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Checking in from my vacation week. I am enjoying a stay in the luxury of my own home and the paradise of my own garden. Bookman is with me too for a few days. We were both so tired last night we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit to pillow. I always have dreams of having a huge multi-acre garden with my sole job being to tend it. But after having spent the day working in my small urban garden yesterday I’m not so sure I would be cut out for anything larger. How do all those people who write books about their huge gardens manage it? They certainly don’t do it alone but somehow they leave out their team of gardeners who do much of the heavy lifting. Because let me just say, after spending a day just weeding and digging my shoulders are sore and Bookman’s back is tired. But we enjoyed ourselves immensely and will be going out for more punishment today. More details on what we are doing in the usual weekly garden roundup on Sunday. Oh, the suspense!
We take frequent breaks so I am also reading too. I am very much enjoying Martha Cooley’s novel The Archivist. I’ve also been catching up on my magazine reading. I read a marvelous article about Aldo Leopold and phenology in — oh goodness I can’t remember which magazine, Earth maybe. Anyway, it has me wanting to read A Sand County Almanac. We also had a 20% off coupon and a gift card from Barnes and Noble. We’ve been enjoying the pleasure of thinking about what books to buy fo about a week. We finally decided to order Nut Butter Universe a vegan cookbook filled with recipes using a variety of nut and seed butters, and Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. I had a sudden urge to read it because, surprise, I tossed over starting Tristram Shandy last week for a book I had planned to read but completely forgotten about, The Letters of Dorothy Osborne. Osborne, also known as Lady Temple, has a marvelous collection of love letters written from 1652-1654 to her suitor Sir William Temple. What does this have to do with Mantel and her Cromwell books? Well, Henry Cromwell was a cousin and suitor. Henry was the son of Oliver Cromwell a descendent of Katherine Cromwell, an elder sister of Thomas Cromwell. See how that connects? I suspect that by the time the book arrives in my mailbox later this week I will be so deep in other books that I won’t have time for it. But at least it will be on hand for the next sudden urge.
Today’s vacation plans include more gardening as I mentioned earlier. And this evening Bookman and I will be taking a bike ride over to a local park for a community sing along. I found out about these several weeks ago, too late to be able to go to the May sing where they had 1,000 people turn out. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous today so perhaps there will be a big turn out tonight too. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!
Sounds like you have a great vacation planned Stephanie. I love “staycations”! Enjoy!
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Helen, yup, staycations are great and the hotel accommodations feel just like home 😉
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“Vacation?”, she whispered. I am whispering that because we are discouraged from swearing at work. That is a very bad word around here. Now, the sing along…that sounds splendid and I note that one of the songs is Rainbow Connection. I can’t think of that song without getting a lump in my throat and all weepy. I stayed home with my children when they were little (the best years of my life – so much fun), and we had a big bench swing in our backyard. We had no neighbors in the back, just acres of land that used to be a horse farm and was being rented by a farmer to grow corn (alternated by soy beans). On nice days the kids and I would spend a lot of time outside and we loved to swing. Rainbow Connection is the best song ever to swing to, did you know that? Try it and you’ll see. “why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what’s on the other side? Rainbows are visions, and only illusions, but rainbows have nothing to hide…” We’d belt that song out over and over and over. And, of course, we loved the Muppet Movie so we knew all the words by heart. Have a great song fest. And if they sing Rainbow Connection, belt it out for me!
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Grad, vacation has made me fall behind on comments! During the school year vacations are frowned upon but summer, everyone is encouraged so it becomes a scramble with everyone negotiating who is taking time off, when and for how long. What a happy memory singing with your children in the backyard! I love Rainbow Connection. Hopefully we get to sing it sometime and if we do I will think of you! 🙂
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Have you read Wolfhall? I ask since you intend buying ‘Bring up The Bodies’. What is your opinion of it? I am an avid reader but this was one book I found really difficult to go through, had to toss it aside halfway through. Stay Happy Pradeep
On Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 5:57 AM, So Many Books
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seniletalk, oh yes, I read Wolf Hall at the end of 2012 and loved it. It definitely wasn’t a fast and easy read because of the narrative structure, but I found that structure enjoyable. It made me pay attention and kept me unbalanced and I liked that.
