Almost Neon

 When we moved to this area the first time, one of the things I noticed right away was the intense, vivid, deep colors of the hydrangeas. I love hydrangeas and years ago, we used to have a beautiful one outside our dining room window. It bloomed in a lovely periwinkle blue color. The same color hydrangeas were outside another place we lived here in Ireland. They're abundant here in all kinds of colors. But up here, the colors tend to be much deeper and intense--jewel-tone--instead of being more pastel. There are some of the latter, but more of the former. I've enjoyed looking at the new-to-me hydrangea colors as I've come across them. Today as were were on a walk, I saw one that was almost neon.

I'm told the color depends on the soil. Like all of us I guess, they bloom where they're planted and present themselves accordingly. 😏 

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A Small Slice of Life

 I've mentioned before that I really enjoy the bus rides we go on here, especially the ride between here and Gortahork--we take narrow rural roads, whether we're on the smaller Local Link bus or one of the larger buses. Each one takes a different road and each has different scenery. I'm developing favorite parts of each route. I find these rides so relaxing. Since we've been back, I've realized how much I missed the rocks, hills, views of the sea, and simply riding through some very, very rural areas. It's not that we weren't rural before, but this is a different level--as one friend said, 'You're in the back of beyond now.'  The other day we were on the Local Link. 

At this time of year, people are taking advantage of every dry day to get their turf cut, dried, home, and covered before the next rain arrives.

He was slow and as you can see, passing wasn't really an option for a while so best to just enjoy the ride without worrying too much about how fast the destination will be reached. Eventually there was a spot for the tractor guy to move over and the bus driver to pass. Shortly after we did that, we passed a small cottage with another tractor and trailer full of turf parked out front. People do light their open fires all year long, but they'll also want to get ready for winter. The wind can be fierce in this region as it blows off the ocean.

The sky was pretty typical of the sort we've been experiencing lately. I love a grey sky with puffy clouds--like a piece of abstract art. In spite of the clouds, we haven't really had much rain for a few days. This is apparently about to change as Storm Floris arrives, bringing unseasonably high winds and lots of rain.

Earlier in the week, we were in Letterkenny with a bit of time before we had to look out for our bus home. This means a visit to the charity shop. I don't know when they opened the one right next to the bus stop, but it was a genius move. It was a good book day. Bill got a bunch and I picked up 3 classics.

I'm always thrilled to find classics, especially the black Wordsworth Editions. I find they have excellent introductions (which should always be read after reading the book due to spoilers).

I've read Pride and Prejudice and to be honest, it's not my favorite Austen. But they had two copies of this and we had 9 books, so I would've been charged €2 whether I got the 10th one or not (the books there are priced at 5 for €1). I decided to give it another shot. I'm wondering if I'm just ornery and have an aversion to it because so many people are quite wild about it. I'll read it again and find out. I don't think I've read the Sherlock Holmes novels, although I've listened to radio dramatizations. I'll be interested to read these and the introduction. And I've never read Dracula or seen the movie the cover image is taken from. I think I did see Abbott and Costello Meet Dracula when I was a child, but that's about it.

One of the things I love about this cottage is the kitchen. I have so much counter space! It used to be that I kept my large slow cooker in a cupboard and when I wanted to use it, I had to move other things around to make space for it on the counter near a plug. Then it would be in the way, so I mostly used it overnight. Now it has a dedicated space on the counter away from the area where I do most of my work and it's within reach of a plug that I don't need to use for anything else. I can put supper ingredients in there in the morning and by suppertime, the meal is finished. Yesterday morning, I put in a whole chicken and some chunks of potato, onion, and carrot, turned it on high and 8 hours later, we had supper. 

Of course, there was leftover veg and plenty of chicken--I usually get 4 meals for both of us out of a whole chicken of this size. I add a small amount of water at the start and as things cook, a nice broth is also created. I pour this in a jar and usually use it for soup or gravy. This is the only way I've cooked whole chickens for years. For one thing, it's an energy efficient way to cook--it would take eons in the ovens I've had here, but I was doing it this way even before we came to Ireland. It comes out beautifully--falls off the bone and because it's not a dry heat, the chicken and veg do not dry out. I do like roasted veg, but this is a nice way to have them, too. 

So that's a random slice of my life lately--quiet, peaceful, and full of gratitude. It's a holiday weekend here, so of course rain is in the forecast and a potentially disruptive storm. I'll have all the rechargeable lamps, my e-reader, and my mp3 player charged up and ready. 

I hope August has been treating you well so far!

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July Reading Wrap Up (Second Half)

 Before I get to my 2nd half reading wrap up, I wanted to give an update on our electric company saga. Yesterday I got a corrected bill, which stated that it was replacing the previous bill. The correct bill is €113 lower than the incorrect one. Glad that's sorted. Now on to the books! My reading wrap up for the first half of the month is here.

Shockwave: The Countdown to Hiroshima by Stephen Walker (library book)

Here's how this books begins:

" For the rest of his life, Sumao Tsubori would never forget how beautiful the garden looked that night. The trees, the lake, the little rainbow bridge, the ancient wooden teahouses dotting the banks, the smell of fresh pine, the white heron sleeping on the rock. The perfect stillness of it all. Outside beyond the garden walls, the city slept in the darkness. In the blackout, it was almost possible to believe there was no city out there at all, no houses, no army, no war. As if he and Reiko, lying together under the stars, were the only people alive in the world. That is how he remembered it the night before the bomb." (p3)

This was quite a read. It does exactly what the subtitle says--looks at the weeks leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima from a few weeks before when the bomb was tested, through to the aftermath and the next bomb drop on Nagasaki. The author concludes with a chapter on the men involved in the years after the war and what they thought of their part in this horrific episode. There were many ways in which I found this narrative chilling as well as heartbreaking. The people going about their lives as best as they could under the circumstances couldn't possibly imagine the horror that was heading their way. As I was reading, I kept thinking about how incredibly stupid war is and how we know this and keep on doing it anyway. I understand that the Japanese military people were incredibly brutal--not just at this time in history, either. I don't know whether dropping the bombs was justified. I'm glad I will never have to make such a decision. In the end, had they listened to one advisor in particular, they could have gotten the same terms of surrender before the bombs were dropped. It's also true that if the US hadn't dropped the bomb, then another country would have at some point. What was not ambiguous at all to me was some of the attitudes on the part of the (very unlikable) US military guys involved, who expressed no remorse and in one case, even celebrated this catastrophe decades later, when he reproduced the flight and the bomb drop at a Texas air show. That is obscene. You can have no regrets for your actions, be convinced that you did the right thing, and still recognize that it was horrific, even if you think it was justified. I don't think the slaughter of all those people is cause for celebration or entertainment, war or no war. As you can probably tell, this was a powerful book that will stay with me.

Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer (library book)

This was the 100th title published in the British Library Crime Classics series. It's a fun read, which is set in the world of secondhand book dealing in London in the 1950s. In the book, Sergeant Wigan escorts a drunk man home, befriends him, and becomes interested in the man's trade, which is secondhand books. Some of these books are quite rare and the dealers and runners can be quite competitive. Still, Wigan's new friend begins teaching him about books and how to find desirable ones. They visit one another regularly. But one day, the book dealer is found dead. Wigan sets out to find the murderer of his friend with help from various others. The author had a foot in both worlds as he was a police officer and a book person, so he was able to bring that world to life. As I was reading, I was thinking about the book Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, who is a rare book dealer herself and includes a lot about the book trade of the present day. In both cases, this adds a lot to the books.

Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (Serial Reader)

I've been enjoying reading some of Agatha Christie's early work again via the Serial Reader app. In the case of this book, although I read it before, I had no recollection of it at all and in fact, I think I thought the plot was different than it actually was. It was like reading it for the first time again. It's not one of Christie's best works, but reading it little by little was a fun experience nonetheless. In the book, Anne Beddingfield has come of age running her father's household after the death of her mother. When her father dies, she learns that he left many debts, so house and possessions are sold off to pay them, leaving her about £87. She goes to stay with a family friend while she tries to find work. One day, while on the platform at the train station, she looks up to see a man near the edge. Suddenly a look of horror comes over his face. He takes a step backwards and falls. Anne finds a piece of paper with some numbers on it. What do they mean? And what is the ticket to go view a house all about? What's the connection to the dead body that was found there? Anne decides to investigate and with her £87, which is just enough to buy a ticket for a boat to South Africa, she begins her adventure. 

Abortion: A History by Mary Fissell (library book)

The title tells you what this is about. It's a very interesting look at how attitudes to abortion changed in different places at different times, going from a commonplace medical procedure that was accepted and not considered anyone's business but the pregnant woman's, to a punishable offence when both women and fetuses were considered male property. Older women explained to younger ones what herbs/plants they could use to encourage miscarriage. Hot baths, jumping up and down, and other physical things were also advised. Then, when women and fetuses were considered property of men, miscarrying was considered a theft of property. Surveillance was common (sound familiar?). Nonetheless, whatever the laws and attitudes at any particular time, women have always and will always find ways to have abortions. 

The Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson (library book)

Another secondhand bookshop! This one is located in the Charing Cross Road and is owned by Mr. Dodsley. One night, he is found murdered in his office. The scene looks remarkably like the cover of a newly published mystery novel written by the estranged daughter of an MP. Is there a connection? Turns out that the owner had called in a private detective to look into another matter shortly before his death. He continues his investigation, expanding it to include the murder. Scotland Yard is pursuing their own investigation and there are some amusing conversations within the police hierarchy. I enjoyed this book, but didn't think it was as good as Death of a Bookseller above. That said, it was a classic mystery (first published in 1937) and books are central to the plot, so it was still a good read. And there was some lovely writing, such as this sentence, " Envy is not a soil on which love thrives." (p 66)

The Waves by Virginia Woolf (my copy)

Well, this was one of the strangest books I've ever read. I'm not really sure whether I liked it or not. At the moment, I can't see myself re-reading it, but I'm going to keep it, so you never know. The 'plot' involves the lives of 6 friends as they grow up, enter adulthood, become middle-aged, and grow old. There is a 7th friend, but he is only talked about, and we never hear from him directly. This is in contrast to the others--the entire book is a sort of stream of consciousness moving between one and the next. These inner monologues are interspersed with a poetic story about the sun rising over the waves and shining through the day until it sets again. It took me a while to get into the flow of the narrative as there are no breaks between one character's thoughts and the next one--as I read, I was trying to keep up with quick jumps between 'Susan said' and 'Louis said' and on and on. The exception to this jumping around was near the end, when Bernard 'says' for many, many pages. After a while, I could see who was speaking/thinking, but it did take a while. These were sometimes profound thoughts and sometimes observations of the surroundings, for example (not actual quotes, because I am too lazy to get the book from the bottom of my Woolf pile, but sentences like this): 'The crumbs are on the table. Soon, I will push my glass away.' The style was such that at first it wasn't clear to be that these were thoughts left unspoken--I mean, I do not think this way. But it was a different time and Woolf was trying to create a work of art, so that is perhaps not so important here.

The Mysterious Mr. Badman by W.F. Harvey (library book)

This is another bibliomystery--my third and most favorite one of the month. This one is set in Yorkshire and is quite amusing. Mr. Athelstan Digby is a delightful character. He is staying in a village near where his nephew, Dr. Jim Pickering, may take over the local medical practice. They plan to go hiking. Mr. Digby offers to watch the bookstore owned by the person he's staying with as he and his wife have somewhere to go. Mr. Digby is astonished when three very different people show up looking for a book by Bunyan--The Mysterious Mr. Badman. He's even more astonished when a young lad comes in to sell him some books and that very title is included. Why do people want that book? When someone takes the book from Mr Digby's possession, it's clear something weird is going on. Mr Digby and Jim decide to find out what. This was a fun read--quite an amusing caper, full of implausible episodes. I learned that the author published a book of interconnected short stories featuring Athelstan Digby, but the library system doesn't have it and it's not on Project Gutenberg. Maybe one day I'll find it. I'd definitely love to read it.

So that's it for July reading. I hope you had an excellent reading month, too. Here's hoping for more wonderful books in August!

