Saturday, August 07, 2021

lower case musings

You know how some people are described as 'picky eaters'? I have realised that I am a picky reader.

I just read 100 pages of The Russian Gentleman and then gave up. It had been recommended to me by two people in two separate book groups who said "Everyone in my book group loved this!" 

I just read The Offing - another book that people have made a fuss of - but I was not convinced. 

Liz has just lent me All among the barley and I've read a few pages from the middle and it looks promising. We'll see. People seem to think that because I go on about the wildflowers on the Trail, etc etc, and that I love being out in nature, that I like books awash with nature writing. I don't really. I love nature, but not nature writing. Give me action and dialogue - lots and lots of dialogue. Two sentences of description of anything is quite enough for me.

I just gave up on a book half way through because it was far too quiet for my taste and I was having to force myself to read it, and I turned to EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW YOU, which I have not reread since it was published two years ago,  and thought Hmm...is this too quiet too? I admit there is a lot of nature writing in it but that was for a particular reason - to demonstrate its healing power - but still, would I have kept reading the book if it had been written by someone else and been lent to me?

I am still reading it and skipping some of the nature (!!!) and now I'm thinking that Joe is creepy and that I should have made him attractive with no downsides apart from his infuriating refusal to talk about his past.


I can't find a photo of the book cover and I am feeling lazy so here is my study where I wrote the book(!)

I'm still troubled by our garden and what to do with it now I don't have the energy to make it all look neat and tidy and beautiful. I told Dave I'd seen a pretty painted sign on a garden gate near here reading "This is a bee-friendly garden" and suggested that we should have one too. If you tell people you care more about bees and insects than tidiness, they might be less judgmental.

"No,"  Dave said, "we should have a sign saying Garden owned by two old codgers who can't afford a gardener."

I think that might be the way to go.


I have seen some very funny things on Twitter this week, but I have a weird sense of humour so instead of sharing them with you and you going "What?!" I want to share this, because it is how I feel when I read the news every morning:



Having said that, I came across a lovely article this week called

Love, courage and solidarity: 20 essential lessons young athletes taught us this summer


You can read it here.

And now to paint. I've been struggling with an abstract painting all week and it is still not to my liking, so I am going to put it on one side, and start a painting of some limes and a margarita, or a jam jar full of nasturtiums. Both bring me joy.

I wish you a lovely weekend.


Our crocosmia lucifer


4 comments:

marmee said...

This the time of year when nasturtiums begin to invade and take over our gardens here! they even try to smother my roses but I so love their exuberance ! That no feelings tweet is so funny !! I have plenty of feelings but feel like I have no SPACE , no tolerance for news about covid or variants or vaccines , I am all newsed out on that!

Sue Hepworth said...

I love nasturtiums too. They are invading my less-than-best sweet pea wigwams and I don't mind at all. I don't count nasturtiums as weeds wherever they grow.
Yes, I think I have no space, no tolerance for any more feelings. That's it.

Lois said...

I like your garden photo header. Also looking forward to your reaction to Melissa Harrison's "All Among the Barley" as I liked the nature and farming writing more than the dramatic action which I didn't find convincing. I did finish the novel though and I no longer feel I have to complete a book if I dislike it.

Sue Hepworth said...

Hi Lois, that’s what was wrong with the Offing - I was not convinced by the characters.
I have started a John Boyne book - The heart’s invisible furies - so won’t be starting in Harrison for a while,