A good read

We recently enjoyed this book from a fairly new writer.

It had an interesting twist and for a change the characters and their situation was believable and realistic.  What amused us was the writer seems to "have followed us round the UK" as my husband put it.  We have lived a somewhat nomadic life and moved around a lot. This story started in a service station on the Welsh borders and we have visited many of those when our eldest was at Uni in Liverpool. The victim came from Norfolk, and "Denham Market" was recognizable was Downham Market by the description of the one way traffic system!  The ending in Ireland was on a very familiar beach!

We visited the library together this week which was  a good thing. I like to take a short cut through the adjoining park which has really good perennial planting. Unfortunately it is also the hang out of groups of men drinking.  There was rather a lot this week, and they were a bit verbal,  and if husband had not been there I would have been seriously worried. This is within sight of the Police station and has notices on the gates declaring it "alcohol banned area".   I think I will write to the local papers!

Wrong title?

Early mornings us retirees  have a cup of tea in bed and a bit of a read.  I interrupted my husband with a question.

"If I came home from town and described a passenger on the train/bus sitting opposite me as =- well over 30, but not looking too healthy so could be mistaken for 40, straggly hair, a bit over weight, agitated and stressed, poor skin colour.  She got off the train/bus in a terrible hurry."

"Who, got off - the woman?"

"Exactly a woman! So why is this b.... book called "The Girl on the Train"?  And why is the time line from 3 different perspectives, thing so complicated?  And none of the 3 women is under 30 - are any of them likely to be described as a "girl".  Surely  girl is applied to a young person, or a youthful under 25?  Why use that term? I once nearly slapped a manager when he referred to the women (fully competent professionals)  in the organisation  as "you girls" in a staff meeting".

"Er, good job you are no longer working, remember your blood pressure!  The book has a good ending and she ends up visiting Wells-next-the sea, just down the road from here.  Would not make such a good selling title "The Woman on the Train!" or "Woman on the slow moving London commuter train!

Can't wait. I am off to wash my hair and go out to pick some sprouts before it starts snowing!!
At least Pauline McLynn *  was more accurate with her "The Woman on the Bus" and there were a some  similarities about the main characters story line.  And the bus from Dublin to Limerick  goes as slowly as a London commuter train (as we know, having used both of transport things in the past).

So much for relaxing reading!


*Pauline's other career included being the housekeeper in Father Ted!

Nylon shirts?

I have just been reading a novel by Sian Thomas (the late wife of Robert Preston the economics journalist  BBC) called An uncommon murder. She sets the atmosphere well in 1946/7, especially the grey post war with rationing. BUT at least two of the male characters are described as wearing nylon shirts.

My husband and I compared memories and could not recall nylon shirts being worn by males in our families before the 1960s. I can't find any clear information on the Web either only that there were nylon stockings of course.  Can you remember when nylon shirts became commonplace?

We enjoy reading a lot, getting through 5 or 6 books a week, and often discuss how well books are written and their accuracy!

A perfect retirement day

Left house after the school rush.

Drove through a reasonably quiet town and down some sunny empty roads.

Walked through the woods in a nature reserve till 11.30

Went out on to the sandy open land in full early sun; just as getting tired of the rather "blasted" heath land habitat found a bright spring bloom.

Avoided the large bull on the board walk on the bog.There were about a dozen cows/calves under the trees and were making a good job of taking out the flush of spring grass and leaving the reads, heather and cranberry bushes alone.

I am NOT an animal person! This is as close as I get if there are no fences!

Walked down to Wolfenden village to admire the preserved station platform (used to serve Royal trains to Sandringham).

Admired the rhodo's in flower along the roads but still feel they are an invasive species needing control.  Was trying to remember the Alan Gardener children's novel where they hid in a rhodo forest - Wierdstone of Bresmingham? Will ask son later it was he favourite book!

Pub lunch of fish dishes (local food heroes) at Brancaster Straithe. Once a month treat for us over the summer - can't afford to do it too often.

Afternoon on the practically deserted beach, a long paddle and a relaxing hour with a book.  It was hot!!!

Did my bit for the planet and picked up 4 pieces of plastic brought in by the tide and put in a bin (quite difficult to locate one!).  apart from those the water was crystal clear and the sand clean and soft, but littered with razor shells.

Quiet cross country drive home via Docking which is an very attractive village.

Home before the 5 o'clock traffic rush and in time to pick some asparagus for tea!

Perfect day in retirement!

Good reads from the library

As I have been resting a lot over the last week with the bad back I have got through the latest library books in record time.

"Deep shelter" by  Oliver Harris was a very interesting concept as it was set in the left over cold war deep shelters underneath London. My husband started to read it and researched the settings on Google earth and you can see the entrance  and ventilation buildings mentioned in the book! You can see one here -

 http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/c/clapham_south/index.html

I suspect we will be looking out for these strange buildings when we next visit London.

After all the Scandinavian thrillers (and TV shows) my other book went further north into Lapland and was a crime novel involving the Reindeer Police. No? Yes, really! The chapter headings traced the daily increase in day length from 40 mins to 4 hours. As the days are growing shorter at the moment it was a strange time to read it. "Fourty days without Shadows".Oliver Trac.

Both these were new writers and were refreshing reads.  I slumped back in bed with 2 other books from a favourite series. CJ Box's Joe Picket novels are about a game warden set in Wyoming. They are very descriptive and also have a lot of social comment about deepest America and the effects of the economic downturn on working people, But as usual with America series some of the plots are a bit far fetched.

Have to go to the dentists on Friday for an emergency filling so will be able to get some more books then for the weekend!

What a difference in two days

Yesterday we had temperatures in double figures and sun and I got so much extra done (in addition to the normal cleaning and cooking meals). Painted two walls in the dining room (moving furniture included); cultivated the fruit beds to check the weeds; found some more scrap wood and moved it to the shed; took care of some seedlings; cycled to the post box admiring the flush of spring wheat, snowdrops, and not admiring the fly tipping. Supported son in his career crises.  Tried to work out who the baddy is in Broadchurch.

Today we had thick fog and frost and it was much more difficult to get going. Painted some of the artex ceiling, cut one box of firewood for the evening, baked a loaf and hemmed my new dress. Its cold again this evening and now I shall slump in front of the fire with my book - One man and his bike. Man rides round UK over 3 months - I am exhausted and he has not got up Porlock hill yet!

Reading gems

One of the joys of retiring is that I love reading and I can make great use of the library services. Detective stories are one of my favourite genres. I love a sense of place or characters that I can relate to.  I like UK based stories or somewhere interesting geographically.  
Two books I currently have read are:
James Sallis Salt River. The style is very poetic with intense descriptions, and a film noir set of scenes and story lines. The main character Turner, is very like a James Lee Burke character - very anti-heroic. Rural southern US well observed.
Ross McDonald The Drowning Pool. Is very like a classic Raymond Chandler. Nicely paced and well observed early 20th Century California.  The story evolves with each conversation between the detective and the suspects. They are pithy with undertones you have to spot; but not as striped out conversations you get with a Robert B Parker novel where you get lost and lose track of the crime!

I'd love to hear of others recommendations.