Nollaig Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 That Mary Poppins cover IS beautiful. I've always been curious about the books, but I love the film so much that I'm not sure I really want to read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 How on earth did that happen? It's a bit like buying a new blouse in a shop and then when you put it on for the first time and go out, it's a different colour. I guess the same happened with the book, and they are not even going to try and solve that problem because it's a book and they don't expect anyone to complain about the changing color. Little did they know there are people who color co-ordinate their bookshelves... Can you imagine taking a book back because of it's colour? Imagine their faces? Oh it's almost worth doing it to see .. but I never could, I'd have to send someone else. I'm hopeless at taking anything back for bona fide reasons .. let alone for such a spurious reason (it's almost a Monty Python sketch ) I haven't heard of it either, is it a new one? I'm as ignorant as to not know if Susan Hill is still alive. Oh no wait, she has to be, because her novel The Small Hand was published only a few years ago. Yes. Susan is just about to turn 71 (just incase she's reading ) .. she's surely got a few good books in her yet? Again, I feel rather stupid... This is not the Elizabeth Taylor? But an author by the same name? Not stupid at all, it was the first thing that came into my head too (so it can't be stupid .. right? ) I mean it is a very famous name although the novelist must have been a tad peed off as she's twenty years older. She wrote in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's and I think Virginia mentions her at some point but I'm not sure where now or what she said (very helpful aye? I'm a positive mine of information ) Oh I think it will be good. I've never disliked The Catcher in the Rye, actually I didn't know anyone disliked the book until I read the thread on here.. But it's been so long that I honestly can't remember if I enjoyed it either, or whether it was just okay. I should re-read it and make my own mind up again. I have Franny and Zooey on my wishlist, and I think it's also a challenge read of mine of some sort... I'm not sure if it's on the 1001 Books list or the Rory challenge, or maybe even both. Well that's very encouraging I forgive it for being blue and anyway it looks very well with the purple books, it's a very purpley sort of blue obviously Indeed! And the next time you would read the book, you'd have all the more reason to lick it, just to get to the toast crumbs! (Oh that was a really silly joke, a very poor one.) well I liked it and to be honest, I'm not above that sort of behaviour. Anyhow, I just checked Mary Poppins on wiki and at a quick glance I saw there are actually seven (??) sequels to the first novel?! I had no idea. Maybe one needs to take a more closer look at the site and see if they are all novels. Lord!! I wonder if she goes back to the same children or if it's more your sort of Nanny McPhee affair? Other difficult children to tame (can you say that about children? .. or is it just animals?) That Mary Poppins cover is gorgeous! It is Janet and it gave me a pang to part with it. Actually the cover sold me the book, I had gone in to ask for a different book entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Hi poppy, I don't know if this link will work, it's off Waterstone's pic today on Facebook which is showing colour coordinated bookshelves!! (Not as nicely done as yours though... Thanks chalie I did get my inspiration from similar shelves .. though I can't be dealing with intermingling different sized books .. or I can but only when they're laying down (I'm weird .. don't worry about it ) I can see the pic and I'm not logged in in facebook atm so I think it works. I agree, poppy's is nicer . Thanks Athena I've often see her mentioned too and keep meaning to read her, but haven't got round to it yet! I have, however, seen the film version of Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont with Joan Plowright, but I hadn't realised it was a book first. I'll be looking out for your review now Ah, I noticed Joan on the front of one of the alternative covers on Goodreads .. that would explain it. I have put it on the shelf now and that's a bit of a blow for it because I tend to read those that are not yet shelved. They sit around in delicious little piles and it's so much easier (and less traumatic ) to just take one off the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 I have very fond memories of the Mary Poppins movie! So do I. I saw it again at Christmas It never gets stale, it always enchants That Mary Poppins cover IS beautiful. I've always been curious about the books, but I love the film so much that I'm not sure I really want to read them. Ahh well, I would probably steer clear of them then Noll. The similarities are few and the tone of the story is quite different .. I saw it as 'the alternative version' I think what Disney did with it was quite inspired, I remember reading he had all sorts of trouble with PL Travers though .. she wasn't that happy with the changes and told him at the premier (to which she was not invited) that the animated sequences had to go and he apparently said as he walked off 'Pamela, the ship has sailed' He wanted to adapt some of the sequels but she flatly refused. Dodie Smith was someone else that could be a pain but I think he found her a great deal easier than Pamela, Dodie thought that they had improved her story (101 Dalmatians). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov Amazon Synopsis: Viktor is an aspiring writer with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company. Although he would prefer to write short stories, he earns a living composing obituaries for a newspaper. He longs to see his work published, yet the subjects of his obituaries continue to cling to life. But when he opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. He and Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape. Review: This is quirky story with a gloomy but darkly humourous feel to it so quite Russian as you might expect. There's minimal dialogue, Viktor thinks a lot and chews over situations but doesn't necessarily act on his instincts, or perhaps it's more true to say that he doesn't have any immediate instincts, he is much more your sort of 'go with the flow' person, though he goes with the flow in quite a leisurely, indolent way. One of the few consolations in his life is his pet king penguin Misha whom he adopted when the local zoo couldn't afford to feed their animals any longer. Misha's not exactly great company but then neither is Viktor ... 'Misha had brought his own kind of loneliness, and the result was now two complimentary lonelinesses, creating an impression of interdependence more than anything.' ... Viktor runs cold baths for Misha to splash about in and feeds him on defrosted fish but still it puzzles him that Misha's not happy, he has sad little eyes. He often comes and puts his head on Viktor's knee for a pat but then he also stands staring at walls and into mirrors and can't sleep (and if tears aren't leaking from your eyes at the thought then you are either hard hearted or I'm not as good as Kurkov at conveying penguin desolation .. I think we know which it is ) Working from home is usually fairly stress free and Viktor is happy that at last he's found an outlet for his creative writing, even if it is just writing obituaries, but he's a little bit sad that no-one will necessarily read them, or not for a while anyway. That is until the notables start dying with alarming frequency and Viktor notices a direct correlation between these deaths and the obits he's being asked to prepare. Suddenly he finds himself in a 'don't ask questions' scenario and up to his neck in hot water. Being a man of few words (apart from those he gets down on paper) he doesn't panic in a way that say, you or I would. He mulls over the situation but carries on, after all it's work and the money is good. Various people drift into his life including little red haired Sonya who is left with Viktor when her father (also called Misha but helpfully referred to as Misha the non-penguin .. himself a new acquaintance) suddenly does a runner. Viktor has never looked after a child before but again he doesn't flap, it's almost no surprise to him. He hires a nanny to look after her and they become a little family unit of sorts which sometimes pleases him but sometimes irritates ... Viktor is not exactly sure what he wants or who he trusts. It's a funny little book, darkly comic in a deadpan way and occasionally surreal. Viktor's not a person to warm to necessarily but then again you can't dislike him either. You're a bit puzzled by him, he's quite emotionless, except it's obvious he loves his penguin. I fell in love with Misha too .. so far from home and heartbroken. I can see that having a pet penguin would be wrong especially in the Cotswolds but I couldn't help wishing for it very much .. he would love it at the moment and we never do get the summers we're promised The ending has quite a twist .. made me catch my breath a bit. There's a sequel apparently, another one for the wishlist Many thanks to frankie for sending it to me 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Ahh well, I would probably steer clear of them then Noll. The similarities are few and the tone of the story is quite different .. I saw it as 'the alternative version' I think what Disney did with it was quite inspired, I remember reading he had all sorts of trouble with PL Travers though I came to the book from the film, and loved the book so much more. Surely you didn't see the book as the 'alternative version' to the film? I'm not surprised Disney had trouble with Travers: the integrity and whole point of her books were completely taken to the cleaners by Disney who, having said she could have approval of the script then proceeded pretty much to ignore her, and got her banned her from the premier because of the ruckus she created. It's probably true that Disney knew what he was doing (although it would be interesting to see how a true to the book Mary Poppins would have done!), but it's a pity that he couldn't have developed something like Mary Poppins as an original, rather than ripping the heart out of somebody else's work to do so. Travers never forgave him, especially for the cartoon section (which is surely the weakest part of the flim), even though he had done right by her on the financial front (she got a decent percentage of the profits I think). Disney Studios did pretty much the same thing to Winnie-the-Pooh (only far, far worse!). Edited January 25, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 added Death and the Penguin to my wish list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Miss Poppy I've been curious about this for awhile now,but do you ever choose books based on their strange titles ? I've noticed that a lot of the books you choose have such catchy titles, maybe