South Coast Sunshine…

There are several lovely spots along this stretch of coastline but Ferring beach is one that is dog friendly and that is the main reason we visited with the Whittenburys and their crazy hound. After a walk along the pebble beach and a paddle in the water we had a tasty lunch at the licensed BlueBird Café. It was such a hit that Sue returned with other friends and their dogs for another visit soon after.

Game Daze…

This time of the year it is difficult to get all our gaming friends together as holidays and other commitments get in the way, nevertheless I managed to sessions of board games recently – one at Derek’s with Martin, and then at Kevin’s also with Martin. I do enjoy playing but I am not particularly adept and it shows as I rarely win a game, but I still had fun.

Under a Shady Tree…

One hot summer’s day (we have had a few of those this year) we ventured out to Winkworth Arboretum where we could walk under the shade of the many and varied trees and around by the serene pond. Nearby is Oakhurst Cottage, a small 16^th century home that has not changed much over the hundreds of years (the National Trust did install a cold water tap in the house for the occupants at their request, but this has since been removed), as it is small, old and fragile the house is only open at certain times and usually as part of pre-booked tours.

Out in the Fresh Air…

This beautiful summer weather has enabled us to spend a lot of time outdoors and as the seasons change to autumn we are reaping the rewards for the hard work in the garden (harvesting crops and flowers to eat fresh, freeze for later in the year and for to pickle and turn into jams and sauces). We have been out walking in the countryside that we are blessed with around home and have foraged through the hedgerows for blackberries to add to our bounty.

A Long Weekend…

Starting on Friday evening with Sue cooking a wonderful dinner for us, her sister Deb, and the Whittenbury clan. It was a good night with plenty of chat, laughter and libations.

The following day we decided to walk some of the excesses off in the local countryside collecting blackberries and wild apples and taking a new route that passed the Dorking Community Orchard and stopping for a little drink at a local pub or three.

Saturday evening, we went to an informal dinner party at a friend’s place with our neighbour and mutual Howard. The host, Neil, had arranged for the food to be cooked by his friend, a former Italian chef, Alex. We had a great time watching Alex create his magic in the kitchen and we perhaps should have stopped there – but martinis were beckoning to some of our party back at Howards.

Sunday was a wet and dreary day so the girls took to the kitchen to create magic and I sloped off to the attic to play on the computer. Later that night we ventured out to the Kings Arms in Dorking to watch, listen and dance to the very entertaining local band the Eclectix.

Bank Holiday Monday was nicer weather so in the afternoon we went to nearby Polesden Lacey where they have live jazz playing to audiences on the main lawn during summer. We had arranged to meet with the Whittenbury’s, Deb and Linda and Mark for a picnic and a relax.

Sussex Prairie Gardens…

The Sussex Prairie Gardens had been on our list to visit for a while so when our friends Paul and Lorraine said they had a stand at a show being held there, we decided to go visit and arranged to meet the Brown there too. The gardens are relatively new (ten years or so) and are laid out in a spiral of beds, some of the outer ones raised to offer wider views. As suggested by the name the planting uses a lot of grasses as might be found on the prairies. The site was quite crowded due to the show, but even so clever planting allowed guests to walk into the beds and find some respite in secluded spaces contained within. After our visit, we went with the Browns to a pub for a late lunch before returning home. I think this is a place we will return to on a non-show day to see it at its best. 

More wot I have read…

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

I was not sure about this book, thinking it would play more with the mystical themes revealed early one, but which spent a lot more time as a family drama unfolding separately for each offspring. The way people react to information they think will impact their lives is an interesting theme and the different responses were well realised, but overall it was a less than satisfying story for me.

‘It's 1969, and holed up in a grimy tenement building in New York's Lower East Side is a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the date they will die. The four Gold children, too young for what they're about to hear, sneak out to learn their fortunes.

Over the years that follow, the siblings must choose how to live with the prophecies the fortune-teller gave them that day. Will they accept, ignore, cheat or defy them? Golden-boy Simon escapes to San Francisco, searching for love; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician; eldest son Daniel tries to control fate as an army doctor after 9/11; and bookish Varya looks to science for the answers she craves.’

The Ballad of Halo Jones Volume 2 by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Another interesting concept provided as a mechanic to this story, but not what it is about at all. I got lost in what the author was trying to get across to me and I found the narrative ponderous and a bit tiresome.

‘In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.’

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

I was intrigued by the premise of this story and found it entertaining in execution. Again, as in many of these books, there are deeper themes at play throughout, but they do not takeover or distract too much from the narrative. And I do like the title very much.

‘Listen.

All the world forgets me. First my face, then my voice, then the consequences of my deeds.

So listen. Remember me.

My name is Hope Arden, and you won't know who I am. We've met before - a thousand times. But I am the girl the world forgets.

It started when I was sixteen years old. A slow declining, an isolation, one piece at a time.

A father forgetting to drive me to school. A mother setting the table for three, not four. A teacher who forgets to chase my missing homework. A friend who looks straight through me and sees a stranger.

No matter what I do, the words I say, the people I hurt, the crimes I commit - you will never remember who I am.

That makes my life tricky. But it also makes me dangerous...’