Tuesday 27 March 2012

Book review...

Heart to Heart by Jodie Picoult - well, this was in many ways a typical Picoult recipe - chosing a contrversial ethical dilemma and creating a story around it. I found this read rather contrived however, and I am not sure that I feel the need to read any more Picoult. What she does, she does very successfully. I suppose similar to Dick Francis, she has a formula that sells.  This particular novel, though, had some rather peculiar religious threads running through it, which didn't really work for me, and I couldn't be moved by the book as probably I ought to have been.

Book review...

Mr Brigg's Hat by Kate Colquhoun - well I though this would be in a similar vein to a book I read last year about a peculiar and unsolved murder in Victorian times (can't recall the name of the book now or the author; hence why I am keeping a note this year of my reading!)  And I suppose in some ways it was. But it was not as gripping, and I kept reading just to see if the right person had stood accused. But it was a little bit of a slog to get through really, and I'm not convinced I'd read another by the same author. It did make me realise I suppose how well we do these days with crime detection and I wonder how many innocent in the past were sent to the gallows! - cheery thoughts..

Book review...

A long long way by Sabastian Barry - a tremendous read. The language is beautiful. It has to be said, I had to read the whole thing in a good Irish accent throughout in my head. It is also heart-breaking and is hard to read in places, with graphic and disturbing descriptions of the grim nature of war.
But probably the best of the fiction I have read this year so far.

up at the farm..

Had a lovely afternoon with Lynne and Faith up at the Victory outreach farm on Sunday, meeting all the animals. A lad called Steve introduced me to all the various creatures there - Adam and Eve the turkeys; Samson and Deleila the bull and cow; the 2 disgusting looking pigs whose names I can't recall!  Callie the ex racehorse is impressive and is moving to a field near the fourten locks in a couple of weeks where Lynne and Helen will be looking after her.  The view from the farm is stunning, looking out to Sugarloaf and Table mountain. The sun was shining and it had the feel of a little bit of heaven that afternoon.
Looking forward to a break soon.
I have been working too long without a mini holiday of any kind. I forget that after six weeks or so I need a break, starting to feel the grind and monotony of a job that usually I enthuse over. But I will have a lovely Easter W/E with a trip to Spring Harvest and the Blakes then at the weekend. And then Krakow a week or so later. Hoping the weather holds.... Will we pay for it later?!

Resolutions sliding...

So its weeks since I posted. And having resolved to keep some sort of blog I must not give up just because I have neglected it. A busy few weeks. Feeling like not enough hours in every day and not enough days in every week. Things begin to slip. The shopping doesn't get done. Cooking standards (lol) drop! Reading gets snatched in minutes each day and only a page or two get read. The gym doesn't feature. Headaches increase.
So the sun is shining and it seems summer has arrived early. The blossom in the garden is absolutley gorgeous (must photograph to remember). The potatoes are planted and I put in a few strawberries and have a few little baby veg plants in the greenhouse waiting to get into the bed when they are robust enough.
The "for sale" sign has gone up at the end of the driveway, so I've been doing a bit of "de-cluttering" around the place and trying to get the garden looking a bit tidy. Mixed feelings about it but it feels like the right thing at the moment and hoping Brent Knoll over the other side of town stays on the market for a while longer...