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Starting and Hopefully Ending

 Yesterday, I wrote about my difficulties with the electric company, who was trying to stick us with a bunch of charges and taxes on those charges for 4 months before we moved in here. As things stood then, I was awaiting a response to the email I sent with 10 attachments--pictures of each page of the lease. This morning, I got a letter in my email from Edwin, saying that he had approved the change to the move-in date because what I sent him at first didn't have the necessary information (it did) and what I sent him yesterday did (it repeated what I'd already sent him. He told me that to complete the process, I should call Customer Service. I did this and ended up listening to the screeching trumpet again--I loathe that trumpet! Then some guy came on who sounded like he was a teenager. He asked how he could help me and I explained as concisely as possible. 'Hang on 2 seconds while I check your account,' he said. Then, 'Yes, the move-in date of 5 June has been approved. Hang on 2 seconds while I change that for you.' I waited. Then he told me it was done and asked, 'And is there anything else I can help you with today?' 'Well, yes. The starting meter reading needs to be corrected. And the bill needs to be corrected, because now that you've removed 4 months from it, it will be quite a bit lower.' This seemed to throw him a bit (?!). He said, 'Hang on 2 seconds while I go check on this.' I was back to the trumpet for several minutes. Then I was informed that he was connecting me with someone who could actually do what I needed. And it seemed that she did. She removed the old bill, she said, as well as updated the account to show the correct start date. She told me I could expect a corrected bill in due course. I mentioned the starting meter reading. She left to check on that and when she came back, told me the one I gave her was correct--they checked remotely for that day. I asked about the postal address, which was also wrong on the incorrect bill. Apparently the guy I talked to last week did actually fix that because it's right now. I was feeling pretty hopeful that we were nearing the end of this annoying episode, but after supper, I saw I had a missed call and a voicemail from the electric company. My heart sank when the woman said she'd like to help me with my query, but since she couldn't reach me, I should call. Sigh. I called. Pressed all the buttons. Answered the security questions. The guy asked how he could help me. I said I wasn't sure, but was told to call. He had a look. The call was just to confirm the corrected move-in date. I confirmed that the old bill had been removed and he said it had been--I tend toward believing this because I noticed that when I was at the start of the call, the automated voice did not tell me what the balance was, as it had done before. So we live in hope that things are on track now.

In order to reward myself between conversations with the electric company, I took a walk to the library late this afternoon. I had a backpack full of books to return and 3 to pick up. I am definitely looking forward to these, especially this one:

This one is a short story collection:

And the last one I picked up today--I've read at least one other book by this author and it was quite good. I've become quite interested in the similarities between authoritarian societies and how they succumbed to tyrants. I'm curious to see what he has to say about this time in history. Based on the blurb, it seems like some of what he describes will seem very familiar.

For tonight, I plan to start the Yorkshire bibliomystery. Have any of you read it (or either of the other two)? If so, what did you think?

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Nice Try

 This morning, with my first cup of coffee in front of me, I called the electric company--again. When we moved here, I did the usual stuff to start the account here. Because bills are sent every other month, I wasn't expecting one until mid/late August. Imagine my surprise then, when a week ago I found a bill in my email. That surprise turned to shock when I saw the amount. The shock turned to annoyance when I downloaded the bill and saw the problem. The billing period was supposed to start on June 5. They started it on February 5. This means that they stuffed lots of fees and taxes on those fees onto this bill. In addition to that, they had the wrong starting meter reading. And they had the postal address wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I called, pressing all the required buttons and answering the security questions. The woman went to investigate. She came back, thanked me for waiting, and the call got cut off. I called again. I pressed all the buttons. I listened to the screeching trumpet they have for their 'on hold' music--an insanely bad choice, because it does grate on the nerves and people are already not in a good mood when they're trying to contact this company. When the person answered, we went through all the security questions again. Rather than repeat myself, I told him I'd just been cut off. He looked at my account and could see what was going on. He told me that it sometimes happens that when people move out of a property and close their account, no one takes responsibility for it as they should. So I should send pictures of the lease pages with dates on showing the move-in date and the correct meter reading. He said he fixed the postal address. I sent the relevant lease pages, including the signature page which has a date on it. I first got an automated reply saying it would take 24 hours for someone to reply. In less than an hour, I had a reply saying that my email had been forwarded to the billing department and I should allow 5 working days for them to send a correct bill. No real surprise that the 5 days came and went without any further communication, other than an automated email asking me to rate my experience with customer service. Um, I don't really think you want me to do that right now, people.

So this morning, I did the whole thing again. The customer service person I was speaking to asked if I'd received any further communication. I said I had not. She told me that when she looked at my account, she saw a message saying they'd been unable to approve the change because what I sent wasn't proof enough. I needed to send the entire tenancy agreement. I told her that to do that, I would have to take a picture of each individual page and send it. 'Do you really want me to send you 10 pages of this stuff?' We went back and forth. At some points she seemed to indicate that I should send the 10 attachments and at others that I should send any page with a date. I asked her if it would work to have the letting agent who manages the place call and correct the issue. At first she said no. Later I said that since the problem seems to be that no one is on record for the four months between 5 February and 5 June, if he calls and sorts that out, that should solve the problem. 'Yeeeas, maybe,' she squeaked. She said she could extend the lock on the bill, which means they won't request the money from the bank for an extra week. She reiterated that I should send the lease today to the same email address that I sent things before. 

There were several things that irritated me about this whole thing. One of them was that when they decided they weren't going to correct the bill without further proof, they didn't bother to tell me. It seems like they were just hoping I'd let it go and they'd be able to stick us with the bill. We're not talking a small amount here, either. They are overcharging us by more than 100 euro.

I got off the phone, took a picture of each page of the lease, attached them all to an email and sent it. I contacted the letting agent and said he needs to contact them and sort out the 4 month gap. I have gotten no reply to my email--not even the automated one. Once again, I have no idea what is going on. I checked the account and the debit date is not showing that it's been extended. I have no way of knowing if they fixed the postal address because all I have access to is the mess of a bill with everything wrong in it. I suppose I'm going to have to start off tomorrow with another phone call to some poor person somewhere who is going to have to converse with a very unhappy woman who does not enjoy starting off her day with these conversations. If nothing else, maybe they'll get tired of me calling them. It wouldn't bother me at all if they are as sick of dealing with me as I am dealing with them! 

