poppyshake

Second episode of Wolf Hall ... really loving it .. such strong performances. Stayed with BBC2 and watched Jessica Hynes in Up the Women .. can't help laughing although it is a bit ham. Enjoyable silliness.

Oh good luck! I've always dreaded this happening to me. Probably be very interesting though .. hope it is

Darrell does a lot of slapping .. the way she quite writhed around on the floor (was it?) with Ellen .. actually had me in stitches ... and then she came out with the line 'how dare you come to Malory Towers' .. very funny. So, in that respect, she's not boring but thinking about it .. she's probably more boring than the rest. Yes .. I agree ... I am a bit fed up of reading about Irene and Belinda .. I like them but stop trying to convince me they're scatterbrains and harum scarum etc .. They're almost pantomime. My fave's are Mary Lou and Sally. Least fave's are .. well probably Darrell and Gwen.

Yes .. it should've been 'Oi' shouldn't it? Watch out for that one when you come and stay ... that'll be chalked on your pants for the whole of Cirencester to see I'm not a big fan of horses either but it didn't worry me too much. I do think though that the pleasure of the books did depend a lot on how much you liked/disliked the new girls. Zerelda (and Lord!! where did Enid come up with that name .. out of her head I suppose) was entertaining to read about. I've noticed that Enid often mentions something at the start of each book that we're not aware of .. something that was supposed to have happened the term before .. always makes me feel I've missed a book (like in the third .. they're talking about how Gwendoline had been fawning around Mavis the term before .. but we never heard about this .. it was all Gwen and Daphne as far as we knew) .. I guess it's a good way of setting up a story without going into too much detail. I still love them for the nostalgia and still feel excited at the start of each book. They are dated .. you can't get away from it .. these girls are a million miles away from girls these days and they were already a world away back in the seventies. I didn't notice it then so much .. it's just I can look back now and know that I wasn't living the lives they were .. but then .. different class for one thing. It's more than forty years since I read them

I remember thinking Darrell was mean and worrying about Mary-Lou .. I think that's because I was a bit of a (lot of a) Mary-Lou ..but sadly without the brave bits Yes .. it's good to have a mix and also quite brave of Enid to choose a heroine who had faults. At least Darrell wasn't boring. I liked Sally a lot more than Darrell though.

Yes .. I don't think Enid would have approved of boys She was trying to turn little girl's heads away from boys .. however I know .. that little girl's heads were NOT turned away I would have been terrified of the pool too .. even though Gwen is an awful goose () .. I still didn't think they should shove her in etc. Beasts! As for brave little Mary-Lou .. why they're not fit to breathe the same air

Some pics from the first book for you frankie

I will go on too once I can get hold of the books (bother .. why didn't I get a set in the first place?) Can't leave them half way through their school life

I know the girls definitely fried sausages in one midnight feast .. and they were out by the sea or swimming pool in another. It may have been at St Clare's though. I suppose that means Claire that there ISN'T a midnight feast in the third book .. oh bother!!

My third book has turned up There'd better be a midnight feast in this one After saying they never mention boys .. a Prince was mentioned in the last book .. sadly he was entirely invented by Daphne but nevertheless .. it was a mention There were big similarities between the first book and the second as regards Darrell and her temper .. and her slapping someone who was (unknowingly) ill and them ending up in the san and her worrying that she'd caused it etc etc. I thought she went a bit OTT with Ellen tbh (and Sally for that matter) .. 'how dare you come here to Malory Towers' I remember too much about the books (because .. like everyone else who read them in childhood ..I read them until they fell apart ) which means I know the outcome of all these situations and I know what the new girls will turn out like etc etc which in a lot of ways is a pity. I've forgotten some of the smaller incidents though and it's a pleasure to read them and be reminded. Also the pics bring back memories .. I can remember studying them for clues as to what the girls and the teachers looked like. In the last book though .. Mr Young looked completely different on the cover to how he looked inside in the illustrations clearly a later edition.

Bless you thanks Claire don't worry though .. only if it comes to hand. Having said that my books are haphazardly organised .. which they are. I'm very proud to say that I found all three jar books immediately .. and knew where they were so that pleased me. Alan had better not move any of them though ... I'd smifflicate (word my Dad always uses ) him. He did take all of my books out of a little cabinet I have on the landing today because he's got to pull the carpet up .. but I made him photograph them first. Not only have they got to go back but they must go back in the same order Yes .. Lucia Rising is definitely being counted as three books in my books read list Goodreads is actually telling me I am nine books ahead of my target (but then my target is only 80 books ) ... hope things continue that way. January has been an excellent reading month for me but I need to sustain it.

Glad your first day went well Janet Enjoy the rest of the week xx

Lucia Rising : Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp and Lucia in London by E.F. Benson Synopsis: This title contains three of Benson's Lucia stories. "Queen Lucia" was published in 1920, "Miss Mapp" in 1922 and "Lucia in London" in 1927. They are much-loved novels of provincial snobbery and became a successful television series. Review: In complete contrast to the previous book .. the 700 pages in this book sailed past. There could've been 300 more .. I wouldn't have noticed. Too busy laughing and being deliciously entertained. It did take me a little while to get into the stories .. just to familiarise myself with the characters and the setting etc (and this you have to do twice as Miss Mapp is about a whole different set of characters in another location) but after that I was up and running and enjoying myself immensely. Nancy Mitford loved these books and so did Noel Coward and it's easy to see why. Just their sort of observational humour and mine. Miss Mapp is resident Queen Bee (or likes to think of herself as) at Tilling and Lucia is the same at Riseholme. They don't meet during these particular stories though E.F. Benson did put them together in his book Mapp and Lucia .. which I can't wait to read. They live for scandal, intrigue and gossip. Lucia is a most shameful social climber and Miss Mapp an alarming busy body who distrusts everybody. There are a number of characters that you get to know well in both Riseholme and Tilling .. none of them very likeable though some you champion more than others as they battle valiantly on with their one upmanship. It's small town snobbery at its best. Loved all the stories but especially Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp. Thank you very much Claire for lending it to me I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it but I never know what's good for me The BBC gave me a nudge with their adaptation and that did help enormously with the visuals etc Loved It!

