendly with families rubbing shoulders with original Hippies, Rastas, Eco-Warriors, and even the occasional Goth. The music is varied, some of it ethnic some alternative and others just plain odd. The music started well with a band from New York called Yerba Buena (Afro-Cuban funk). We also liked Sasla Celtica (Salsa-Scottish folk), the Gotan Project (French electronica), Batucada Sound Machine from New Zealand (a mix of rhythm based music with Afro-Latino feel), Ska Cubano (Jamaican-Cuban crossover), Sunshiners from Vanuatu (giving modern classics a reggae makeover) and Laura Veirs from Seattle (a folksy singer-song writer).
The whole place was a riot of colour, sounds, smells and tastes. All sorts of flags flew with images as varied as red, green and gold marijuana leaves, Che Guevara, rainbow flags and classic peace emblems to pirate Jolly Roger’s. Smoke from incense burners and ‘herbal’ cigarettes drifted out from tepees and coffee tents. We were spoilt for choice with the variety of interesting and tasty food stalls that surrounded the site. If all this was too much you could wander around the multitude of stalls that were sell all manner of interesting items. I was persuaded to buy an acoustic guitar that was particularly cheap (now I only need to learn how to play it).
Apart from a few showers one evening the weather remained very good, in fact it turned that it has been the hottest July on record.
The whole event is very inclusive and friendly with families rubbing shoulders with original Hippies, Rastas, Eco-Warriors, and even the occasional Goth. The music is varied, some of it ethnic some alternative and others just plain odd. The music started well with a band from New York called Yerba Buena (Afro-Cuban funk). We also liked Sasla Celtica (Salsa-Scottish folk), the Gotan Project (French electronica), Batucada Sound Machine from New Zealand (a mix of rhythm based music with Afro-Latino feel), Ska Cubano (Jamaican-Cuban crossover), Sunshiners from Vanuatu (giving modern classics a reggae makeover) and Laura Veirs from Seattle (a folksy singer-song writer).
The whole place was a riot of colour, sounds, smells and tastes. All sorts of flags flew with images as varied as red, green and gold marijuana leaves, Che Guevara, rainbow flags and classic peace emblems to pirate Jolly Roger’s. Smoke from incense burners and ‘herbal’ cigarettes drifted out from tepees and coffee tents. We were spoilt for choice with the variety of interesting and tasty food stalls that surrounded the site. If all this was too much you could wander around the multitude of stalls that were sell all manner of interesting items. I was persuaded to buy an acoustic guitar that was particularly cheap (now I only need to learn how to play it).
Apart from a few showers one evening the weather remained very good, in fact it turned that it has been the hottest July on record.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Infrequent Update...
Again it has been a while since I have written on this blog. Nervous tension has smothered my ability to focus on anything creative. I am now gainfully employed again (though we are still buying Lottery tickets just in case), and I have completed my first month (not an easy prospect after half a year of dossing about). The job is similar to what I was doing before but for a competitor company to my previous employer (making engineering estimates and generating quotations for industrial control and safety systems).
I had to spend some time up at the Manchester office recently for product training and sales meetings so I have been doing quite a lot of travelling and staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase. Not as much fun as it sounds.
The bonus with this new job is that I get a company car (currently a Saab 93), a phone (benefit or not, I’m not so sure) and healthcare, pension and share schemes. The disadvantage is that it is in Bracknell near Reading, which is at least an hour and a half drive away. But since we had already decided to move house, it just means we needed to focus on looking in the area around the new job.
On the subject of the house we but it up for sale and had one viewing in the following week. She subsequently put an offer in and we accepted, so we have sold (subject to contract) and have been spending several weekends driving around various parts of the country looking at houses. It would seem that you don’t get an awful lot for your money these days! We wanted a 2+ bed semi or end of terrace house with a good-sized garden (for the vegetable plot) and not too away far from the countryside. It would seem that we’d need to make some compromises along the way. We found a mid-terraced (middle one of three) house that is no bigger than the one we are leaving, but the garden is much bigger (it is about 200ft long), and it backs onto forestry commission land that stretches for miles. The gate at the bottom of the garden opens out onto a lane that is called the Devils Highway and is a former Roman road that leads off into the middle of the forest.
We have also been getting together with friends and family on a regular basis and, since the weather has been quite good, some of the time has been outdoors. We are in a drought-ban at the moment, which means there are strict water restrictions and we have to be aware of conservation methods. We have to water our vegetables with a watering can rather than a hosepipe or sprinkler, not easy with the size of allotment we have. Good news is that we are starting to eat some of our homegrown bounty and are picking salad, asparagus, rhubarb and now strawberries like they are going out of fashion (Sue has had to make several fruit puddings and jars of jam and chutney with the excess). Good news is that Wimbledon brought the rain with it as usual.
We met up with a couple of our Kiwi friends while they were over in dear old Blighty for holidays and hopefully we will meet others that are due to be up this way later on in the year.
