Current Reading

I'm interested in history. I think there's something really fascinating in learning about what happened in the past, how things perhaps several hundred years ago have an impact on things today. I've read several books on 20th century history, first the Andrew Marr 2-book The Making of Modern Britain. The first goes from the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 up until the end of World War 2 and he second from 1945 up until the present day. I have Peter Ackroyd's first four books of his four-part series on the History of England.  The first is called 'Foundation, 'the second, 'Tudors', the third 'Civil War', and the fourth 'Revolution.' I'm not sure exactly when the final two books will be published or how far the series is likely to go. All these are worth reading. I've just finished reading 'Hope and Glory' by Peter Clarke, a history of the 20th century. I had wanted to read up as much as possible about the history of this period, so as to get a better understanding of why we're where we are now, with such things as Brexit, the E.U. and so on. I probably know more about the Tudor period, in particular anything to do with William Shakespeare, rather than this century.

My interest in history has always been there, but as we are members of both the National Trust and English Heritage you can't be ignorant of all the properties we visit which have connections to some aspect of history. One of our favourite places is Kenilworth Castle. It is a place just brimming over with history, particularly when connected to Queen Elizabeth 1. I read BBC History Magazine and recently started a subscription to History Today, which has had a revamp and is now in a far more compact format.

I've got a copy of  'The H.G. Wells Complete Short Stories.' I had watched a Sky Arts series called 'The Nightmare World of H.G. Wells,' which took a handful of his short stories and adapted them, rather in the style of 'Tales of The Unexpected' or 'The Outer Limits,' which are fantasy or science fiction-based shows. They did four of the stories as 2016 was the 150th anniversary of his birth. They adapted 'The Purple Pileus, 'The Moth', 'The Late Mr Elvisham,' and 'The Devotee of Art,' I've read the most famous story in the collection, which is a good deal longer than the average short story (I think it would be termed a novella) 'The Time Machine' and have read several of his novels, such as 'The Invisible Man' and 'War of The Worlds' but don't know the other stories so well. Today I read 'The Strange Orchid.' All these are exceptionally creepy and strange and not to be read when it's dark. I think 'The Strange Orchid' must have been the inspiration for 'Little Shop of Horrors.' 'The Time Machine', which I'm currently re-reading, is so good because it's convincing. The opening sequence, where 'The Time-Traveller' (who is never given his real name) is explaining his theories of time-travel, is done in such a way you can't not get drawn in, in a similar way to those of his friends who he's talking to. Then I have to ask, who is telling the story? As it's a first-person narrative, are we supposed to believe that it's actually H.G.Wells himself? It's no clear whether it is, but one is lead to suppose that it must be, probably because he wrote the story.

We have a bookcase which is bulging with books. Infact, we probably have more books than most people would usually have. A good deal of them need sorting and taking to a charity shop as they aren't likely to be read again. 

Recent Reading . . . and Some Writing . . . Part 3

I have an interest in history. Not because of anything educational. I was doing 'A' Level History and 'A' Level English Literature at Mander College in Bedford as I was supposed to have gone on to do a drama degree at Bristol University but didn't get on with any of the course and left to go to work as a student  A.S.M. at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham instead of doing a degree course in 1969. I have to say that the 'A' Level courses I did were so boring they would have put anyone off English literature, particularly Shakespeare, possibly for life. We were studying Othello and The Tempest. Just plain DULL for an 18 year old. The history course, just the same, so dull it would have driven anyone to not want to look at history again, American history as well as European. I think I have got my interest in history from being a member of the National Trust and visiting their properties. I came across a book called "The Real Oliver Twist: Robert Blincoe- A Life That Illuminates an Age" by John Waller. There is no actual proof that Charles Dickens read about Blincoe and that he used it as a basis or background for his novel "Oliver Twist", but it certainly gives you a good idea of what life was like for those working in factories during the Industrial Revolution in the early years of the 19th Century. A real eye-opener. I have to say that I prefer 'real' history rather than 'historical fiction.' I never got all excited over the 'Wolf Hall' novels of Hilary Mantel or the television series or, for that matter, the R.S.C. stage productions. I think perhaps I know the Tudor period it covers too well. I did see the first episode of the B.B.C. production but didn't get drawn in to watch any more of it. There is far too much material available, such as documents, letters and archives, to start making up fiction to really interest me. Another book I read which I found in the amazing The Works shop in Milton Keynes Central Shopping Centre is "Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth" by Mary S. Lovell. An amazing lady living during the Tudor period. She was married at one time to a husband who was responsible for inspecting the monasteries and other institutions at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII and for keeping Mary, Queen of Scots imprisoned during  the reign of Elizabeth I. A really fascinating read and I can highly recommend.