A Strange Eventful History by Michael Holroyd Synopsis: Ellen Terry was a natural actress who filled the theatre with a magical radiance. The Times called her the 'uncrowned queen of England' but behind her public success lay a darker story. The child-bride of G. F. Watts, she eloped with a friend of Oscar Wilde at 21 and gave birth to 2 illegitimate children. But her greatest partnership was on-stage, with legendary actor-manager and tragedian Henry Irving. At the Lyceum Theatre in London, the two of them created a grand Cathedral of the Arts.Their intimately-involved lives exceeded in plot the Shakespearean dramas they performed on stage - and indeed were curiously affected by them. They also influenced the life and work of their remarkable children, Ellen's children in particular. Edy Craig, who founded a feminist theatre group, The Pioneer Players, established a lesbian community whose complex love-affairs make those of the Bloomsbury Group appear quite conventional. Her brother, Edward Gordon Craig, the revolutionary stage designer who collaborated with Stanislavski on a spectacular production of Hamlet in Moscow, is revealed by this book to be the forgotten man of modernism. He had 13 children by 8 women (including the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan) - perhaps the most extraordinary man Michael Holroyd has ever written about. Review: A little bit too involved and detailed for me. I didn't really have any idea about Henry Irving or Ellen Terry and had only heard little snippets about them previously. I'm not that interested in Victorian theatre either. I think the truth of it is I was drawn to it by the cover and by the number of amazing endorsements written on it by various celebs and literary reviewers. At 300 pages long it might have kept my interest .. at 564 large format paperback pages I was definitely struggling and wandering off and hoping for it all to end I found that once it got to the point where Henry and Ellen met and were working together things got interesting and I enjoyed reading all about the Lyceum Theatre and their performances in (mostly) Shakespeare plays etc. The book didn't only focus on them though it focused quite heavily on their children and in particular Edward Gordon Craig (Ellen's son) .. himself very influential in the theatre .. and this bored me to tears and also angered me quite a bit as I didn't really like any of them and EGC in particular was an absolute in matters of the heart. Having said that, his romance with Isadora Duncan was fascinating. I'd only really recommend this to people who are interested in Victorian theatre and even then .. hard going! Liked it ... some of the time

I would have been happy with CBTD I think .. or happ-i-er anyway. Still the letters are going well, Violet is an absolute basket case so that's always entertaining (that is .. she's mad for love and as such writes the most outlandish stuff.) I'm liking it so far

Hmm .. it's possible that my jar might come up with a better look than my usual 'wizard dressed as a muggle' look .. however I believe it's quite malicious so I'm not going to give it the opportunity

Oh .. not fair!!

Very true It is making me face the music though which I'm sure I'll be glad of in the long run. Imagine if you had a jar full of the names of all the food stuff you've got in the cupboard .. and you had to make a meal out of whatever you picked out .. that tin of borlotti beans for instance .. or that old rice pudding. I know I've got some chestnut puree that I've been ignoring since probably the Christmas before last .. and a jar of peaches in brandy that I won in a raffle at my Mum's fete Moral of the story: It could be worse! There's outfits too .. at the back of the wardrobe *shudder*

Oh .. sorry to hear that Claire .. toothache is the worst Alan is home again today after three days away so yippee .. nothing much happening but there is wine in the glass and a chicken in the oven Also we're playing some of the old vinyl I bought last week on the Dansette so happy days

I could .. I might .. if things get desperate The jar has a horrible hold over me at the moment .. I feel I have to obey it. This is just another way I've found of making life miserable I'm not worried .. except for my mojo .. you know how easily it can be frightened off or wearied away. I haven't enjoyed or loved anything the jar has thrown at me yet but then it's early days and I shouldn't have bought the books if I didn't want to read them. Could be a valuable life lesson and it may change my book spending habits .. I doubt it though

I rarely do that .. not sure why .. would make life easier though I am doing it with Malory Towers and did it too with Harry Potter .. or as far as I could until J.K. made me wait interminably It does make sense to keep momentum .. certainly I should do this with the Thursday Next's but usually I actually set out to do the opposite .. wanting a complete change however much I'm enjoying it (is this masochistic do you think? )

I was so disappointed Alan actually told me to throw it back in

That's why I've picked up The Guest Cat .. my choice and the jar's choice .. let's see who wins The jar is actually doing what it should do .. making me read the books I was ignoring because all of its picks so far were destined to be shoved to the bottom of the pile. I did so want a fictional story this time though *sigh* The last two have been hard work but this one might not be .. hopefully

I know, I know It's just .. such big books and all non-fiction. I'd like to make a dent in the list this year but it'll take me ages at this rate. I've probably read them a lot quicker than I would have normally .. that's the pull of the jar but it's charms will wear off. I think I could have read three or four shorter fiction books in the time and the books haven't particularly rewarded me for my dedication. Should have perhaps have abandoned the last one but couldn't .. such a beautiful looking book I did like it but only in patches .. would've been long at 300 pages let alone 574 My head is buzzing .. I don't know what war I'm in or how much butter costs a pound

Anyone would think that these are not books that I've personally chosen