We spent a long weekend in and about Suffolk as groupies to the Aldbury Morris Men as they danced their way from one picturesque village to another (pub to pub). Audiences were good and enjoy the more furious stick dances. The sight of these older men (who should know better) splintering shards out of sturdy lumps of wood is quite a sight. Luckily the ancient and protected art of dancing-with-hankies seems to be exempted from the usual Health and Safety regulations and they don’t need to wear goggles as the wood fragments fly through the air. One of the local hotels that we stayed in was happy for them to take over part of the bar of an evening so that they could play songs and sing into the night for as long as the beer flowed. Sue is trying to convince me that I am not too young to join their merry men, but I am not so sure.
Sue travelled up to Manchester while I was there and we went across to Hull to see Jamie and to help him move into his new digs. Most of the heavy stuff had already been moved by Jamie and a friend of his who has access to a van. Quite cleverly he arrange to stay at the new place to organise the furniture (plug in his computer), while Sue and I stayed at the old place and cleaned it (a serious job). We stayed over in a spare room and he took us out to his local with a couple of friends. After we had bought the shopping and routed an aerial connection up to his room, we left and returned home (the leaving doesn’t get any easier).
I had to spend some time up at the Manchester office recently for product training and sales meetings so I have been doing quite a lot of travelling and staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase. Not as much fun as it sounds.
The bonus with this new job is that I get a company car (currently a Saab 93), a phone (benefit or not, I’m not so sure) and healthcare, pension and share schemes. The disadvantage is that it is in Bracknell near Reading, which is at least an hour and a half drive away. But since we had already decided to move house, it just means we needed to focus on looking in the area around the new job.
On the subject of the house we but it up for sale and had one viewing in the following week. She subsequently put an offer in and we accepted, so we have sold (subject to contract) and have been spending several weekends driving around various parts of the country looking at houses. It would seem that you don’t get an awful lot for your money these days! We wanted a 2+ bed semi or end of terrace house with a good-sized garden (for the vegetable plot) and not too away far from the countryside. It would seem that we’d need to make some compromises along the way. We found a mid-terraced (middle one of three) house that is no bigger than the one we are leaving, but the garden is much bigger (it is about 200ft long), and it backs onto forestry commission land that stretches for miles. The gate at the bottom of the garden opens out onto a lane that is called the Devils Highway and is a former Roman road that leads off into the middle of the forest.
We have also been getting together with friends and family on a regular basis and, since the weather has been quite good, some of the time has been outdoors. We are in a drought-ban at the moment, which means there are strict water restrictions and we have to be aware of conservation methods. We have to water our vegetables with a watering can rather than a hosepipe or sprinkler, not easy with the size of allotment we have. Good news is that we are starting to eat some of our homegrown bounty and are picking salad, asparagus, rhubarb and now strawberries like they are going out of fashion (Sue has had to make several fruit puddings and jars of jam and chutney with the excess). Good news is that Wimbledon brought the rain with it as usual.
We met up with a couple of our Kiwi friends while they were over in dear old Blighty for holidays and hopefully we will meet others that are due to be up this way later on in the year.
We spent a long weekend in and about Suffolk as groupies to the Aldbury Morris Men as they danced their way from one picturesque village to another (pub to pub). Audiences were good and enjoy the more furious stick dances. The sight of these older men (who should know better) splintering shards out of sturdy lumps of wood is quite a sight. Luckily the ancient and protected art of dancing-with-hankies seems to be exempted from the usual Health and Safety regulations and they don’t need to wear goggles as the wood fragments fly through the air. One of the local hotels that we stayed in was happy for them to take over part of the bar of an evening so that they could play songs and sing into the night for as long as the beer flowed. Sue is trying to convince me that I am not too young to join their merry men, but I am not so sure.
Sue travelled up to Manchester while I was there and we went across to Hull to see Jamie and to help him move into his new digs. Most of the heavy stuff had already been moved by Jamie and a friend of his who has access to a van. Quite cleverly he arrange to stay at the new place to organise the furniture (plug in his computer), while Sue and I stayed at the old place and cleaned it (a serious job). We stayed over in a spare room and he took us out to his local with a couple of friends. After we had bought the shopping and routed an aerial connection up to his room, we left and returned home (the leaving doesn’t get any easier).
Friday, April 28, 2006
Home again…
Well, we have been back in the UK for almost one month now and to some extent it is as if we were never away. A round of dinners and parties has welcomed us back and everybody seems well and happy.
We were out in the allotment straight away and were surprised how little work was needed to get it back into order. Seeds are now planted and germinating and we are even enjoying some crops that have over wintered.
One thing that was immediately obvious when we returned was how busy and noisy it is outside our house. After having the peace and quiet in New Zealand it came as a shock to us. So we have decided to move. Our house is on the market with a local estate agent and we have been browsing the internet for possible places to move to.
