Spring into Spring

With a little Miscellany

If you are here reading my Substack this morning, or at any time, thank you, I appreciate it. Because I very nearly didn’t show up this week. No special reason other than I have been easily distracted by other things and I haven’t had the urge to write. But I am here today despite having nothing much to write about other than the things that have been distracting me but as we have come to the end of another month, another wet miserable month I might add, then it’s a good a time as any for a little miscellany. And speaking of the weather ,this past week has seen a rise in temperature, and some sunshine causing me to leave the house without a coat. It didn’t last as the rain is back today but it gives some hope that spring is definitely on its way, if not actually here yet. It’s enough to put a spring in your step.

I have been reading as always and a couple of standout books that I read in February, although quite different in style and setting, share many similarities and I can recommend both. Both are set within a very specific short period of time and both are beautifully written with carefully nuanced observation. Not a single wasted word within the pages of either book.

We read A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr for our village reading group and everyone loved it. At first I wasn’t sure but by the time I was at the last page I immediately turned back to the beginning to read it again. It’s a short book with less than 100 pages but it contains so much. It is a story about a survivor of World War I, Tom Birkin who finds solace in the village church of Oxgodby where he is employed to uncover a medieval wall painting over the summer of 1920. As he tries to escape from the horrors of war and a failing marriage, he finds that the beauty of the countryside, the wonderful cast of characters he meets and the constant rhythms of village life give him back a sense of renewal and peace. As he gradually uncovers the painting, so he comes to find himself again. It is written from the point of view of Birkin who is now an old man looking back to that summer where he found calm. It is a beautiful observation of how we can find happiness in the daily routine of life, gently but very keenly told with a sparse use of language. For me I found it conveyed the horror of his experiences during the war without ever going into the detail of what happened. The suggestion and aftermath were sufficient to convey how awful it had been. Yet it is not a melancholy book and despite an inherent sadness it also manages to be hopeful and a reminder to find our happiness in the ordinary and everyday.

“If I stayed there, would I always have been happy? No, I suppose not. People move away, grow old, die and the bright belief that there will be another marvellous thing around each corner fades. It is now or never, we must snatch at happiness as it flies.”

J L Carr, A Month in the Country

The second book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend is Three Days in June by Anne Tyler. I am already a great fan of Tyler’s quiet yet keenly observed writing and I especially loved this latest book with its excellent storytelling and observations of how people interact with each other, all woven together with totally believable characters. It is wise and wonderful and at times hilarious. It is extraordinary writing about the ordinary stuff of life such as family, marriage and work.

It tells the story of Gail, and starts the day before her daughter’s wedding. The first thing that happens is that Gail loses her job as headmistresses assistant in a private girls’ school. Or she quits and walks out, depending on your viewpoint. Then her ex-husband Max turns up unannounced looking for somewhere to stay for the wedding. He has failed to bring a suit to wear but he has brought a cat. A cat that just happens to need rehoming. And just as Gail thinks it can’t get any worse she discovers that their daughter Debbie has discovered her fiancé has been keeping a secret that could jeopardise the wedding.

“I don’t even want a house plant. I had reached the stage in life where I was done with caretaking.”

Anne Tyler, Three Days in June.

What I especially loved about this book was there could be two equally plausible outcomes. Maybe Gail and Max would get back together and I think as a reader I wanted this to happen, or maybe Gail would remain alone, possibly with the cat. Either outcome would work but we are left hanging on right until the final sentence. Such fabulous writing. This is Tyler at her best.

Catherina and John, from a postcard I drew last year

We have continued with more outings over the past month, some together and some with friends which is to be much recommended. Stewart and I went to Milton Keynes to meet with friends Catherina and John, whom we hadn’t seen for a couple of years. We went to the excellent Milton Keynes Gallery to see An Arc from the Eye, an exhibition of paintings by Euan Uglow, one of Britain’s foremost 20^th century artists. The focus was on the geometry, proportion and balance within his paintings that were worked with a mathematical precision. Whether he was painting portraits, nudes, still life or landscape all were executed with the same attention to detail and often worked over a period of years. It is an excellent exhibition that runs until the end of May and worth a trip to MK.

Some of my favourite paintings from the exhibition, An Arc from the Eye

I also went with my friend Annie to the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey to see Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop. Cosprop is a London based company that specialises in period costume for film, television and theatre, founded by designer John Bright in 1965. The exhibition features many iconic costumes such as that worn by Meryl Streep in Out of Africa, Helena Bonham Carter in Room with a View, as well as outfits from Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders. We both swooned at Colin Firth’s outfit as Mr Darcy (it wasn’t wet).

Mr Darcy’s and Miss Bennet’s costumes

This small museum has a reputation for some excellent exhibitions and this one certainly didn’t disappoint, although you’ll have to hurry if you want to see it as it is only on for one more week. It was half term week so there were a few children wandering around and I loved that one little girl enthusiastically told me the “They all look so real” when I asked if she was enjoying herself. We were less enamoured with our encounter with a young woman from New Orleans, a self-proclaimed confederate, apparently a direct descendant of Richard III (aren’t we all darling) and an unabashed Trump supporter. We politely told her we didn’t share her views as we tried to extradite ourselves from her grasp but there were moments when I didn’t think we would ever shake her off.

Curiosity got the better of us this week and we went to see the much criticised film Wuthering Heights. Yes, I agree it is a far cry from the book which I read so long ago I can’t really remember the finer plot details but the themes of possessive love, jealously and revenge are all there just with a lot more licking and sex, both of which were largely unnecessary. However, it was visually entrancing with gorgeous costumes and the opulence of Linton’s house was glorious if not true to the novel. It was also wild, visceral, violent and completely unhinged but it was an entertaining evening of escapism.

I have also been to a quilt show this week which was escapism of another kind but maybe I’ll write more about that another time because I’m flagging. And that is because despite the distractions what has mostly preoccupied me this month is my Mum’s care or rather lack of it. I’ve not been happy for a while and too often have found her abandoned in her room, either not dressed or in dirty clothes, frequently slumped over a tray with uneaten meals pushed to one side. So I am now in the process of moving her to a different care home where she can receive proper nursing care. But it is stressful and I’m finding I can’t concentrate on writing, instead I read, knit or sew, sometimes while I sit with Mum. I have also been sorting buttons… hundreds of buttons, but perhaps its best not to ask. See you next week and thanks as always for being here. And if you have enjoyed reading please click on the heart as it encourages me to keep writing and apparently helps others find me.

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