This whole gap problem seems to be increasing. We've experienced it before, but it was flagged before the new account was opened, so the landlord could pay what he owed. I noticed that they've started to ask who will be responsible for the account of the property we're moving from, which never used to happen. When we were leaving our apartment for the last time a few weeks ago, I knew the question would be asked, so I asked the letting agent who managed the place what name I should give. He said it didn't matter and I didn't have to tell them anything. I gave them the name of the management company anyway. They seem quite nonchalant about it, but for the sake of the person who moves in there next, I hope it's been taken care of. People have enough to deal with when moving--they don't need this kind of crap on top of everything else!

Late in the afternoon, we caught the bus for a nice ride to get some groceries. I do enjoy the ride and it was just what I needed--a dose of beautiful scenery.

this makes me think of those old signs that say 'if you lived here, you'd be home now' we had a little further to go

This landscape always fills me with a sense of quiet joy and peace.

And then, this wee Dublin doggy made me laugh--he always does. The person who does the video doesn't allow it to be played outside of youtube, so the link should take you there--it's a minute and a half of adorableness.

I had two audiobooks come in today--one was 2 weeks early--so I have a nice evening of listening and crochet ahead. I'll enjoy that.

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Outmatched

 I posted the other day about Donegal making it to the GAA All-Ireland Football championship match and all the excitement around their first appearance there in 11 years. It was not a good result for Donegal today. They were outmatched from the start. Lots of bummed people have a long journey back to Donegal from Dublin tonight. 

The son of our former neighbor, who is one of the best players on the team, went out with an injury in the first half, so we hope he's OK. It didn't seem serious, but I'm sure he was disappointed.

Many bars have live music planned tonight--and they get special permission to stay open late. I guess the atmosphere won't be very festive, but I'm sure the drink will flow nonetheless. People can drink and dance away their sorrow. I'm glad I'm not near one.

As for me, I have an artist talk to listen to while I crochet and a book to read, so I'm happy anyway. 😀

And now we head into a new week. Hope yours is great!

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The End :-(

 Today was the last day for the Bakery, the bakery/cafe near us. It's very sad. The owner announced that it was for sale shortly after we decided to move back here. I was chatting with her when our friend and I went there for breakfast as he was helping us move stuff. She was hoping to find a buyer that would keep the business going and keep the staff. It was a very successful business, as we knew from when we lived above it. It was an extremely popular spot for locals and tourists alike. And she worked so hard. In addition to the cafe, she created custom cakes, which she had to do after the cafe had closed. She was often there into the wee hours of the morning and during the Christmas season that we were there, she was downstairs all night on the night before Christmas Eve getting the Christmas cakes and other goodies ready to be picked up. We used to watch sometimes as she would carry a huge towering box out to someone's car and carefully place it safely inside. At some point after we left 3 years ago, she stopped doing the custom cakes and focused on the cafe because doing both was becoming too much.  But then there were some changes in her life that required her to be available for caregiving, so she decided it was time to sell. Apparently there were no good offers, because a couple of weeks ago she announced that while she'd hoped for a buyer and/or to stay open until the end of August, circumstances beyond her control meant that today would be the last day the cafe would be open. So, after 13 years, the Bakery has now closed its doors for the last time. 

Of course, I was not alone in my intention to procure some goodies one last time. A couple of friends were planning to come from 1 1/2 hours away on Thursday so we could head over. But the electricity people were installing new poles for the electricity supply and both our cottage and the Bakery were without power for a time, so she kept the Bakery closed. Yesterday morning, I walked over and the line was out the door. It's a small area at the counter inside and it was chaos. One of the servers was trying to maneuver through the crowd with a full metal teapot and a bunch of mugs to deliver these things to a table. She made it. When I got closer to the counter, someone bought the last chunk of soda bread and I thought, 'Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about her soda bread!' We used to love it. Then someone asked about the basket of quick breads and she was told it was banana bread. 'Oh yeah,' I thought, 'I'd forgotten about her banana bread. I'll get a loaf of that.' I was hoping for cheesecake, which isn't like the cheesecake I used to know--it's much softer and creamier here, but I love both. I felt like it was a lucky day when I asked what kind of cheesecake and was told that it was tiramisu cheesecake. I love tiramisu as much as I love cheesecake. Bill didn't want cheesecake, so I got him a brownie. I got the banana bread and a couple of squares of lemon cake, both of which we still have. That's because I woke up this morning thinking that I could go there again and get a couple of individual quiches to have for supper. I probably don't have to tell you that once I was in there, I noticed today's cheesecake, which was after all, on the shelf above the quiche. It was mint Aero today--this is a candy bar and it seems to be a popular thing to use biscuits (cookies) and candy in various kinds of baked goods. This is often quite delicious and so, in the interests of further research, I chose to get myself a piece of the cheesecake.

Yum, yum, yum. I got Bill a berry crumble bar, which he said was very good. So we still have our lemon cake and banana bread, which will be the last little bit of the Bakery that we will consume. But we will have the memories--of the delicious food then and now and of  the days we spent upstairs waking up every morning to the smell of her baking downstairs. It's going to be quite a transition for her and I wish her well. 

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It's Almost Time

 This is a big weekend for people here in Donegal--and I suppose down in Kerry, too, but I can only speak for my own neck of the woods. People are bouncing off the walls in anticipation of the GAA football* finals match on Sunday afternoon. Flags are flying everywhere--and I mean everywhere. You can't go anywhere without seeing a sea of green and gold. Shops are telling people they have large flags in stock. People are wearing their green and gold jerseys. This guy in Falcarragh was taking advantage of the opportunity to sell some flags yesterday and since today is market day there, I suspect he's back again.

We were on the bus in the middle of nowhere yesterday morning when we passed an abandoned out building--no roof, no windows, just the outer shell remaining. Someone had painted it green and gold before, but now there's a giant Donegal flag hanging off it. Many shops are closed on Sundays anyway, but some of the ones that aren't have announced that they're closing early so staff can watch the game. 

Donegal hasn't been competing for Sam (the Sam Maguire cup, given to the champions) since we've been in the country, so it's been interesting to see the excitement. The town we just left is the home place of some players and the manager, so win or lose, it'll be chaos there, I'm sure. But I have been thinking that if they lose, it'll be pretty gloomy all over the county, so I guess I'll hope to send the gloom south to Kerry and hope that everyone's wish to get 'Sam for the Hills' comes true. So does this 85-year-old guy--a dedicated fan if ever there was one!