We want to find a place that gives us an opportunity to enjoy the good life without forcing us to spend the next twenty years paying for it. For the same price as our small two bedroom terrace cottage in the suburbs, we can buy a three bedroom detached house in a rural location with enough land to grow our veggies on. The only thing we need to decide is what rural location to choose. We still want to be accessible to London and our family and friends so we would only be an hour or two away and preferably near a main line station. If we are canny we might be able to get all of this and not have a mortgage to worry about, thus freeing up more time for us to try and capture some of the quality of life we are striving for.
Although my first attempt at a novel was rejected by everyone I sent it to I am trying to be optimistic. I have some new ideas for it and I will make some changes, hopefully improving it, before trying some UK publishers. I also have ideas for several other stories that just require me getting some ‘brain space’ to start on them. Sue and her mother have bought me some more paints and canvasses so that I can also continue with my painting.
We are looking for jobs in the meantime too, as we still need to pay the bills, so Sue has started back at her old job on a part time basis, and I have been knocking on doors of companies in my old industry. I think I will have a few options open to me in the next week or too including my old job. Some of the opportunities are further a field, in Bath, Northampton and Middlesex, and if any of these come to fruition they may dictate which county we end up moving to.
Monday, March 27, 2006
As one summer ends, another begins…
We are counting down the days until we migrate north again. The clocks have gone back in NZ and forward in the UK and the seasons are changing. We have had a great time down under, but we are keen now to return to our own home and catch up with other friends and family that we left behind six months ago. We have learnt a lot from our experience of dropping out for half a year. If we were to do it again we would definitely do some things differently. There are many aspects of the trip we are keen to continue with. I hope to carry on writing and painting, and get back to doing more drawing too. We want to be able to have more of a say in how we work (working smarter – not harder). Time needs to be made for ourselves and others, it is more satisfying to do things you want with those you want to, than not. So if anyone has a job I can do part-time, from home or near to it then let me know.
So it is ‘see you later’ to those we leave behind and ‘hello again’ to those we will see very soon.
So it is ‘see you later’ to those we leave behind and ‘hello again’ to those we will see very soon.
More of wot I have read...
This is an interesting concept for a book. The author revisited the tradition of serialisation of books in newspapers with the backing of The Scotsman. The only downside is that the book seems to lack a storng narative or plotline; probably a side affect of writing the book in short snipets for readers who may not get to read every issue.
44 Scotland Street - by Alexander McCall-Smith
‘When twenty-year-old Pat rents a room from handsome and cocky Bruce, she inherits some delightfully colourful neighbours: Domenica, an insightful and eccentric widow; Bertie, a five-year-old who's mastered both saxophone and Italian; and Irene, his overbearing mother. Pat's new job at a gallery seems easy enough. Her boss spends most of his time drinking coffee in a local café and discussing matters great and small, and Pat's duties are light.
That is until she realizes that one of their paintings may be an undiscovered work of a renowned Scottish artist and she discovers that one of their customers may be in on the secret. Add to this a fancy ball, love triangles and an encounter with a famous crime writer, and you have Alexander McCall Smith's entertaining and witty portrait of Edinburgh society.’
44 Scotland Street - by Alexander McCall-Smith
‘When twenty-year-old Pat rents a room from handsome and cocky Bruce, she inherits some delightfully colourful neighbours: Domenica, an insightful and eccentric widow; Bertie, a five-year-old who's mastered both saxophone and Italian; and Irene, his overbearing mother. Pat's new job at a gallery seems easy enough. Her boss spends most of his time drinking coffee in a local café and discussing matters great and small, and Pat's duties are light.
That is until she realizes that one of their paintings may be an undiscovered work of a renowned Scottish artist and she discovers that one of their customers may be in on the secret. Add to this a fancy ball, love triangles and an encounter with a famous crime writer, and you have Alexander McCall Smith's entertaining and witty portrait of Edinburgh society.’
Sunday, March 12, 2006
And the rain fell...
We took a few days off to visit the Coromandel Peninsular in the Kombi van. We drove to Thames on the first day and stopped for a tour of one of the gold mines that made this town in the 19th century. A guy who looked almost as ancient as the equipment he was talking about gave us a tour. He demonstrated the noisy stamp battery that crushed the ore, talked about the refining process using mercury and then he took us for a short walk through the mine. We had lunch on the Thames coast before wandering around the small town. We stopped the night at a nearby campsite that included a butterfly park (we gave the butterflies a miss, opting for a cold drink in the evening sunshine).
We heard that the weather was predicted to become wet as a low pressure system swept the north of the island so we decided to reorganise our plans to make sure that we fitted in a visit to our favourite tourist site in the region. In the morning we rang the booking line for the Driving Creek Railway and booked a couple of tickets for the morning train. We then drove up the slow coast road, made slower by road works, arriving just as the train driver rang his bell. New Zealand potter Barry Brickell set up the site and to get the raw materials he needed for his work out of the hills he built the original train. Now 30 odd years later the train ride is a booming tourist attraction and the site is constantly being improved with more things to do and see. The valuable work that was been done to retain and expand the native planting has been secured for future generations as Barry Brickell has arranged for the site to be gifted into trust for the community when he dies. Afterwards we had a walk through the small town of Coromandel before buying some local smoked fish and having lunch besides the sea again.
