After yesterday’s
snowfall DH and I find ourselves confined to barracks for the next few days.
The drifts in our lane aren't deep, but we have no pressing appointments and
thus feel no urgent need to dig ourselves out. Instead we’re using our enforced
isolation to catch up with things or simply indulge ourselves with our
favourite occupations.
This afternoon,
while DH has been watching snooker on TV, I've revelled in the humour and humanity
of the Call The Midwife Christmas special
which DS downloaded onto my laptop during our Christmas visit. The new series
starts tomorrow evening and I have to be
up-to-date, don’t I? In addition I've almost finished the first of the new pair
of socks for DH, but most of all I've been reading, and not just blogs either.
For Christmas
Santa bought me three books and I've been reading them alongside each other ever since.
The first is The Grand Designer by Rosemary Hannah, a fascinating and
beautifully illustrated biography of the immensely rich Third Marquis of Bute,
who was one of the most lavish patrons of the arts in nineteenth-century Britain.
The second is the hugely enjoyable Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier, edited by Christopher Fifield, which reveals this wonderful singer’s warm and
engaging personality and her acute and often wicked sense of humour. In complete
contrast the third is Simon’s Cat by
Simon Tofield, a great collection of
cartoons, perfect to dip into whenever I want a quick chuckle.
But, I hear you all cry, none of these is fiction
and we all know Perpetua reads a lot of fiction. Indeed I do, but I borrow most
of it from our local county library service or otherwise the Transit household
would soon be stony broke. At the moment there are two very different authors I’m thoroughly enjoying.
The first is
Barbara Nadel and I am
indebted to Ayak for my introduction to this splendid writer of
crime fiction. I have written before of my liking for the Venice mysteries of Donna Leon and her
wonderful creation, Commissario Guido Brunetti. In the same vein, but with the
even more exotic setting of Istanbul, are Barbara Nadel’s deeply humane novels
about her unlikely hero, Inspector Çetin İkmen. Sympathetically characterised
and beautifully written, I find each grips me from the first page to the last
and I’m left wanting more.
In complete
contrast are the light, frothy, but very enjoyable Daisy Dalrymple mysteries by
Carola Dunn. Set in the Britain
of the early 1920’s, these novels are pure escapism and none the worse for that.
Well-plotted, fast-moving and often funny, they are the literary equivalent of
a foaming cappuccino, complete with chocolate sprinkles, rather than the
strong, dark, Turkish coffee of Barbara Nadel’s books.
With companions like
these to keep me entertained, you can understand why I’m in no great hurry to
see the snow disappear.....
There are compensations for being 'stuck at home', aren't there! I quite envy the peace of your quiet home and some very good books. Right now, I'm plucking up the energy to take Darwin out in driving rain, then to fetch Romy from a party at the other end of town...though in between, I can at last see progress in my 'this year's jumper' - which I started last year, of course. Keep nice and cosy! Axxx
ReplyDeletePoor Annie. Dog-walking in driving rain is no fun at all, so I hope the weather bucks up for you soon. I still remember so clearly all those years when I had to snatch bits of time for myself as and where I could. But I somehow always managed to find time to read, even if it was whilst I was stirring the soup. Hugs Pxxx
DeletePerpetua - your lane certainly looks 'a road less travelled' if even for a couple of days. How lovely to have a bit of time in to catch up on all those things. We're still on the 'Lingen Davies' run. It started to snow Thursday morning so I had to ring my sister in Shrewsbury to ask if we could stay over with her. Just got back but been spending the day doing nothing much except keeping warm. PS I loved the Christmas Day 'Call the midwife' So thoughtful of your DS to record it for you. I hope they do a repeat programme sometime.
ReplyDeleteThe lane is positively pristine, Molly, as it's been too cold to want to walk up it. Of course we've dug ourselves out of much worse drifts in the past, but now we don't need to and it's such a relief. I hope for your sake that it's the last time you have problems with the Lingen Davies run. I was lucky when I was doing it and only had roadworks to contend with, not snow. I expect you must be close to the end now?
DeleteDS downloaded the Christmas special from BBC iPlayer, so sadly I don't get to keep it once the 30 days are up. I must make sure to watch it again before it lapses, as I really loved it too.
Sensible decision Perpetua, no point in going out if you don't have to. I wouldn't like to negotiate your road with those snow drifts in your new car.
ReplyDeleteGood reading Perpetua, and keep yourself warm and cosy.
Neither would we, Rosemary, especially now the drifts are freezing hard. They may be small, but they still do the job of keeping us in :-) The only thing in the diary is a routine blood test which I can easily reschedule, so we'll stay here and wait for the thaw.
