Wednesday 13 May 2020

Wednesday

My Corsa and I had a tootle into the centre of our little town at lunch time to give it a run out after it had been static for a week .I had also missed today's post from the box opposite my bungalow.   The town was almost a ghost town.  Four people queuing outside the hardware shop, which was open.   The bakers and the Co-op also had small queues but other than that everywhere was closed, the Market Square was deserted and there were unlimited car parking spaces.   What a strange time it is.   Shall we ever get back to normal?

Isn't it great when books one has ordered arrive?  I have ordered three - all second hand from Amazon or World Books - and two came this morning - 'A Time to Dance' a book of short stories by Bernard Mclaverty and 'The Hired Man' by Aminatta Forna.  I read a couple of short stories over my lunch - I do admire his writing and it did strike me that in both stories the reader learned as much from what was not said as from what was said.   I think that maybe this is true of all writing but in a short story the brevity of the work makes it more noticeable.   In the title story 'A Time to Dance' we read of a young teenager play ing truant from school, totally disenchanted with school, already wily in ways of getting bits of extra money out of his mother.   She catches him one day and has to take him to 'work' with her where we learn she is a stripper and how desperate she is for him to go to school and learn.   We only learn all this indirectly but the end of the story does leave us with a lot of unanswered questions.   The art of good writing?

The field behind me has this week been cut and gathered up.   There is a beautiful smell of fresh grass and the contents of the huge red trailers will now presumably go into whole crop food or silage.   I get my milk from the cows who eat the silage from this field  which is rather a nice feeling and takes me back a few years to when the farmer had a milking herd (pre foot and mouth) and our milk used to come to the table still warm.   That was the start of me no longer taking milk in my tea - and I have never gone back to taking it now.

If you are a watcher of 'Sewing Bee it is Sports Wear night tonight - the very thought fills me with horror.

19 comments:

wherethejourneytakesme said...

It is suddenly a lot busier down in our village - cars streaming through again. I am in need of a good book to read at the moment I must have a look on Amazon to see if anything catches my eye.

JayCee said...

I think that I must be a very lazy reader as I don't enjoy too many unanswered questions at the end. I need it to be all laid out for me!
I am disenchanted with The Sewing Bee. They don't show how to actually make anything, it just seems to be very gimmicky and played for laughs.

the veg artist said...

I find the quality of second-hand books on sale via Amazon is usually excellent, often just like new. I'm not particularly keen on short stories though. I prefer the long, slow approach of a drawn-out full novel.

Derek Faulkner said...

I've just finished a fascinating book called "The Riviera Set" by Mary S. Lovell. It details all the characters that frequented the place through the 1920's into the 1950's.
I'm now just starting a very large book by the same author called "The Churchills: A family at the heart of history"

The Weaver of Grass said...

I agree JayCee to some extent about the Sewing Bee but I am not a sewer myself so I rather enjoy the gimmicky side of things and I like the two 'judges' who I think are real experts.

JayCee said...

Oh yes, Esme is wonderful!

Share my Garden said...

Your comment on the Sewing Bee programme made me laugh. What terrible things they make! But I think it is unfair for the contestants because they are always given such little time in which to produce anything decent. People who like to sew, or indeed do anything creative usually spend as much time as is necessary to make a decent job of it.
I like the short story format and am currently re-reading Elizabeth Taylor's short stories, which I highly recommend. I had my first Dales zoom book club meeting this week, it is probably as near to being in the Dales as I'll be able to be for quite some time!

Heather said...

I have never really taken to short stories. I think I am greedy and just want more. I walked through our little town this morning and there was hardly anyone about. It was so strange and almost eerie. It was also strange to be wearing a quilted jacket and a scarf as the wind was quite cold and yet there were roses in full bloom in some gardens. It would seem that everything is abnormal at present.

Jules said...

I haven't been to our local town in around ten weeks, so I expect it will feel very strange when I eventually do.
Stay well, Pat. X

Gail, northern California said...

I realize I've been out of touch for two months now but this Sewing Bee you're all talking about, perhaps it's available in the US by special subscription, but would you mind telling me more about it? As to your question about whether or not unanswered questions is a sign of good writing, I'm more inclined to believe the writer is the one who got lazy, or simply ran out of fizz.

Gail, northern California said...

I realize I've been out of touch for two months now but this Sewing Bee all of you are talking about, perhaps it's available in the US by special subscription, but would you mind telling me more about it? As to your question about whether or not unanswered questions is a sign of good writing, I'm more inclined to believe the writer is the one who got lazy, or simply ran out of fizz.

Anonymous said...

I hope everyone's safe and staying safe. I just read that the virus is mutating and getting much more dangerous. I don't want to alarm anyone but it's time to get right with God, cause this is getting downright scary! Stay home and stay safe, guys!

angryparsnip said...

What a lovely post today. Thank You !
parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

These days I would rather read a book of short stories than one long book. I never know when I'll have the time to pick up a book again, so reading one whole story at a time is perfect.

Librarian said...

The scent of freshly cut grass is wonderful, isn't it! I came across a lot of it last week during our walks and hikes, along with the scent of pine and fir cones on the ground in the woods, warmed by the sun.
Shops have nearly all been open here for about two weeks now, and it looks almost like normal in town - were it not for the masks. It all happened a bit too quickly in my opinion and I hope we won't have to regret this.

Daisy Debs said...

Yes , we also have milk from the cows over the lane and they bring me lovely fresh eggs too . I look forward to my secondhand books arriving too . Enjoy your books and keep staying safe ! xxx

Tom Stephenson said...

I hear that online sales of books have risen by 400%.

Jennyff said...

There is talk of libraries opening again, I'm not sure about that much as I love my local one but it would be wonderful to be among so many books again. Meantime I have started on my pile of charity shop buys that were destined for Italy and are now destined to stay in Yorkshire. Here's to days of reading in the sun where ever we are.

pam nash said...

Here in small town Texas, downtown also looks deserted. Shops are open but no shoppers visible on the streets. The grocery store is open though they count people as they come in and go out (right now only 25% occupancy is allowed). It's all very weird!