*The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has been and still is an important part of Irish identity and community building. The players don't get paid to play and it's not the same as professional sports teams in the US. The vibe here for these games is completely different than it was when I lived in places where the professional sports teams were in the playoffs/finals. In the Irish places I've lived, the football has been the big thing. It's been a pretty big deal in every town and village we've lived in and people of all ages get into the spirit of the thing and volunteer many hours to the cause. There are many different levels of play. This is the All-Ireland Final, which has county teams, but there are also teams in towns and villages and many different age categories, so lots of teams. I never have figured out the structure, but it seems like these town and village teams compete for the regional crown--the town we just left won the Ulster title a couple years ago, which resulted in disruptive noise pollution events for days. One BEGAN at 2:30 am. I think the county team is comprised of the best players from the town and village teams, but I'm not sure. I do know that at least some play on both teams.

In addition to the football, there is hurling, but that's not as big a deal in Donegal as it is further south. I've watched some hurling (called camogie when women play) and it's a pretty wild game involving a flat-ended stick (hurley) and a smallish ball with lots of running while balancing and moving the ball. I understand that game even less than I understand the football.

hurley and ball

 Here in Donegal, football is the big thing. Football here means Gaelic football, which is not soccer or 'American' football, but its own particular game with a goal and cross bars on top, so there are different ways to score. I don't know all the ins and outs, but I've been told that things will get very quiet here on Sunday afternoon as people gather in homes, bars, restaurants, or wherever they can to watch the game--if they haven't gone to Croke Park in Dublin to watch in person, that is. As they say, Up Donegal! 

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For Fans of Classic Mysteries

 I know some of you are, like me, fans of mystery novels, including or especially classics. One of the podcasts I love is Shedunnit, which focuses primarily on crime fiction between the world wars--the Golden Age. Here's a link to the newsletter the host, Caroline Crampton, sent out this week. She's looking at epistolary crime novels. Even if you don't want to listen to the podcast (which usually runs between 20 and 25 minutes), the newsletter is a fun quick read which includes some examples, some of which I've read and others which sound interesting. This is the podcast that introduced me to the work of ECR Lorac a few years ago, among other authors I'd never heard of. Because if there's one thing I need it's more books on my 'want to read' list! 😁😂😏😉

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I Wonder...

 if we might get some rain 😉😏

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July Mid-Month Reading Wrap-Up

 After not reading as much in June as I usually do, but listening to more audiobooks, things are sort of back to normal so far in July. I did listen to one audiobook which was excellent and that was:

My Good Bright Wolf by Sarah Moss (e-audiobook from BorrowBox)

This is a memoir that focuses primarily on the author's descent into anorexia as a kid and her experience of this disease as she lives with it as an adult. This includes family dynamics and societal/cultural critique. The structure of this was unique in that the narrator is speaking to her younger self and uses 'you' to tell the story, both when she is addressing herself as a child and as an adult. She is questioning her memories and right to tell this story and that part of her mind addresses the authorial narrator in an accusing, sometimes exasperated voice. The author also feels as though she has a wolf inside and sometimes addresses short sentences to the wolf. The exception to all of this is when she is talking about an incident from just a few years ago, when she was hospitalized and near death during the pandemic, due to her anorexia. That is described using first person and in a pretty matter-of-fact way. I borrowed this book because it was written by Sarah Moss. I've read some of her other books and loved them, including a past memoir about her year in Iceland. This one was just as good.

I've been glad to be able to pick up physical books again and immerse myself in them. So far this month I've read the following books:

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Basho (re-read, a book I own)

I grabbed this book off a pile that sits on top of my wardrobe and stuck it in my backpack on the day we were going to meet the letting agent at our old apartment to return the keys. I knew we'd have a few hours to wait and this is a small book so didn't take up much room. As it happened, I didn't read at all that day, but I read it in the day or two afterwards. It's exactly what the title says--a selection of some of Basho's travel writing and haibun (a narrative punctuated by haiku or other short poems). I love this book and I know I'll read it again at some point.

The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf (a book I own)

This is the first novel Woolf published and it's where Mrs Dalloway makes her debut, albeit as a minor character. This is something of a coming of age story, even though the main character, Rachel Vinrace, is 24. She's a very young, naive 24, making a voyage to South America on her father's boat. There are various passengers and an aunt that she's never met. Her mother died and she was brought up by different aunts in a very sheltered way, so this is the first time she's been in a situation with so many unfamiliar people. When they reach their destination, she stays with her aunt rather than going off to the interior with her father. They meet a group of other English people staying in a nearby hotel and become a part of that group. Friendships and other relationships flourish. There's not really much plot here and things move pretty slowly, especially at first. Nevertheless, there are a lot of ideas and cultural critiques in the discussions between and about the characters which I really enjoyed. I loved this novel and was a little sorry when it ended.

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (borrowed from the library)

This book won the Booker Prize in 2023. It was a little strange reading it now, while some of the plot points are playing out in real time in my country of origin and as the refugee crisis only gets worse as desperate people flee war, authoritarianism, tyranny, the effects of climate change, starvation, and more. The book takes place in an Ireland in which there is an authoritarian government. It's not clear how this came about (foolish people voting this government in or a takeover or something else), but an emergency is declared, people are disappeared, rights are taken away. In the book, Eilish Stack is the mother of three sons and a daughter. She is trying to care for her father, whose dementia is getting worse, but who wants to stay in his own home across town.One night her husband, the head of a teacher's union, does not come home from a protest. She's juggling all this alone as she tries to figure out day by day, sometimes minute by minute, how to keep her kids safe. One thing that struck me throughout the book was how people fell back into denial, saying things about how they can't do that because there are laws and a constitution. The entire book, including this aspect of it, was so true to life. People said it in the 30s in Germany and they said it to me almost 20 years ago when I would try to talk about how this kind of thing was coming in the US. Laws. Constitution. Words on paper thought up by humans. Easily interpreted in many different ways or disregarded altogether, as we've seen throughout history. Then and now, people seem to have to believe in these things as if they are tangible and unchangeable. But they're only real as long as enough people agree that they are. Anyway, I'm glad I finally read this excellent book, chilling though it is.

The Last Death of the Year by Sophie Hannah (NetGalley digital review copy)

This is the latest in the series of Hercule Poirot continuation novels, to be published in October. It was a good read. My review is here.

