What I've been reading

Close Range: Brokeback Mountain and Other Stories
by Annie Proulx

"Tales of loneliness, quick violence, and the wrong kinds of love. Each of the portraits in Close Range reveals characters fiercely wrought with precision and grace."

All set in the wildness of Wyoming, the stories resemble one another in the setting and the general indignities of living in a harsh land, usually without enough money, reliant on climate and neighbours and forever on the brink of personal, emotional, financial or psychological catastrophe. There weren't any heart-warming tales of people getting along just fine, but she always writes interesting and believable characters even if you don't warm to them. And it's astonishing that the essence of the award-winning film is all contained here in just 35 pages. Unlike many film adaptations, in this case the story and the film are equally great.

Not About Being Good: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Ethics
by Subhadramati

"Buddhist ethics are not about conforming to a set of conventions, not about "being good" in order to gain material, social, or religious rewards. Instead, living ethically springs from the awareness that other people are essentially no different from ourselves."

I really liked this basic book on ethics, mainly because she uses such good examples. I borrowed it from someone else in the group and I'm slightly inclined to buy my own copy, but not enough to do it at the moment.

The New York Trilogy
by Paul Auster

"In each story the search for clues leads to remarkable coincidences in the universe as the simple act of trailing a man ultimately becomes a startling investigation of what it means to be human."

These were three strangely interconnected stories, each containing one or more characters from the other stories and one even including the author as a character. It was a clever device and I almost wanted more of it, even though it made the plots slightly confusing. This is one of the books on my 'classic' list, and there's another one on there by the same author that I might try.

Music & Silence
by Rose Tremain

"In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. From the moment when he realises that the musicians perform in a freezing cellar underneath the royal apartments, Peter Claire understands that he's come to a place where the opposing states of light and dark, good and evil, are waging war to the death."

A long book but an enjoyable one, a saga masquerading as a historical novel by being set in Denmark in the 17th century. No complaints about this one.

Budapest

Memorial in grounds of Great Synagogue, Budapest, December 2022

It was a lovely trip with my two friends A & S, ostensibly to visit the Christmas markets as we had done in previous years in Dusseldorf and Munich. I didn't make any notes as I went along, and it now feels like it was ages ago, so I'll probably have forgotten some of the best bits, but hey! blogging is supposed to be fun, not work.

We flew on Friday and came back on Monday - Friday and Saturday were very wet; Sunday and Monday were very cold. The line for taxis at the airport was so long that we took the bus to the hotel, which was modern and in a convenient location although it took me two nights to work out how to turn the heating down. After we arrived on Friday we had a quick foray into the nearest market, but because of the pouring rain we were lucky to find a café with space indoors for us. Budapest, like Madeira, doesn't generally cater for vegetarians, but the soups were terrific. Luckily I like soup, and this was the first good one: garlic cream soup with croutons.

We started on Saturday with a wet walk along the river as far as the poignant memorial to the shooting of the Jews in 1944 on the bank of the Danube. After another foray into the Christmas markets A and I joined a pretty good walking tour while S went off to the thermal baths. The tour was of the Jewish quarter, although being Saturday the synagogues weren't open to tourists; we returned to the Great Synagogue on Sunday. The tour ended in a 'ruined bar' which was an extraordinary space comprising many rooms and many bars with glitter balls, interesting lighting, plants, repurposed furniture including chairs made from a bath tub and a piano among other things, and covered with graffiti, which was encouraged.

That evening we went to a restaurant that had been recommended and which had very peculiar decor including upside down model buildings stuck to the ceiling, mannequins, and an inexplicable model plane. Soup: mushroom with strips of egg and smoked quails eggs - another triumph.

On Sunday the rain stopped but the temperature dropped. The famous Chain Bridge was closed for renovation so after visiting the synagogue and lunch (pumpkin soup) we walked across a less interesting bridge to the Buda side. We rode up to the palace via the funicular railway and visited the labyrinths that had been formed by underground water and then repurposed for storage and various other activities over the years. Bean and smoked tofu soup was wonderful for dinner - I can barely remember any of the main courses but the soups stood out.