that's what draws you to them ? I can tell right now you are on the hunt for PURPLE books,but do you ever tend to grab one,due to just the title ? I love books that have funny titles -- I didnt read this one, but still remember it on the library shelf --- I Still Miss My Man,But My Aim is Getting Better . Or an ELVIS cookbook called ARE YOU HUNGRY TONIGHT ? I often wonder if I were to write a book, what would I call it ? Do you ever wonder if authors choose a title before they even write the book, or if they have trouble choosing a title when the book is complete ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 I came to the book from the film, and loved the book so much more. Surely you didn't see the book as the 'alternative version' to the film? I'm not surprised Disney had trouble with Travers: the integrity and whole point of her books were completely taken to the cleaners by Disney who, having said she could have approval of the script then proceeded pretty much to ignore her, and got her banned her from the premier because of the ruckus she created. It's probably true that Disney knew what he was doing (although it would be interesting to see how a true to the book Mary Poppins would have done!), but it's a pity that he couldn't have developed something like Mary Poppins as an original, rather than ripping the heart out of somebody else's work to do so. Travers never forgave him, especially for the cartoon section (which is surely the weakest part of the flim), even though he had done right by her on the financial front (she got a decent percentage of the profits I think). Disney Studios did pretty much the same thing to Winnie-the-Pooh (only far, far worse!). I just meant that the book and film are two alternative versions of the story. Of course Pamela's is the original but I loved the film so much as a child (and still do) that I can't look upon it as anything other than magical and I'm not sure how magical an adaptation a straight retelling of Pamela's story would be because in places it was just a little weak (and I'm far from allowing that the animation is the weakest part of the movie .. I love the penguins ) I know what you mean about Winnie the Pooh but again I loved them and Sterling Holloway's Pooh in particular, I wasn't a very discerning child I hate what they did with them later but (apart from the gopher who should never have been put in) liked the storybook feel of the original animations. It's a shame that Pamela hated the movie version, it must be heartbreaking to see your work (in your mind) butchered but when did you ever see a faithful retelling of a story on screen? I can't imagine she was unprepared for it having seen Disney's offerings thus far. Perhaps authors are more savvy now (though stories still get ripped to pieces) .. JK Rowling insisted on having overall (contractual) control over the scripts and casting etc of her stories. I think there still might be an adaptation of Mary Poppins, now that they can do so much more without using animation, the BBC could do a fantastic version and it's far less like doing a deal with the devil (although .. that new Blandings series is atrocious .. someone's head should roll .. I might deduct money from my licence fee ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 added Death and the Penguin to my wish list! Woo-hoo .. I'm very happy to hear it Miss Poppy I've been curious about this for awhile now,but do you ever choose books based on their strange titles ? I've noticed that a lot of the books you choose have such catchy titles, maybe that's what draws you to them ? I can tell right now you are on the hunt for PURPLE books,but do you ever tend to grab one,due to just the title ? I love books that have funny titles -- I didnt read this one, but still remember it on the library shelf --- I Still Miss My Man,But My Aim is Getting Better . Or an ELVIS cookbook called ARE YOU HUNGRY TONIGHT ? I often wonder if I were to write a book, what would I call it ? Do you ever wonder if authors choose a title before they even write the book, or if they have trouble choosing a title when the book is complete ? I am intrigued by a strange title I admit and it certainly encourages me to pick up a book though it has to have the right sounding synopsis for me to actually want to buy it (although an 'it's brilliant' says The Times sometimes is enough ) I've heard about the Elvis cookbook, one of our TV cooks .. Nigella Lawson .. told me about it on one of her programmes, she collects cookbooks and the kitscher the better. It's got the famous peanut butter and banana sandwich in I believe Alan is always going to write a book or a song but all he ever does is write the title (and it's usually got a pun in it) .. he then tries to think of ideas around it needless to say he doesn't get far before he comes up with a completely different title for another book .. and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 It's a shame that Pamela hated the movie version, it must be heartbreaking to see your work (in your mind) butchered but when did you ever see a faithful retelling of a story on screen? It must be heartbreaking to see a bad adaptation. That's why Dahl wouldn't allow any of his other books to be made into films during his lifetime - he hated the dreadful Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 I quite like that one as well I didn't like the remake much .. no, that's not true, I just didn't like Johnny as Willy Wonka, I liked everything to do with the Buckets, I also like Matilda and love James and