Monday 4 November 2019

Monday

And a grey, dismal Monday at that.   Not particularly cold, but damp and typical November.
This morning was my Book Group - today at M's house, just further down my estate, so not a long journey at all.   Our book this month was 'Sea of Poppies' by Amitav Ghosh - and a great book it was too.   The New York Times called it 'Dickensian' which was a good description.   A huge adventure story full of individual stories, much about things like the caste system and life in general in India a couple of hundred years ago.   It is the first book in a trilogy so we have the other two to look forward to when it is S's turn again.
G has chosen the next book and it is 'Robinson Crusoe' - it is at least sixty years since I read it so I am really looking forward to getting going with that now. 

It has been a miserable afternoon.   Tess and I went for a walk  in the rain but somehow I managed to get either her coat or her harness on wrong because she was very reluctant to walk and I had to cut the walk short.

My decorator has just been to inspect the wall  in my bedroom and is coming in a fortnight to wash the wall with bleach (to kill the mildew which has formed) and then to treat it all before redecorating.
We are just hoping that the new soakaway the builders built has cured the problem.

I am now going to watch 'His Dark Materials' on iplayer - I was undecided whether to start watching or not but the write up in today's Times is so good that I shall give it a go.   I really enjoyed the book.   If I begin to think that the television version is spoiling it for me I shall switch off.   Sometimes the image one has in one's head of something like this is so different from the TV Producer's.   Time will tell.

17 comments:

wisps of words said...

Do hope the bedroom problem will soon be fully taken care of. Ahhhhh the joys of home owning! -smile-

🍁🍂🔥🍂🍁

angryparsnip said...

I hope the bedroom is better and that you are not breathing the mildew air.
Must look up "His Dark Matter"
parsnip

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

I hope the mildew will be gone for good. That's nasty stuff to deal with, and breathe.
Oercast most of this November day here in Vermont USA.

the veg artist said...

It's been dry here today (for a change). I watched His Dark Materials last night, and it looks quite interesting - but I've not read the book, and, I agree, that can spoil it if our heads are already full of images. It will be interesting to hear what you think.

Rachel Phillips said...

More like 75 years since you read it. We read it at school with Treasure Island etc. I suppose it holds different things for different ages.

Joanne Noragon said...

Yes, I hope to mildew is resolved.
I'll be interested to hear what you think of Robinson Caruso after so many years.

June said...

The first book of His Dark Materials was published in 1995 not 75 years ago. I’m going to watch the first episode on HBO tonight. Fingers crossed that it will be every bit as wonderful as the books, but then the imagination is a marvelous thing.

thelma said...

Pullman will be seen as being on a par with Lewis and Tolkien. His books are dark but that maybe because of the settings and a general air of gloom that pervades us now. Good interview with him on BBC4 in 'Imagine'. The TV adaptation was good, when the BBC do things well you have to applaud them, though of course it was done by others.

Librarian said...

"His Dark Materials"? I have no idea what this is, and will look it up in a minute.
A spray of rain yesterday morning, just long enough to justify the need for a brolly on my way to food shopping. Then working from home to a mix of beautiful sunshine and fast-moving clouds; very mild for November it was, too.

Daisy Debs said...

Goodmorning ! :) I come to your blog always arriving on your top banner photo of such the most beautiful landscape ! Just looking into this picture does me good ! :) Have a beautiful day ! :) x

Bovey Belle said...

A belated Happy Birthday to you - sounds like you had a great time and 27 cards is a very good haul!

The book club choice sounded an interesting one. I quite like Dickensian-style novels (would love the time to read some of the Dickens novels I never managed when I was younger too).

I trust your damp problem affecting the bedroom wall has been sorted now and you can get it treated and repainted and like new again.

We watched His Dark Materials but it was a little spoilt by the daemons talking - a little Disney-ish for me (I have read the book, but it's the voices they have).

Heather said...

Interesting book choices - you will be well entertained this winter.
Hope the damp problem is cured. You will be so pleased to have your room redecorated and back to normal.
I hope the TV dramatisation has not altered the book too much. If a book is worth adapting for TV or cinema I can never understand why it has to be tinkered with.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I remember reading River Of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh, though for some reason never got around to reading the rest of the trilogy. The weather here this morning is also looking a bit "Dickensian".

Tom Stephenson said...

I am looking forward to the next His Dark Materials. Did you watch the interview with Phillip Pullman? I quite liked him. An interesting atheist.

pam nash said...

I hope the cleaning process works on the mildew problem. We have the same problems here also. It really aggravates allergies.

Derek Faulkner said...

His Dark Materials is the kind of fantasy TV or film that I loathe, so not watching that but enjoying World on Fire. Nice to see that some one in your book club has had the nous to suggest an old book for review, should be fun. The only book from years gone by that I return to on a regular basis is Wind in the Willows.
It's Tuesday and it's a lovely calm, sunny and mild day.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone for your comments about my post. Always welcome.