Mutterings - Dec 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Business cards :: Logo
2. IT :: Arrgh
3. Liver :: Lights
4. Rugged :: Cross
5. Destruction :: Age (misremembering the Barry McGuire Eve of Destruction?)
6. Cast :: Die (probably the six sided object rather than engineering)
7. Gratification :: Delayed
8. Pizza :: Base
9. Cutest :: Cat
10. Best :: Brightest (I'm obviously getting in tune for Epiphany...)

The website appears to have a second set of words for today maybe they're next week's but I'll put these here too:

1. Once upon a :: Time
2. Winston :: Smith
3. Frost :: David (Paradine)
4. Flute :: Debussy (the start of L'Après Midi d'un Faune)
5. Antlers :: Deer
6. Jolly :: Sailor (a local pub of that name)
7. Mound :: Mott
8. Gallery :: Uffizi
9. Trades ::Jack
10. Flake ::Cadbury

The Hunt

It's a little time since I saw Vinterberg's The Hunt at Silkscreen and Christmas eve would seem to be a good point to comment (in as far as I can still remember) - one of the film's big scenes (more than one) takes place on Christmas eve. I saw it twice - I was projecting the later showing so I went to the early so that I could give it my full attention. A powerful of suspicion and the hunting of an unjustly accused man - I doubt think the film ever leaves you in any doubt as to the innocence of the principal character. But it's also a film about forgiveness but how even with that, the marks are still there. Wonderful acting by Mads Mikkelsen and his young accuser Annika Wedderkopp - some of the audience were talking as they headed out as to how depressing it was, maybe the scenes of suspicion , but the end was, for me, far different.

Teaser Tuesday - Dec 24

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

It had hung there so long - all Carrie's life certainly - that it was no longer any particular colour. It had been packed away for the summer but she knew where her mother stored it in the bottom drawer of the hall chest of drawers and she hung it as fast as she could, to block any view through the letter box or fanlight, where camera flashes were intruding with frightening rapidity.

This is a bit of a cheat as I read this book earlier in the autumn and have just seen that it never got teased. Patrick Gale's 'A Perfectly Good Man' a tale of a Cornish clergyman - I thought this was wonderful, a very powerful tale of goodness and fallibility. And that extract makes a very good teaser! I hadn't spotted that one of the characters in the book is a continuation of someone from his earlier Notes from an Exhibition. Here's the Guardian review. If you go to the author's website you'll get his view and some more reviews.

Mutterings - Dec 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Drape :: Funeral
2. Visitors :: Christmas
3. Garage :: Light
4. Disney :: Mouse
5. Among :: Surrounded
6. Trend :: Statistical
7. Holiday :: Rest
8. Lightbulb :: Filament
9. Zing! :: Zap
10. Efficient :: Energy

Teaser Tuesday - Dec 17

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

'Oh, I thought he'd died. I thought I'd never see him again.

Clare Balding rattling on at a fair old pace in her My Animals and Other Family (the same as last week and our book group selection) and a more dramatic but less thought provoking teaser! The 'him' is inevitably an animal.

2013 in summary

For friends who don't follow my feed on twitter or other social media.. our Christmas newsletter is on the home webserver as a pdf - I guess most of it has appeared on this weblog at some time or another but here it is in summary.

Mutterings - Dec 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Comedy :: Legs (there's probably a John Cleese connection)
2. Warning :: Shot
3. Bowling :: Alley
4. Picked :: Nose
5. Shotgun :: Riding
6. Accommodate :: Inn (looking towards Christmas)
7. Everybody :: Stand
8. Hypnotic :: Music
9. Penthouse :: Suite
10. Hockey :: Stick

Teaser Tuesday - Dec 10

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

They were invented in Norman times to get round some daft law that said only the gentry could own smart, majestic breeds like the wolfhound or deerhound. Commoners were effectively barred from owning a sight hound, in case they used them to poach game.

The 'they' are lurchers - from Clare Balding's autobiography 'My Animals and Other Family' - and explicit homage in the title to the Gerald Durrell book about his early years. This is our book group for the month - something relaxing for over Christmas! Here's the Telegraph review.

Mutterings - Nov 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Games :: evening
2. Younger :: Pitt
3. Propose :: Marriage
4. Closer :: Lean
5. Cleaned :: Rubbed
6. Fresh :: Vegetables
7. Crunch :: Credit
8. Centers :: Gravity
9. Shiny! :: Surface
10. Horrific :: Scene

Liturgy and Doctrine

In its comments on the Pilling report, 'Anglican Mainstream', has this:

Anglicans believe that liturgy expresses doctrine.

And then argues that blessing of a same sex civil partnership would therefore change Anglican doctrine. Doesn't this imply that any Anglican service which isn't approved of by synod has the same effect? I didn't realise that an action by a local church had such powerful consequences. I'm off to plan a service!

And I'm sure that many Anglican Mainstreamish churches are quite happy to have unauthorized services when it suits them.

Teaser Tuesday - Dec 3

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

We had not heard Boerhaave descend the companionway & nudge open my door! Torgny cried out in dismay, declaring his guilt in a trice.