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That sounds so lovely! I know — gardening is hard work! I think they must hire teams of gnomes… I could use a team of gnomes…
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wherethereisjoy, gardening is hard work, isn’t it? But it’s the good kind of hard work. Oh, I could use a team of gnomes too! I wonder where one hires them?
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Sounds like a perfect day you have planned. Hopefully you won’t be getting the rain we are having today…. I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain. I will have to check out the Dorothy Osborne book of letters–sounds good. I have not done as well as I would have liked on my letter-writing reading, but there is still time left this year, right? Have fun at your sing along!
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Danielle, Dorothy Osborne letters are going along great. She is very cheeky and flirty and the language is very modern for having been written in the early 1650s.
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Just to add to the list of connections that really have very little to do with anything, I saw the most wonderful miniature of Oliver Cromwell last week by one of the leading miniaturists of the day, Samuel Cooper. It’s supposed to be the portrait of which Cromwell said, ‘paint me warts and all’, but either Cooper thought he was better off flattering the old guy, or Cromwell was actually quite a good looking bloke.
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Alex, how cool you got to see that miniature. The letter of Osborne’s letters mentions the Cooper painting and the warts and all comment. That’s funny that he good looking.
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You sure know how to enjoy life, Stefanie. That sounds like a wonderful vacation, and, even better, you can live it again when your holidays are over. The books are enticing, and, the community sing along must be some experience. I’d be curious to know what songs they sing. Enjoy you time!
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Arti, I try! Spending time working in the garden means I get to enjoy the efforts of my labor too. It’s all very nice 🙂
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I have Bring Up The Bodies too! It looks fab, but I didn’t want to read it too close to Wolf Hall which, I know, is the wrong way to think about these things, but there it is. Love the idea of your singalong. Hope it’s very uplifting!
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Litlove, I want to read Bring up the Bodies before I forget everything from Wolf Hall. The only thing then is having to wait who know how long before Mantel gets the third book out!
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Staycations are the best oftentimes. Enjoy your time off at home.
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Glad you are enjoying your holiday and I hope you enjoy the community singing – please let us know how that went.
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Ian, thanks!
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Diane, they aren’t they? Thanks!
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Happy staycation to you! I wanted to get Bring up the bodies, but it was so big I couldn’t find room in my suitcase for it!
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smithereens, thanks! Bring up the Bodies turns out to be much shorter than Wolf Hall, but still hefty. Hope you can get your hands on it sometime!
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Sounds wonderful! Enjoy the rest of your vacation. I have never been much of a gardener, but have started to see the attraction of it now that I have a small herb and vegetable garden to tend in my new home. It doesn’t need much work really, but just pottering around watering in the cool of the evening is so relaxing.
Hey, I misread your post at first and thought you were into phrenology. Got scared for a moment, before I realised my mistake 🙂
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Andrew, catching up on comments, Vacation was lovely, thanks! I hope your small herb and vegetable garden inspires you on to gardening in a big way. I find it to be very satisfying. That you thought I was into phrenology made me laugh. What a difference a letter can make! 🙂
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The community sing along sounds like the perfect end to a summer day! I’m getting some of that in rehearsals for The Music Man, but we just sing the same songs over and over.
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Jeanne, you might have to sing the same songs over and over but you also get the fun of performance (eventually) which ads even more to the pleasure I think.
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Ooh, snap, I started Bring up the bodies this week. Going slowly – must speed up as it’s next weeks’ reading group read – but oh, how I’m loving it. I hope you do too when you get to it.
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whisperinggums, catching up on comments. And now you have finished Bring Up the Bodies and I am so glad you liked it. You fairly zipped through it but a deadline will do that I suppose 🙂
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Yes , it does rather focus the mind. It took me about a week … Mostly reading about 30 pages at a sitting.
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But, I agree with you re big gardens … I enjoy pottering a bit but not to the exclusion of reading, going to movies, spending time with friends and family etc. It’s all a juggle, eh?
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Enjoy your vacation! I can’t wait to hear about your garden adventures – more pictures please! 🙂
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Iliana, thanks!
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