I am a subscriber to "B.B.C. History Magazine" and have been reading it for several years now. The first couple of years you got a free book with your subscription and the first year I had the first of Peter Ackroyd's series of books on the History of England called "Foundation" and then the following year it was "Tudors" and the most recent volume "Civil War," which Carol bought me as a Christmas present last year. There are to be six volumes which presumably brings the history right up to the present day. I'm not sure when the fourth volume will be published, but, considering the number of books that Peter Ackroyd writes I imagine it will be until next year. Just have to wait and see when it is released.

Having delved into the world of Sherlock Holmes and his side-kick Dr John Watson, I then got into other crime literature. I have read and enjoyed P.D. James's novels, the Adam Dalgliesh series, with "Devices and Desires" and "The Private Patient." Then the Dalziel and Pascoe books written by Reginald Hill and the television series which starred Warren Clark as Andy Dalziel. The part was made for him and he seemed to inhabit the character. Colin Buchanan played his opposite number, Pascoe. I like the books because they have an underlying comedy which so many 'whodunits' and crime fiction seem to lack. I have also read quite a few of Val Mcdermid's novels, "The Grave Tattoo" being one, but the last two I read, "The Skeleton Road and "Vanishing Point" were not as good as her earlier work and rather a let-down. Too predictable and formulaic as far as I was concerned, as good as her earlier work and rather a let-down. I don't think I'll bother with her newest novel when it comes out.

As regards my own writing, I have been working on a project which I have been developing slowly for the past couple of years which has multiple 'layers' or story, seen from different perspectives. It's set in one location, much like a soap, with characters who come and go. I have up managed to publish some of this on a website called Shortbread so at least it's got people reading it and making some comments.I  have  been keeping notes on story ideas and doing observations for characters which is useful for developing my own material. I did a one-day creative writing course at Milton Keynes Art Centre nearly two years ago and that sparked off a lot of ideas and shoed me how to get started with writing. I had signed up to do a 10-week follow-up course which would have been even more useful, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to the lady who lead it being ill. It has not, unfortunately, been re-scheduled, which is a real pity. I did, however, sign up to do another course run by Milton Keynes Council and running over 8 weeks at the Milton Keynes Academy last September (2014) but I just couldn't get on with it and didn't complete the course. I have since bought a book on creative writing and used some of the exercises in that as well as doing a free on-line course run on something called Futurelearn which was quite useful. I have since done several other of their courses, one on Shakespeare and another on archaeology.

I read "Les Miserables" a couple of years ago. I managed to get the Vintage Books paperback edition which is in a translation by Julie Rose. I saw the original London stage musical back in around 1989 or thereabouts and loved it and have since seen the film version, which I was very impressed by. I had grave doubts that it would ever do justice to the original stage show, because, on balance, the film versions of musicals never seem to be as good, usually because they seem to insist on using actors who were never in the original or at least can't sing. In the movie they didn't use 'dubbed' voices for the singing of the songs but used a system whereby the actors sang 'live' and had tiny ear-pieces through which they could hear a pianist playing 'live,' which meant that the finished performances were far more spontaneous than having the actors dubbing to a pre-recorded soundtrack. You always seem to have the feeling in a lot of  musical films that the actors are miming and in some cases they don't use their own voices. Think Audrey Hepburn's voice being dubbed by an actress called Marni Nixon for "My Fair Lady." I was surprised how well Russell Crowe managed to perform and sing the role of Javert in the film of "Les Mis." I was determined to read the novel first before I saw the film when it came out in 2012 and as a result it made the story a good deal clearer. Actually, that was another thing I noticed about the film version: the story was a good deal clearer. I wasn't aware that Gavroche and Eponine were the children of the Thenardier's. The book is some 1100 pages long and, to be honest, there are huge tracts of it which are extremely heavy-going and it took some effort to skip. Victor Hugo, the author, does tend to put his point of view in far too much, intervening in the story many times. I know Charles Dickens does use his novels to point out social issues in his novels, but he doesn't let his 'voice' get in the way of the plot. There are certainly many chapters which are nothing to do with the story at all but talk about subjects related to the plot and nothing more. In some ways the film improves on the original because these bits are cut out, thankfully.