As promised the weather closed in and rain prevented us from visiting some of the gardens we had hoped to see in the area, so we drove on over the hills towards the east coast. The whole region is sparsely populated and has some dramatic scenery from mountain to coast. We eventually pitched up at Mercury Bay’s main town of Whitianga where we managed to get set up before the heavens opened up. We spent much of the evening in the TV room with other tourists who were sheltering with their dinner and bottles of wine.
In the morning the report was still for unsettled weather, so we broke camp and headed further south, this time to another gold mine, this time at Waihi. The Martha mine is opencast rather than underground and is impressive for the big hole in the middle of the town. We saw an interesting video at the mine information centre that explained the process and how the mine was soon to close and would become a large lake. We had a walk around a nearby art gallery full of interesting pictures, sculptures and the like before we decided to carry on with our journey. The heavens opened again and drove us to seek shelter off the road, where we ate our lunch from the shelter of the van next to a river as the rain pounded down. When it let up we continued through Karangahake gorge and turned north head towards Thames again. We passed through farmland as we entered the Hauraki Plains, stopping briefly at a cheese farm shop to sample their wares. We continued on towards the Miranda Holiday Park that was adjacent to the hot pools. It is situated out in the middle of nowhere but it was one of the nicest appointed sites that we had visited, and it did have its own private 38-degree thermal hot pool.
The next day we travelled home up the other coast of the Firth of Thames, opposite the Coromandel and the weather improved as we drove becoming sunny and warm as we arrived home again.
We heard that the weather was predicted to become wet as a low pressure system swept the north of the island so we decided to reorganise our plans to make sure that we fitted in a visit to our favourite tourist site in the region. In the morning we rang the booking line for the Driving Creek Railway and booked a couple of tickets for the morning train. We then drove up the slow coast road, made slower by road works, arriving just as the train driver rang his bell. New Zealand potter Barry Brickell set up the site and to get the raw materials he needed for his work out of the hills he built the original train. Now 30 odd years later the train ride is a booming tourist attraction and the site is constantly being improved with more things to do and see. The valuable work that was been done to retain and expand the native planting has been secured for future generations as Barry Brickell has arranged for the site to be gifted into trust for the community when he dies. Afterwards we had a walk through the small town of Coromandel before buying some local smoked fish and having lunch besides the sea again.
As promised the weather closed in and rain prevented us from visiting some of the gardens we had hoped to see in the area, so we drove on over the hills towards the east coast. The whole region is sparsely populated and has some dramatic scenery from mountain to coast. We eventually pitched up at Mercury Bay’s main town of Whitianga where we managed to get set up before the heavens opened up. We spent much of the evening in the TV room with other tourists who were sheltering with their dinner and bottles of wine.
In the morning the report was still for unsettled weather, so we broke camp and headed further south, this time to another gold mine, this time at Waihi. The Martha mine is opencast rather than underground and is impressive for the big hole in the middle of the town. We saw an interesting video at the mine information centre that explained the process and how the mine was soon to close and would become a large lake. We had a walk around a nearby art gallery full of interesting pictures, sculptures and the like before we decided to carry on with our journey. The heavens opened again and drove us to seek shelter off the road, where we ate our lunch from the shelter of the van next to a river as the rain pounded down. When it let up we continued through Karangahake gorge and turned north head towards Thames again. We passed through farmland as we entered the Hauraki Plains, stopping briefly at a cheese farm shop to sample their wares. We continued on towards the Miranda Holiday Park that was adjacent to the hot pools. It is situated out in the middle of nowhere but it was one of the nicest appointed sites that we had visited, and it did have its own private 38-degree thermal hot pool.
The next day we travelled home up the other coast of the Firth of Thames, opposite the Coromandel and the weather improved as we drove becoming sunny and warm as we arrived home again.
More of wot I have read...
I absolutely devoured this book, a present for my birthday recently. The author’s style was interesting and the use of long and seemingly irrelevant footnotes gave the whole book a feeling that it was more of a historical documentary than a work of fiction. A very engaging story, nicely written…
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - by Susanna Clarke
‘Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me…
Centuries ago, when magic still existed in England, the greatest magician of them all was the Raven King. A human child brought up by fairies, the Raven King blended fairy wisdom and human reason to create English magic. Now, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he is barely more than a legend, and England, with its mad King and its dashing poets, no longer believes in practical magic.
Then the reclusive Mr Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey appears and causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. News spreads of the return of magic to England and, persuaded that he must help the government in the war against Napoleon, Mr Norrell goes to London. There he meets a brilliant young magician and takes him as a pupil. Jonathan Strange is charming, rich and arrogant. Together, they dazzle the country with their feats.
