What I've been reading

The Guns of Navarone
by Alistair MacLean

narrated by Jonathan Oliver

"Twelve hundred British soldiers isolated on the small island of Kheros off the Turkish coast, lives that could be saved if only the guns could be silenced. To Captain Keith Mallory, skllled saboteur and mountaineer, fell the task of leading the small party detailed to scale the vast, impossible precipice of Navarone and to blow up the guns. "

A cracking story written well, and clearly destined for the movie it became with the dour Brit, drawling American and thoughtful New Zealander.

The Sound of One Hand
by Satyadasa

"For Satyadasa the Buddhist path has been fulfilling and often joyous, but also full of doubts and obstacles. What does it mean to be a Buddhist in the West in the twenty-first century? And is being born with one hand a curse – or a blessing?"

At last, the memoir of a Buddhist who can actually write, so an enjoyable and informative read. He writes about tackling the same issues as I do: about how uncomfortable change can be in a non-spiritual society, and about grappling with the personality of Sangharakshita, the founder of the Triratna community, whom he met a few times. So the right book at the right time for me.

An Accidental Man
by Iris Murdoch

"Austin is one of those people who needs to survive through the destruction of others. The others, in Austin's case, include his successful elder brother, Matthew, and the women who, one after the other, are so touchingly convinced that they can 'save' him."

For someone feted as a great author, I don't much like Iris Murdoch's books. I imagine she was probably writing about people and types that she was familiar with, but I have never met anyone like any of the people in this book, and there are loads of people in this book, all of whom seem to be related or know each other, but who behave in inexplicable ways. And there are deaths, many deaths - one child is run over by a car driven by one of the characters who may or may not have killed his first wife, then he almost kills the stepfather of the child whom he killed by running her over, and his second wife electrocutes herself in a bath, and then another child dies when she falls off some scaffolding, which is mentioned at the end just incidentally, and at least two people try to kill themselves by overdose... I just don't recognise any of them. I don't think I'll bother with Iris any more.

Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert

narrated by Juliet Stevenson

"A deeply felt and sympathetic portrait of a woman who, having married a country doctor and found herself unhappy with a rural, genteel existence, longs for love and excitement. However, her aspirations and her desires to escape only bring her further disappointment and eventually lead to unexpected, painful consequences. "

Another classic that I think most people would have heard of. A bored wife has two major adulterous love affairs and ends up owing a load of money to support her profligate habits, and her husband continues to have no idea. Verdict: annoying.

East West Street
by Philippe Sands

"When he receives an invitation to deliver a lecture in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, international lawyer Philippe Sands begins a journey on the trail of his family's secret history. In doing so, he uncovers an astonishing series of coincidences that lead him halfway across the world, to the origins of international law at the Nuremberg trial."

This was good, but more of a history book than an easy read. There are a few coincidences about the origins of the people described thereafter, and it is a reminder (if one were needed) about the horrors of the holocaust and the fate of most families. Also, interesting to find out more about the origins of the terms 'genocide' and 'crimes against humanity'. As well as being well written it's well edited too, which it needs to be given the number of names and dates to remember.

Kentwell House

Kentwell Hall, August 2023

Lola II's significant birthday was in 2020, and she had planned all sorts of excitement with friends. Then it all had to be cancelled, but this year she has returned to the Belated Birthday Event list with a vengeance. I've already attended a concert at the Regent Park Bandstand, watched the rowing on the lake, enjoyed an ice cream sundae Sunday, and last weekend included camping (fourth time this year for me, first time for Lola II and Mr M) and a visit to Kentwell Hall.

The Kentwell manor is recorded in the Domesday Book and dates from about 1040. The full history of the property (mostly completed in 1530) can be found on the website, but in 1971 it was bought and the new owner restored it and now facilitates the historical re-enactments that take place there. When we visited it was 1564, and there were about 200 volunteers on site dressed for that period and fully inhabiting their roles. Inside the house were the gentry, their stewards and their servants, and throughout the grounds we found all sorts of different workers. Woodcutters, glassblowers, potters, victuallers, the woolshed, dyers, felt- and hat-makers, bakers, the forge, the foundry, alchemists, embroiderers, apothecaries, cheesemakers, cobblers, the brewery, woodworkers, mummers, the alehouse and more - we arrived not long after opening time, and closing time came before we'd seen everything.

The volunteers playing all the roles stayed firmly within the 16th century with their speech and knowledge - nobody admitted to knowing what a potato was, for example, nor how a volunteer could possibly support their family. There were children as well as adults - one notable young boy gave us a brief performance as one of the mummers playing the Devil. It was fascinating and fun and educational, and I'd go back again.