The Female Detective by Andrew Forrester (book I own)

This is a British Library Crime Classics publication of a book first published in 1864. I like Victorian fiction as a rule, so I was eager to get into this one. It's more a collection of short stories than a novel, some of which are novella length and some that are shorter. It was a bit disappointing, to be honest. It was OK and I didn't really dislike it, but it ranks at the bottom of all the BLCC books I've read. I'm considering donating it the next time we go to a charity shop. 

The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton (borrowed from the library)

An excellent collection of short stories, some of which I'd read, most of which I hadn't but am glad I did.

Termush by Sven Holm, translated from Danish by Sylvia Clayton (borrowed from library)

A post-apocalyptic novella in which survivors of a nuclear war have bought the commodity of survival in advance, as the unnamed narrator tells us, and have gone to Termush, a hotel with bunkers, safe food, clean water. What happens to these people as they live their lives in such conditions? What happens when survivors who did not have the wherewithal to purchase the commodity called survival in advance, arrive at Termush seeking help? What happens when there is disagreement among this new community? It's a strange book in some ways, but so relevant. The characters in the book are grappling with the fact that the threat is unseen--you can't see the radiation when outside on a sunny day, for example. You can see the effects of the radiation, but not the radiation itself, in the same way we can't see the climate crisis or a viral pandemic, just the effects of those things and we have to figure out how to respond. And of course, in the sort of global system in which we live, in which everything is a commodity, the ability to respond will depend on who you are and what resources you have access to. Excellent book.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

This is a debut novel and it's a great read. The setting is Portland, Oregon. Annie is extremely pregnant--about to give birth any day. She's felt ambivalent about pregnancy and motherhood and she's at the point where everything is just uncomfortable. Money is tight for her and her husband, an aspiring actor, which is another reason she's put off some tasks that should have been done a while ago. She's on her first day of maternity leave and has finally decided she has to go get a crib. She goes to IKEA. While there, the big Cascadia earthquake occurs, bringing devastation with it. Annie starts walking across the city to try to get to her husband and to her home. I couldn't put the book down. I won't say any more because Bill is going to read it, too and I don't want to provide any spoilers. 

So that's what I've read so far this month--been an excellent bookish month so far. I hope that continues!

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Pre-Coffee!

 This morning I slung my backpack onto my back and headed out the door even before I had coffee! What could entice me to do such a thing? The library, where books were in and waiting for me, of course.

There are three different routes I can take to get there and back. They're all nice walks. I chose the longer route on the way there--the Donegal flags are still flying because they won the semi-final match in a rout  on Sunday and will be in the finals in a couple weeks.

You can see that it's a grey day--sky and sea--but there are lots of bright flowers around.

I took the shortest route on the way home and cut down the lane. By then I could hear my coffee calling me.

Here's what I picked up at the library:

I learned about the last one from Erika, at the BioArt Gal blog. In addition to her monthly reading wrap-ups, she posts pictures of her lovely artwork and beautiful surroundings. 

I got home and had my coffee. It was excellent. And now for some reading. I think I'll start with Termush because Bill will be reading it too. It's quite short. I hope you're having a great day!

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Yeah, I Remember

 Yesterday afternoon, we pushed open the door to the pharmacy and were surprised to hear this song playing:

Bill turned to me and started to ask if I remembered the song, but before he finished the sentence, he was smiling and had his answer. I guess it was the fact that I was lip syncing along that indicated that, yeah, I remember it.

Back in what seems like another life, when I was in grad school, I was always the first one in the department every morning. I could have bought a parking pass, but those were expensive and you weren't guaranteed a parking space even if you had one. Bill was working graveyard shift at the time, so every morning after work, he'd swing by the house, pick up our daughter and me, drop me off at the university, then drop her off at middle school. I'd let myself into the dark department, go into my office, get the coffee started in the little coffee machine on my desk, and start playing my favorite mix tape at the time. This song was the first one on the tape and I always started with that song and turned up the volume. Once or twice someone came in earlier than usual, but I could hear their key in the door of the department so I turned it down before they got inside. I'm not sure what it was about the song, but it was part of my morning ritual for a while. As Bill commented later, haven't heard the song in years. He also said he thought it was funny when he saw my response to the song. The woman at the pharmacy was pretty into it, too. And now, I can't get the song out of my head. 

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Random

The road to Falcarragh from the Local Link bus this morning:

The lane near our house, heading down towards the sea:

Finding a way to the light where the wall meets the sidewalk:

This morning, when we got back from Falcarragh and I looked at my email, I was pleased to see that persistence has paid off. For a couple of months I've been checking NetGalley daily to see if the new  Sophie Hannah Hercule Poirot continuation novel was available to request yet. Yesterday it was and I did. Today it was placed on my shelf. That'll be up next. I've read all of the others and I like them well enough. I went into the series expecting them to not be as good as the Queen of Crime herself, but I hoped they'd be good. And they have been, with the last one--a Christmas mystery--being the best of the bunch. That one was excellent and very funny. This one takes place on New Year's Eve in Greece. My first thought is that I'd rather have cold and snow for a seasonal mystery taking place at that time of year. I'll keep an open mind, though. It's going to be published here in October--not sure about timing in other countries.

We have a yellow warning for excessive heat coming into effect for Saturday and Sunday. Those of you in other parts of the world where it gets hot regularly will chuckle when I say that our expected high on both days is forecast to be around 27C/ 80F and the low 18C/64F. Don't get me wrong--that is too hot for me, but I was surprised to see the heat warning issued. It just doesn't get that warm here very often, so I suppose they thought it best to warn people. 

Donegal is playing in the semi-finals of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) football championship on Sunday, so the flags are flying and that's what everyone is talking about. Some people are taking a day trip across the country, heading for Croke Park in Dublin to watch the game in person. Others have plans in place to watch in groups at home or in pubs. When we were getting off the bus, I told the driver that I hoped the match went well and didn't ruin his weekend (he'd make a comment to that effect to someone else earlier). He said he hopes so, otherwise we might not see him for a week. I can't imagine what it'll be like if they make it to the finals. I'm still fuzzy on the rules and all of that, but I've watched part of some matches in years past. I'll probably check the score at some point on Sunday. It's an interesting part of the culture.

Whatever you're doing today, I hope you have a good one!

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Don't Be Ridiculous!