I learned quite a bit about the history of Hungary especially in relation to the second World War; if we'd stayed longer I'd have liked to go on one of the other walking tours that focused on Communism in Hungary. We were reminded that Mr Rubik of the cube was Hungarian, as were Theodore Herzl (father of modern Zionism), Tony Curtis's father, Estee Lauder and Harry Houdini. On Monday we finished our business in various markets, punctuated by the need to go indoors to warm up every couple of hours. We were concerned that the cold snap in the UK might close Birmingham airport, but everything was fine and even the trains were running.

Interior of 'ruined bar'

Scooting and gaming

View from Funchal botanic gardens, November 2022

Coming back to collect the car after my trip to Madeira I helped mum to make her first excursion on the mobility scooter, down at the park at the bottom of the road. She has since made further forays and reports that so far she is not enjoying the experience at all. The pavements in the neighbourhood are not well maintained and  the hill is steep so she constantly feels as though she will tip off. Nevertheless she is persisting and I hope it will become easier with practice.

Back at home UJ's residence permit arrived, and she has returned (via Lisbon) to Kyiv where her parents still live - I think she has been missing friends and family a great deal. She wants to persuade her parents to move to Poland where they have access to an apartment for the winter, given the harsh conditions that a Ukrainian winter without reliable electricity will bring.

Then I went to Mr MXF's Christmas party. Despite doing very little for him in a highly sporadic and unreliable manner, I was still invited to lunch at a very nice pub followed by board games at a Games Café, where there was much merriment and where Mr MXF's daughter won everything there was to be won, although she had an advantage as she had played most of the games before. Mr MXF has since reassured me that what I've been doing has actually been very profitable...

Somehow time has become a scarce commodity as it's been a week since I returned from a long weekend in Budapest and nothing written beyond brief notes. I've been turned away from a blood donor session because apparently Madeira presents a risk of tropical infection that requires a 28-day wait before donation can be accepted, so I've rebooked for just after Christmas. But I even skipped badminton last night because I just needed to go to bed early, so the account of Budapest will have to wait until next time.

Orchids growing wild in Madeira

Madeira

Madeira, November 2022

I have been on a holiday - an ordinary, normal holiday, not a retreat, with people who aren't Buddhists, and it is surprising how long it has been since the last time I did this. It was a walking holiday in Madeira, led by a very enthusiastic local man whose catchphrase was "I love it" (delivered as one word).

The day before I left I went to see mum and dad for the important job of trying out and buying a mobility scooter. A local company came to the house with two to try, which were essentially identical except for the battery size. Mum was a bit nervous but I had a go on the pavement outside the house, and she sat on it so we adjusted the seat and handlebar to suit her.

Then off I went to Madeira via Stansted, and joined a group of twelve people, aged from about 30 to 75. Most were English but there was one young woman from Switzerland and another woman originally from Hungary but now living in the USA. It was a good group, nobody too annoying and all fit enough for the walking, which was at times very strenuous indeed. Madeira is volcanic, it has mountains, and water courses called levadas which have been cut into cliffs in order to route water to where it's needed. Every inch of viable land is cultivated, mostly with sugar cane, bananas and potatoes, although we saw avocado, mango and citrus trees too.

The vertical stripes are vents

The first walk was on the eastern peninsula, and as it was a popular walk and a Saturday there were a lot of people about. The main attraction was the eroded coastline and volcanic geology, although there was a swimming area for those who wished. The next walk was in the north - we were taken by car up to the start, and although we started at altitude there was still more climbing to do, and a long descent which punished the knees. It was the first proper holiday for my walking poles, and I'm not sure how I would have managed without them. I don't put a lot of weight on them for climbing or descending, but they provide a third and fourth point of contact with the ground, so helping me to balance without additional strain on the legs.

