Read Women - Top Ten Books by female authors

Last Thursday, 8th March, was International Women's Day, and Twitter (or at least my section of it) was filled with people posting their Top Ten favourite books by female authors; the books they couldn't live without, those which made the greatest impression, those which meant the most.
You know me - ask for a Top Ten of anything and I'm there in a shot. Make a Top Ten involving books, and if possible I'll be even quicker. So, how could I resist?
Here they are, in no particular order, other than making sure they were stacked safely enough to photograph ...
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan - This is actually a French copy dating back to my schooldays, and, though I could read it back then,  I'm not sure I could now. When I first encountered this as a seventeen year old, I was taken aback by the 'heroine', Cecile; she smoked, had sex with her boyfriend (unheard of way back then), schemed and manipulated people because life wasn't going her way, causing heartbreak and despair, and all against the backdrop of the exotic-seeming French Riviera. It was like nothing I'd read before!
Villette by Charlotte Bronte - it was a close call between this and Jane Eyre, but I looked at them both on the shelf, wondering which to choose, and Villette won. There are a greater array of characters in it, a country-dance partner-changing series of love affairs, and an (unusual at the time) admission that a woman might have a crush on one man then change her mind and fall for another.
The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin -  my introduction to her work, a blend of sci-fi, politics, and personal relationships that made it stand head and shoulders above any other sci-fi I'd read before.
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers - Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane are married at last, but their plans for a quiet honeymoon disrupted by a murder (almost as you'd expect). What makes this stand out in my mind is that Sayers takes the story beyond the catching of the villain, to his trial and hanging (remember this was written in the days of the death penalty), exploring Wimsey's state of mind as these inevitable events follow his unmasking of the criminal.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf - another book discovered in my teen years, it was possibly a case of jumping in at the deep end with Woolf at her most obscure but I loved it, and to me it's the backdrop to the heatwave of 1976.
Persuasion by Jane Austen - a tale of second chances in love. You might prefer Pride and Prej, but this is the Austen book for me. Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth fell in love but were separated by interfering friends and relatives. When they meet again after several years, their relationship isn't all easy sailing, and for much of the book it seems quite possible that they'll end up with different partners. It doesn't have the Bennet family, but the Elliots are almost as comical.
Possession by AS Byatt - plots within plots and subplots everywhere. Part detective story, as various academics try to trace previously unsuspected correspondence between two Victorian poets, and uncover more than they'd expected, and part romance (as suggested by its subtitle) as love flourishes in both timelines.
Moon of Three Rings by Andre Norton - another back to my teenage years book, chosen by me as a school prize. At the presentation I remember being wrong-footed by thinking I ought to have picked a serious non-fiction book BUT this turned out to be the start of my love for sci-fi/fantasy fiction, and although it came from a 'teenage reads' section, I still reread it today.
Weathering by Lucy Wood - a story about the, not necessarily smooth and happy, relationships between mothers and daughters, about home, and belonging, told in beautiful prose which slips into poetry
A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson - another close call as I almost choose Atkinson's Life After Life, which shares characters with this. Carefully and cleverly constructed, this is the life-story of Teddy Todd, moving back and forth in time, but always circling round the all important, formative war-years. Two things particularly make this book stand out - it's unusual to find a war novel written by a woman (and Atkinson does it as well, if not better, than many such stories penned by male authors), and the final twist, which casts a whole new light on what you've just read.  

To the Woods ...

 It's been a mixed-up week here so I ended up in charge of dog-walking. It was nice weather, even warm in sheltered spots, so we pottered off up to the wood looking for signs of spring on the way (well, I was. I'm not so sure about the dog. He finds lamp posts and the poo bag bins more interesting than primroses or catkins)

There were also shoots of bluebells to be found, proving Spring is on the way, somewhere or other,















but I couldn't see any signs of tadpoles as it isn't  possible to get close to the pond any longer.

 I haven't been to the wood for a while, possibly not since the bluebells and anemones were flowering last Spring, so something struck me, that perhaps regular walkers don't notice.












 Usually in winter, with no bracken under the trees, I'd expect to be able to see clearly through the trunks, but brambles and small holly bushes seem to be taking over the woodland floor, and the area generally developing a 'wild', un-managed feel.

Hopefully these 'weeds' won't strangle the bluebells. Theyve always been spectacular, but last years seemed ragged, and photographs from a few years ago show a much clearer woodland floor. It was such a delight to have them flowering within walking distance, especially in the middle of a housing estate. It would be a shame to see them die out.


