What I've been reading

The Thorn Birds
by Colleen McCullough

"Paddy Cleary moves his wife, Fiona, and their seven children to Drogheda, the vast Australian sheep station owned by his autocratic and childless older sister. More than half a century later, the only survivor of the third generation sets a course of life and love halfway around the world from her roots."

I found this on one of the charity tables you get at the entrance/exit of a supermarket, and I knew it was in my Classic Books list so I picked it up. For a change (for a book on that list) it was both readable and enjoyable, and a couple of people who saw me reading it commented on how they had also enjoyed both the book and the TV series back in the day. I usually like a good family saga - the only thing that seems worthy of comment in this case is the unusual setup whereby none of the characters ever lacked money, so the author had the leeway to enable them to do pretty much anything she wanted.

Capital
by John Lanchester

"The residents of Pepys Road, London all receive an anonymous postcard one day with a simple message: We Want What You Have. As the mystery of the postcards deepens, the world around Pepys Road is turned upside down by the financial crash."

I read all of this while I was volunteering at the retreat centre, most of it on my last day off. While I was reading it I was puzzled by the number of different characters and stories woven through the chapters, wondering how they could all be relevant. Aren't the best stories those where not a word is wasted, where everything contributes to the thread of the plot? The mystery of the postcards is solved at the end, and incorporates most of the characters (but not all), and it was satisfying enough.

All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot

narrated by Christopher Timothy

"The young Herriot takes up his calling, and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school."

The first two books of the series have been put together in this audio book, narrated by the actor who played the author in the TV series from my youth. Nothing challenging, short chapters, interesting characters, nice easy listening.

The Mark of Zorro
by Johnston McCulley

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"Caballero. Patriot. Vigilante. Follow the swashbuckling adventures of Zorro, as he metes out his own brand of justice against the tyrannical oppressors of young California."

Classic story, no surprises here as the mysterious hero rights wrongs, wins the girl, almost gets caught by the bad guys but is saved at the last minute and his identity is revealed (although we knew all along who he was). Nice.

Gloucester via... Worcester?

Love the bird, Gloucester Cathedral, September 2025

Here's Lola II again, continuing her account of our trip. We've spent two days in Hay-on-Wye, and we're now off to Worcester for the day... or are we?

Day 3

As we headed away from Hay, we looked forward to Jolly Holiday Stage 2 of 3. Lola I won a Buddhist auction of a guided tour of Worcester by a friend of hers who lives there. But an hour into our drive the car started juddering. We couldn’t drive above 2000 rpm which was fine downhill but tougher accelerating up. [There was a welcome distraction when we had to pause whilst a truck brought a full skip from someone’s front garden over a high garden hedge onto his vehicle.]

Fun fact - we were near Malvern four years ago on a similar break, Lola I’s car broke down and she took it to a random garage she found online. They were lovely, fixed it on the spot and saved our holiday. Well, guess what. We encountered our difficulties once again near Malvern! The challenge was remembering which garage it had been, 208-ish weeks ago. As luck would have it, Lola has only ever written two Google reviews so she was able to work out which garage it was, call them, and we limped there. I got to be Hazard Lights’ Monitor a little bit between indicator use.  

They had said on the phone that they were very busy, and yet they worked on it while we waited. What great service. We ate our leftover bread, cheese and tomatoes as a late breakfast and spent the rest of the two hours sitting in reception doing personal admin, so time well spent. And by chance, when we had called our Worcester guide, her son was unexpectedly off school ill so postponing wasn’t quite the inconvenience we anticipated. 

The carillon is still in working order

Next stop, several hours earlier than planned, Gloucester. The Museum of Gloucester had a fair mix of things to see - downstairs were dinosaurs, fossils, the Romans and upstairs were a whole heap of things from grandfather clocks to furniture to clothes. The “world-famous” Birdlip Mirror wasn’t there - on loan or being repaired? The Roman tombstones had a recorded explanation (love a button) but unfortunately I couldn’t hear it over folk music being played. The Gloucester Tables Set was good - the oldest complete backgammon set in the world. Then it was time to drive to our AirBnb.

As luck would have it, Gloucester’s Heritage Open Days are on while we’re here, so lots of free events to choose from. We convened our planning meeting for the next couple of days in the garden until the sun went behind clouds, and then had supper and a quick game of cards. 