Don't look down

The third walk took us to a National Park where we walked alongside another levada to a waterfall. The description of the holiday had mentioned that it wasn't suitable for those with vertigo, and this walk demonstrated why - the path was narrow with the cliff on one side and a sheer drop of many thousands of feet on the other, sometimes protected by a rickety two-string fence, sometimes not. Our leader ("I love it!") described some of the native and non-native plants while I looked anywhere except down and leaned away from the edge. There was another long descent down to a seaside village where the sun shone for beer and ice cream, and we briefly visited a rum distillery, tasted the product and had a shopping opportunity. I'm not a rum aficionado but it tasted fine and obviously I didn't buy any.

Spot the rainbow

The next day we were up before dawn and taken up above the cloud line to see the sun come up. The plan for the day was to walk between the three highest peaks of the island, and it was a shame about the cloud cover below us otherwise I imagine the views would have been tremendous, although I enjoyed the views of the clouds below. The peaks were reached along well-maintained paths and many hundreds (if not thousands) of steps - walking poles helped to support jelly legs towards the end of this climb. Thankfully there was a road up to the final stop so we didn't have to make the final descent on foot.

The last day of walking was the least interesting. It included all the elements of the previous days - huge ascents via stairs, walking alongside a levada, cultivated terraces, narrow vertiginous paths with a sheer drop down a cliff to one side, expansive views, punishing descents and the opportunity for beer and ice cream at the end - but nothing new. On our last full day we were let loose in Funchal. I chose to wander around the market and then ascend by cable cars to the Botanic Garden, my usual haunt, and it was a really good one. 

Spot the bird

The weather was perfect throughout - sunny but not too hot, although it had drizzled slightly on the first day and threatened a little rain on another day. Coats and hats were frequently put on and taken off at each break. Each day we had a hotel breakfast and then bought ourselves ingredients for a packed lunch from a supermarket (or surreptitiously collected goods from the breakfast buffet), which was ideal for a thrifty vegetarian like me. Evening meals were less satisfactory. The holiday notes mentioned that Madeira does not cater for vegetarians, and they were right. Alongside plenty of glorious fish and meat dishes, there were at best two options for vegetarians, such as spaghetti with vegetables, pizza with vegetables (the first time I've had pizza topped with carrot and broccoli as well as olives), omelette and chips, vegetable soup and garlic bread. 

To add insult to injury the prices for the vegetarian dishes in Funchal restaurants were comparable with the non-vegetarian dishes, so on the final day I split off from the main group with two other women who had not been enjoying the restaurant choices so far and we went to a different place. They had the local speciality of limpets then seared tuna; I still only had the choice of vegetable soup or omelette, but the omelette was good and only a fraction of the price compared with previous days. The other vegetarian woman went with the majority on that last night and regretted it as she was forced to choose exorbitantly priced spaghetti with vegetables again.

Aside from the scary cliffs and uninspiring vegetarian food, I enjoyed it, and both of these issues were mentioned in the tour notes so I can't say I wasn't warned. Apologies for the delay - it's taken an age to get this written and photos sorted...

21st century music delivery

Vajraloka, May 2022

Reading about the adventures of Lola II and Mr M in the Far East (via their app) makes this blog seems very parochial. I have done a small amount of travel, but only to London where I was house-sitting again for the travellers. I therefore had a shorter journey to visit mum and dad on the occasion of mum's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday mumsy!

I also went into central London to meet Cousin Y, and at Sister D's recommendation we visited the Wallace Collection. It's amazing - we had a guided tour that lasted over an hour and only scratched the surface. I had no idea! They use all that modern technology though, providing information via scannable QR codes rather than printed labels, and I wasn't feeling hi-tech enough to start messing with that. So I don't think I got the most out of the visit, and I'd like to go back again.

There's been some Buddhism as always, including a Team Meeting where my role is generally Chair, Secretary, Minute Taker and everything else except Treasurer. The person who is supposed to look after the finances invariably turns up saying he hasn't actually looked at the bank account but he thinks it's fine. I also took UJ to the Birmingham Buddhist Centre for a festival day along with my neighbour and another friend, both of whom are being extremely kind and offering to spend time with her - and in the case of my neighbour, also offering up her cat for play time. And another friend and I went off to a local cub scout group to talk about Buddhism. Trying to introduce meditation and explaining ethical principles to a very fidgety group of 8 to 10 year-olds really highlights the gaps in your own knowledge.