Doctor's Appointment

I went to the doctor's surgery before 8 a.m. today to get an appointment. You can book via telephone, but it can take so long to get through that it's far easier to stand outside and queue. Apparently several of the doctors are off ill so it was quite difficult to get an appointment. So, what do doctors do when THEY are ill? Do they manage to prescribe themselves medication of does someone else in the surgery, another doctor, give them the prescription or do medical examinations? Is it a case of 'physician, heal thy self?' I've often wondered. Anyway, got the appointment for 10.10, so I went home and then went out nearer the appointment time. The computerised check-in system was not working. I think most doctors surgeries now have this technology, whereby you check in yourself on the computer screen. I had to give my details to the receptionist and she checked in on the computer system, but what a performance having to go through all the computer 'menus.' Crazy. Anyway, I got into the doctor's surgery and was given a prescription for antibiotics to clear up the problem with my ear. My hearing has gone very 'dull' to say the least. Then went into the next-door chemists to have the prescription made up and then home, just in time to receive our post as the postman was several doors along, pushing his little trolley.We are waiting for an order from Amazon, but the parcel that was handed over with Amazon emblazoned all over it was for Daniel. My free book for being a subscriber to BBC History Magazine had arrived. Last year I had the first volume of Peter Ackroyds History of England: Foundation. This one is the second volume, The Tudors.

Just to say one little thing that somewhat narks me, annoys or whatever. I had parked the car in the carpark behind the doctor's surgery and was somewhat shocked to  come across a pile of cigarette ends around the back of the block  (which also contains a dental surgery and the Cox and Robinson pharmacy.)as I walked back to the car  not just in the gutter that runs along the side of the building but also in the drains and roadside. I know we now have legislation  in Britain which forbids smoking in public places, so those who smoke are forced outside, but do they really, honestly, have to leave the remains of their cigarettes in the road, in the gutter, just on the ground? Can they not place them tidily out of sight, or can their employees arrange for them to have bins to put the stubbed-out cigarette ends in? I have noticed this when going to the central shopping centre in Milton Keynes, you get groups of- presumably- employees of the shops within the shopping centre, standing and smoking just outside in the open, and one imagines, just throwing the remains of their cigarettes on the ground. It looks awful, untidy, and must pose a health risk or hazard of some sort. Also, it just looks plain untidy. I thought, and may or may not be right on this matter, that you can be fined for littering in this way.

Cold, wet, overcast and miserable

We're in that sort of interregnum of the Christmas/New Year's holiday period, where everything is downright boring. The weather is playing silly games; one minute it is bright sunshine and then it goes really dull, and the wind gets up. There's not a lot to do. I am writing this to fill in time. I gave Carol a bird-feeding station, which is set up in the garden. It comes with a central section, made of metal, with a point on one end, which you stick in the ground. Fortunately the grass in the back garden is relatively soft. I'm not going to call it a 'lawn' because it's hardly that. It slopes down towards the house and gets very muddy when it rains. Anyway, the bird-feeding station. From the central section you hang metal arms which take two feeding 'plates' one, which is clear plastic, is intended for water, and the other is made of metal, almost like a sieve, for food. The rather attractive top-mounted arrays take special bird-feeding 'cages' filled with fat balls. We set it up too close to the house at first, but have now moved it further back from the house. I think several birds have visited, but we haven't had too many. I will keep you informed as things develop, so keep reading these posts . . .

As for television . . . this years it's been downright pathetic. Apart from 'Doctor Who' and 'Great Expectations' there's been nothing really worth tuning in for. The 'Doctor Who' Christmas special has become part of the Christmas televison furniture for the past few years, at least, since the show was resurrected in 2005. It was a reasonably good episode, not stuffed full of 'special guests' and at least you were kept guessing with 'what would happen next.'  You would honestly think with all the extra channels with 'multi-channel' digital television that there'd be something worth watching. We only have Freeview, but even then we don't watch too much television. I got a year's subscription to BBC History Magazine, which I've been reading for the past few years. The first copy has just arrived. As part of the subscription I got the new Peter Ackroyd book 'The History of England: Foundation', which is the first part of a six-volume history of England, so I'll have that to read in the next month or two.