Day 4

This morning Lola I had a Zoom meeting and so I headed out in town to a Craft Collective - a shop displaying a variety of art and craft from a number of people. In return they take it in turns to staff it. Once Lola I joined me we visited a church that had a free concert by the Gloucester Dementia Choir which was fun to hear. On our way to the Cathedral we crossed paths with the Gloucester Pride parade. 

We timed our arrival for a Cathedral tour perfectly. In addition to us there were two men who kept talking to each other throughout, and parents with two kids, both dressed as Harry Potter. The guide had a rough start - confusion over numbers, disturbance from someone moving furniture, an enormous clap of thunder and then she had to stop completely whilst someone started saying a prayer from the front who was clearly untrained in the best use of a microphone. Once she got going, she was great. 

Gloucester Cathedral, September 2025

Gloucester Cathedral (GC) has a rich history. In 1216 there was a rush to crown nine year old Henry III before French Louis could take over the crown. As a result the coronation took place in GC, the only coronation outside Westminster Abbey since 1066. Some old headdress of his mother was used to make a makeshift crown. Apparently the new king fell asleep during his own coronation. 

A hundred years later, King Edward II was a rubbish king and was murdered in 1327 to get him out of the way. He was buried under a plain stone in the cathedral, but KE III felt aggrieved that his father didn’t get a proper tomb and so built him one. He also banished his mother because of her involvement in his father’s murder so she lived out her days in relative comfort away from Royal circles. When Henry VIII was ridding the country of monasteries, he turned the original Abbey into GC because KE II was buried in it, rather than destroy the building. And so we have a lot to thank Mr Rubbish King for. 

And it doesn’t end there! In the 2nd World War people were certain that GC would be be bombed so they removed the enormous, mostly medieval, stained glass windows, labelling each section to help with its reconstruction once danger has passed. Unfortunately it was stored in the crypt and the damp meant the labels deteriorated. They ended up having to do their best to reconstruct it, using a picture postcard. How fortunate the Cathedral wasn’t bombed, eh? Unfortunately, because we had the two mini Harry Potters, the rest of the tour was focused on the cloisters and the films. It is an impressive space, and the guide seemed to be as much a fan of the films as the children. 

Next we headed into the docks and the National Waterways Museum. My favourite fact was that, when building the canals, the navvies used heavy puddling boots and sticks to pack down the clay. In rural areas it may have been done by herding cows along the canal. Our AirBnb host, Andy, used to be a vicar and preached in the Mariners Church so we added that to our itinerary, only to find it closed an hour earlier than publicised. 

A short break in a café with board games and then home until we came out again to see The Life of Chuck in The Guildhall cinema. It was alright. I wouldn’t really recommend it but it was interesting, so maybe if it comes on telly... 

Day 5

We had a leisurely start, packing up the car and then walking into town for our 11am city tour. Our guide was very good and very patient when one of the group stole his punchline of a real miserly man in Gloucester being Charles Dickens’ inspiration for Scrooge. Another of the group was VERY vocal in her distress at the thought of a bishop being burnt at the stake, and having to stand there for an hour in January before the fire got going. 

[Editor's note: At this point I whispered to Lola II "I wonder how she'll feel when she finds out how Jesus died?"]

There was also a circular conversation between her, the guide and another woman about a mural in a church. None of them were really putting their finger on what the other was saying. In these situations I sometimes intervene to help clarify, but this roundabout was going faaar too fast. 

Rebuilt in 1455, the most complete surviving example of a medieval courtyard inn with galleries in Britain, Gloucester, September 2025

There are an enormous number of interesting sights when you’re shown them. We really love a tour. The rain mostly held off and we headed to our next appointment with a Sunday roast. By now it was pouring with rain as we drove on to the Nature in Art art gallery and sculpture park. What should have been an 11 minute drive doubled in length until we stopped following the location on Google Maps and input a postcode they say to use on their website.

The Nature in Art place was beautiful - several rooms of paintings, drawings, ceramics, glass, paper cutting - all plants or animals or scenery. I took a few photos before seeing the sign telling us not to. Outside were sculptures of all types in a smallish garden. We headed in when it began to rain again and made the 1.5hr drive back to Leamington. I’m now on the train to Marylebone and looking forward to hearing what Mr M has been up to…

And that was our latest Jolly Holiday. When we put our heads together and looked at diaries, the next time Lola II and I are both free to meet is towards the end of November!