But the partnership soon turns to rivalry. Mr Norrell has never conquered his lifelong habits of secrecy, while Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous magic. He becomes fascinated by the shadowy figure of the Raven King, and his heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens, not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.’
***
A very different book is a new one from Stephen King. I had not read any of his before, although I have seen a few of his films, and I didn’t know what to expect. The idea behind the story is interesting and I suspect it is the main motivation for the writing of the book. I was not so keen on the writing style hear which is obviously action pact and visual as horror stories often are. It was also difficult to become emotionally involved in the characters and the situation and the hugely earth shattering implications of the event were difficult to accept. Nevertheless it will give you something to talk about, even if it is not on your cell phone…
Cell - by Stephen King
‘There’s a reason cell rhymes with hell
On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He’s just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He’s already picked up a small (but inexpensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he’ll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay’s feeling good about the future.
That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone’s cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization’s darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature…and then begins to evolve.There’s really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat…’
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - by Susanna Clarke
‘Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me…
Centuries ago, when magic still existed in England, the greatest magician of them all was the Raven King. A human child brought up by fairies, the Raven King blended fairy wisdom and human reason to create English magic. Now, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he is barely more than a legend, and England, with its mad King and its dashing poets, no longer believes in practical magic.
Then the reclusive Mr Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey appears and causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. News spreads of the return of magic to England and, persuaded that he must help the government in the war against Napoleon, Mr Norrell goes to London. There he meets a brilliant young magician and takes him as a pupil. Jonathan Strange is charming, rich and arrogant. Together, they dazzle the country with their feats.
But the partnership soon turns to rivalry. Mr Norrell has never conquered his lifelong habits of secrecy, while Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous magic. He becomes fascinated by the shadowy figure of the Raven King, and his heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens, not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.’
***
A very different book is a new one from Stephen King. I had not read any of his before, although I have seen a few of his films, and I didn’t know what to expect. The idea behind the story is interesting and I suspect it is the main motivation for the writing of the book. I was not so keen on the writing style hear which is obviously action pact and visual as horror stories often are. It was also difficult to become emotionally involved in the characters and the situation and the hugely earth shattering implications of the event were difficult to accept. Nevertheless it will give you something to talk about, even if it is not on your cell phone…
Cell - by Stephen King
‘There’s a reason cell rhymes with hell
On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He’s just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He’s already picked up a small (but inexpensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he’ll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay’s feeling good about the future.
That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone’s cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization’s darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature…and then begins to evolve.There’s really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat…’
Sunday, February 26, 2006
In the kitchen...
Everyone here at Fylde Fields has been working very hard on new products for the shop and markets. Sue especially has been cooking up a storm creating new chutneys, relishes, jams and sauces out of the various crops we have been harvesting.
Since all of the olive oil has sold out and the new crop is not due to be harvested for a couple of months more, my folks have wanted other products to sell at the markets and from the shop.
We have a large range now of familiar and more unusual combinations, all of which we have sampled and enjoyed. The produce is mostly grown in our own garden our sourced locally wherever possible. I personally like the Tomato & Passionfruit Jam, Cucumber & Mint Chutney, Ploughman’s Chutney, and the Diavolo Hot & Spicy Plum Sauce.
Yum yum…
Since all of the olive oil has sold out and the new crop is not due to be harvested for a couple of months more, my folks have wanted other products to sell at the markets and from the shop.
We have a large range now of familiar and more unusual combinations, all of which we have sampled and enjoyed. The produce is mostly grown in our own garden our sourced locally wherever possible. I personally like the Tomato & Passionfruit Jam, Cucumber & Mint Chutney, Ploughman’s Chutney, and the Diavolo Hot & Spicy Plum Sauce.
Yum yum…
More of wot I have read...
I have read a couple more of the Diskworld series of books that I am so fond of. These are written much as the all of the others and there are many ‘in jokes’ for the faithful, without distracting from the stand-alone nature of the books. More of the same and just as good as all of them…
Going Postal – by Terry Pratchett
‘Moist von Lipwig is a con artist… …and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s ailing postal service back on its feet.
It’s a tough decision.
But he’s got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Worker’s Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.
Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.’
THUD! – by Terry Pratchett
‘It's a game of Trolls and Dwarfs where the player must take both sides to win...
It's the noise a troll club makes when crushing in a dwarf skull, or when a dwarfish axe cleaves a trollish cranium...
It's the unsettling sound of history about to repeat itself ... THUD!’
***
I have been reading many books on history for background research into the Fencible soldiers of New Zealand. All very interesting stuff, but a bit dry at times. Sue got me the next book out from library on a whim, and I found it very entertaining both from a story point of view and from its construction. Very well worth seeking out…
The London Pigeon Wars – by Patrick Neate
‘Gunnersbury claims that the hostilities were commenced at the battle of Trafalgar. But the verity is that Trafalgar was just a skirmish, a starling-tempered flare-up of pointed beaks and posturing. Really, for everybirdy, the war began with its utterance, and that was later, after the murder of Brixton 23 above the Acre Lane Sainsbury’s.