Saving the most exciting event until last - I have bought a new amplifier! Although I still occasionally play CDs, and vinyl even more occasionally, since being introduced to Spotify by Mr MXF I have mostly been streaming music through the downstairs hi-fi using a Chromecast audio gadget. Recently the amp has started to become a little unreliable. They made things to last back then - I bought it 40 years ago with my first real wage from employment (a temporary job at the Gas Board before university), and it cost £79.90, when VAT rates were 15% and CDs hadn't been invented. The speakers and cables I bought at the same time (£80.00) are still going strong, the cassette deck died many years ago, and the turntable (£87.50) is a little unreliable but I barely use it now. I never use the tuner; I really should sell it, but it's old fashioned analogue not DAB and I doubt it will fetch very much. [Quick look on ebay - maybe a tenner if I'm lucky.]

I was walking past a fancy music shop in town and went inside on a whim to see what's what nowadays. The man there did exactly what I wanted, taking on board all my preferences and requirements and offering a couple of alternatives. So when I got back from London I went back with my credit card. The new system has barely any external controls, not even an on/off switch, and is managed almost entirely via apps and WiFi. It does have an input for the CD player but not for anything else, and the app incorporates Internet radio, and - most excitingly - I have a second linked speaker for the kitchen, which will replace 'turning up the volume in the living room with the kitchen door open' to hear music in the kitchen. It's such high quality too. And the price? That has increased ten-fold in 40 years. But I hope I won't have to buy another for the next 40 years.

What I've been reading

Time Travel in Einstein's Universe
by J. Richard Gott

"Although scientists are not yet taking out patents on a time machine, they are investigating whether it is possible under the laws of physics. In Newton's three-dimensional world this would have been inconceivable. But with Einstein's theory of relativity a fourth dimension - time - enters the frame."

I found this in a free book exchange at a bus stop in Wales, where the standard of literature was far higher than I could have expected. It's quite a technical read and I couldn't possibly recount the arguments about the curvature of space time and physics of black holes, but essentially the case is made for the possibility of time travel albeit in very theoretical circumstances.

Facing Mount Kanchenjunga: An English Buddhist in the Eastern Himalayas
by Sangharakshita

"In 1950 Kalimpong was a lively trading town in the corner of India that borders Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet. Finding a welcome in this town, nestled high in the mountains, were a bewildering array of guests and settlers: ex-colonial military men, missionaries, incarnate Tibetan lamas, exiled royalty and Sangharakshita, a young English monk attempting to establish a Buddhist movement for local youngsters."

This second volume of autobiography covers a number of years in Kalimpong, a town on the border of India and Nepal, when nothing much really happened except that Sangharakshita meets a lot of interesting people and goes on trips with casks containing the Sacred Relics of two of the Buddha's closest disciples. Despite the unpromising material, he's a good enough writer to make it readable, and I'm enjoying following the unusual journey towards the founding of a western Buddhist community.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera

"In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence, we feel 'the unbearable lightness of being' not only as the consequence of our pristine actions but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine."

Lent to me by the same friend who lent me the Annie Proulx book that I loved, I'm not as keen on this one. Lots of philosophising about promiscuity and the feelings of betrayal of wives, a fair bit of self-justification from the males, and not much more than silence from the female lovers. The setting of Czechoslovakia at the time of the Prague Spring and the subsequent invasion was interesting, but not the navel gazing that comprises the rest of the novel.

Going out, bafflement and idiocy

Vajraloka, May 2022

I've been enjoying being less busy than during the summer, now that I've cut back on all the volunteering. So what I've been doing is much more ordinary, but it's been fun doing some of it with UJ.

We both enjoy watching films at home, but this week we went to the cinema - UJ is pretty good at following the English but she does miss a few bits. She also came with me to the tiny local cafe/music venue for some stand-up live comedy, which was pretty good, and I took her to see one of my Buddhist friends and we had a walk with another to set up a support network so she isn't entirely reliant on me. She's been going swimming and has joined the gym, she volunteers for a local food bank where I think she meets a few other Ukrainians, and she has one other friend locally, but I think life must be a little unexciting for her most of the time.