DeleteMy husband thinks I should have been born with a third arm and hand...for holding the book I'm reading while doing something else.
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't venture out either and when we had low slung dogs in Europe they would be most reluctant to go any further than was necessary and, duty done, would come charging back to the house and crowd in front of the stove.
You don't mind how long the lane stays blocked...do you!
Now wouldn't that be useful, Fly! With that accessory I'd probably never stop reading. No, I don't mind at all how long we're snowed-in.:-)
DeleteYour mention of your dogs brings back memories of how our cats would tiptoe out into the snow, sink in up to their tummies, then suddenly start bounding through it. I never knew how they managed it, but manage it they did and even seemed to enjoy it.
I like Barbara Nadal books too, and call the Midwife. We don't have snow but I've used a thunderstorm as an excuse to stay in as much as possible over the past two days.
ReplyDeleteI'm really grateful that Ayak recommended Barbara Nadel, as I'd never come across her and she's so good. aA for Call The Midwife, I'm so looking forward to 8pm tomorrow. Hope your thunderstorm has passed, but that you still find reasons to stay warmly at home, BtoB.
DeleteSo glad you finally got round to Barbara Nadel. I knew you would enjoy her. I might have mentioned that I got to know her while I was living in Goreme, through a mutual friend. I had several of her books signed by her, lent them to someone and never got them back..then lost contact...so annoying.
ReplyDeleteI caught up with the Christmas edition of Call the Midwife last week and can't wait for the new series to start.
I read my first Barbara Nadel sometime last spring, Ayak, but only now got round to writing about her. I think this is the 4th or 5th I've read and thankfully there are plenty more to enjoy. I didn't realise you actually knew her, but I'm so glad you suggested her books to me. I think they are as good as Donna Leon's, though very different.
DeleteEnjoy Call The Midwife - I know what a lot of us will be watching tomorrow evening. :-)
I love to be snowed in once a year. The silence. The fire, kept going for days. The stack of books, big pot of stew to be eaten for two or three meals, the absolution for cancelled appointments.....bring it on!
ReplyDeleteI will have to look for all of those books. I love a good endorsement!
I hope you get your wish, Pondside! You've summed up precisely the joys of this particular forced isolation. We had plenty of opportunities to sample them years ago, then came at least 15 British winters with virtually no snow. The last 4 or 5 harder winters have reminded us what it's like and being retired we can now savour it to the full.
DeleteI too love following up book recommendations on blogs, so I hope you can find some of mine.
Glad to know you're enjoying your forced confinement Perpetua. I too have 'book I've read' blog post in mind for the near future :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ricky. DH and I are very good at keeping ourselves happily occupied. :-) I look forward to your book post appearing.
DeleteYaay! Some new book recommendations! Thank you! I, too, have been in hibernation - although only for today - but instead of reading I've been making things in clay and stoking the woodburner while the menfolk took themselves off to a football match: all three of them together! I'd rather a good book than sitting on a cold seat in a cold football stadium, any day!
ReplyDeleteSo would, CB. The cold football stadium sounds like my idea of purgatory. :-) A quiet day making things in front of a warm woodburner would be infinitely preferable.
DeleteIf you haven't come across Barbara Nadel, I know you'll enjoy her Istanbul novels. She has another mystery series whose even more unlikely hero is an undertaker in the wartime East End of London and I enjoyed the only one of those I've read so far. Happy browsing....
It is lovely at this weather to stay at home and you can read !
ReplyDeleteTake care inside your home !
Olympia
Hello Olympia, how nice to see you again. You are quite right. There is nothing nicer in cold, snowy weather than to stay warm at home, reading a good book.
DeleteIt sounds Blissful, Perpetua. Enjoy reading, and looking out at the pretty snow scene!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to torment you with more snow scenes as you swelter in your heatwave, Patricia. The wind is bitterly cold at the moment, so it's much more comfortable to stay in and look at the snow through the window, in between reading another chapter or two.
DeleteSounds like bliss.
ReplyDeleteFor an inveterate reader like me it is, Susan. :-)
DeleteBooks, winter and the fire .... perfect combination. Sue
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Sue. I imagine you're thinking longingly of winter, or at least cooler weather, just now. Hope the heatwave breaks soon.
DeleteHello Perpetua:
ReplyDeleteWe can think of no better way than wiling away these cold, and often dark, winter days catching up on reading. Somehow there is always more time for this most pleasurable of activities at this time of year.
'The Letters and Diaries of Kathleen Ferrier' was recently give to us as a gift. We enjoyed reading it immensely and were struck by what a very kind and down to earth woman she actually was.
We send our warmest wishes from a bitter and snowy Hungary.
