Whispers in the Graveyard by Theresa Breslin – Carnegie Medal winner

Posted on 11 November 2024 by Katrina

Whispers in the Graveyard Book Cover Whispers in the Graveyard by the Scottish author Theresa Breslin won the Carnegie Medal in 1994.

In this book the author writes about a multiple of serious problems that Solomon, the main character has to deal with. He is having trouble at school, and at home. His mother has just recently left the family home after having given Solomon a choice of staying with his father or leaving with her. He stays with his father mainly because with his mother leaving there will be nobody to look after his father when he goes on his frequent alcoholic binges. But it means that Solomon doesn’t even have clean clothes to wear, so he’s smelly and unpopular at school. His teacher Mr Frame particularly dislikes him and chooses to ridicule him in the classroom, he’s just a bully. Peter, his best friend tries to protect Solomon from Frame, and lets Solly copy his homework, but he spends less and less time at school, choosing to hide away in an old graveyard.

He has found a sort of hidey-hole that he can gain access to by climbing up a rowan tree, used in the past for keeping witches away of course. When Solomon sees strangers looking around the graveyard he realises that his peaceful haven is under threat. With work going on in the graveyard it looks like something evil has been released.

It seems that this is one of those love it or hate it books. It’s really well written, but if you don’t like a bit of spookiness, or the real problems that some youngsters have in their lives such as bullying, family break up, alcoholic parents AND dyslexia then you might want to give this one a miss. However it’s a sad fact that a lot of young people have to cope with terrible problems that would fell many an adult. So although this isn’t exactly a jolly read, I think it might have helped some readers along the way. I enjoyed it, it has some light-hearted moments.

Revelation by C.J. Sansom

Posted on 10 November 2024 by Katrina

Revelation by C.J. Sansom is the fourth book in the author’s Shardlake series.

The book begins in the Spring of 1543. King Henry VIII is smitten by Catherine Parr whose elderly husband has just recently died, but she’s not all that keen, and who can blame her!

As the king gets older and more ill he seems to be hankering after the religion of his youth, and all that goes with it, except the Pope of course. Catherine is a reformer, but some reformist congregations are becoming too strict, and verging on lunacy.

When Shardlake’s friend ends up dead in a fountain, murdered horribly, and then another body is found, the circumstances lead Shardlake to believe that the murderer is a disgruntled reformist who is using the Book of Revelations to punish people that he disaproves of.

Shardlake is also trying to save a young man who has been sent to Bedlam for his own safety really as he has been drawing attention to himself with his vocal religious mania, people have been burnt at the stake for behaving like that.

This was another cracking read. If you do read it make sure that you read the historical notes at the back. I had no idea that there had been a lot of deliberation by the religious powersof the day over the Book of Revelations – as to whether it should be included in the bible or not. It does seem to have caused an awful lot of trouble over the years as it was thrillingly beloved by the Tudor Puritans, and likewise by the Christian Fundamentalists of today.

I must say that I didn’t realise that they picked and chose what they wanted to be included in the bible, so the whole thing has been manipulated, as well as being mis-translated.

Remembrance Sunday, Tommy at Seaham, County Durham

Posted on 10 November 2024 by Katrina

‘Tommy’ is a modern memorial but he’s much beloved, especially by the people of Seaham where he sits wearily, and somehow says it all about war.

The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams

Posted on 7 November 2024 by Katrina

Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse Book Cover

The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Williams was first published in 1938 but I had never come across it before when I spotted this nice hardback copy of it in a secondhand bookshop recently, it’s a reprint from 2011. Nick Park of Wallace and Gromit fame describes the book as being ‘Timeless and enchanting.’

Uncle Peder makes wooden toys to sell, it’s his way of making a living. When he makes a lovely little horse with four wheels he thinks he might get five shillings for him, but nobody wants to buy his toys now since a new cheaper toy shop has opened up in a nearby town. Uncle Peder has to sell everything he owns to try to keep body and soul together, but when Uncle Peder falls ill the little wooden horse decides he will have to go out and sell himself to help.