The London pigeons are at war. They’re not sure what they’re fighting about. It could be politics or personality or territory or religion or maybe the ‘unilluminable nik’ called Murray?
Down on the ground, a gang of twentysomethings are facing up to the disappointments of adulthood: while their peers seem ‘so good at London’. These guys… umm… aren’t. The hatmaker can barely sell a hatpin, the IT whiz-kid’s gone bust, and the TV micro-celeb’s continually being stopped in the streets – mistaken for someone else. But then Murray comes into their midst. And he’s different…’
***
I have read this biography for more research and was taken with the sad, desperate story of this little known New Zealand heroine.
Jean Batten the Garbo of the skies – by Ian Mackersey
‘Jean Batten was on of the great aviation megastars of the 1930s. Her spectacular flights ranked with those of Britain’s Amy Johnson and America’s Amelia Earhart. Yet, despite her brilliance as a pilot, she remained the least well known of them all. For the dentist’s daughter from New Zealand built an impregnable wall around her private life – which was dominated, though few ever knew it, by the formidable influence of her mother.
Drawing on secret memoirs found after Jean Batten’s death and on hundreds of interviews with people who knew her, this biography of Jean’s sad and elusive life explodes the enduring myths of happiness and perfection that she created for herself. It also finally solves the mystery of her bizarre and lonely end. The real Jean Batten emerges as a fascinating woman, who combined bravery and ruthlessness with the stunning and seductive beauty she used so effectively to fulfil her great ambitions.’
Going Postal – by Terry Pratchett
‘Moist von Lipwig is a con artist… …and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork’s ailing postal service back on its feet.
It’s a tough decision.
But he’s got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Worker’s Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.
Getting a date with Adora Bell Dearheart would be nice, too.’
THUD! – by Terry Pratchett
‘It's a game of Trolls and Dwarfs where the player must take both sides to win...
It's the noise a troll club makes when crushing in a dwarf skull, or when a dwarfish axe cleaves a trollish cranium...
It's the unsettling sound of history about to repeat itself ... THUD!’
***
I have been reading many books on history for background research into the Fencible soldiers of New Zealand. All very interesting stuff, but a bit dry at times. Sue got me the next book out from library on a whim, and I found it very entertaining both from a story point of view and from its construction. Very well worth seeking out…
The London Pigeon Wars – by Patrick Neate
‘Gunnersbury claims that the hostilities were commenced at the battle of Trafalgar. But the verity is that Trafalgar was just a skirmish, a starling-tempered flare-up of pointed beaks and posturing. Really, for everybirdy, the war began with its utterance, and that was later, after the murder of Brixton 23 above the Acre Lane Sainsbury’s.
The London pigeons are at war. They’re not sure what they’re fighting about. It could be politics or personality or territory or religion or maybe the ‘unilluminable nik’ called Murray?
Down on the ground, a gang of twentysomethings are facing up to the disappointments of adulthood: while their peers seem ‘so good at London’. These guys… umm… aren’t. The hatmaker can barely sell a hatpin, the IT whiz-kid’s gone bust, and the TV micro-celeb’s continually being stopped in the streets – mistaken for someone else. But then Murray comes into their midst. And he’s different…’
***
I have read this biography for more research and was taken with the sad, desperate story of this little known New Zealand heroine.
Jean Batten the Garbo of the skies – by Ian Mackersey
‘Jean Batten was on of the great aviation megastars of the 1930s. Her spectacular flights ranked with those of Britain’s Amy Johnson and America’s Amelia Earhart. Yet, despite her brilliance as a pilot, she remained the least well known of them all. For the dentist’s daughter from New Zealand built an impregnable wall around her private life – which was dominated, though few ever knew it, by the formidable influence of her mother.
Drawing on secret memoirs found after Jean Batten’s death and on hundreds of interviews with people who knew her, this biography of Jean’s sad and elusive life explodes the enduring myths of happiness and perfection that she created for herself. It also finally solves the mystery of her bizarre and lonely end. The real Jean Batten emerges as a fascinating woman, who combined bravery and ruthlessness with the stunning and seductive beauty she used so effectively to fulfil her great ambitions.’
Island life...
I had never been to Waiheke Island before and so after Sue had been earlier on in the year we decided to take a short break out their with my folks. The island is only an hour away from Auckland if you take the slow, and cheaper, vehicle ferry from Half-moon Bay or 35 minutes from Downtown on the passenger ferry. We took Dubbin, our 1974 VW Kombi with us so that we could tour the island in style. We rented a friends holiday home at Onetangi and we were settled in by midday and down by the beach enjoying lunch and a drink in the sunshine watching the waves gently roll in.