Alongside this visit we camped together with another couple of Lola II's friends who joined us for the weekend, visited a country park for a walk, played games and ate far too well. We had a lovely camping spot facing out into a field of what I thought was spinach, but turned out to be sugar beet. (My reputation for plant identification was never strong but is now in tatters.) The campsite even laid on an ice cream van which arrived around 8pm and attracted many customers. This resulted in one of the highlights of the weekend - as Mr M walked away from the van with a large twin cornet 99 with three flakes, there was an audible gasp and then actual applause from the people still waiting in line.

A fine day out

August 2023

Lola II and Mr M live in London, and unlike many Londoners they make use of the city, going to see performances, galleries and many other interesting events and attractions. Recently they visited a place they thought others might also enjoy, so Lola II invited me and Sister D without telling us where we would be going. She loves surprises.

We started with lunch at a delicious Sri Lankan/South Indian establishment that provided the photo opportunity above. Then Lola II took us to the Fitzrovia Chapel, which used to be part of Middlesex Hospital. The hospital was founded in the 18th century and the chapel was built in 1891. In 2005 the hospital moved to the newly built University College Hospital, and the site was sold for housing development. Somehow the chapel survived - the photo shows just how lucky that was - and was restored between 2013 and 2015. It is peaceful and beautiful, with mosaics on floor and ceiling and 17 types of marble in the decoration. Recommended for a visit.

Fitzrovia Chapel standing alone at the centre of a flattened building site

I'd also like to include a plug for Chiltern Railways. With many train companies coming in for criticism about their reliability and facilities, I find travelling with Chiltern quite enjoyable! On the trip to London the train arrived a minute ahead of schedule and during the journey there were no unnecessary announcements (there are far too many loud and unnecessary announcements on the Virgin West Coast service to Birmingham) and everyone in my vicinity was behaving just as one would want. On the way back I sat next to a very lovely woman from New Zealand, living in Leamington and planning to move to Wales because there are more hills. Of course Chiltern aren't responsible for their customers, but it somehow reflects well on them.

I've been doing quite a bit outside in the garden, and inside working for Mr MXF. The latest job he's given me involves repeated viewing of short films (less than 10 minutes) to record various time points within them. I've done the first and am now waiting for feedback before starting on the second. And still playing badminton, and being a Buddhist, and all the other household things that keep one busy.

Working and playing

Kew Gardens, July 2022

The Warwick Folk Festival has happened, and a whole lot more. I've got a bit of time today so I hope to get it all covered before everything starts up again.

I enjoyed my volunteering at the Festival in the Radio Comms Room again, where we issue and receive all the walky-talkies and assist with communications between all the teams: traffic, gates, litter-picking and toilets, security, music venues, transport, maintenance and more. There wasn't much to do most of the time; everyone seemed to know what they were doing and not much went wrong. 

We were short-staffed in the Radio Room this year as the deputy team leader had to withdraw through illness, and the team leader has health issues and really wants to step away. They are desperate enough to suggest I might take on the team leader job, and after I'd seen a description of the (volunteer) role I thought about it and decided to decline this opportunity. I'm happy to be an ordinary team member and don't want the extra responsibility or the time it would take up.

Radio Man was there, supplying all the comms gear, and was pleasant company throughout the event. All the other team members are extremely talkative and love to relate a long story about some event in their life, or indeed their whole life story, in detail and omitting nothing, as I wrote last year. Radio Man and I would occasionally suggest that they really could do with a nap, or a beer, or a chat with some friend, and we could manage perfectly well so why didn't they take a break and leave us to it? Despite this, all the volunteers are very friendly and generous, and I enjoyed my time with them even though I completely misjudged my shifts and missed most of the music. Various other local friends were also volunteering in other roles and it was nice to catch up with a couple of them.

After a day or two to catch my breath I was off to see mum and dad, who continue to soldier on with all the appointments with the various health professionals. While I was there we went to the dental surgery to pick up a form so that a home visit can be requested, we had a finance meeting via Zoom, and we were visited in person by a District Nurse and a more senior Occupational Therapist than before, who assessed the front step for a ramp and measured up the shower room to see what adaptations might be possible for better access. She is planning to bring some equipment that might help dad to move between bed and chair. Mum and I also made some major improvements to mum's filing systems, producing a sack of paper for recycling in the process. It was a longer visit than usual and very productive.

My birthday has been and gone, so I have now entered my 60th year of life, which is a little hard to believe. Anyway, UJ wanted to treat me to a night out - she recently attended a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and was so impressed that I think she just wanted to repeat the experience. I chose very differently. On Saturday we went for a very good guided walk in Birmingham, then to see the film 'Barbie', then off to Chinatown to eat and finally a comedy club. It was a really good day with only two disappointments - the weather (it was cold and rained constantly throughout), and my favourite Café Soya was closed for refurbishment (although a nearby substitute wasn't bad). UJ and I continue to discuss British accents and colloquialisms, most recently the use of the term of endearment 'cock' in Manchester, which is all very confusing for her.