A re-read of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas - I see it was nearly three years ago that I first read and teased it.

Mutterings - Dec 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Taxes :: Death
2. Deter :: Threaten
3. Regret :: Rien
4. Consume :: Feed
5. 1600 :: Pennsylvania Avenue (via Bernstein)
6. Retire :: Withdraw
7. Console :: VT (virtual console)
8. Property :: Ownership
9. Return :: Fare
10. Laughter :: Joy

Who are the bullies?

At General Synod last week the Church of England announced that it was going to work with Stonewall to address homophobic bullying in schools. In response there has been a typically mean spirited statement from Angican 'Mainstream'. Changing attitude has delivered a robust riposte. To quote Colin Coward:

Anglican Mainstream says that children's lack of psychological and cognitive maturity makes them vulnerable to ideological and sexual manipulation. The statement implies that Stonewall manipulates children ideologically and sexually – it's a disgraceful statement and deeply homophobic.

Anglican 'Mainstream' is deeply homophobic and some of its supporters indulge in bullying and intimidation of those who disagree with them - excusing their behaviour by claiming that those they attack are 'guilty' of first order offences whereas their 'ends justify the means' approach should be disregarded. They need to look at themselves!

Teaser Tuesday - Nov 26

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Have you ever noticed that when your mind is awakened or drawn to someone new, that persons name suddenly pops up everywhere? My friend Sophie calls it coincidence, and Reverend Simpless calls it grace.

Stirrings within Juliet Ashton in (again) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - our book group of the month. Here's the Guardian review - he liked it. On the other hand from a goodreads review -

This book is a lot like my mother's pie. It looks pretty, the crust is warm and flaky, but one bite and the filling sends you into a diabetic coma.

Mutterings - Nov 24

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Directions :: Compass
2. Juror :: Oath
3. Cheating :: Cards
4. Fact :: Balance
5. Clue :: -do ( the game)
6. Week :: Working
7. Enthusiasm :: Dog
8. Smug :: GAFCON (sorry! ;-) )
9. Venture :: lose our.. (Shakespeare)
10. Bench :: Judge

Yes I know it's Wednesday - Teaser Tuesday - Nov 20

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Doubtless you know of the huge memorial Victoria had built for her beloved consort, Prince Albert. It is the jewel in the crown of Kensington Gardens - a monument to the Queen's refined taste as well as to the Departed.

An old dowager gets up steam in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - our book group(!) book of the month. The book takes the form of a set of letters written shortly after WWII and reflecting on the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands.
Yes, this should have been posted yesterday but it kept slipping my mind!

Loubressac

and again!, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Sunrise from the Relais de Castelnau in Loubressac - I thought I ought to add this photo as the view at breakfast was so memorable. One of the prettiest villages in France - according to a guide book and I wouldn't disagree!

About Elly

On Wednesday, Silkscreen showed the Iranian file About Elly - last year they had Asghar Farhadi's 'A Separation'and as that was popular they decided to programme another of his works. It tells of a group of friends going to the Caspian sea for a break but the female school teacher of one of their children has also been invited as has a recently divorced man. As the film progresses the original simple lies become ever more complex giving a real insight into the nature of Iranian society.

I thought it was very involving - even for so different a culture, I spent sometime trying to work out why it felt different and only at the end when the music started did I remember the spoken introduction (by the presenter) mentioning the lack of background music to that point. You didn't feel it was a film and the tension was suddenly ratcheted up and never let go. The Guardian's review is here, much of it felt improvised but there was a very clear direction.

Mutterings - Nov 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Jealousy :: Rage
2. Twin :: Matching
3. Logo :: Slogan
4. Bang :: to Rights
5. Darts :: Board
6. Window :: Frame
7. Arcade :: Shopping
8. Sniff :: Scratch
9. Tickets :: Train
10. Eraser :: Pencil

Teaser Tuesday - Nov 12

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

And he took out his pocket-book and began adding over his accounts, - a process which many gentlemen besides Mr. Haley have found a specific for an uneasy conscience.
The boat swept proudly away from the shore, and all went on as before.

Haley the slave trader in Uncle Tom's Cabin, of Harriet Beecher Stowe, carefully closes his eyes to the moral issue! I was prompted to read this - for the first time after our book group reading of Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway - the original underground railway book!

Mutterings - Nov 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Reality :: Light (cold light of?)
2. Fanfare :: Trumpets (sounded for him on the other side, `there won't be trumpets'?)
3. Share :: Equal
4. City :: London
5. Stepping :: Hill (Stepping Hill hospital is near here!)
6. Entitled :: Benefit
7. Movement :: Slow (as in music)
8. Review :: Favourable
9. Advertise :: Wares
10. Largest :: Greed

Domaine de Poujo and starter

Domaine de Poujo and starter, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

The dinner on the final night - meals were excellent here too - the food over the 10 days was very good and we probably returned fitter but fatter! As we had to leave the hotel at 6:30am we were fairly gentle with consumption on the last evening.
We returned by train from Souillac to Paris Austerlitz - roll on when the TGV's are running this route! - and then by Eurotunnel back to London and then back to Macclesfield. If you're doing a similar route beware if hoping to charge up electronic devices - the first charging point we saw was at Euston! By that time most of my toys didn't have much charge left!
A very enjoyable holiday with memories to take into the winter evenings! I've included this link before but it's the flickr album for my photos. I might get around to copying some photos others took in time!