So begins the many adventures and scrapes that the Little Wooden Horse finds himself in, things get really tough for him, but he never gives up. He hires himself out telling people he is a very strong and quiet little horse. He works down a mine beside the pit ponies, pulls a barge, works in a circus and even gets involved with pirates. There’s a lot of strife involved but of course it’s all character building. Through it all he is determined to earn money to take back to his master, Uncle Peder, and of course there is a happy ending.

Did any of you read this book as a child?

The Church of Our Lady, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland

Posted on 7 November 2024 by Katrina

While we were in the north-east of England last month we visited Seaton Delaval Hall, which is quite an amazing place, part almost ruin and part stately home. The guide asked us if we were interested in seeing the ancient church, and he advised us to go straight there as that part of the estate closed at 4.00 pm.

The Church of Our Lady is as far as I can see just as it was when it was built, as far as the building is concerned anyway. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Durham in 1102. Although I’m not religious I appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the place. It’s a wee gem of Norman architecture, with a bit of Anglo Saxon apparently.

When reading the information sheet I was particularly amazed to see that they have a rare stained glass window depicting Prince Arthur Tudor, (below) Henry VIII’s older brother who of course died soon after his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. How different things would have been if he hadn’t died young, without issue. No need for a Henry VIII and six wives! No Elizabeth I of England. No imprisoned and executed Mary, Queen of Scots.

It’s definitely worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.

Home is the Sailor by Rumer Godden

Posted on 4 November 2024 by Katrina

Home is the Sailor by Rumer Godden and illustrated by Jean Primrose was first published in 1964. I counted just seven full page colour illustrations, but there are lots of black and white ones, all in a charming style.

This is the story of a doll’s house, its tiny doll inhabitants and the children who play with them. There are disasters and adventures, and a moaning character named Morello, supposedly the doll maid, she’s quite bitter about something, just like the cherry of her name. Mrs Lewis is another servant, she’s a Welsh doll, made of celluloid so when she heats up she crackles almost like she is laughing.

Mrs Raleigh is the mother doll, there’s her daughter Dora, twin girls called Opal and Pearl, a boy called Curly the sailor doll and Bundle the ‘long clothes’ baby. The disaster is that the doll husband Captain Raleigh has gone, no fault of his own. Miss Charlotte is the doll governess and the children were planning a wedding for her with the doll Thomas, but another disaster befell him, so Charlotte is distraught.

This is a lovely book with the lives of the dolls and the real children intertwining. When Bertrand a young French boy arrives to stay with the family he has a lot to learn. His own parents had sent him to England hoping that the experience would cure him of his know-it-all arrogance and surprisingly it does when he ends up having Curly the sailor doll as his mascot.

Rumer Godden wrote several children’s books featuring dolls and doll houses, she was very much in touch with the lives and thoughts of youngsters. This was a lovely relaxing read, for children of all ages. Thank you for letting me know about it Wilhelmina.

Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts – British Library Women Writers series

Posted on 3 November 2024 by Katrina

Lady Living Alone Book Cover

Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts was first published in 1945 but the setting is mainly the 1930s. It is just about to be reprinted by British Library in their Women Writers series. This is one of four novels that Lofts wrote under the name Peter Curtis.

I read quite a lot of Norah Lofts books back in the 1970s, but they were all historical romances. This one begins as a domestic novel with the usual problems of finding and keeping domestic servants.

Penelope Shadow seems to be well named, she’s quite shy and retiring, so when she bought a typewriter and started to write novels people were surprised to discover that they were being published and in fact were being very well received, making her a lot of money. This means that she will be able to buy a home of her own, in recent years Penelope had been staying with her older half sister who was a widow with children. It’s only when Penelope tells her sister of her plans that she realises that her sister had been doing her a favour in allowing Penelope to live with her, and had really put her own plans on hold.

An old house is quickly purchased, it’s rural, a bit of a lonely situation, and as Penelope is frightened to stay in a house on her own it’s not really a good choice for her, but she loves the house. It’s only when she is left on her own in it that she realises she still has a phobia about being on her own in a house.

