The Day After The Day Before

 I'm sure this post will be jumped on by Anons and I'll regret it .............oh well..... in for a penny etc.

I don't usually do politics (big or small p) on the blog but was half listening to a programme about the Mid Term Elections in the US on the radio recently. They mentioned some of the Republican and Democrat ads that are on TV over there. OMG - they were dreadful - so viciously nasty and the amount of money spent on ads - just incredible. If that type of party political broadcasts for elections ever gets here it will be a sad day.

My Mum, who back in the 60's was not a fan of Americans, as my Dad was killed in a road accident by a USAF officer in 1954, always said that everything bad from there gets here eventually. I'm not sure about that but some minor things like the craziness of Halloween is one of those things that did. Along with Black Friday. (Although I am grateful for freezers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and washing machines!)

I had a penfriend in Michigan for several years but the disgusting things she said about Obama when he was President rather put me off. We'd not ever mentioned politics in our letters before that but suddenly she became a different person (and when one of her daughters was dating a black guy she was equally rude about him).

I can't imagine having a change in personality as it rolls round to election time.

So what will we hear today about the results of the Mid Terms from over the pond? Probably a lot. I also heard on the radio that some people might be so annoyed by adverse results that things might turn very nasty.

Personally I'm glad that blogging brings people from here and the US together in a good way, so stay safe please...........

Charity Book Sale

 I just couldn't resist a trip to the regular last Saturday in October second-hand  book sale at Westleton. 

They have this fundraiser every year for the Village Hall in this village which is open for all sorts of things, including a mini cafe every weekday morning, which must be good for everyone who lives there. 

The weather was lovely for driving cross country especially as I don't seem to have been far lately.

It was 50p to get in and these were my finds for 50p each. I could have bought others but had to be sensible. 

 I had a coffee and sausage roll for a late breakfast in the Foyer cafe and then home.

The book on the left is a National Trust publication called 'How to Read The Weather' by the aptly named Storm Dunlop. It's got lovely photos.

Then I spotted  a grey Persephone book, to add to my collection. The Runaway by Elizabeth Anna Hart which was originally published in 1872 as a children's book. I knew it was a Persephone that I'd not got or seen before - very pleased with this find.

K.M.Peyton wrote books for children and young adults and this is one of her last, published in 2006. I picked it up as it's set in WWII.

Murder Most Festive is a country house Christmas crime by Ada Moncrieff set in 1938. I've never read any by this author, this is her  first  from 2020 - hope it's not too much of a cosy crime.

And another Christmas title is a collection of little stories taken from Alison Uttley's other books. This is also a children's book.

You might wonder at my sanity in buying books to add to the boxes for moving. I do too!

November 2nd

The October weather here in Suffolk was so mild that it's almost a surprise to be in November already, we missed both the named storms and although there was some wet weather it didn't cause any problems and hopefully has helped fill reservoirs and replenish ground water.

So now into November and the local long range weather forecast says mainly settled and dry in the first half of the month but with some foggy days that won't be very warm. More unsettled in the second half of the month....... but will we have really cold weather or ice?..............

   If there's ice in November to bear a duck

The rest of the winter is just mud and muck.

  

I googled November paintings and this come up, by Fidelia Bridges an American artist 1834-1923

Very atmospheric 

Autumn by John Clare (1793-1864)

 I love the fitful gust that shakes

The casement all the day,

And from the mossy elm-tree takes

The faded leaf away,

Twirling it by the window pane

With thousand others down the lane.

I love to see the shaking twig

Dance till the shut of eve

The sparrow on the cottage rig

Whose chirp would make believe

That spring was just now flirting by

In summer lap with flowers to lie

I love to see the cottage smoke

Curl upwards through the trees,

The pigeons nestled round the cote

On November days like these,

The cock upon the dunghill crowing,

The mill sails on the heath agoing

The feather from the ravens breast

Falls on the stubble lea

The acorns near the old crows nest

Fall pattering down the tree

The grunting pigs that wait for all

Scramble and hurry where they fall

November can be a grey month with fog and rain which is probably why Thomas Hood (1799 - 1845) wrote his well known November poem which starts

No sun, no moon,

No morn, no noon

No dawn, no dusk, no proper time of day;

No sky, no earthly view,

No distance looking blue.

And ends with

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no trees.

November!

Thomas Hood was at that time a well known poet, publisher and humourist so I think his November poem was written very tongue-in-cheek, as surely November isn't that bad!