Rocamadour

Rocamadour, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

The last day was a rest day - at least walks were suggested and we ignored them. We spent the morning investigating Rocamadour. Starting at the top level - most easily reached from Hospitalet - and a vertiginous walk on the ramparts - for which there's a charge and a turnstile - probably to keep down the numbers in peak season! The photo is looking down on the church from the end of the parapet - I think my sense of balance is getting worse but I managed this photo! Then down through the basilica - which was celebrating 1000 years of pilgrimages (I think the dating is a little suspect!) and 100 years since the restoration of the site. I kept my eyes open for mentions of Francis Poulenc (who died 50 years ago) who came here and the place inspired some of his religious music but didn't see anything. A light lunch in one of the cafes and then back up the Voie Sainte to the hotel and a gentle afternoon, I paid a visit back to Hospitalet to try to get sunset over the Rocamadour but unfortunately dinner came too soon!

Rocamadour from Hospitalet

Rocamadour from Hospitalet, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

The last day with a major walk, we started at Calès and walked back along the Ouysse until it disappeared under the ground and then along a winding gorge until we reached Rocamadour. I had a lot of anticipation - when would Rocamadour be visible - we were traversing the pilgrim route - that the medieval walkers would have taken - though in their case from Rocamadour towards Compostella.

The town didn't come into view until we were walking through the gates and then you were aware of the towering cliffs and buildings on so many levels. Walked through the town - staying on the lowest level - exploration was for tomorrow. A drink at a pavement cafe and then up the Voie Sainte to this view and then on to the Hotel Troubadour just out of Hospitalet.

Caugnaguet mill from the outside

Caugnaguet mill from the outside, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

We left Lacave on a misty morning with Belcastle invisible and wandered gently along the Ouysse. We saw some divers about to explore some of the submerged caves before arriving at the mill at Caugnaguet - which was open for visitors. The Inntravel itinerary says that it closes from 15th October so I'm not sure whether that's incorrect or whether we were just lucky to find it open. We were guided around and some of us sipped the walnut liqueur! Then through wooded paths to Calès. Drinks outside (watch out for the flies!) but then a marvellous evening meal - it certainly equalled the Michelin starred place - some of us thought it was better. I had snails (with mushrooms which merged nicely , you were never quite sure which you were eating in case you were cautious!) and duck - we had a lot of duck this holiday - I saw a fixed price menu in one place which had duck for 2 of the 3 courses!

reflection

reflection, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Day 6 was spent around Lacave - a trip down the cave - steps and reflections here too! Gentle lunch in the village. The Hotel du Pont de l'Ouysse - where we stayed - has a Michelin star, and a wine list with prices to match, I spotted a St Emilion for 1500€ we stayed a lot further down the price range. The food was wonderful and there was the theatre of pouring hot chocolate sauce over a chocolate ball and watching its contents being revealed. You can't quite see the hotel in this picture it's at the foot of the cliff - the castle, on top, is owned by 3 retired schoolteachers - apparently they were offered a lot of money by a Hollywood star for the place but they wanted to keep their piece of heaven! We spent the afternoon lazing outside the hotel in their comfy chairs by the Ouysse. We met a couple also with Inntravel there they were on a cycling tour and on their last day, we had a few more days walking before Rocamadour.

Teaser Tuesday - Nov 5

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I look out, through the steamed-up window; through the mist hiding most of the view, but not all, no; there's not enough of it to hide the thick black smoke that pours out above the trees. Our trees.

Now there's a dramatic moment - Stef Penney's The Invisible Ones our book group book of last month. We had the discussion meeting last night and I think it was uniformly liked. A tale of the relationships between the Gipsy community and the surrounding community. A detective(?) story where things are not quite what they seem. Like her earlier book this is about isolated communities - though in a completely different context! Loved the telling of part of the story through JJ's eyes - a young gipsy. Here's the Guardian review.

Creysse

..and again, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

A view of Creysse - the taxi which took us to the starting point for the day's walk was a little late so we enjoyed a walk around the village. After being dropped by the taxi in Meyronne we took the easier of the day's 2 alternative walks and enjoyed a spectacular walk through the trees ascending the side of the Dordogne valley (did I not take any photos here? - I need to search the cameras memory card!) we had lunch by a very quiet aerodrome - really just a landing strip and then the walk into Lacave and a refreshment stop before heading to the Pont l'Ouysse - of which there are lots of photos uploaded but I'll hilight one when writing about day 6.

Experimental Nut Station..

Experimental Nut Station.., a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Day 4 - not the longest walk but there was a sting in the tail! After a wonderful sunrise viewed from the hotel terrace (see the album for the photos!) we headed for Creysse. Again through the woods with a stop at a take off point for hang gliders with lovely views over the Dordogne - the spot was off the route so kudos to Inntravel for highlighting it. Then down to cross the river at Gluges and at this point we thought a drink and a stop would be good. Unfortunately none of the refreshment stops were open so we continued. A quick search of the village revealed a Place Edith Piaf without even a bar or cafe! There's a good reason for the square being named in her honour.