Something I should perhaps add is that after the second day of doing this walk I felt exhausted - so I've decided I need to get out and about more!

Snow Week

Here in Derby, we haven't had the dramatic snowfalls experienced elsewhere, no power cuts, frozen pipes or broken boilers, but it's been a strange week, very lethargic, with an odd holiday atmosphere.

On Monday I was anxiously watching the weather forecast, hoping the threatened snow would stay away just long enough for us to travel up to Manchester with all our youngest daughter's belongings (or at least most of them) ready for her move into a new flat. A couple of short but heavy snowfalls in the morning had us worried but the skies cleared, the motorways were trouble-free, and Manchester actually sunny!

Tuesday morning we woke to a light sprinkling of snow but, taking no chances, we dashed to the supermarket, stocked the cupboards and freezer, and waited...

It was as well that we had.

In five minutes a sudden snow fall took us from this

                                                               
                                                                         to this! 

And after that it just continued snowing, and snowing ...



















Overnight was SO cold and by Wednesday it was definitely not worth trying to move the car - in fact the world seemed oddly quiet as there was barely any traffic moving, despite us being only a few yards from a gritted bus route.  I was beginning to worry about spring flowers in the garden - the dwarf irises were standing up to the weather quite well, but snowdrops and daffodils both looked absolutely flattened!

Thursday brought more snow, with it gathering on the windows, and the lawn and flowerbeds disappearing completely.















Fortunately we didn't need to go out, but there's something about snow that makes me either want to go out and play in it, or snooze by the fire; last week, nursing the ends of a cold, was definitely a snoozing week! I spent a lot of time checking weather forecasts, and social media updates from people up and down the country to see if their snow was different to ours, and just looking out the windows at the snow and the icicles that had begun to form by the patio doors.

Friday was windy, blowing snow from bushes and garden furniture, swirling loose leaves and twigs around, and breaking off those icicles.



But eventually we made it to Saturday with the temperature nudging up towards zero, and the snow starting to retreat





















I'm still not holding out a lot of hope for a recovery by the daffodils but maybe they'll flower while lying down,













and these floppy snowdrops were supposedly sheltered in the greenhouse!








Overnight we had more snow (!) though only a light covering, and by Sunday lunchtime grass was clearly visible on the front lawn. Maybe now we can move on into Spring with no more weather dramas ...

Holme Pierrepont Hall - snowdrops

It's my opinion that you can never have too many snowdrops, or visits to gardens full of them. While weather forecasters are talking about a return of wintry conditions, they prove that spring IS somewhere on the way. So, having visited Shipley Park last month for an early glimpse of them, we decided it was time for another outing, this time to Holme Pierrepont Hall just outside Nottingham.

I'd heard the name "Holme Pierrepont" before - it's the location of a country park and water sports centre - but the Hall itself was a happy find through social media, and another new place to add to my #60Things list. It sits alone, down a winding country road, with only a church for company, and amazingly feels a million miles from a major city!

Our plans for earlier in the day had over-run, so we were a bit worried about being too late, but the owner (I think) welcomed us and promised he wouldn't throw us out for being a little over the announced closing time. That's so nice, don't you think? So many places want everyone off the grounds on time, or even five minutes before! 

We'd been hoping the sun would appear for the afternoon, but it didn't, and although we'd have perhaps taken more time over our visit on a sunny day, it was still enjoyable and the snowdrops fab.

 The first part of the 'snowdrop trail' leads through gardens near the Hall, where other early flowering plants - hellebores, witchhazels and a few eager daffodils - are also to be found.










Then the trail took us past the church and to a two acre wood, where the snowdrops certainly claimed all the glory! All in all, a delightful find.

Making plans for summer - Curious Arts 2018

It may still be cold outside, and not at all the weather to be thinking of outdoor festivals, but over the past few weeks organisers have been starting to announce line-ups, and so the excitement is mounting. 

Now, although I'd visited both Hay and Edinburgh book festivals, I only discovered the appeal of  all inclusive, stay-onsite-in-a-tent, get up early for book events, stay up late listening to music festivals recently, when I was asked along to Curious Arts in 2016 in my book-blogging capacity. I think that till then, I'd always considered them to be only for the under-25s, and a few seasoned festival goers who remembered Glastonbury being a sole guitarist playing in a field of cows. 