the Giant Peach. I'm not the author though and of course their work is sacred to them. Neil Gaiman doesn't mind them messing around with his stories too much, they took liberties with Coraline but I think improved it (though I wasn't keen on the added character of Wylie). But wasn't The BFG made before his death? I liked that as well, I hope he did I wasn't sure about Fantastic Mr Fox .. it was intriguing though. It would be nice to see a Quentin Blake version of a Roald Dahl story come to life as it were, that would be brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hmm - maybe it was just the Charlie sequel he didn't allow. I can't remember where I read it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 I think he must have been near the end of his life though .. perhaps he'd forgotten the disappointment by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I quite like that one as well I didn't like the remake much .. no, that's not true, I just didn't like Johnny as Willy Wonka, I liked everything to do with the Buckets, I also like Matilda and love James and the Giant Peach. I'm not the author though and of course their work is sacred to them. Neil Gaiman doesn't mind them messing around with his stories too much, they took liberties with Coraline but I think improved it (though I wasn't keen on the added character of Wylie). But wasn't The BFG made before his death? I liked that as well, I hope he did I wasn't sure about Fantastic Mr Fox .. it was intriguing though. It would be nice to see a Quentin Blake version of a Roald Dahl story come to life as it were, that would be brilliant. Those are some great films! I recently bought Mathilda on DVD and watched it, I hadn't seen it in ages. It's such a great film. I loved Roald Dalh books when I was a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I think Mary Poppins is a spectacular film. It's unfortunate if it 'butchered' the original book, and I'm sorry for that, but I can't not love what I grew up loving because of that, and I don't want to spoil my only experience of the character, be it wrong or not. As for Winnie, I too love the original books, and I also love Disney Pooh. The original animations with Sterling Holloway were beautiful, and I even liked the newer Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh when I was growing up, as well as some of the films with Jim Cummings. One of the films, Winnie The Pooh's Most Grand Adventure (also known as The Search For Christopher Robin, who has in fact gone to school) is one of my favourite Pooh Bear things ever created. It's far, far darker than any other WtP story and was massively criticised and released straight to video because of it. It's essentially about growing up, and the entire moral of the story is that people (or stuffed animals!) who love each other can't always be together because that's just life, but just because you're apart doesn't mean you're going to lose each other. I think it's fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 A Boy at the Hogarth Press - Richard Kennedy Amazon Synopsis: In 1928, after a rather unsuccessful education at Marlborough College, sixteen-year-old Richard Kennedy was put firmly under the wing of Leonard Woolf as his new protege at the Woolfs' printing press. Responsible for making tea, packing boxes and a host of other menial tasks, Kennedy observed unnoticed the social milieu of the sophisticated Bloomsbury set as it revolved around the Hogarth Press. Some forty years later, and by then a professional illustrator, he put pen to paper, recalling his time with Virginia and Leonard Woolf in candid and often hilarious detail. He tells of the success that Virginia enjoyed ('There is much talk of Mrs W's new book Orlando and plenty of tension'), of their chaotic office with its collapsing shelves, rats and arguments over toilet paper, and of his own often hapless attempts to keep pace with the literary giants around him. Illustrated throughout with Kennedy's own sketches, this is a delightful work that offers a unique peep into the Bloomsbury set. Review: There were lots of reasons to love this one, it gave me more of an insight into Virginia (and to know her isn't necessarily to love her but still ) I loved the scribbley drawings done by the author, I liked that it was funny and I loved that it was about printing as my OH is a printer and so I'm an absolute expert .. or should be .. given how much he tells me about it Richard was taken on at the Hogarth Press after his uncle had put in a good word for him to Leonard (or rather had told him that Richard was up the creek with no qualifications). These memoirs weren't written until years later so perhaps they're not as thorough as they might have been if he had written them on the spot. They're quite informal .. mere jottings really but I loved that about them, it's the little details that I wanted to hear about (like Virginia learning to knit and Leonard being obsessive about the petty cash.) He gives the reader a much more intimate view of the working environment at Tavistock Square than is usual with books about Bloomsbury. I spent an awful lot of the time laughing. It almost had a Mr Pooter flavour to it because, though Richard had good intentions, he was a tiny bit hapless. One of his proudest achievements was putting up a shelf ... 