Saturday 19 August 2017

A Busy Day

It is a sunny but windy and chilly day today.   I had various little jobs to do so I set off early into town with Tess on the passenger seat.

She sat in the car while I went and got The guardian and some milk and then got some money.  Yesterday my gardener came and did four hours work for me - and by golly what a difference he made in four hours;  everywhere looks clean and tidy again.   The farmer always kept the driveway neat and tidy - he kept the weeds down and swept up the pine cones each week because they make such a mess.  The people who are buying the farm try their best to help me but really are too busy to do too much.

After that I made yet another visit to the Tip with a boot full of rubbish.   It is so cathartic each time I go.  Then I called at the library with a list of possible books.   I couldn't get a single one I had on the list but got three by recommended authors.   It will shortly be my turn to suggest the book for our Book Club and so far the only book I have read which I consider superb is only out in hardback and therefore too expensive.  It will not be out in paperback until February.   I can however thoroughly recommend it here.   It is Bernard McLaverty's 'Midwinter Break' and the writing is excellent.   If anyone has a suitable Book Club book they could recommend, please do help me out.

Then it was down to our Lane for our morning walk.   That went well and Tess enjoyed it hugely.  The drive back was a bit of a nightmare because there was a cycling time trial taking place and the route led up our lane.  I therefore spent much of the journey home driving at about eighteen miles an hour (only for a mile or so) but at least it gave me a chance to clock the mileage of these eager young cyclists pedalling like mad up hill and against a strong wind.

This afternoon has been a two-hour ukulele session which I enjoyed but found very tiring.  Some days (and today was one of those days) my mobility is so poor that doing very much at all is a major effort.I came in and had an hour's snooze in the armchair so feel lively enough to take Tess for another walk in the field now.

21 comments:

Agatha said...

try Sarah Perry Essex Serpent or Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
all the best

busybusybeejay said...

book suggestions
The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Ballroom by Anna Hope
this must be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell

Hope these help.Barbarax

Christina said...

Book suggestion, All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr,is an excellent read.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Do you think women book clubbers generally like different books from male readers?

I don't know if you have ever read it but "We Need to Think A bout Kevin" by Lionel Shriver is a very gripping read and gives much food for thought and discussion.. In spite of the name, Lionel Shriver is in fact a woman.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Have a look on my Books Read 2017 page!

We have those cycle time trials on roads not far from us - frightens me trying to get by them - or not!

angryparsnip said...

Here is a young reader's book, 8 to 12 year olds.
"Unusual Chickens For The Exceptional Poultry Farmer"
it will take you all of 15 seconds to read in I thought clever and funny. Best of all it is about CHICKENS !
Your book club will think it is a hoot.
I am sure you will get better ideas from your friends.

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

When I was driving I was scared stiff of cyclists - half expecting them to fall of right in front of me!
I can imagine that two hours of ukulele playing would be tiring - all that concentration, and added to all the other tasks and duties of the day.
I am hoping that having no stairs in the flat and no garden to worry about, my energy levels may rise a bit.

Joanne Noragon said...

I know about that nap thing. Sometimes I must get up early, to ferry the kid somewhere, and there's a nap in my day for sure.

shadypinesqltr said...

Book selections from my book club (U.S. so not sure if paper books would be available).
The light between the Oceans by M.L. Steadman
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Travelling Funeral by Kris Radish *****
The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.
All good books but I highly recommend Annie Freeman. An easy but not a trivial read and very thought provoking.

jinxxxygirl said...


I use Half.com for my hardcover purchases... hardcover is all i buy... Most books i pay
Pat ,$1-$3 for then $3-$4 shipping... i find that reasonable.. Hugs! deb

shadypinesqltr said...

Book selections from my book club (U.S. so not sure if paper books would be available).
The light between the Oceans by M.L. Steadman
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Travelling Funeral by Kris Radish *****
The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.
All good books but I highly recommend Annie Freeman. An easy but not a trivial read and very thought provoking.

shadypinesqltr said...

Sorry, I accidentally posted twice!

Rachel Phillips said...

Sit with my own thoughts I do quite often. It revitalises and refreshes and then I am raring to go again.

thelma said...

Summer and cyclists they come together and passing them is a rather frightening experience, then of course there are the motor cyclists that roar with such speed around the area, do you have them in your part of Yorkshire? They are all pretty old as they ride up to the pubs in convoys ;)

Fat Dormouse said...

You have lots of book suggestions here, but I'll add just one "The Paris Architect" by Charles Belfoure is a really interesting read, posing questions such as "what would I have done in a similar situation?" I really enjoyed it when I read it.
I don't comment much, but I do read your blog, & have been rooting for you since The Farmer died. I do hope & pray that things are maybe starting to get easier...but I imagine that in other ways, things aren't easy at all. Sorry, not very good with words.

Bonnie said...

That's a fantastic book 😀

Margaret Butterworth said...

Not sure if you only read fiction, but this non fiction book is a gripping read:

One child: the story of China's most radical experiment, written by Mei Fong.

donna baker said...

I haven't had much luck with fiction Pat, but I love ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. The tips of my fingers that hold the strings down get sore when I play the ukulele. Does that happen to you. Guess if I played more I would build calluses so it wouldn't bother me. Sounds like good weather there. After a couple of weeks of cooler temps and rain - both rare here in August - it has gotten HOT again.

Devon said...

Book suggestions:
A Separate Peace by John Knowles... written in 1959 very good coming of age story set in a boarding school in 1943, young men on the verge of adulthood and likely joining the war effort. I read it for the first time this year and enjoyed it very much.
Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce... very good book with some very good talking points for a club.

Good luck... two hours is a long time for a musical practice!

Rachel Phillips said...

THE Reader by Bernhard Schlink is a good Book Club read. Not too long, about 200 pages, a page turner, quick read with lots to think about and discussion points. Germany after the WW2 and reactions thereon. Excellent book and in paperback.

gz said...

Thankyou for being patient with the cyclists..so many are not,and what are a few seconds lost compared to what could happen