A Year in Books: May

    A young Welsh friend,  Ben Roberts, dancing in the May with Clerical Error Border Morris.

Here we are, May Day. Did you get up to welcome in the May at dawn this morning? Lots of my Molly and Morris friends around the country did, Face Book is awash with great photos, how wonderful the tradition seems to be gathering strength amongst the younger sides. I must confess it was almost seven before I was up, and I wasn't out gallivanting either! Here are a couple of photos of other Morris friends here and there.

                                                  Loose Women Morris, at Goodhurst.

                                            Green Dragon Morris, dancing at Whitstable.

My April read was quite delicious, I enjoyed every page, and for me, Sally Vickers is back on song. The characters are finely written and the transition between the present day, and Agnes' past life is well handled and reads comfortably.A book with lots to capture your interest; local colour, a mystery, and a nice balance of gently handled revenge and romance. Satisfying.

I haven't felt like attempting anything very challenging as I feel I can't settle to much at the moment with keeping on top of the situation with mum takes a fair amount of energy. So my read for May is an undemanding Dan Brown, which was on offer at the bookshop for cheaper than a paperback - says something about Dan Brown books you may infer!

His latest offering, Inferno, is in the same mould as the previous three (or is it four?) and, as it is May today I have begun it, and it promises to be just as formulaic. But it will suffice to keep me going, easily put-downable when I can't be bothered. I'm sorry, that really isn't the spirit of the challenge is it? And not usually how I approach reading books. I shall hopefully be back on song next month!

A Year in Books

Well here I am late again, I'm so sorry, but stuff has been happening. Some good stuff, certainly, but on the not so good side, my mum fell in the garden last Tuesday and fractured her neck of femur. She has had a partial hip replacement and physically is doing quite well. However, she is quite confused - much more so than usual, and I can't see us managing to get her back to her own little home again. It is very sad. I know there are packages of care, and we did actually have a pretty good system going between us, but I am so worried now about her being on her own at night. And to be honest, at the moment, she is a bit perplexed in time and space I think even during the day she would need someone with her constantly. We are waiting now to hear which unit she will be sent to for 're-hab', as our local hospital which has a purpose built wing for the elderly and re-hab, now apparently does not DO rehab. So it will be Downham Market, Swaffham or Fakenham.

Garden looking good - cheerful cowslips and primroses

In the meantime, I, who have not had so much as a head cold for nearly two years, - that's how retirement form the NHS improves your health! - has caught a head cold after two visits to the hospital, and now have exacerbation of asthma and a developing bronchitis. Nice. So, on antibiotics and steroids just when I could really NOT be doing with them!

My lovely Burwell Fiddle Class friend Debs

All of which, in-between hospital and surgery visits, leaves me plenty of time to read! I also managed a trip to my Burwell friend Deb's home in Godmanchester last Friday. She rang me to say our fiddle turor from the Burwell Bash, Jock Tildsley, was appearing with his band The New Rope String Band in Huntingdon, would I like to stay at hers and we could all go together? It was JUST what I needed. It was a hilarious gig, and afterwards another couple of Burwell Bashers came back to  Debs and also Jock came and parked his motor home on her drive for the night. We played very silly musical games as there were at least three fiddles, my melodeon, some boom-whackers, and a theorim which I have probably spelled incorrectly. It is a very strange instrument which makes weird sounds but you can play a scale and make a tune if you are clever. We weren't. A really lovely break, and great to see Jock and others who I usually only see once a year.

The New Rope String Band- minus Jock's wife Vera, at home with the children!

Jock, sorry about the terrible quality, I was too far away for a good shot.

Now then, back to books. I continue to race through the Game of Thrones epic, now on the final Dragon book, the last he has written (so far!) However this was not my Year in Books book. That was the Elly Griffiths newest publication "The Outcast Dead" which sees Ruth Galloway back in Norfolk and solving another historical conundrum, whilst dealing with her unorthodox relationship with her young daughter's father. All very satisfying and interest-holding. I look forward to her next! And those of you who have told me you've been inspired to check out her earlier novels - do let me know how you are getting on with them.

For March I have chosen a book by a favourite author of mine - Sally Vickers. I simply adore her first novel, "Miss Garnet's Angel", cannot get into her second, "Instances of the Number 3", and I have "Mr Golightly's Holiday" waiting my attention one day. This new one is her sixth novel, called "The Cleaner of Chartres" and is about the mysterious and elusive Agnes Morel whose little acts of kindness around the cathedral city of Chartres touch the lives of many. Then her tragic past is exposed and life for her can never be the same. I have begun reading this book and I can say she has, for me, regained the lovely flowing prose and human interest I last found in Miss Garnet's Angel. More about this next month!

I have only found this one Snake's Head Fritillary so far this spring.

So happy reading, folks, and I hope you are suitably impressed by the lovely weather we - here at least - have been enjoying. I was actually considering sun-tan lotion this afternoon as I sat out enjoying the flowers and herbs in our garden . Keep it up, weather, I can stand lots more of this!!