Allowing For Artistic Licence?

I've just finished reading 'The Offing' by Benjamin Myers, not an author I had heard of until I caught a bit of Kevin Whatley reading this on Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and then it was mentioned on a couple of blogs.

It was an interesting, gentle and happy story set in the years just after WWII. The story of a young lad from the Durham coalfields avoiding going down the mines like his Dad by walking through the countryside and of Dulcie a much older lady, living alone and avoiding the memories of something that happened eight years earlier.
When I got to the end I decided it was one worth recommending as I'd really enjoyed it ..............except for the little bits that made me frown.

There were some things that just jarred or am I being too picky?
 For instance ............
Would a 16  year old from a Durham coal mining family have a sleeping bag in 1948?

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust  didn't start until 1973, and back in 1948 no one would have mentioned "rare breed sheep", they would have just been sheep.

Would there really have been "long abandoned caravans" for him to sleep in during his travels in the countryside of 1948?

He took with him paper and a pen. As far as I know - and I'm willing to be told I'm wrong - the only pens then would have needed ink too, it's too early for ball-point pens.  Surely it's more likely he would have carried a pencil?

That's just the few I remember.

Yes I'm probably being too picky............... I'll make allowances and recommend it.

***************

I know the weather in Cardiff yesterday was sunny because I saw some of the heroes running the half-marathon on TV  but here in Suffolk - Oh My Goodness it was WET. ALL. DAY. We don't often have rain that lasts so long. It was horrible. No biking and no walking and saw no one.  I spent some time transferring stuff from the blog and diary onto Word for a Penny Pincher Letter, although our group of letter writers - which started in 2000 - has ground to a halt I'm still doing a letter and printing out as a paper diary to keep for posterity - just for myself and history!

It was so gloomy I had lights and TV on nearly all day just to cheer things,  and watched Rugby, Athletics - last day sadly, Songs of Praise, Strictly and the 2nd part of the new BBC drama -World on Fire, among other things.

Moving the bird feeder to right by the front window was a brainwave that I should have thought of earlier. It started off pushed in the ground but kept leaning so I moved the cast-iron parasol base round and wedged the feeder in with a bit of wood so keep it tight.  During the wet/windy Sunday the visitors to it were non-stop and fun to watch much closer than before and it got even busier once I ventured out to fill everything up.


Back Tomorrow
Sue

Feeling Happy in the First Week in October

This is an unashamedly HAPPY post!

It feels like I've had a really good week. Seem to have got myself organised and motivated and enjoyed everyday - despite the weather turning colder on Wednesday and having to get back into leggings - much prefer sunshine and shorts.

Thought it would be good to list this weeks achievements

Got the front hedge cut again....BiL said I hadn't taken enough off in July ..... annoyingly he was right.

Cleaned out the big chest freezer  - Oh My Goodness - there's enough food for a siege!!  I'd just been adding boxes of roast mixed veg ....there are 20 in there now.........20! plus chicken thighs, chicken breasts, sausages, belly pork slices, tortilla wraps, boxes of home made meal portions, cheap pizzas and boxes of homemade pizza topping, a few bags of fruit(some from 2017!), butters of all sorts, bread rolls, a loaf of Gluten Free bread from last year!, some cheap bread and some granary bread, home made herbie bread rolls and bought burger baps, peppers and tomatoes and mange tout peas from the garden, bought peas and mushrooms, fish chips and veggie burgers and a chocolate gateaux waiting for a party!. And lurking at the bottom a chicken that I bought for last Christmas - waiting for visitors - no that's not true, I've had plenty of visitors but have just gone right off cooking for them. So I cooked this old tasteless chicken and have been eating it every day since!

This week I also got back to eating better - that is just 1 slice of bread and NO CAKES, stopped having toast instead of a meal and banned peanut butter from the house. I'm very overweight and had added 5 lb in the last few months..... need to lose 4 stone to get me back to what I was in 1979 when we got married or 1½ to get me back to 1995 the lowest I'd been since child # 3 was born 1987. In my defence I am 3 stone lighter than my heaviest ever which was in around 2000 and had been a steady weight for 10 years. I can't do any slimming groups - they would just make me cross- they don't work for me. My weight has see-sawed ever since I was 16 - so I know what to do ......I just need to EAT LESS and MOVE MORE. So..............