We toured the entire island seeing the Stony Batter rock outcrops and old WWII gun emplacements, visiting Olive Groves and Wineries to sample their wares. We took lunches with is in our van and stopped a many of the glorious and tranquil bays to eat them as we watched the scenery and wildlife. We went and a couple of walks through the bush and Sue and I were delighted to see some of the rarer bird life such as the Morepork owl, the huge Wood Pigeons, Tui songbirds and the charming little Fan-Tails that followed us through the woods chatting to us all the way. We saw some of the art that the island is well known for, attracting as it does a variety of colourful ‘artists’. Dubbin was quite a hit as we pottered around the island.
We had a nice break in the sunshine, eating a drinking too much again. Sue will miss the daily swims in the clear blue water.
We toured the entire island seeing the Stony Batter rock outcrops and old WWII gun emplacements, visiting Olive Groves and Wineries to sample their wares. We took lunches with is in our van and stopped a many of the glorious and tranquil bays to eat them as we watched the scenery and wildlife. We went and a couple of walks through the bush and Sue and I were delighted to see some of the rarer bird life such as the Morepork owl, the huge Wood Pigeons, Tui songbirds and the charming little Fan-Tails that followed us through the woods chatting to us all the way. We saw some of the art that the island is well known for, attracting as it does a variety of colourful ‘artists’. Dubbin was quite a hit as we pottered around the island.
We had a nice break in the sunshine, eating a drinking too much again. Sue will miss the daily swims in the clear blue water.
Taking to the rails...
For my birthday treat this year Sue and I went on a train journey through New Zealand on the Tranz Scenic Rail network. They have three tourist routes through the North and South Islands, each different and spectacular in its own way.
The Overlander took us from near Auckland down the North Island to Wellington and takes in the Raurimu Spiral as it climbs up onto the volcanic plateau through the National Park and past the volcanic cones of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. The scenery changes again as it crosses the Rangitikei River with its deep sided gorges and towering bridges. Later the tracks run beside the coast providing views of Kapiti Island and glimpses of the South Island in the distance before it runs through a long tunnel and into Wellington. Don’t expect the trains to run on schedule. We were delayed for a couple of hours with various problems including a tree on the line.
Wellington is one of our favourite New Zealand cities and although our stay was short we were not disappointed this time either. We stayed in the Shepard’s Arms Hotel on the pretty Tinakori Road not far from the Botanical Gardens. The hotel was reasonable and had all we needed (accept a plug for the bath) and looked quaint, based as it was on the original hotel of the same name that was established in 1870. The next morning we strolled down to the Parliament Buildings and took the very interesting free tour around them before having a quick look at the delightful Old St Paul’s (a weeding practice stopped us from spending more time here). We wandered around the waterfront and had lunch at a rustic food hall at the Wellington Market. We spent a good few hours in the Te Papa museum particularly enjoying the Golden Days, Passports and New Zealand in Bloom exhibitions.
We took the ferry across to the South Island and joined the TranzCoastal train at Picton bound for Christchurch. As the name suggests this route took us mainly down the east coast of the South Island after cutting through the wine-growing region of Marlborough. All of the trains have an exposed viewing area to allow a better opportunity to take photos without the interference of the glass windows in the other carriages. Running so close to the sea was a breezy experience and we had to come back inside for a break and to clean the salt rind off our glasses.
We arrived at Christchurch later in the day and walked to our Best Western Motel in Riccarton, near Hagley Park. We had been given vouchers for this chain of motels and we were very impressed with the facilities and service that we received at the Annabelle Court on Riccarton Road. We had a few of days here in the Garden City, although one of those would be taken up with our TranzAlpine excursion. We explored the beautiful Botanical Gardens as we walked through towards the centre of town. Worcester Boulevard with the tram, entertainers and Arts Centre Weekend Market were lovely, and throughout the small city everything looked enticing. The Cathedral Square with its market, the Avon River and the punts. We ate in New Regent Street looking at the faded glamour of the terraced buildings and pastel colours. We took a bus out to the Mona Vale Gardens, which were nice (though we were put off by constantly stumbling over various wedding parties). I had been given tickets to see a gig that night as a birthday present, so before the event we returned to New Regent Street and ate a fantastic evening meal at the Six Chairs Missing restaurant. The tickets were to see Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy at the Creation club at 8pm. We arrived a little early, but the doors didn’t open until around 9pm and then we had more than an hour until after the support act finished until the main act came on. Needless to say, after a long day walking around the town, we were starting to flag. As we had an early start the next day we left the club before the gig finished. Christchurch at night is a very different place full of drunken yobs, not attractive at all.
