It was an exchange with Cynthia Guenther Richardson, herself a talented story-writer in Tales for Life, that alerted me to the fact that I had unread novels of Rumer Godden in my bookshelves. Cynthia’s enthusiasm led me to begin reading ‘A Candle For St. Jude’, yesterday, and finish it this morning. Like Tales for Life this book keeps the reader eager to learn the denouement. The work is full of beautifully described detail and insightful characterisation. I will not reveal the plot, but can say that all senses and emotions are carefully evoked. I mentioned the setting yesterday, and will add that the writer’s intimate knowledge of a dancing school clearly comes from her own training as a dancer, and subsequent running of her own such establishment.
Paul and Mike from Double Glazing Doctor replaced the hinges in five of our Everest windows and repaired the leak in the Velux kitchen window, and this afternoon our new Samsung television was installed.
A new visitor to our garden was, I think, a Speckled Wood butterfly.
I wandered down to Roger’s gate and back, in time to witness hedge cutting in Downton Lane.
This presented some interesting traffic problems.
Early this evening Becky, Ian, and Scooby arrived for their holiday with us. We all dined at The Red Lion in Milford. My choice of meal was a meaty Mexican chilli burger, served with crisp salad and chips. Jackie couldn’t eat all her hunter’s chicken, so I enjoyed some of that as well. My drink was Ringwood’s best bitter.
Beautiful butterfly !
Thank you, Sylvie
Derrick the butterfly & fuchsia is beautiful! Always enjoy your sharings.
Thank you Gary
Never tried Ringwoods, any good? Wish I could share some local brews with you. The wood butterfly is quite bewitching isn’t she? What does her caterpillar look like?
Thank you, Candice. Ringwoods is good. I don’t know about the caterpillar.Actually I haven’t seen the butterfly before.
I’ve never seen one quite like that either.
My, Downton Lane IS narrow – you have said so before but I didn’t realise quite how narrow it is. This reminds me that I did spend a fair amount of time while living in your fair country gong backwards down country roads. 🙂
And you know what will happen don’t you, if you eat up all your dinner and then some of Jackie’s too…….
Thank you Pauline. Anything left on Jackie’s plate is such a rare event it is unlikely to be repeated
The butterfly is lovely – and that is one impressive machine for hedge cutting….I’m guessing it’s not the sort you’d use to make a light job of pruning the topiary 🙂
Thank you, Matt
Always interested in your reviews of books; I also have unread ones on my shelf – sigh.
I once followed a pruning machine in Western Australia; it was lopping great big branches! Fortunately the road was wide enough for us to overtake. I was hitching with a local woman and she was incensed.
Thank you, Mary
I remember an amusing moment on a television gardening programme: The woman presenter (with a plum in the mouth) said “Today we shall learn from a world expert how to prune roses.” She asked the expert, “How do you find time to prune over two thousand roses?” “Oh!” he said, “I just use the electric hedge clippers.” (See, Derrick, how you make me dig up ridiculous memories!)
WordPress is a great memory-jogger. Better to prune roses with clippers than pick plums with choppers
Your saying should go down in history!
Wow. I’m torn between knowing what those roads are like to drive when not trimmed and cringing at the chaos it leaves behind. Looks like it might be fun to drive, though. Enjoy your visit with your visitors!
Thanks Lisa
It’s something to note that you make hedge cutting good to read about and view! Quite the long-armed machine; whoever thought that up? So glad you enjoyed A Candle for St. Jude and look forward to reading it sooner rather than later. I love dance so it’s a no brainer. And thanks for the link back to my blog–how generous of you, truly. (PS Last name of Guenther Richardson) has the “e” and “u” the other way around :))
Thanks Cynthia. Spellcheck let me down 🙂 Have changed your name.
Funnily enough we have not read any of Rumer Godden’s books, despite the India connection. We are going to make a start now, thankyou for the idea.
Thanks. The power of WordPress: Cynthia mentions her to me, I write about one of the books; and now you.
Ah ha, verge murderers as Dad called them when they first appeared in Silver Street I guess in the late 70s or 80s. He waged a bit of a war in the Echo and Advertiser with the Lymongton council (in the days prior to the New Forest DC, though I might be getting those years muddled) to try and get them only to cut a strip for people to stand on rather than deep into the verge where habitats of speckled woods amongst others lurked. These mechanised beasts were on his 3 worst motorised monstrosities alongside caravans and milk floats. Dad was not a patient driver. Thanks for the memory jog again Derrick.
Thanks, Geoff. My pleasure
I’ve never seen hedge trimmers like what you have – would love to see them in action. How interesting the large hedges are done by hand (gas/electric trimmers) around here. Your narrow road is really beautiful with the tree limbs arching to create a canopy. Lovely Derrick – hurray for your new TV.
Thank you, Mary