Then came the hard part of the day - first of all a gentle wander along the road beneath huge cliffs - but then the road started to ascend (fortunately the cliffs became less high) - but it was a struggle! On getting into Creysse we reached this experimental nut station - there are lots of walnuts in the Dordogne and at the time we went we were perpetually crushing the shells under our feet. The Auberge de l'Ile is wonderfully situated - close to the river and in the midst of a lovely village.

Mutterings - Nov 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Partner :: Howdy
2. Villain :: Cartoon
3. Signature :: Email
4. Homespun :: Yarn
5. Ultimate :: Challenge
6. Don’t! :: Stop
7. Musical :: Broadway
8. Candor :: Honesty
9. Terrified :: Shadow
10. Virus :: Antibiotic

Gouffre de Padirac

Gouffre de Padirac, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Day 4 was (nominally) a rest day, so we did one of the recommended walks to the Gouffre de Padirac and a trip by boat through the cave - very worthwhile. The gouffre is very busy in high season, in October it was quiet though the cafes afterwards were mostly closed. On the way to the Gouffre you pass this memorial to Helène Bimberzy (Bomberzy?) martyred in 1844 - one wonders as to the circumstances (web searching hasn't, so far, helped - ah it is Bombezy - there's a mention here, but no help as to the background)! After the walk back to Loubressac, I enjoyed walking round the village and watching the sunset over the hiils.

Castelnau

DSCF9204, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Day 3 was the longest walk but there were a number of highlights, walking though the Glanes vineyards, the impressive chateau of Castelnau and the views and climb up to Loubressac. Route finding was straightforward and the views of Castelnau as it appeared through the trees was unforgettable! In Loubressac we stayed at the Relais de Castelnau - modern hotel but we thought there was a certain lack of attention to detail. The views from the terrace though were wonderful!

The door of the church at Beaulieu

The door of the church at Beaulieu, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

The first day's walk was a gentle start. Well it would have been if it hadn't been the only day it rained and if I hadn't got us lost and heading back the way we came. My route memory is getting appalling - when the Inntravel itinerary says an obvious clearing it means a huge clearing! We walked from Beaulieu to the small village of Port de Gagnac via quiet forest tracks with a visit to the village from the Hotel before we settled down for the evening meal at the Hotel du Vieux Port and made our first acquaintance with Coteaux de Glanes.

Teaser Tuesday - Oct 29

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Your wife has written for you to the king. Asking for mercy. You have a great many friends.

Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies. I see I've not teased this month's book group book - I'll have to fake an entry later this week!

Beaulieu

it was a misty and wet morning!, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

We've just returned from a walking holiday in the Dordogne. As so often in the past few years one arranged by Inntravel. We made the trip to Beaulieu by train with a stop in Paris overnight and a few tourist sights and then after a dinner at the Velouté in Beaulieu awoke to this view of the Dordogne. The photo album for the week is mostly uploaded and accessible here. The trail followed, mostly, the pilgrim trail from Rocamadour to Santiago de Compostela - though in the reverse direction! Hopefully further accounts of the individual days will follow!

There's a few mentions of the composer Francis Poulenc in my entries on this walk but I hadn't realised that he wrote his clandestine cantata Figure Humaine whilst staying in Beaulieu - he rented a two room apartment here containing a poor piano during 1943 whilst setting poems by Paul Eluard with the final hymn to Liberty.

Mutterings - Oct 27

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are (yes we've been away):

1. Poison :: Gas
2. Las Vegas :: Taste (lack of)
3. Nanny :: Mary Poppins
4. Tablet :: Android
5. Trail :: Discovery
6. Innocent :: Drinks
7. Invited :: Guest
8. Life :: Well-lived
9. Tormented :: Soul
10. Lousy :: Mattress (thinking of the animals!)

Mutterings - Oct 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Untraceable :: Hidden
2. Senator :: Grandeur (that's probably the Roman variety!)
3. Humongous :: Problem
4. Drinks :: Alcohol
5. Ringing :: (the) Bells!
6. Overloaded :: Function
7. Annoyed :: Cross
8. Blondie :: Harry
9. Suits :: You Sir!
10. Deadly :: Enemy

Teaser Tuesday - Oct 8

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

During the mid-1970's and subsequently, Rowan came to see that these arguments were still more significant when given a religious twist. If language itself involves an act of trust by expecting to evoke a shared world, the a progressively suggestive inference may be drawn: that there is an affinity between the structure of thinking and the structure of reality - an affinity where love and imagination are integral to the picture.

Some hard thinking(!) required there - a re-read of Rowan's Rule by Rupert Shortt, I read and teased it back in 2009, I bought the book a few years ago and am only now getting around to reading my own copy. The context of the quote is Rowan Williams (for this is a biography of him!) thoughts on Decartes, Wittgenstein and Edith Stein.