I went to the same small venue with another friend to to see Tom Robinson - big star at the end of the 1970's but disappeared and emerged many years later as a DJ on BBC 6 Music. His voice and face both show the passing of the years but he is very entertaining and played the hits for us along with a few new songs. Most notable happening for this evening was when someone on the floor above our basement dropped a drink directly above me and a considerable amount found its way through the floorboards onto my head.

I have been given another new project by Mr MXF. I did ask him whether any of the multiple unfinished projects he has given me have actually contributed anything to the greater good, and he reassured me that despite not having finished anything, the work I had done was good enough to bring in work from customers, so that's nice. 

This job is about using a tool called Hugo to build a static website to display the document I'd previously successfully converted to markdown format. If you don't understand any of that, which is very likely, then you will be as baffled as I was when after succeeding (after a fashion) on my laptop I tried to do the same thing using a cloud environment called Gitlab. I managed to create a website, but try as I might I couldn't get it to display my content, not even using the incomprehensible documentation and all the powers of YouTube. We have spent more than an hour on a Zoom call today, which I recorded, and the next step is to review the recording to see if I understand more after the second (or third) time round.

Sister D claimed her second birthday outing, to Batsford Arboretum. The trees were stunning and so was the weather - wind, warm sunshine, pouring rain and almost everything in between. And then it was time to return to London for more house-sitting - yes, Lola II and Mr M are still globe-trotting - but in an uncharacteristically idiotic moment I had driven as far as Uxbridge before realising with a jolt that I hadn't brought the keys, nor the contact details for the local people who had them, and it was already 11 p.m. The only way it could have been worse was if I had followed my initial plan and forgotten the keys while coming by train - but that plan was defeated by strikes. UJ wasn't in the car to witness my incompetence as she has stayed at home in order to meet her JobCentre coach, but she may arrive for more touristic activity at the weekend, strikes permitting.

Drive-through vaccination

Drive-through vaccination, October 2022

I had my Covid-19 booster, the fourth injection, at the same time as my flu vaccination. My invitation came from the GP, and now that I'm not in NHS employment I had to book an appointment at the vaccination centre whose address was given as the nearby National Agricultural Centre. I imagined that one of the buildings had been repurposed as a clinic, but no, after following the signs and driving for what seemed like miles around huge fields I reached a large awning where the cars were directed through in two lanes for drive-through vaccination. Leaflets were given and information taken through the car window, and although the picture shows a car in front of me with the door open, my vaccinator said she'd just jab me through the open window.

UJ and I were visited by a representative of the County Council Homes for Ukraine scheme to make sure everything was going well and we had the information and support that we need. We were seen together and then separately, and passed with flying colours, which means that my 'thank you' payments should start arriving soon. UJ is feeling sad at the moment because her Biometric Residence Permit has not yet arrived, which means she can't leave the country to go to Kyiv for her mother's 60th birthday. But on the whole she's doing OK, I think.

Then I went on retreat again - just a long weekend this time for the 'Groups & Pioneers' retreat, aimed at teams supporting small groups like ours. There weren't many of us at all - only four groups were represented, but as usual I came home with a load of ideas that I've got to try and run past the rest of the team, except that it's half term so they aren't looking at messages much and I've only had one response out of six. It's never easy when people are busy and volunteering in their spare time.

Through foreign eyes

Pat the dog, October 2022

UJ has been settling in nicely, and I find we have quite a lot in common. It was a little disturbing, however, to discover that I am only two years younger than her mother. She came with me to the Mitra ceremony at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre, and she would be interested in coming to our local meetings except that she has a group meeting on Zoom at the same time each week. She has started the dialogue with JobCentre Plus about employment and benefits, and has been exploring the delights of Leamington, including the sports centre, the library and the many charity shops. We went for a long walk with Pat the trainee Guide Dog at the weekend, and happened to meet a couple of Ukrainians from Kyiv with their dog. UJ told me that Leamington seems to have all the benefits of a city but with countryside just 20 minutes walk away. I completely agree.