 [Note: all photos in this post were taken by Lola II, except the one with her in it.]

Nature in Art, September 2025

Hay-on-Wye

Hay-on-Wye, September 2025

Lola II and I have been on a 'mini-break' that was planned to include two nights in Hay-on-Wye, a day in Worcester and then another two nights in Gloucester. She has been doing all the blogging for a change, so here is the first part of her [slightly edited] account, rather than mine.

Day 1

"Hay-on-Wye is a historic market town on the Welsh-English border, famous as the 'Town of Books' and home to the annual Hay Festival. The town is set in the beautiful landscape of the Brecon Beacons National Park." 

We arrived at 11am and headed to Tourist Information in the rain, only to find it closed! Signs on the door indicated it should be open and gave no reason for its closure. 

We spent our first day wandering around the small town with its multitude of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. Entering our first bookshop there was no warning that we would be swallowed into another world - floor to ceiling bookshelves on the ground floor, the basement, the first floor and the little side room up a few stairs. While Lola I wandered around, showing enormous strength in browsing and not buying, I was delighted to find a section with paints, yarns, material and more. 

Lunch was in a lovely tiny place that serves a different thing each day. Today was Mexican food with zero alliums. Clearly, although the Tourist Information and the Rain gods were not smiling down in us, the Allium gods were. 

Honesty bookshop: unstaffed, all books £1 (photo credit: Lola II)

Next, a shop called Murder & Mayhem with all books on the theme of... well... murder and mayhem. We had a lovely chat with a nearly-toothless not-that-old woman (earlier in the day there had been a man of similar appearance). Across the road was another bookshop that provided an exquisite setting for books. The many nooks, crannies, stairs and teeny-tiny rooms were jam-packed with books. Just when we thought we’d explored it all, there was another room. And another. And another. 

The cakes offered in Hay's cafés are very poor. We did chance upon one bakery with a good selection, but the key item (chocolate éclair) was sold out when we returned later in the day. Good thing we have another day here tomorrow to remedy that disaster. So a cuppa and an ice cream saw us through the challenge of choosing an evening dining establishment - surprisingly, there weren’t really many places that appealed.

Dinner was in a pub down the road where Lola I whipped out a card game called Odin, which was simple to play and great fun. And lastly, my favourite question of Lola I’s put to ChatGPT (which tells you something about our dinner): “What did people do before tomatoes?”

Photo credit: Lola II

Day 2

Thursday is market day! Love a good market. The view from our bedroom showed five stalls and it was remarkable that we didn’t notice any noise from their construction. I was concerned. Only five stalls? I felt cheated. Luckily when we emerged into the street, following our host-provided breakfast of overnight oats there were many more stalls further up in the town. 

It was lovely with a variety of food and not too much tat. The woman on the soap stall was a little too pushy for my liking, insisting that I smell absolutely everything and, frankly, after three sniffs, everything starts to smell the same. The knife-sharpening stall got our attention because we both have knives we’d like sharpened. He explained how he sharpened serrated knives. 

Of course, one eye has to be assessing every single food item on offer for lunch suitability. Lola I selected cheese, a bagel and an éclair (thank goodness the bakery had re-stocked). I chose smoked mackerel pate and focaccia. We shared heritage tomatoes because we know the importance of a varied diet. And they were pretty. 

On mum’s suggestion we went into a bookshop to ask about the possibility of selling dad’s many books to them. I don’t know if mum is in league with the bookshop but, once in there, Lola I realised she was going to have to explore it fully. I took our food back to our room and returned, only to find that calling out her name to locate her only works on the third or fourth try - that’s how large and twisty-turny these shops are. 

700 year old door, Hay Castle

Back to base and we cracked open our delicious lunch, heading out again to visit Hay Castle and book ourselves onto a tour. Love a tour. Our favourite bit was the door that is still hanging after 700 years. The guide was good but, for some reason, spent 45 minutes outside telling us things without moving, and it was not a warm day. 

With surprisingly few quality dining establishments in town (and believe me, we’ve checked) for supper we had a meal that was both magnificent and excellent value at a restaurant a 30-minute drive away in Builth Wells. We’ve now returned home for our last sleep before heading off to Worcester tomorrow. 