Leawood Pump House

..working harder, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Yesterday, we walked around Cromford and visited the Leawood Pump House which used to transfer water from the Derwent to the canal back in the 19th century. The huge pump was working this weekend - one of the stationary engines was also going to be running today - so unfortunately we missed that. Photos of the day are in this flixkr album. It was an interesting visit in view of my having recently read Dickinson's Pauper's Gold where the heroine is born in Macclesfield and then enters servitude (well officially an apprentice) in a mill not too far from Cromford - it also functioned as a getting fit exercise before we go on a walking holiday!

Mutterings - Oct 6

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Latch :: Key
2. Standard :: Lance (or Coding)
3. 60 :: Aged
4. Maple :: Leaf
5. Final :: Straight
6. Bickering :: Children
7. Diner :: Petit-dejeuner(!)
8. Nasty :: Party
9. Ohhh! :: Buffin! (a long story!)
10. Leeches :: Medicinal

Nutterings - Sep 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Spirits :: Vodka
2. Admit :: Entrance
3. Gift :: Wrap
4. Barry :: Wales
5. Dredge :: Bucket
6. Pajamas :: Nightie
7. Cheating :: Unfair
8. Information :: Table
9. Ivory :: Tusk
10. Past :: Life

Just spotted the typo - I'll keep it!

Teaser Tuesday - Sep 24

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Honor was hoping to surprise the Haymakers with blackberry junket, a sieving of the berries to turn them into a thick paste that concentrated the nutty flavour. She began to suspect, however, that these berries would be better for jelly or cordial.

Another teaser from our book group book of the month - Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway - Honor still adjusting to the American way.

Mutterings - Sep 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Laceration :: Wound
2. Shower :: Cold
3. Filed :: Drawer
4. Possibility :: Chance
5. Horror :: Story
6. Entry :: Barred
7. Hospital :: Ward
8. Switched :: Over
9. Guilty :: Verdict
10. Mistake :: Apology

Angels with bagpipes!

Angels with bagpipes!, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

I'm still in Edinbugh - at least for a few more days and this weekend got, at last, a chance to look around. This alley is just off the Royal Mile and the photo includes a self-portrait!

Mutterings - Sep 16

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Medication :: Prescription
2. Communication :: TCP/IP
3. Freshest :: Aroma
4. Home remedy :: Cure
5. Notebook :: Spiral-bound
6. Cheerful :: Reasons to be..
7. Nurse :: Night (and I think a carry on lurking there!)
8. Shirt :: Night!
9. Dress :: Wedding (resisting Night again!)
10. Gift :: Wrapping (my mind is obviously working in the same was as the setter!)

a little late this week!

Teaser Tuesday - Sept 10

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I feel when I am in it as if the air around me has shifted and it
is not the same air I breathed and moved in back in England, but
is some other substance. Can a building do such a thing?

From Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway our BATS (book group) book for the month, an American immigrant from a Quaker community view of the USA of the 1850's. I'm looking forward to this one!

Sunset!

Sunset!, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Another meal at the Metropole and then a walk down the hill to the hotel to this view!

Mutterings - Sept 8

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Sacred :: Holy (and cow and maybe a scared mistyping!)
2. Distill :: Whisky
3. Haunting :: Ghost
4. Delete :: Key
5. People :: Community
6. Corrupt :: Office
7. Hangar :: Aircraft
8. Gotham :: City
9. Igloo :: Ice
10. Spanish :: Peseta (showing my age!)

Teaser Tuesday - Sept 3

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I got the impression that each family recipe was carefully guarded.
Sometimes it is thin and clear and sharp, and sometimes - especially
if made from millet - it is thick and speckled with a grainy texture.

From Joe Simpson's Storms of Silence some interesting thoughts on climbing and masculinity. The recipe is for Nepalese alcohol!

View from the office

I'm currently working in Edinburgh and the office has long views over to the hills and Arthur's Seat. Here's a picture the scaffolding causes a certain amount of vibration - or there are workers on it even in high winds!

Mutterings - Sept 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Teacher :: Pupil
2. Activity :: Board
3. Scared :: to death
4. Suction :: Plunger
5. Impossible :: Barrier
6. Terrestrial :: Ground
7. Humongous :: Problem
8. Cheekbones :: Prominent
9. Dream :: Funny (I had a long and involved one last night about starting at a university I couldn't identify!)
10. Fog :: Damp

A lot of words starting with P in the above!

Teaser Tuesday - Aug 27

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

How could I ever have been glad he wasn't here anymore?' Fresh tears flowed as she looked up again at Nell, seeking her understanding, her forgiveness.

Margaret Dickinson's Pauper's Gold - our current BATS (book group) book - based locally in the mills of Macclesfield and Derbyshire in the 1800s. A little predictable but a good read.

