I'm having to walk Sandy 4 plus miles on the days that the roads are not pure mud. I must get up very, very early, choke down some coffee and half and half, and lunge forth with my canine companion before the sun rises too high and and the mud seeps. Steep uphills followed by steep downhills, and up and down we go. I have a good-sized breakfast when we return, then we stretch and stretch, and then read and read for hours and hours. Not much else is getting done.
Okay, the reading life.
I am halfway through a wonderful travel memoir written by a young English woman, a writer, who spent six weeks in the Falkland Islands in winter. (Half of June, July, and early August). Bleaker House: Chasing My Novel to the End of the World by Nell Stevens relates the story of a twentyish woman who completes an MFA program in Boston, and who then is awarded a 3-month travel fellowship at the end of her studies. She decides to travel to the most remote location she can think of because she is convinced that this is what her wayward soul needs above all else to focus on writing and completing a novel.
If you've been curious about the Falkland Islands, if you wonder what it would be like to live alone, I mean ALONE, on one of the islands in the Falkland archipelago, then this is your book. It is at times humorous, at other times mildly serious, and at all times very entertaining, as well as being informative about this location. I'm halfway through, and I'm loving it. How will Nell survive??
The novel I'm glued to at the moment is The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I've been deeply affected by this novel, and think it is superb. I'm gripped by it, though I hesitate to say too much about it because I am just over a third of the way through. But so much has happened. I highly recommend thus far. For more info, follow the link. I feel most closely aligned to what The Guardian has to say about it.
Wow, that's some serious walking you're having to do every day! You must be very fit, Judith.
ReplyDeleteLove a good travel memoir recommendation so thank you for that. And The Dutch House is one of those books that is on my radar.
Off to Penzance on Saturday for 4 days, already trying to decide which books to take. The hotel we're staying in has a lovely seating area overlooking Mount's Bay and I'm imagining sitting there with a pot of tea, my knitting and a good book.
I think I overdid it yesterday with the steep uphills and downhills. My knee pain kept waking me last night. Sigh. But I love a mellow dog, so it's a push and pull situation.
DeleteHow lovely you're off to Penzance for four days. Oh, I do love Cornwall, too, and the thought of you sitting, knitting, sipping tea, and reading with a gorgeous view is a very calming vision, which we all need these days. Enjoy! And do post about your adventure. I'm going online to look up Mount's Bay right now.
Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear your knee's playing up after yesterday's walk. I can sympathise as mine are wonky too and Peter's had both knees replaced. Not a procedure I'm in any hurry to have done I must say.
DeleteWe certainly do need a bit of calm at the moment. I thought we'd pop down and see the relatives before the country goes into lockdown, if indeed it does. I will post some photos when I get back, we're staying in a hotel on Penzance promenade and have booked a room with a view over the sea. There's a nice knitting shop in Penzance and a lovely bookshop called The Edge of the World Bookshop, both of which I intend to raid. You have a good weekend and take care of that knee.
Cath, This is exactly the time to go on one or more book-buying binges, and I do hope your visit to The Edge of the World counts as at least one.
DeleteAnd how I'd love to see your photos, and would like to hear more of your trip. I know what you mean by the feeling, "How much can we get done before lockdown?" It's so funny that an item being hoarded here is toilet paper. Hand sanitizer is not available, hand wipes as well, but toilet paper??
My knee is better today, thanks to loads of rain. Sandy does not like walking a great deal in rain, isn't that nice?
And a nice knitting shop! Do indulge, and have fun, the two of you.
I tend to be interested in isolated places. The Falkland Islands do sound interesting. I would love to travel there some day. Though I like solitude, I cannot imagine what it would be like to be truly isolated.
ReplyDeleteBrian, I think you would really like this book. It's not a long one by any means, but so interesting. I'm a solitude lover as well, so I was interested in Nell's experience of total isolation.
DeleteTwo very interesting reads. I have not read anything by Ann Patchett (which I may have mentioned before) but I want to. I don't know why anyone would choose the winter months to go to an isolated island but I am sure Bleaker House would be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI hope your knee improves. I can imagine why steep hills would cause a problem with that.
Hi Tracy,
DeleteI think you would enjoy Ann Patchett. I think lots of her admirers believe that Bel Canto is one of her greatest works, which Ken has read and raved about, but which I still haven't read. To me, State of Wonder was out of this world, literally, and I feel so honored to have read this one. The Dutch House continues to be wonderful. BUT! I did NOT like Commonwealth at all, and quit after 90 pages.
And my knee? I slept through the night after a bad night, and today it poured so hard that Sandy did not want to go walking very far. AHH! A day off! Thank you, Sandy!
I will eventually read The Dutch house. I loved Bel Canto -one of the few books I have read twice. I since went on to enjoy State of Wonder and Commonwealth. I didn't like her debut The Magician's Assistant but three out of four is pretty good. :D
ReplyDeleteHi Ruthiella,
DeleteSo interested to hear that you read Bel Canto twice. Ken loved it, as has so many people I know. I've got to read it. I thrived on State of Wonder, and was enchanted by that novel. I'm reading deeper into The Dutch House and it is very good.