We took the day return excursion on the TranzAlpine from Christchurch on the east coast to Greymouth on the west, and back again. On the way the train runs across the wide-open Canterbury Plains before winding its way through the Southern Alps up to Arthur’s Pass over more dramatic river gorges in the shadow of the tallest mountains in the country. Through the 8-kilometre tunnel from the dry and arid plains to the wet rainforest of the west coast, the train journeyed down to Greymouth. After a short break we returned again to Christchurch. All of the way on each train we had most entertaining and informative commentary from the crew pointing out places of interest as we passed them by. Out of all of the trains the TranzApline is the biggest and most popular by far, next was the TranzCoastal and lastly the long Overlander journey.
We returned the way we came with an evening in Wellington where we walked through the Botanical Gardens and took the Cable Car down into town where we ate on the fashionable heart of town.
The journey was very interest and we saw some amazing scenery that you wouldn’t see by flying or driving, even so we were glad to step off the train at the end of it. We still think Wellington is our favourite city, but Christchurch is not too far behind.
The Overlander took us from near Auckland down the North Island to Wellington and takes in the Raurimu Spiral as it climbs up onto the volcanic plateau through the National Park and past the volcanic cones of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. The scenery changes again as it crosses the Rangitikei River with its deep sided gorges and towering bridges. Later the tracks run beside the coast providing views of Kapiti Island and glimpses of the South Island in the distance before it runs through a long tunnel and into Wellington. Don’t expect the trains to run on schedule. We were delayed for a couple of hours with various problems including a tree on the line.
Wellington is one of our favourite New Zealand cities and although our stay was short we were not disappointed this time either. We stayed in the Shepard’s Arms Hotel on the pretty Tinakori Road not far from the Botanical Gardens. The hotel was reasonable and had all we needed (accept a plug for the bath) and looked quaint, based as it was on the original hotel of the same name that was established in 1870. The next morning we strolled down to the Parliament Buildings and took the very interesting free tour around them before having a quick look at the delightful Old St Paul’s (a weeding practice stopped us from spending more time here). We wandered around the waterfront and had lunch at a rustic food hall at the Wellington Market. We spent a good few hours in the Te Papa museum particularly enjoying the Golden Days, Passports and New Zealand in Bloom exhibitions.
We took the ferry across to the South Island and joined the TranzCoastal train at Picton bound for Christchurch. As the name suggests this route took us mainly down the east coast of the South Island after cutting through the wine-growing region of Marlborough. All of the trains have an exposed viewing area to allow a better opportunity to take photos without the interference of the glass windows in the other carriages. Running so close to the sea was a breezy experience and we had to come back inside for a break and to clean the salt rind off our glasses.
We arrived at Christchurch later in the day and walked to our Best Western Motel in Riccarton, near Hagley Park. We had been given vouchers for this chain of motels and we were very impressed with the facilities and service that we received at the Annabelle Court on Riccarton Road. We had a few of days here in the Garden City, although one of those would be taken up with our TranzAlpine excursion. We explored the beautiful Botanical Gardens as we walked through towards the centre of town. Worcester Boulevard with the tram, entertainers and Arts Centre Weekend Market were lovely, and throughout the small city everything looked enticing. The Cathedral Square with its market, the Avon River and the punts. We ate in New Regent Street looking at the faded glamour of the terraced buildings and pastel colours. We took a bus out to the Mona Vale Gardens, which were nice (though we were put off by constantly stumbling over various wedding parties). I had been given tickets to see a gig that night as a birthday present, so before the event we returned to New Regent Street and ate a fantastic evening meal at the Six Chairs Missing restaurant. The tickets were to see Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy at the Creation club at 8pm. We arrived a little early, but the doors didn’t open until around 9pm and then we had more than an hour until after the support act finished until the main act came on. Needless to say, after a long day walking around the town, we were starting to flag. As we had an early start the next day we left the club before the gig finished. Christchurch at night is a very different place full of drunken yobs, not attractive at all.
We took the day return excursion on the TranzAlpine from Christchurch on the east coast to Greymouth on the west, and back again. On the way the train runs across the wide-open Canterbury Plains before winding its way through the Southern Alps up to Arthur’s Pass over more dramatic river gorges in the shadow of the tallest mountains in the country. Through the 8-kilometre tunnel from the dry and arid plains to the wet rainforest of the west coast, the train journeyed down to Greymouth. After a short break we returned again to Christchurch. All of the way on each train we had most entertaining and informative commentary from the crew pointing out places of interest as we passed them by. Out of all of the trains the TranzApline is the biggest and most popular by far, next was the TranzCoastal and lastly the long Overlander journey.
We returned the way we came with an evening in Wellington where we walked through the Botanical Gardens and took the Cable Car down into town where we ate on the fashionable heart of town.
The journey was very interest and we saw some amazing scenery that you wouldn’t see by flying or driving, even so we were glad to step off the train at the end of it. We still think Wellington is our favourite city, but Christchurch is not too far behind.
Writer's cramp...
Although the Blog has not been updated as frequently as it used to be I have still been writing. I have actually finnished my first novel to a stage where I have been happy to send it off to several publishers for their comments. So fingers crossed.
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