Her family and many friends are still in Kyiv, and the last couple of weeks have been difficult after Putin decided to send his missiles further into Ukraine. All are well, thankfully. UJ started to inform me more about the political situation there at the same time as the Conservative conference in Birmingham was taking place with the omnishambles that is our Government, and I think Ukraine is winning every sanity point at the moment. But interesting to find that UJ is quite favourably disposed to Boris - I had forgotten that he had led the way in supporting Zelenskyy at the start of the war, although cynically I suspect that was in order to get away from what he was facing at home. The recent bombing of the land bridge linking Russia and the Crimea went down very well with UJ, with jokes and memes appearing almost instantly (e.g. that the bridge could be repaired with that weird long table that Putin used to see foreign diplomatic visitors).

I returned to the periodontist, who pronounced me "healed" at which point I waved my hands and shouted "Hallelujah", an instant later thinking "I hope he isn't a religious man..." My concern disappeared when he replied "Praise the Lord!" in similar vein. Unless he was serious? He wasn't serious. He is quite a funny man. Anyway, I was due to see my usual hygienist the next day, which would have given me a more objective view on how things are, but she was ill and I was brutalised by the main dentist instead. His assessment was not quite as brilliant as the periodontist, but still good, and the consultations about teeth-straightening will start soon.

Meanwhile UJ and I ventured to the town recycling centre with its incredibly cheap charity shop - UJ is every bit as keen on second-hand goods as I am, but our choices are somewhat different. Not surprisingly she is delighted by knick-knacks costing 25p that will be ideal for Christmas present for the folks back home. She pointed out a fancy phone cover for 50p, which would have cost many tens of pounds when new, that was actually made for my phone so I could replace my broken one. We have managed to coordinate a couple of evening meals, with me adding vegetables to her mainly protein/carb combinations. This seems to be my role in a number of settings...

Then I journeyed to London, where I was house sitting for a week while Mr M and Lola II are away on their huge adventure. (They have been reporting in daily, and some of the photos are stunning.) One day I had a lovely time in Kew Gardens with Sister D. Another day I visited the British Library, the Wellcome Collection and the Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL. I'd never been to this museum before, and it is essentially one large room with cabinets around the sides and in the middle containing thousands of specimens, mostly skeletal or preserved in jars but some stuffed examples and a few dissected. The lighting is poor and the cabinets go up to the ceiling so it isn't actually possible to see everything that's there.

Grant Museum of Zoology, October 2022

UJ also went to London for the first time ever, which she told me is her dream destination. On the first day she went to the National Gallery, and reported excitedly that she hadn't realised that all the good museums in London had no entry charge. The next day she was planning to see the Changing of the Guard, join a free walking tour based on Harry Potter, and go to the British Museum. She sent me a message to say that she was coming back on a two-storey bus. It is delightful.

Meanwhile I was present for the installation of the parents' new motorised garage door, which will make the storage of the mobility scooter easier. It went well and looks good, except the workmen didn't bring one of the agreed parts and will have to come back all the way from Luton to install a rubber threshold. Now mum has the bit between her teeth and is coordinating the sale of the car, as well as the choice of scooter, finding a new cleaner, helping the new neighbours to settle in and advising the woman over the road about options for her garage door. And she seems surprised that she is sometimes tired.

Kew Gardens, October 2022

What I've been reading

The Children of Men
by P. D. James

narrated by Daniel Weyman

"The year is 2021. No child has been born for 25 years. The human race faces extinction. Under the despotic rule of the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere, until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters."

I thought that P. D. James wrote detective mysteries and hadn't realised that this was one of hers - I saw the film that was made of the book, which I seem to remember I thought unremarkable. So is the book, although as usual I read the story as just a story while other deeper messages are probably concealed within it, about the tendency of power to corrupt and the attitude of a population reflecting on its demise. I'm sure I could make some allusion to the current political situation but I can't be bothered and it's all too depressing anyway.

Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One
by Vishvapani Blomfield

"Whilst many accounts of the Buddha's life mix legend and history, this biography discriminates between fact and fiction to reveal Gautama, the remarkable human being behind the myth, and sheds new light on his teachings."