Mutterings - August 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. 64 :: power of 2
2. Dark :: Knight (I've never seen the film - the power of advertising!)
3. Honor :: Maid of (or Blackman)
4. Crystal :: Maze
5. Postscript :: Print (postscript is a printer page definition language)
6. Things :: aint wot they used to be
7. Fever :: Swamp
8. Bare :: Knuckle
9. Thump :: Volume (something about a hefty tome thumping onto the desk I think)
10. Point of view :: Robinson (various Robinsons used to present this BBC TV programme)

Mutterings - Aug 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Games :: Olympic
2. Fame :: Spur
3. Construct :: Language
4. Pants :: Knickers
5. Outlier :: Column (or something architectural)
6. Column :: Doric (I don't think my eyes had strayed down on the previous line!)
7. Circus :: Ring
8. Remedy :: Medicine
9. Other :: Numinous
10. Outlet :: Tap

This looks to be last weeks list again, maybe this blog entry will be updated!
And it was so here's the real list! -

1. Karma :: Chameleon
2. Detail :: Attention (to)
3. Conversation :: Piece (probably the Noel Coward play)
4. Optimistic :: State
5. Social :: Circle
6. Approval :: Stamp
7. Tab :: Ctrl-I
8. PM :: 5 (a BBC news programme 5 pm)
9. Share :: Certificate
10. Cheat :: Liar

Teaser Tuesday - August 13

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I had become and Episcopalian in the first place because the Anglican way cared more for common prayer than right belief, but under stress even Episcopalians began vetting one another on the virgin birth, the divinity of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Both in Clarkesville and elsewhere, the poets began drifting away from the churches as the jurists grew louder and more insistent.

Barbara Brown Taylor in Leaving Church. I picked this up at a garden party bookstall a few weeks back -a story of a spiritual journey and so far I think it's rather good. She's speaking at Greenbelt at the end of this month...

Mutterings - August 11

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Games :: Olympic
2. Fame :: Spur
3. Construct :: Language
4. Pants :: Rubbish
5. Outlier :: Defence
6. Column :: Nelson's (followed closely by Trajan's)
7. Circus :: Piccadilly (afraid I'm now on a London thread!)
8. Remedy :: Medicinal
9. Other :: Spectral (the other)
10. Outlet :: Water

Teaser Tuesday - Aug 6

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

The garden was in bloom and we had a maypole with garlands all the way up to the little banner at the top. But it was too bad that we never had any wind.

Tove Jansson The Summer Book. Last year the book group read Jansson's The Winter Book - for various reasons I was persuaded against choosing this one but it's so much better! A lovely tale of a small child and her grandmother in among the islands of the gulf of Finland. Very much recommended!

Mutterings - Aug 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Weird :: Sisters (probably Macbeth rather than Harry Potter!)
2. Balance :: Scale
3. Personal :: Introduction
4. Reproduction :: Sex
5. Distraction :: Memory
6. Articulate :: Confident
7. Shovel :: Snow
8. Column :: Doric
9. Drastic :: Cleaner (a make of cleaning material - I think!)
10. Bombastic :: General

Teaser Tuesday - July 30

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

All our rooms are en-suite, Mother. Yours, I think, also has a TV and Wi-Fi. The other Sister, I'm not sure...

Hierarchy within nuns paying a visit! A final teaser from Salley Vickers The Cleaner of Chartres. This was a book which I found difficult at first and became more appealing and the ending kept me enthralled! Maybe a little neat in tying up ends but it certainly came with a punch.

Casterne Hall

Casterne Hall, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Last weekend we walked from Wetton to Casterne Hall. Once there we were shown around by the owner and were served afternoon tea. I'd never heard of Casterne Hall before but it's a nearly perfect Georgian house, finding it by car is a bit tricky but the walk was much enjoyed. More photos of the day and the Hall are here

Mutterings - Jul 28

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Packing :: Sent
2. Rent :: Flat
3. Inspire :: Vision
4. Anti-social :: Behaviour
5. Common :: Room
6. Repeats :: Marks (musical notation)
7. Dracula :: Whitby
8. Cross :: Jesusalem
9. Short sighted :: Glasses
10. Corrupt :: Business practices

Mutterings - July 21

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Wine :: Bottle
2. Hand :: Cream
3. Bottle :: Glass
4. Soda :: Syphon
5. List :: Map (both standard c++ library containers)
6. Thimble :: Sewing
7. Sample :: Cross
8. Cloth :: Roll
9. Correspond :: Match
10. Taste :: Tongue

Teaser Tuesday - July 16

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

And until lately God had played fair by not raising any troubling questions about his existence. Then, at 103, the apparently indomitable mother died.

Again from Salley Vickers' The Cleaner of Chartres.

Mutterings - July 14

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Blood :: Water
2. Obvious :: Slip
3. Leadership :: Burden
4. Vest :: String
5. Praising :: Worship
6. Chair :: Electric
7. Think :: Muse
8. Carpet :: Flying
9. Without :: Pedal (thinking piano here)
10. Politics :: Messy

from the Old Park Gate

from the Old Park Gate, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

This week's walk was around the Peover Hall area ending up here at the Old Park Gate pub. The walks - or at least the photos I've taken of them are here. We've had a fine dry series of walks only one being rained on - this year they've alternated between Wednesday and Thursday and that helped (inadvertently?) to avoid the bad days. There's one more walk in the season though with the current good weather spell we're discussing extending the season a bit!

Teaser Tuesday - Jul 9

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Above her - now as then - Job lay on his comfortless bed of ashes, plagued by a grotesquely grimacing Satan.
Inside the cathedral, the musty air seemed to be perfused with a faint odour of onions.

