And I forgot to explain my choice of books for that little challenge we did:
Describe yourself: The Last Hillwalker (John D Burns) - I chose this because, especially as the winter wears on, I notice that there are far fewer people out walking every day, but I still press on, because my daily walk has become integral to my routine, and if I have to miss it I really notice how my spirits sink. I don't often climb hills at this time of year, but I plan to be back up them again in the spring - we had some fabulous hill walks last summer.
How do you feel: Dead Cold (Louise Penney) - obviously! This is the north of Scotland in December....
Describe where you currently live: O Caledonia (Elspeth Barker) - again obvious, but I especially like this title because of its Roman associations, and really just as a romantic name for Scotland. The book itself is full of eccentric characters and Gothic descriptions - wonderful.
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Rose Cottage (Mary Stewart) - again fairly self-evident. I lived in a cottage not that far from here, but in a more remote setting, when the children were babies. I'd love to return to that village, and there is in fact a very nice cottage for sale there right now. Unfortunately husband is so far resisting my brilliant idea
Your favourite form of transportation: The Christmas Train (David Balducci) - I love train travel as much as I hate planes. I haven't been on a train now since March, but once we have been vaccinated (they are estimating some time in spring for my age group, there are a
lot of groups before me, but that's OK) I look forward to revisiting some of the most scenic lines in Scotland. One I have never been on is the Glasgow-Mallaig route - I've seen it on the TV and I'd love to go on it. The train from Aberdeen to Inverness also passes through some spectacular countryside accessible only by rail - and a couple of stops before Inverness is Aviemore, home of my son and daughter-in-law. I read
The Christmas Train a few weeks ago - enjoyed most of it, was irritated by the ending.
Your best friend is: Another Marvelous Thing (Laurie Colwin) - my friend Nancy has been my lifeline here; we have kept to our routine of walking together at least once a week, and we've both so much enjoyed the regular human contact and opportunity to chat about everything from our (grown up) children to Scottish independence. We share an interest in local/social history, which so many people find dull; we like nothing better than ferreting about the countryside, peering through fences, over walls, into ditches, and trying to work out how things were, or what things were for. I know that I have read the Laurie Colwin book, but I have to admit that I can't remember a thing about it so I'd probably better read it again.
You and your friends are: Excellent Women (Barbara Pym) - of course! (But Pym was referring to a scene in the novel where the narrator, Mildred, is described as an 'excellent woman' - ie the type of spinster who always helps at church jumble sales, does the flowers, and generally runs around after the clergy and anyone else who either can't or won't do their own dirty work. My friends are not like that! My good friend Judith, a vicar's daughter who still often finds herself unable to stop doing Good Deeds, even though she has
lots of her own interests, plus a husband, grown up children, etc, recently stood down as the secretary of a particularly tedious group at the cathedral. A younger man took over. It then became clear that although he had willingly taken on the role, he had assumed that Judith would carry on doing all the donkey work - the minutes, agendas, mailings, etc - while he would just bask in the glory of being in charge. Typical! I have given her a pep talk about telling him to get on with it.
What’s the weather like: The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Graeme) - again self-explanatory, and I had to get one of my very favourite books in somewhere!
You fear: Trouble in the Village (Rebecca Shaw) Shaw's Turnham Malpas series is one of those that I always find annoying but don't seem to be able to keep away from. The characters in the numerous stories are not that well developed, and the central family is far, far too good to be true - and yet I just can't stop myself, and every so often I'm back for another dose of sanctimonious smugness... And yes, I don't want any trouble in the real village either, though trouble in books can be fun.
What is the best advice you have to give: Don't Tell Alfred (Nancy Mitford) - I love Nancy Mitford, and although this is not one of her best books, i still enjoyed it. Alfred is the narrator, Fanny's, ambassador husband. They live in Paris, and various of Fanny's rich and badly-behaved family and friends cause lots of trouble, all of which she keeps from Alfred. I have come to the conclusion that things like this are indeed sometimes best kept from one's husband - not the really important stuff, just the little crises in the lives of one's children, etc.
Thought for the day: We Should All Be Feminists (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) - well yes, obvs, as my daughters would say...
My soul’s present condition: A Glass of Blessings (Barbara Pym) - I do feel richly blessed by this past year. I know it has been terrible for so many, and I know how lucky I am to have been able to live here in the countryside, appreciating the seasons and nature in general more than ever before, and to have had so much more time for reading and writing. I've also been able to meet up with friends I hadn't seen for years, and to re-evaluate my busy life in Edinburgh. I doubt I would have given up my job for ages if all of this hadn't happened, yet (and I know how lucky I am to have been able to do this) leaving it has really set me free. And Barbara Pym takes the greatest pleasure in the small things, the funny quirks of people's behaviour - the very things that I find so entertaining myself.
Rosemary