Thanks, Jane and Lance, and your wishes are reciprocated. I'm so glad you enjoyed Kathleen Ferrier's letters and diaries so much. Her statuesque figure and wonderful, but deep, voice often gave quite the wrong impression of her personality at first sight, but I think you only had to see her wide grin and the twinkle in her eyes to know that outward appearances can be so misleading.
DeleteKnowing your interest in art, architecture and history, I'm sure you would very much enjoy The Grand Designer also.
Yes, we should have said. We will most certainly order 'The Grand Designer' when we next are in Brighton. Thank you for the recommendation - you are absolutely right in saying it would appeal to us.
DeleteDo please tell me what you think of it when you've read it. I think it's very good indeed.
DeleteI'm glad to say that we have managed to get out and about, although not too far before the next wave of heavy snow. Indoors now and I'm looking forward to dipping into my library books (although I'm still struggling with the printed word if it's too small). You have some good books there to enjoy. Kathleen Ferrier - that brings back memories of listening to her wonderful singing voice on the radio. (I have most of Donna Leon's on my shelf, of course, collected from charity shops).
ReplyDeleteGlad you're still mobile, Linda, though that may change if the forecast snow arrives with you. Sorry you're still having trouble reading. I too can't read print if it's too small, so choose my library books with care.
DeleteKathleen Ferrier has always been a great favourite of mine. She was a local celebrity when I was growing up in post-war East Lancashire and my parents were both great fans.
If you like Donna Leon, I'm sure you'll enjoy Barbara Nadel.
Have Simon's Cat too. Received it as a Christmas present the year before last. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteWoodburner is going full blast and apart from the odd foray onto the net we're both lazing on the sofa reading-- a perfect way to spend a Sunday before the week kicks off again. The added bonus is the snow makes the hours of daylight nice and bright, even when it's still overcast --as it is here this afternoon.
It's thanks to your recommendation, Antoinette, that I put Simon's Cat on my wishlist for Santa. :-) I wasn't sure the still cartoons would work for me after the animated ones, but they really do. :-)
DeleteThe gloom lifted here for a little at lunchtime and we even had a few glimpses of a very pale sun which started a slight thaw, but it's heavily overcast now and snowing again. Keep that woodburner well-stoked and enjoy the rest of your Sunday afternoon.
I'd love to be snowed in. No such luck here, we just had enough to frustrate the children and worry the locals - half an inch! I enjoy Simon's Cat too, and may give the Carola Dunn books a try (your description makes them dsound very tasty!).
ReplyDeleteBeing snowed in has so many advantages, and you describe them perfectly. I too, am enjoying the wonderful feeling of not having to go anywhere for any particular reason or time. If i choose to wrap up warm and wander through a few drifts, I will, otherwise, I'll just read, crochet, blog, watch rubbish on TV, natter with Mark, enjoy long phone conversations with coffee and cake...etc etc. I shall add the reading recommendations to the list. Thanks. Jx
DeleteWelcome to my blog, MM, and I hope you get your wish some day. I know just what you mean about tantalising hints of snow. That's all we had for years on end in the 1990s and the local children were so fed up.
DeleteIf you want something light, enjoyable and well-written, I think you will find Carola Dunn fits the bill nicely.
Janice, I'm guessing you've already had a good covering of snow and there's more heading your way overnight according to the lunchtime weather forecast. It's snowing lightly again here and may get worse before it gets better. :-)
DeleteIsn't it great when we no longer have to worry and struggle to get out and about in poor conditions? It sounds like you and I have very similar ideas about how to make best use of our current situation. Take care and enjoy yourself. Pxx
I am an enthusiastic reader as well, and found that I could spend quite a bit of money on books. I have put a lot of them in the church library (those that were 'fit', shall I say), but have decided that I need to visit the library here, to satisfy my reading appetite. My church shelves are practically full, anyway. :) Also, now we can share our 'snow' pictures. Lucky us.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I know that feeling, Bonnie. I buy lots of books in charity shops to take to France, but apart from that our local library has an excellent selection and a very fast and free reservation service for books already in stock, so I'm never without more than I can sensibly read at home.
DeleteYes, we have snow at last and it's snowing again today. It's rather more of an event here than in Nova Scotia, as we quite often have winters without little or no snow, which I doubt is true for you.
Can there be any better friends to have around you in a snow-in than those of favorite authors with a few new ones and new genres to boot? I know you will enjoy them as you cozy up to the fire, Perpetua. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not, Penny, and I'm taking full advantage at the moment. However I will be stopping everything, even reading, in about three-quarters of an hour to watch the first episode of the new series of Call The Midwife! I have to get my priorities right. :-)
Delete