Salley Vickers' The Cleaner of Chartres - our book group book of the month - I'm just getting into this so a little early for any views. My autocorrect on the phone changed Salley Vickers to Wallet Buckets...more seriously, here's the Guardian review.

Muttterings - July 7

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Maintenance :: High
2. Tight:: Corner
3. Disillusion :: Weariness
4. Horizon :: Flat (Ringed by the Flat Horizon a quote from Eliot's the Wasteland used as a title for a orchestral work by George Benjamin)
5. In :: Out
6. Humor :: Joke
7. Purchase :: Hire
8. Delectable :: Mountains (Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress)
9. Stumble :: Speech
10. Words :: Stumble (I don't think I saw this when doing the previous line, I think this is another TS Eliot quote from the 4 quartets but I can't find it at the moment!)

Gawsworth sunset

Gawsworth sunset, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Last night's walk started from Gawsworth before looping over the railway and coming back over Danes Moss. Cotton, a heron and finally a sunset - in my view it's a rather atypical bit of country you expect the hills we had boggy ground and very flat. The album with the rest of the photos from last night is here.

roofs of Macc

roofs of Macc, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

We've just had the roof repaired and before the roofer left I had a quick trip up the scaffolding to have a look and to take a few photos (there's 2 more on flickr, next to this one if you click on it!). I last went up a few years back when next door (and our chimney) was rebuilt. At least then the ascent was behind the house and if you fell you could aim for the flower beds, this was straight off the pavement and a little more intimidating. Repairs are looking good though!

Teaser Tuesday - July 2

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

'I've got a bridge party.'
'But you can't play bridge.'
'I learnt in the thirty or so years of your absence. I had to pass the time somehow.'

I'm back on The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch and Bradley Pearson making assumptions about his ex-wife. I thought I needed those extra two sentences!

Kabul on the television - '91

I've been re-reading 'Pushing The Boat Out' an anthology of poetry edited by Kathy Galloway, and came across this poem of Alyson Hallett:

Young boy vomits blood
sees camera sings
us a song 'one by
one the petals fall'

His thigh fits in a circle
of finger and thumb
lips held tight
with smile of death

Children wake old
limbs of women grow
cold, amputated,
men pull tears, triggers

Empty shrapnel full
bellies groan
bloody fingers clasp
shredded flesh close

In the shells
of heart and home
cries of leave
us in peace.

At a time when the intention is for UK troops to pull out of Afghanistan, I think this is relevant again. The 91 in the title of the poem is of course 1991.

Mutterings - July 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Pillow :: Talk
2. Calendar :: DLMS these last few weeks I'm been working on implementations of getting calendars off a smart meter.
3. Melissa :: Etheridge
4. Notebook :: Spiral (bound)
5. Circumstance :: Forced
6. Technical :: Document
7. Bracket :: Hinge (though that should be Brackett)
8. Horror :: Blanch
9. Pink :: Elephant (Dumbo...)
10. Polish :: Cavalry (I think this is a reference to a comment about one of the Chopin Polonaises - the Ab)

Teaser Tuesday - June 25

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

The Iris Murdoch is still being read but we're getting to the end of the month so I really need to make progress on this one:

The driver was woken from sleep, Sir Selwyn and Dr Belcher got back into the coach and Darcy and Stoughton waited at the open door until the vehicles clattered out of sight.
As Stoughton turned to go back into the house, Darcy said, `Hand me the keys Stoughton. I'll see to the locks. I want some fresh air'

PD James Death Comes to Pemberley a Jane Austen murder mystery sequel - our BATS (book group) book of the month. I'm not a great fan of Austen and there seems to be some knowledge assumed but I'm getting on fairly well with it. Here's James writing about her book and her reaction to Pride and Prejudice.

Mutterings - June 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Tears :: Fears
2. Press :: Pack
3. Rowboat :: Windermere
4. Society :: Wine
5. Magazine :: Cartridge
6. Mars :: Craters
7. Gone bad :: Plum
8. Celebrity :: Culture
9. Umbrella :: Shelter
10. Core :: Earth

Teaser Tuesday - June 18

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Her neck was dry and wrinkled, faintly reptilian, her face was smoother, more made-up than usual, and wearing the expression the French call maussade. She seemed to have lately washed her hair which made a smooth frizzy ball around her head.

Bradley Pearson observing women - another teaser from Iris Murdoch's The Black Prince. Maussade is sullen - I had to look it up!

Mutterings - June 16

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Hook :: Peter Pan
2. Ringer :: Dead
3. Hoodwink :: Fool
4. Football :: Goal
5. Out of the way :: Quiet
6. Skull :: Numb
7. Enough :: Stop!
8. Scholarship :: Exhibition
9. Ruin :: Ivy (and 'Une ruine coquille vide' Eluard/Poulenc)
10. Lawyer :: Justice

Teaser Tuesday - June 11

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

It was Priscilla. She marched past me into the sitting-room and immediately began to cry.

Iris Murdoch's The Black Prince. A mediation on art and ethics (and the Post Office Tower).