A useful book for me that fills in some of the gaps in my knowledge of the history of Buddhism, but also gives some idea of how accurate the records might be. It also made it clear that also going on was the usual territorial conflict between kings and provinces, the wandering holy men begging for alms, Hinduism and Jainism in the ascendant. And interesting to realise that he probably lived only about a hundred years before Socrates, and it was the time of the Jewish prophets.

Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"Following the demise of bloodthirsty buccaneer Billy Bones, young Jim Hawkins finds himself with the key to a fortune. He has discovered Captain Flint's map, which will lead him to the fabled Treasure Island."

It's been a long time since I read this, and not much to say about it except that I hadn't remembered much more than the bare bones of the story. It was fine.

That Old Ace in the Hole
by Annie Proulx

"Folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar is determined to see his new job as hog site scout for Global Pork Rind through to the end. However he is forced to face the idiosyncratic inhabitants of Woolybucket and to question his own notions of loyalty and home."

What an interesting experience this was. Nothing much seemed to happen for 80 percent of the book, except that she introduces all sorts of characters with really good names (Freda Beautyrooms, Hugh Dough, Ribeye Cluke, Tater Crouch) and describes the scenery, atmosphere and activity of the Texas/Oklahoma 'panhandle' so you can see it and hear it and feel it and smell it. Then at the end she just pulls everything together and ties it up with a bow and it's glorious.

Living with Awareness: A Guide to the Satipatthana Sutta
by Sangharakshita

"The guiding principle of Buddhism is that things change - we change - and that we have the capacity to direct that change towards spiritual growth and development. In being mindful, therefore, we recollect not only the breadth of our current experience, but also our purpose in attending to it."

We were studying this material in the last module I did with my group, but I didn't have the book then - I borrowed it from the Birmingham Centre's library and mostly read it while I was on retreat. The book is perfectly readable but not inspiring, and it would have made much more sense to be reading it while studying instead of a month afterwards...

The Journey and the Guide
by Maitreyabandhu

"The journey starts with our mind, particularly when we begin to look into the truth of things—the truth of the friend in hospital, the coffin we carry to the graveside. What we find in our guide, the Buddha, is a man with a fit, healthy mind. To get fit, we need to work on becoming a happy healthy human being."

This book is aligned with the subject of my recent retreat, so I took it with me alongside the other recommended reading material. I've read the book twice before, once along with other members of my Buddhist group, but this time it seemed like a completely different book. Of course, it's me that's different, but it made so much more sense this time. So the main message I gained from the reading was how I've progressed in my understanding of Buddhism.

The Rainbow Road: From Tooting Broadway to Kalimpong: Memoirs of an English Buddhist
by Sangharakshita

"Long before thousands of Westerners flocked to Asia in search of themselves, Dennis Lingwood set out to search for the Buddha’s teaching in the land that gave birth to Buddhism."

I picked this out of the library at the retreat centre, where luckily we were encouraged to read, albeit with the retreat ethic in mind (i.e. not slasher thrillers). The centre had a really good selection so that when queries came up during discussion they could be investigated without resorting to phones or computers, which would normally be where we look for some obscure Buddhist reference or discover the meaning of 'inchoate' and 'chthonic'. [The retreatants from Poland, Netherlands and Sweden who were in my group did astonishingly well given the level of unnecessarily complex language in the reading material.] Anyway, this book is the first of a number of autobiographical memoirs written by the founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order, and is very readable and completely absorbing. He was wrongly diagnosed with a heart complaint when he was 8 years old and was not allowed to move from his bed or even sit up on his own for 2 years, so that when the diagnosis was questioned and he was released from bed he had to re-learn how to walk. He ended up in the British Army during WWII, was posted to India, Ceylon and Singapore, and when the war ended he didn't come back. With a similarly-minded Indian friend he renounced passport and possessions and travelled around India as a mendicant Buddhist, ending up in Kalimpong, Nepal. I've already borrowed the second volume from the Birmingham Buddhist Centre library.