 We had a couple of forms to print and Bill had a book in, so after lunch, we were heading out to the library--now just over a mile away instead of a 1-hour bus ride! I was thinking that it would be weird to be going somewhere without my backpack when I stopped and had a stern chat with myself. "Don't be ridiculous!," I said. "You're going to the library and you do not have to rush in and out because they've already been to lunch! You will be wandering around looking at books. Of course you need your backpack!" I was telling Bill about this when he said, " You'll leave with some books." I did.

Walking up the little lane was as pleasant as it always was. The plants had gotten bigger in the few years we've been gone, but otherwise, the landscape was much the same--grey sky, lots of green, and a touch of gold.

We printed the forms. Bill waited to get his book because the librarian was issuing new library cards to 2 wee people--and in Irish. I was pleased to see it. And what did we leave with?

Bill's book was this one, which I plan to read after he's done with it:

He requested it after we read this excerpt in The Guardian.

I saw this book, which Bill listened to on audio a year or two ago and really liked. It won the Booker Prize in 2023.

I'm not sure why, but I did not want to listen to it. I thought maybe I'd find it in a charity shop one day and pick it up. When I saw it on the library shelf, I thought I might as well bring it home and give it a try. As far as I know, it's a dystopian novel about an Ireland that has been taken over by a fascist government. It's an interesting idea, because Ireland has a very tiny right wing, and they're still considered fringe. They have no elected officials in the federal government, although they ran some candidates. However, they are more visible than they were when we moved here and I suspect it's a matter of time until they do have someone in the Dail (parliament).

Finally, I saw this and thought it was a very nice object--it's a Virago Modern Classic:

There are probably stories in here that I've read already, but that's OK.

I expect some of my requested books to arrive later this week or early next week. Now that we're mostly settled, regular trips to the library will be part of our routine. Yay!

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Unexpected Gems

 I adore the British Library Crime Classics series. They re-publish books by authors that aren't as well known as some of the big names in classic crime fiction, like Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers. I've discovered several authors that are new to me through these books and I'm always on the lookout for more, whether at the library or in charity shops. I rarely find these in charity shops, but I have found a few. My most recent find was this one, originally published in 1864. I haven't read it yet, but it's up next.

Most of the BLCC books I've seen have been later than the Victorian era, often Golden Age or later. The first one I ever found in a charity shop was Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay. I'd never heard of her, but I took it home with me and looked her up. Turns out she only wrote 3 mystery novels, all published by BLCC. Bill got me the other two, Death on the Cherwell and The Santa Klaus Murder, online.

Late last year, unbeknownst to me, he was looking for more of these books on ebay and he found a woman selling a lot of 5 in Ireland. He bought them, paid for them, and assumed they'd be arriving pretty quickly. Then the woman emailed him and said that she couldn't find them, so sent him a refund. A few days later, she emailed again to say she'd found them. Bill was trying to figure out how to pay her again, since there was no longer a listing and he couldn't do it through ebay. He asked her to send him an invoice so he could do it that way. She told him to forget about it. She sent them. They arrived a day or two later. I was ridiculously excited to see what books I had and when I opened the parcel, I was thrilled! I hadn't read any of them before. I read them slowly and didn't gobble them down all at once. There were a couple of authors I knew of, but had only read one or two of their short stories.

sorry about the weird haze on the photo

Then there were the new-to-me authors.

Margot Bennett wrote less than a dozen novels, along with a few screenplays. In this book, The Man Who Didn't Fly, a small plane crashes in the Irish Sea. All on board are killed. There were four passengers booked for the flight, but it's soon discovered that only three boarded the plane. Who was the man who didn't fly and where is he now? 

Ellen Wilkinson was one of the first women to be an MP and she wrote The Division Bell Mystery after she lost her seat in 1931 (she won it back in 1936). It's a locked room mystery in which a financier is found dead in the halls of parliament. 

I loved all of these books and they all had interesting plots, characters, and/or structures, but the best one of all, and one of the best classic crime novels I've ever read (so far) is Verdict of Twelve by Raymond Postgate.

The mystery is really well done and kept me on my toes right up until the last paragraph. The structure of the book is the other thing that made this book vault up to the top tier for me. Almost all of the story is told through the thoughts of the jurors deciding the fate of the accused. The book opens with the jurors' stories being told--and some of these stories are gripping in and of themselves. Readers learn about their lives and histories, as well as their thoughts about being summoned to jury duty. Some of the stories are more detailed than others and some chapters focus on one juror in particular while others focus on a group. Once the jurors are sworn in, the trial gets underway and we again see things from the points of view of the jurors as the witnesses testify. Then we're in the room as they're deliberating and when the verdict is given. I won't say any more about the book because I wouldn't want to give even a hint of a spoiler. What I will say is, if you're a fan of classic crime fiction, this is a book I can highly recommend. It's so good.

I know there are more unexpected gems out there in the British Library Crime Classics collection and more are added regularly. I will probably be getting them from the library in future, because the two charity shops where I've found them are ones that I won't be going to anymore. But I do have a local library again now, so it's all good. In the meantime, I still have a couple of charity shop finds on my pile, one of which I plan to pick up tomorrow. 

Whatever you're reading, I hope it's excellent! Life's too short to spend any time reading books that aren't your thing. Remember, it's OK to DNF and move on to something more to your liking!😀😏📘

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My Reading in June

 I didn't read as much as I usually do, but June was a busy month. I had a mix of print books, e-books, and audiobooks as well as an assortment of genres--mysteries, short stories, a dystopia, poetry, and a play. At the beginning of the month, before and at the start of the moving process, as we were back and forth between dwellings, I read a few books that I knew I didn't plan to keep. These have already been re-donated to the charity shop and last time I was there they were gone, so it looks like they have new homes, which is great!

Simisola by Ruth Rendell (charity shop acquisition which has been donated)

This is the 17th Inspector Wexford novel and involves a young Black woman who is missing. This young woman is the daughter of Wexford's doctor. During the course of the investigation, Wexford encounters racism and misogyny, including his own. This wasn't the best Rendell book I've ever read and at times it felt a little dated, but it did deal with some important topics that, sadly and horrifically seem to have only gotten worse since the book was published. 