Looking up wharfedale

Looking up wharfedale, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

We spent last week at Scargill house on a summer gardens week, trips to various gardens in the vicinity - Beth managed all those, I went on the Parcevall Hall and Japanese garden trip, and otherwise just rested with a couple of evening trips down to Kettlewell. The album of photos I took is on line.

Mutterings - June 9

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Rubbish :: Bin
2. Court :: Margaret (it must be the tennis season)
3. Bangs :: Exhaust
4. Affinity :: Sympathy
5. Wholesome :: Tasty
6. Jessica :: Cat (we had a cat called Jessica - that's her on the right seeing snow for the first time)
7. Trumpet :: Blast
8. Treatment :: Healing
9. Happening :: Event (60s)
10. Pain :: Ache (closely followed by - French - bread)

Mutterings - June 2

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Progress :: Pilgrim's
2. Wife :: Partner
3. Denim :: Trousers
4. Wow :: Factor
5. Jacket :: Smoking
6. Studio :: Pad
7. Boyfriend :: Gay
8. Tablet :: Touchscreen
9. Hidden :: Caché (Michael Haneke film
10. Closer :: Danger

Teaser Tuesday - May 28

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Now the time had come to break up the strange domestic arrangements at Crespigny Road. Blackwell and Tooth were almost as sorry to see Freda and Diane leave as Chapman himself.

Our bookgroup book of the month - Agent Zigzag - Ben Macintyre the tale of a double agent during World War II a man of very mixed motives - but a fascinating story. I did wonder about some of the details - why did the Germans allow Chapman to bring his Iron Cross into the UK on a spying mission for them?

View from the Edge

View from the Edge, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Last week there was another All Saints' walk - and the evening turned out beautifully for a walk over Alderley Edge ending at the Wizard.

Mutterings - May 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Rental :: Car
2. Collapse :: of stout party
3. Seismic :: Shift
4. Barricade :: 1968 (Paris)
5. Dip :: Fondue
6. Teamed :: Cattle
7. Jeans :: Pair
8. Why not? :: Indeed
9. Honing :: Knife
10. Dough :: Bowl

Sunset

Sunset, a photo by rajmarshall on Flickr.

Earlier this week I led the church walk with a walk around Bollington from the Vale Inn. You'll find the flickr album of photos as the walking season progresses here. The Vale Inn sells a book of walks one of which we used - in a truncated form! You can see the full route and download a route card and a GPS file. We missed out the walk up to White Nancy (booo!) and did the walk in reverse cutting across to Ingersley Vale at around half way around - well it was the evening and we needed to get back to the pub for chips - which were enjoyed! The photo was taken from just beneath White Nancy. Our walk next week is on Wednesday (not Thursday!)

Mutterings - May 19

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Arrow :: Time (..flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana)
2. Hum :: Ho
3. Cornerstone :: Arch
4. Flight :: Departure
5. Music :: Life
6. Determine :: Calculate
7. Analysis :: Mathematical
8. Better day :: Tomorrow
9. Audio :: Plug
10. Meditation :: Silence

Teaser Tuesday - 14 May

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Oh, my lordy, lordy! Raf'? Dey ain' no raf' no mo', she done broke loose en gone! - en here we is!

That's probably 4 sentences but it may only be 2? Huckleberry Finn and Jim getting into a scrape...but it's a good teaser!

Mutterings - May 12

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. 537 :: odd
2. Horizon :: Ringed by the flat.. (George Benjamin work and a quote from Eliot's The Waste Land)
3. Episode :: Soap
4. Character :: Set (and gives me a chance to link to a recent xkcd!
5. Crossed :: Palm (with silver)
6. Shipping :: Lanes
7. Jump :: to it!
8. Bowling :: Alley
9. Grumpy :: Dopey
10. Them :: Us

Teaser Tuesday - May 7

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

It was kind of lazy and jolly, laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study. Two months or more run along, and my clothes got to be all rags and dirt, and I don't see how I ever got to like it so well at the window's, where you had to wash and eat on a plate, and comb up, and go to bed and get up regular, and be for ever bothering over a book and have old Miss Watson pecking at you all the time.

Huckleberry Finn with his Pop from Mark Twain's book. I've not read this since I was young and I'd been wanting to re-read it for some time and was given impetus by a blog which quoted from it and the relationship between Huck and Jim (the escaped slave), I shall see how it goes!

Mutterings - May 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Interests :: Common
2. Bloom :: In
3. Ceiling :: Rose
4. Tears :: Fears
5. Jerk :: Pull
6. Weight :: Light
7. Friends :: Companions
8. Camera :: Flash
9. Chicken :: Scared
10. Hose :: Doublet

Teaser Tuesday - April 30

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

He decides on the 'Goldberg' Variations. He has four recordings here and selects not the showy unorthodoxies of Glenn Gould, but Angela Hewitt's wise and silky playing which includes all the repeats.

Another teaser from Ian McEwan's Saturday a carefully chosen non-random one - as at the point around where I am in the book there's far too much danger of a spoiler! The main character is a brain surgeon and he's just selecting the music to accompany an operation.