When she meets a young man who seems to be capable of solving all domestic problems she hires him as a housekeeper/man of all work, that should solve the problem of her being on her own in the house. Terry is a young Irishman, not much more than a boy really, and he has been drifting from job to job, he’s very happy to move in to the house, it’s well paid and he’s really his own boss. For Penelope all her problems are over – or are they just beginning?

This one turns from being a domestic tale to a thriller, albeit quite late on in the book, but it’s an enjoyable read with twists and turns. The book has an Afterword by Simon Thomas and I must say that I appreciate the extras such as the mini Lofts bio and the interesting tidbits of information on what was going on during the 1940s.

My thanks to British Library for sending me a copy of this book in return for a review.

Furness Abbey, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria

Posted on 2 November 2024 by Katrina

I must admit that I hadn’t even heard of Furness Abbey before we were planning our trip to Barrow in Furness in Cumbria in September. Barrow is an industrial area nowadays but 900 years ago when the Abbey dates from it was obviously rural with the abbey being fabulously wealthy, owning a huge amount of land. Although it’s just a few miles outside the modern town of Barrow it still feels very rural.

The abbey was of course wrecked on the orders of Henry VIII at the time of the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1537. As you can see there’s some seriously heavy metalwork propping up some of the walls in the photo below.

There’s still a lot to see though and the ruins attracted the Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth.

With the arrival of the railway in 1847 it became a popular destination for tourists. If you look carefully at the photo below you can just see the top of a train going past, so it must have been easy for travellers to get to the abbey.

In the photo below you can still see the burn which supplied water to the abbey, presumably that is why it was situated here.

There’s a lot to see at Furness Abbey and as you can see we were lucky with the weather.

It’s definitely worth a visit if you are in that part of Cumbria. I was very pleasantly surprised at how scenic the Barrow in Furness area is and it’s not that far from the Lake District if you want to brave the hordes of modern day tourists!

Virginia Fly is Drowning by Angela Huth

Posted on 30 October 2024 by Katrina

Virginia Fly is Drowning by Angela Huth was first published in 1972 by William Collins and Sons but my copy is a 1992 reprint by Abacus.

Virginia Fly is a teacher, she’s an introvert and a virgin at the age of 31, but she has a very vivid imaginary sex life and erotic dreams, she’s obviously very frustrated. The longest relationship in her life (apart from her parents) has been with her male American penfriend, they’ve been writing to each other for twelve years.

For some bizarre reason Virginia agrees to go on a TV programme to be interviewed by a ‘celebrity’ TV presenter, this has all been orchestrated by Virginia’s mother, an overbearing woman who likes to be the centre of attention. Almost at the same time the penfriend arrives in England so he and Virginia will meet up at last. It seems that her virginity isn’t going to last much longer.

This is a well written book and at times quite funny, but I found it to be quite sad and all a bit unlikely. Also at a time when there were only three TV stations in the UK Virginia’s appearance on TV doesn’t seem to have been seen by anyone that knows her. Can you imagine what life woud have been like for any teacher of teenagers if she had announced on TV that she was still a virgin?!

Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s Garden, Lake District

Posted on 29 October 2024 by Katrina

The garden at Hill Top isn’t huge and I suspect that the vegetable garden hasn’t changed much over the years, although there are some decorations in it for children to spot. I think that Beatrix used her garden to illustrate some of her books, but most of my Beatrix Potter books had to be put into the paper/cardboard recycling after they were badly water damaged a few years ago, so I can’t compare them with my photos. If you click this link you will see some photos of the garden and house. As you can see from the photo I took back in early September the garden plants to the side of the house were more or less over.

I love the gate below which leads to the walled vegetable garden.

The two photos below were taken from the path which leads out of the property, going towards the shop. So you can have a sit down on one of the benches, if you are that way inclined.

These give you a bit of an idea of the surrounding area but if you click on the National Trust link near the beginning of this post you’ll get more of an idea of what the neighbouring houses look like.

Pining for the West

Meanderings about recipes, books, craft and more

Author Archives: Katrina