Curious Arts Festival proved this idea wrong, and it's quickly become the highlight of my year. For any of you who've missed my previous write-ups (how?), it's multi-faceted music, literary, comedy festive held in the ground of Pylewell Park in the New Forest, with plenty to occupy everyone from children to oldies like me. Imagine a mix of garden party, school fair, and village fete (it even opens with a cricket match), but with attitude, cocktails, and music almost through till dawn! I absolutely love it, even if like last year it rains, and I'm delighted to have been asked back again*.

Kate Mosse

So, who's to be seen this year? 

Well, the complete line-up hasn't been announced yet, but heading the literary side of things will be Kate Mosse (author of Labyrinth, and The Taxidermist's Daughter) with 'support' from poet Lemn Sissay, Adam Kay (This is Going to Hurt), Dolly Alderton (All I Know About Love) and restaurateur, writer and broadcaster Russell Norman,

Gareth Malone

The music will be as wide-ranging as in previous years, with acts as varied as John Newman (headlining on Saturday evening), indie-rockers Outlya, and Gareth Malone (BBC2's The Choir). Even without my youngest daughter along, I'll be there in the music tent till late at night. I can't wait!

If I've managed to intrigue you, more details can be found on the Curious Arts Festival website here, on FB and Twitter @CuriousArtsFest

*yes, this is a sponsored post of sorts but I wouldn't be going if I didn't love it!

Empty nest again

Back when she was a 'child' of 18, my youngest headed off to university, as somehow we've come to expect that our children will. It wasn't easy to see her go, but we survived.

Then at the end of her first year, despite being in the running for excellent overall results, she decided the course wasn't for her, and she'd get a job while she thought things over.

She came home, found work straight away, and we settled into a rhythm. She'd be here for most of the week but frequently away at weekends, either visiting friends in other parts of the UK or, in this last year particularly, jetting off round Europe. After my first doubts about this - particularly when she went holidaying alone in Italy - I got used to the whole idea, vicariously sharing her experiences, and collecting masses of postcards from everywhere she visited. 

All good things come to an end though, so they say, and now we're in for another big change. She's heading away for longer - taking a job at quite a distance - and I'm back to that first empty nest horror. I think her being away for a year, then coming back to stay, just made me appreciate her presence and what she brought to our small family unit more. 

This move feels more final than heading off to uni, though that doesn't really make sense. There's no reason to suppose the move is forever - who knows, in a month or a couple of years she could decide this wasn't the right job at all! - and I expect to see her as frequently as we did during her uni year, possibly even more as she has the cash for train fares, and we have the enticement of our older daughter's baby here.

To be suddenly faced with any change comes as a bit of a shock though and I think the uni years work as a sort of half-way house, giving both parents and youngsters time to become accustomed to living apart. 

However long you try to delay it, this point is going to come along. No one expects their children to stay in the family home forever, and if she'd finished her course out, now would be the time she'd be thinking of job-hunting, which would probably have taken her away from home anyway.

For now, I'm just trying to feel relieved that she didn't decide to travel the world for a year, and that the wonders of social media will allow us to still feel close.

Getting the year off to a good start

Everyone seems to be complaining about how long January has been - well, not me! I seem to have been busy all the time, and the month has flown past. What, though, have I actually achieved with all this busy-ness, how many new things have I done and how are the resolutions?




Partly I've been engrossed by my new grandson, who obviously is the best baby since my two girls were small, and the seemingly never-ending shawl which I was supposed to knit before he was born. The end is in sight, but that's the best that can be said about it.







I've made a good, if easy, start on my sixty things - cooking carbonara, eating tapas, ordering in Dominos pizza (I know! Who hasn't done that? well, me, obviously), seeing Nottingham from up high, and heading to DPP festival at Derby's Sitwell Tavern to hear new bands. My daughter claims I'm taking this too easy, but it's supposed to be a celebration, so there's no need for everything to be a hard challenge.




As for my New Year resolutions - or the continuation of the old year's -  well, I didn't feel they were going well, but then I thought ... I've certainly made time for crafting else I'd not have advanced at all with the shawl project, I've definitely been continuing my language courses (I'm going to test the Swedish progress on the new series of Modus on BBC4), and I had to undertake a small de-clutter before guests visited this week. So I've made more advancement than it originally seemed. The major thing though, organise and plan my time, hasn't been thought about at all. I need to make more effort in that department!