'Today the trumpet blasts. I put up my shelf. It proved to be a much harder job than I thought. In the first place I had to walk like Jesus carrying the Cross practically the whole way to Tavistock Square because the conductor refused to let me on the bus with the wood...' even Leonard was complimentary (and, oh dear! Leonard doesn't necessarily come over well here though again it was making me laugh rather than the opposite and in fact Richard, despite being blasted by him often and eventually sacked for ordering the wrong size paper, talks of him quite fondly and cites him as a surrogate father .. one of four anyway) and then weeks and weeks later the shelf fell down, showering Leonard and his guest in leaflets and brochures. You could almost imagine him saying 'stupid boy' in a Capt Mainwaring way as he dusted himself off. He definitely would have given him a withering look because apparently, Leonard did withering very well Richard wants to like Virginia's work but doesn't particularly (although when he tries to write a story of his own, his Uncle tells him it's too much like Mrs Dalloway ) .. he says it's embarrassing to like someone but not admire their work. He asks Virginia's opinion on Proust but confuses her by pronouncing it 'to rhyme with Faust not boost'. He does occasionally socialise with the Bloomsbury group and has mixed opinions on its members, he feels quite awkward in their society .. 'I knew I was expected to say something brilliant for the benefit of the group that had collected round us. The truth was that I had only read Orlando, Mrs Dalloway and The Common Reader - I said I didn't think she created character as well as a writer like Turgenev. I could see this didn't go down at all well and felt rather like Peter denying Christ.' He doesn't want to get on Leonard's nerves, he thinks it's perhaps best if he doesn't ask him about sex too much on their walks around Tavistock Square (you have to remember that Richard was only sixteen and had lost his father when he was four so they had been having some man-to-man chats) ... 'I had better not press him too far about sex. Apparently the Bloomsbury crowd now talk about 'death packets' and 'filth packets'. 'Death packets' drag you down with morbid descriptions of their misfortunes, illnesses, etc. 'Filth packets' insist in wallowing on sexual matters. Actually Leonard accused me of being a 'filth packet' this morning because my table was so untidy so perhaps the term is pretty elastic' Leonard has a bright idea to send Richard up north selling books and he does pretty poorly (and dreads his return) until he starts telling one bookseller that Dostoevsky's Stavrogin's Confession probably wouldn't be of any interest to his readers .. 'so you think we are completely uncivilised up here do you? .. I'll have ten copies' .. he eventually gets an order from him worth £100 and says he can't wait to confront Leonard with proof of his magic touch as a salesman Probably only Bloomsbury nuts like me will find as much pleasure in it as I did, and even then they may like more detail and less farce. It suited me down to the ground though .. I liked it enormously Another reason to love it is that Kylie sent it to me .. thanks Kylie 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 I think Mary Poppins is a spectacular film. It's unfortunate if it 'butchered' the original book, and I'm sorry for that, but I can't not love what I grew up loving because of that, and I don't want to spoil my only experience of the character, be it wrong or not. As for Winnie, I too love the original books, and I also love Disney Pooh. The original animations with Sterling Holloway were beautiful, and I even liked the newer Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh when I was growing up, as well as some of the films with Jim Cummings. One of the films, Winnie The Pooh's Most Grand Adventure (also known as The Search For Christopher Robin, who has in fact gone to school) is one of my favourite Pooh Bear things ever created. It's far, far darker than any other WtP story and was massively criticised and released straight to video because of it. It's essentially about growing up, and the entire moral of the story is that people (or stuffed animals!) who love each other can't always be together because that's just life, but just because you're apart doesn't mean you're going to lose each other. I think it's fantastic. I agree Noll, I didn't grow up with the later WtP animations and that's probably why I'm a bit sniffy about them. When you're growing up though you're not thinking of whether it's true to the book or not .. it doesn't enter your head. My niece Daisy is mad about the new Disney Tinkerbell films .. I'm sure J.M. Barrie would be horrified if he saw them. I get on my high horse now if a book gets a bad adaptation but like you say, you can't stop loving what you loved, not for those reasons (though you can look back and cringe at some things you loved ... Kirk Douglas singing 'Whale of a Tale' for example ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Those are some great films! I recently bought Mathilda on DVD and watched it, I hadn't seen it in ages. It's such a great film. I loved Roald Dalh books when I was a child. I love the films but strangely haven't read many of the books, though I do have them. Must put that right .. you're never too old. My Dad is currently listening to an audiobook of all his tales for adults (Someone Like You I think it's called) .. they sound quite scary but he's loving them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 The Cat Who Came in From the Cold - Deric Longden Amazon Synopsis: The little cat Deric Longden saw sitting forlornly on an upturned bucket belonged to the neighbours, but somehow when it began