...........Tried to use my bike.....unused for 2½ years...... and nearly went A over T over the handlebars because the chain had come off and was jammed in the back cogs. I got chain back on and oiled it and the rusty cogs and the brakes - by which time it had started to rain so I had to put it back in the garage. Two days later I tried again and did half a mile one way and back and quarter of a mile the other way and back so at least I've not forgotten how to ride it. I'm sending for a sheeps wool seat cover because even though I've got a large squishy seat riding still aggravates the base of my spine.
The Parish Council have organised  The Hakluyt Loop (Hakluyt was an explorer and writer in the C16 who I'd never heard of until I moved here, he was a vicar of this parish for 20 years). It's a 6 mile cycle route linking all parts of the village (it's just on ordinary roads, so they haven't done anything really except put up a few signs ) - there is a grand opening at the village hall next month - with refreshments! - I hope to be there on my bike 🤞, (it's 2 and a bit miles from home - with a steep hill), with camera - weather permitting - November being a tad unpredictable.

Then of course there was the blog post that was part serious and part fun and got lots of comments.
A bit more tidying and cleaning in the greenhouse and lots of sport watching on TV.

Yep........a Good Week

This week I've been grateful for

• The Fun of blogging
• A not-too-busy swimming pool.
• Books..... both my own and borrowed
• The enjoyment of watching world class athletes on TV 

 Hope everyone has a good weekend  - I'll be back Monday
Sue

It's A Book Sale Again

There is an area in North Suffolk called "The Saints". A collection of villages in the middle of no-where among lots of little roads and lanes.................... St James South Elmham, St Margaret South Elmham, St Cross South Elmham, St Micheal South Elmham, All Saints South Elmham, St Peter South Elmham. Plus... Ilketshall St Lawrence,  Ilketshall St Margaret, Ilketshall St John and Ilketshall St Andrew!! The first of these has a brilliant second-hand book sale every September in aid of the church.
And for the second time since Colin died I managed to wend my way there with help of map - my phone google-map lady wouldn't talk to me for some reason - and eventually joined the queue. At book sales I always see a bloke that Col used to work with at the County Council  and he and his wife were there in the queue just ahead of me again.

They have tables full of boxes of books and boxes under the table too - it's only a small village hall so a bit of a crush of people at 10am when the doors open......but looking through all those boxes is the best fun.
I didn't find many books this year and a couple of those I did  buy were books I've had in the past and sold or given away and then regretted - stupid woman! (How many times have I said that!)

Books are priced to sell - 50p paperback  and £1 hardbacks and 20p or 50p for children's books so my excursion didn't cost me a fortune.

From the top down - I could have bought 100 childrens books but just got the lion finger puppet book for Willow - she likes making lion roaring noises!
Before I went out on Saturday I read Elaines post about the children's book by Rosemary Sutcliff  The Eagle of the Ninth.  I missed so many children's books when I was young so trying to catch up now and when I spotted the 2nd in the Eagle series I thought I'd better grab it to remind me to look out for the first, either from the library or at the other big charity book sale next month.
The Corner That Held Them is something I've read without taking it in so need to re-read sometime. The Christmas Mystery looked interesting. 'How to Store Your Garden Produce' is a book I owned for ages - then it went. The Mary Wesley is one I've not read yet and at the bottom of the pile is one Colin owned until it was worth something on Ziffit. It's by local author the late Roger Deakin - Notes From Walnut Tree Farm and I never did get round to reading it when we owned it.

They always give everyone a bookmark with next years date - I've made a note to myself

 As I was heading onward  for a few miles to visit a church before going home I enjoyed a egg/mayo/salad roll (they also sell the most scrummy home made cakes) and a mug of coffee for an early lunch. Very nice it was too.

Having a coffee and something to eat at a charity event has become one of my favourite simple treats - after all the years of flasks and pack-ups.

Back Tomorrow
Sue