Behold, Here's Poison by Georgette Heyer (e-audiobook borrowed from the library BorrowBox site)

I was aware of Heyer as a romance novelist and that's not really my thing, so I'd never read any of her work. Then I discovered that she also wrote 12 detective novels. Classic mystery may be my very favorite genre, so of course I had to try one out. BorrowBox has several of these, so I am listening to the ones they have and will see about borrowing the rest in book form from the library. I'm enjoying the audiobooks--the narrator is Ulli Birve and she's pleasant to listen to. In this book, Inspector Hannasyde is investigating the death of a wealthy elderly man who is the head of an eccentric extended family when it's revealed that the cause of death was not his high blood pressure, but poison.

A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer (BorrowBox e-audiobook)

Inspector Hannasyde investigates the death of a well-respected and much liked gentleman who met his end when he was hit with--you guessed it--a blunt instrument. As usual, there are some very weird characters involved. This was a pretty humorous book--in places I laughed out loud. I can't say that Heyer's mysteries are the best classics of the genre that I've read, but they are enjoyable and perfect to sit and listen to while I do some stitching.

Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson (charity shop acquisition, re-donated)

I first came across Kate Atkinson's work in a charity shop several years ago when I picked up one of her Jackson Brodie novels, One Good Turn. I fell into that book and was gripped until literally the very last sentence. After that, I picked up any Kate Atkinson book I came across, whether in a charity shop or in the library. I still have a few of her books to read, a couple of them here at home, which makes me very happy indeed. This is her first collection of short stories and it didn't disappoint. They're quirky, weird, and wonderful. They are loosely connected and some characters from earlier stories appear in the later ones--the last story circles around and continues the first story.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (charity shop acquisition, re-donated)

I bought this book because Bill read it last year and has been telling me ever since that he thinks I'd like it. I did. The story revolves around a group of friends and former colleagues who were all spies for the US. They're now retired and have settled in the same small community in rural Maine. However, one of them, Maggie, gets sucked back into a case that she thought was finished when the body of a stranger is found in her driveway. As the book goes on, the story flips from the present to the past--mostly Maggie's past--as we learn the details of this unfinished case. Bill is a big fan of Tess Gerritsen, and I did enjoy this book enough to read the next one in the series at some point. But in the past I started a different one of her books and stopped reading before I was done with page 2. The book opened with a very graphic description of surgery and I had no desire to read on. So I'd advise anyone thinking of trying one of her books to be aware that her books are apparently quite different with regard to the level of graphic content. I think she used to be s surgeon, so it makes sense that she would include graphic descriptions in her books and I'm not suggesting this is gratuitous by any means. It's just not my thing. But The Spy Coast wasn't like that at all. There was violence, of course, but it made sense within the context of the story and didn't make me queasy.

The Fell by Sarah Moss (e-audiobook from BorrowBox)

During the pandemic, a single mother and her son are in isolation because someone at the mother's workplace had COVID. As someone who has a need to be outdoors a lot, this woman is struggling and decides it'll do no harm to go for a walk one autumn evening at dusk. She knows the area inside and out, after all. She tells no one where she's going or even that she's going, but her neighbor, an elderly woman undergoing cancer treatment, sees her walking by. As darkness falls, this woman knows she should go home, but can't bring herself to turn around. When she finally starts for home, she falls and injures herself. Rescuers are called out, but will they find her in time? The story alternates between the points of view of the mother, the son, the neighbor, and one of the guys on the rescue team. This is a short book which I found gripping from start to finish.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (charity shop acquisition, will be re-donated)

There's been an earthquake in New Zealand and an area of the country is very difficult to access. In this area lies a farm, inherited by Lady Darvish. She and her husband decide to sell part of the land to a tech billionaire, Robert, who wants to build a bunker to survive climate catastrophe, among other things. He meets Mira, one of the founders of Birnam Wood, a guerrilla gardening collective who plant crops on unused land, with or without permission. Robert makes Mira an offer she can't refuse and some members of the collective move to this farmland--not yet officially Robert's and unbeknownst to the Darvishes--and start to plant things. One of the collective, who is just back from teaching overseas, is an aspiring journalist and he sees trouble ahead. There's clearly some shady stuff happening, but what is it and who's behind it? The story goes on from there. I must say, I was not expecting that ending!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (re-read in installments on the Serial Reader app)

One of Christie's most well-regarded works. As the title says, Roger Ackroyd has been murdered. Hercule Poirot, new to the village and retired to grow vegetable marrows, happens to be on the spot to investigate. One interesting facet of this book is the character of Caroline Shepherd, who may have been a precursor to Miss Marple.

This Crowded Earth by Robert Bloch (read on the Serial Reader app)

One of the fun parts about Serial Reader is finding these older dystopian novels that I might not want to sit down to read cover to cover, but are quite fascinating when read in small daily chunks. In this book, as the title says, there are too many people around. This is because nuclear weapons have ended the threat of war (!!!) and advances in food production and medicine mean that people don't get sick and die like they used to. But people are unhappy nonetheless. There's no room and no access to nature--or is there? Frank is slowly going mad at the situation and one day propels himself out of a window at his office. When he wakes up, he's in a mental hospital where there is green space everywhere. After a while, he starts to wonder why he is still there and why some other things are happening. The book goes on from there. The book was published in 1958 and I find it interesting to learn about what some people thought the future would be like.

The Anchorage by Bernard O' Donoghue (e-book from BorrowBox)

A poetry collection by an Irish author. Here's a blurb from the publisher:

'Poetry of how we shape what is lost or past, and how it shapes us. Bernard O'Donoghue investigates anchorage as a place we build for ourselves out of memory and story. The Ireland of his youth is rich in colour and precise in detail, and while he acknowledges the power of the past, he also brings it into question: 'I wish I'd never started on this story; / It may have been a dream, or maybe not . . .' O'Donoghue's informal and at times playful tone is that of a poet disarming themselves as well as their reader. Here are the paradoxes at the heart of human nature: what we are most attached to can be, in the end, what ties us down; the reluctance to return can arise out of the fear of finding ourselves locked out.'

The Brightening Air by Conor McPherson (e-book from BorrowBox)

In this play, we meet a brother and sister living in a crumbling house in rural Ireland with the housekeeper. A relative, who is a priest with unconventional views, shows up to reclaim the family property. A cast of supporting characters enters and exits the scene. Sad, but hopeful.

That's my June reading. Onward into July!

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