Our doorstep

Our neighbour called yesterday and commented that we had a blackcurrant plant growing in the doorstep. I suppose most people would have pulled out this little plant from the doorstep, but we hadn’t even noticed it. How she knew what it was is amazing to me, but then she is such a good gardener, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables. She had actually come to bring us some veg.

She came in and we talked books and I loaned her books I knew she would like. You always get it right she says. But then I don’t know about plants. She arrived with garlic and courgettes and she left with two books. A good swap.

And of course it is still raining.



Booker Longlist

The extra is the official photo of the Booker Longlist. As usual with the Booker it took everyone by surprise - in all the prediction lists no one got more than two out of the thirteen right. The biggest surprise was the lack of ‘Demon Copperhead’ and I was sad that ‘Cuddy’ didn’t make it. But my other two choices did - ‘Ascension’ and ‘House of Doors’. I have read those two, I am now reading the only other one I have got - ‘Old God’s Time’. I can’t say anything about the others as I’m as much in the dark as everyone else. They sound interesting though, so they will be bought and read . . . hopefully.