Home again

Adhisthana, August 2025 (photo credit: Lola II)

After the Smaller (but still Big) Event ended on Sunday morning there was a quieter period, but still plenty to do. On Sunday afternoon I cleared out the Restricted Diet kitchen and restored it to its former state ready for the new intake of people who would be using it during a 16-week course. I managed to take the tent down during a warm sunny spell in between rain showers, which made me very happy because I could then just put it away without having to take it out again at home to dry.

I spent quite a bit of time noting down all the things we had learned while running the kitchen, all the equipment we did and didn't use, as well as the food itself. I now know how to cook buckwheat and millet (essentially the same way as quinoa and rice). If I were to do the job again, I wouldn't try so hard to please all the people all the time, because as we know, it can't be done. Next year, however, this event is taking place somewhere else, so I'll have the option to do something different with my August Bank Holiday weekend.

My time at Adhisthana came to an end with a periodontal appointment back home on Tuesday morning. The periodontist was very pleased with the improvement to the sites that he'd treated, and then I remembered to mention the pre-diabetes, and of course that might be another reason why I'm getting such trouble with deep infections of the gums. I was astonished that I'd only gained half a kilo during the three weeks I was away, but naturally delighted at the same time. I've still got some work to do, but don't have to start at the beginning again.

The Smaller (but still Big) Event

Sheet folding lesson in the laundry, Adhisthana, August 2025

So I left you as the Big Event started on Thursday evening, when more than 300 people were to be found within the site. Many were camping, many found themselves squeezed into rooms normally for two people with an extra mattress or bed. My friend T and I were allocated the solitary hut that I stayed in last year on my own, but I put my tent up just in front of it so we had a bedroom each.

Our space for creating the meals for people with restricted diets was an ordinary kitchen without any industrial scale equipment, but we were producing food for between 30 and 45 people per meal. We prepared cold food and warm food - with the facilities we had it was almost impossible to provide hot food. To start with we only had one oven shelf, but two more were bought to make full use of the oven. We didn't have any help with washing up on the first day, but we got a bit more help after pointing out that we were doing 12-hour days on our own. It didn't make the day's work any shorter but at least we could plan for the next day while someone else was dealing with the washing up.

In terms of the food - our customers loved tahini sauce (tahini, lemon juice, add water until pouring consistency) and put away about a litre of it every day. Mashed potato was another big hit despite the hot weather as it's not usually offered by a retreat kitchen. On the whole everyone seemed to find enough choice and there were many compliments and thanks. One particularly difficult customer started bringing us a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice every day towards the end of her stay.

The atmosphere was wonderful, and it helped that the weather was perfect. At meal times clumps of people could be found in every corner - on chairs and benches, sitting on the floor, sitting outside their tents, inside in the dining rooms, all happily chatting and eating. It felt like what I imagine a Buckingham Palace Garden Party might be like (except without the Royals). There was so much to do that I hardly emerged from the kitchen at all, but on a couple of days I managed to walk about for half an hour and met a few of the people I knew. That was very worthwhile.

Then the crazy busy weekend finished, and we were straight into the next event, which had fewer people booked onto it but lasted a week. After the first evening I had a whole day off, which I spent with Sister D and Lola II. It was scorching hot, so after a walk up to the local viewpoint we spent some time indoors looking at the different buildings and exhibits before wandering down to see the fruit trees and the solitary cabin. They asked some really interesting and challenging questions that really made me think about what this all means to me, and why I find it so important.

My cooking friend T had to go home the next day but was replaced by another friend, W, whom I'd also invited. Instead of catering to upwards of 30 people we were now down to 'large dinner party' size of about 10 people, which could have been managed by a single person except that I was due to have another day off and we needed a stand-in who knew the ropes. I had a bit of difficulty with some Spanish speakers who decided they didn't like the food in the main kitchen and started coming to the restricted diet kitchen even though they didn't have any intolerances, which meant that we ran short on a few options. (This forced me to examine my own particular views on fairness, kindness and generosity.) So towards the end of the week we were catering for more like 15 people.

My attempt to manage my own diet completely failed after the week of setup. When I was actually cooking, in the kitchen for 12 hours at a time, surrounded by all sorts of tasty and interesting foods, it was utterly insane to imagine that I could maintain any restraint. But under home conditions I intend to return to abstinence.

Photo credit: Sister D