to rain it seemed only natural to bring him inside. Once there he slipped so easily into Deric and Aileen's lives that there was an unspoken agreement that he had found his real home. Little did he know that he had entered the Longden world, in which the unexpected (almost) always happens. Aileen being Aileen, it was probably inevitable that sooner or later the kitten would be trapped in the refrigerator. And Deric being Deric, the obvious way to thaw him back to life was to make a little coat for him out of a shrunken thermal vest. Thus the cat who came in from the cold got his name - Thermal - and joined the wonderful cast of characters in the ongoing Longden saga. Review: Awww, this was just a lovely book to curl up with in front of the fire. I've not read anything by Deric before but he's a great storyteller. He's not really a cat person, at least he thought he wasn't, but he can't help being moved by the sight of next doors white kitten sitting out in the rain on a bucket. .. 'Drizzle. The kitten would be getting soaked. I pushed my chair back and then paused as common sense tapped me on the shoulder. "Where are you going?" "I'm just going to have a look at the kitten - see if it's alright." "How do you mean? - see if it's alright?" "It'll be getting wet." "It's a cat - they're waterproof for God's sake." "I suppose you're right." "Of course I'm right - so where are you going?" "Get some more toast." "No you're not. You haven't finished that slice yet - you're going to ..." "Oh p*ss off." Deric tempts the kitten inside (with roast chicken no less) and the longer it stays, the more he and his wife Aileen fall for it's charms. They eventually adopt the kitten for good (well it might be true to say that they steal it .. though the neighbours don't seem to mind all that much) and re-christen him Thermal. Poor Thermal does go through the wars a bit, managing to get himself trapped in both the fridge and washing machine (Aileen is blind so having a tiny kitten around is both hazardous for her and the kitten) and manages to marinate himself thoroughly in damson wine. When trying to get Thermal to stop using the flowerpots for his business .. Deric takes him out into the garden at night and promptly loses him. He doesn't turn up again for over a month and when he does he's in a very poor way .. 'he looked like something out of Dickens - a ragamuffin. Fagin would have thought twice about taking this one on - he would have let the side down. His coat didn't fit him any more and it was filthy. He must have been locked in a garage somewhere - he hadn't merely brushed against the grease, it had massaged itself into his fur.' Deric embellishes the story somewhat for the sake of a good yarn (and he's very funny). I'm not sure I believe that Thermal had a pet sultana (eventually called Ralph .. well Deric calls it Ralph I'm not suggesting that Thermal did) however I loved all the tales about it .. 'The sultana was just as cautious - in all probability it would never have seen a kitten wearing a thermal vest before, but after a tentative poke and a quick run and a hide together behind the vegetable rack they got on famously and were soon charging all over the house. It's easy to laugh at a kitten who falls in love with a sultana, but it was the very first thing he had ever owned and we all remember our first bike, don't we?' Somehow or the other, Deric and Aileen end up with several cats who seem to seek them out as a refuge. Animal lovers, especially cat lovers will love this. It is sentimental but in the right doses, it's more funny than anything and there are some cute illustrations. I know what to get my sister now for her birthday, she will love it and I'm going to check out the further tales of Deric, Aileen and Thermal. Thank you so much Janet .. the first chapter had a toast quote in it It made me go a bit gooey remembering my lovely two (alas now only one ) when they were just little tykes .. kittens are just impossibly adorable 4/5 Oscar trying out the old element of surprise trick .. not sure he got away with it .. Molly's too smart (she's a girl ) Awwww .. Oscar died just over a year ago we still miss him a lot and so does his sister I must not get a new kitten though .. or a penguin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Thank you so much Janet .. the first chapter had a toast quote in it It made me go a bit gooey remembering my lovely two (alas now only one ) when they were just little tykes .. kittens are just impossibly adorable I must not get a new kitten though .. or a penguin Awwww, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. That picture of your cats is gorgeous. You should DEFINITELY get a penguin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 You should DEFINITELY get a penguin! Don't encourage me Janet .. you know I'm silly enough. If I see any 'penguin free to a good home' adverts I'm sunk I have reached 4,000 plus posts and as usual, there will be celebrations but also apologies ... I'm very sorry for at least 3,000 of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 That's a lovely picture of your cats, the book sounds interesting too. And congrats on the 4000 posts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 4000 posts ! Where's the CAKE ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thanks Athena and Julie there should be cake shouldn't there? Possibly with Colin Firth jumping out of it ... I will have to remedy that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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