Blogs

Instead of reading daily news of a morning, as part of the September news and social media break, have been reading the teeny chapters of a book called ‘Lapidarium: The Secret Life of Stones’. It is an enthralling book, which comprises eclectic stories about precious gems and stone; a Spanish Maharani with a moon-shaped emerald that once adorned an elephant’s forehead. Stones discovered, prized, then, like malachite, relegated when unfashionable...

Fraserburgh is known as ‘The Broch’. Last Friday, went to the cinema there to see ‘Practical Magic 2’. Decided to leave early to visit the garden centre on the way, for Spring bulbs. Bought paperwhite ‘Grandiflora’, and Hyacinths; ‘Gypsy Queen’ and ‘Yellow Queen’. Feeling all calm and ‘moves-through-the-fairish’ decided that in order to miss the cinema adverts, (there’s a horrifying one about the perfect cat poop which, if I have to sit through...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002w9wy/the-iron-claw I chanced on this film. Supposedly based on the Von Erich brothers. Wrestlers handed a poisoned chalice by the domineering dad Fritz on their Texas ranch. Fritz’s signature move while wrestling was The Iron Claw. Hence the movie’s title. But Fritz never got to be the heavy-weight world champion. His boys would be and he wasn’t going to let them forget it. Their lives were to be shaped...

Vermiglio (2024), BBCiplayer, screenwriter and director Maura Delpero. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002xkf7/vermiglio Vermiglio is a place and time. Towards the end of the Second World War, 1944-45, two deserters came to hide in the remote Alpine village. One is a local boy. The other Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a Sicilian deserter. They are hid among the chickens. At the centre of village life is the Graziadei family — Cesare (...

The Postie had been folding things in half and ramming them through the letterbox. A book, ruined, and a coat. Who pushes a whole coat through a letterbox? A duster coat with a showerproof finish which the letter-box-squashing ruined. Raised complaints with Royal Mail for compensation of the cost of both items. Complaints took months, and at least three reminders, before I was told, in both cases, that I needed to take it up with the vendors,...

Pierre Lemaitre is a winner of The Prix Concourt Award. I’ve no idea what that is, but I’m suitably impressed and he’s also an international bestseller. The Silence and the Rage is part of a trilogy that follows The Pelletier family. I’ve not read the other two books but have read (and reviewed) one of his other novels ((2018) Three Days and a Life ). Like Emile Zola, he can pull the reader into historical events and have you rooting for his...

Initial reminder of the online course about mediaeval magic practices came from Oxford University yesterday, sadly just by email, not by Owl Post*. Email contained links to the short course handbook, reading list, and such. How to cite and how not to. (Am already practicing, although have not yet studied the Harvard ‘Cite Them Right’ method as their grammar is irritating. I expected more; could Harvard not ‘Cite Them Correctly’? Even in titles...

In Drew Gummerson’s reimagining of Kafka’s Metamorphosis one day Gregor wakes to find his parents have been turned into bugs. What to do?

My apologies to anyone who has been wondering what happened to me. I'm pleased to say that it's not due to anything sinister or, for that matter, exciting! Back in February, my aunt, who lived in Spain, unexpectedly passed away. As her primary contact, I had to deal with the funeral arrangements and her property (which included eight cats!) I don't know if you've had the pleasure of dealing with Spanish bureaucracy but it's a bit like British...