Random Jottings

Books, Boobs and Beckham

Quite why I decided to go to Cambridge on the hottest day of the year so far and one with the highest pollen count is a mystery to me, but it seemed a good idea when I thought of it.  My main reason was to visit a shop called Bravissimo which deals with lingerie for 'women of traditional build' and I spent a happy and productive hour there and exited the shop with a lovely blue and yelllow bag containing three bras that actually give me an upright shape.

I then visited my two favourite book shops in Cambridge and surprised myself by only purchasing one book from The Haunted Bookshop, I normally come out with a bagful.  This was a children's book by Pamela Brown called Family Playbill about a travelling theatre company in the 1850's.  Instant nostalgia and £8 only so it came home with me and is now on my to be read bookshelves.  This particular bookshop specialises in children's books and upstairs is an absolute haven of delight for lovers of Elinor Brent-Dyer, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Enid Blyton to name but a few.  The books are double stacked on the shelves so you could find a surprise lurking at the back if you hunt long enough.  There are rows of William books by Richmal Crompton and in amongst them are some of her adult novels which slightly puzzles me.  I have long coveted several of the titles there but at prices of £40 and £75 have resisted temptation.  I noticed, however, that two that I have my eye on have been residing on these book shelves for at least the last three years and feel their chances of a sale are pretty minimal. 

The second shop G David has an antiquarian section containing books I could not hope to buy in a hundred years because of prices, but I always visit as a few years ago I stumbled across a box outside this shop full of Elizabeth von Arnim books.  They were priced at a ridiculous 50p each and once I had annexed the copies I needed for my collection was insistant on my companions also buying them, whether they wanted to or not, as I just could not bear to leave them behind.  No such luck today but always worth checking.

Home along the M11 where an attack of hayfever and sneezing caused me to pull up in a layby as I could not see where I was going and the car was wobbling.  Drink of water, nose spray and tablets and on my way again to arrive back in Colchester and the haven of my flat just in time to watch England's opening match in the World Cup.  Well, we won and that is all I can say about it, apart from the truly wondrous standard of David Beckham's cross passes.  Just how does he bend the ball like that?

Persephone Books

One Sunday some six years ago I was unable  to purchase my usual paper so bought a copy of The Observer instead.  Inside the weekend section was an article on a publishing house which was reprinting books written by women in the early part of the 20th century, mostly covering the war and post war period.  As I had just finished reading Diary of a Provincial Lady and had been hunting down other works by EM Delafield and writers of that period, I was delighted with this bit of serendipity and called the telephone number given.  I found I was talking to Nicola Beaumann, founder of Persephone books and author of A Very Great Profession, which I had recently read and was covered with pencil where I had marked up with all the books I would like to read. Within ten minutes I was on the mailing list and had bombarded Nicola with suggestions of all the books I would like to see reprinted.  I have not stopped doing so since….

Persephone Books can be found in Lambs Conduit Street just off the busy thoroughfare of Theobald’s Road in Holborn where, many years ago, I worked in the Central Library.  The street has become much more gentrified and now has an almost continental ambience about it with tables and chairs outside cafes and lots of little shops to enjoy.  Calling into Persephone books to browse is a delightful way of spending a happy half hour or so looking  at the elegant grey covered books with the enchanting end papers followed by a cup of coffee.

I have read and enjoyed many of the books published over the last six years, but after careful consideration I think my favourite is The Homemaker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.  I have now read this book several times and every time I open it find I cannot put it down until it is ended. 

The story centres around Eva, a desperately unhappy mother and housewife who feels stifled and restricted and resents her talents being unused.  Her misery impacts on her family and children who all suffer from the atmosphere in the house, her children in their individual ways, being unhappy and difficult.  Lester, her husband, is a dreamer who loathes his job and is not cut out for the world of commerce.  Nowadays a swap of gender roles would be perfectly acceptable, but not then.  Circumstances, however, do bring about this situation and Eva, Lester and the children blossom and expand under the new regime, Lester enjoying being with his children and Eva finding her outlet in the world of work and commerce.

This is just one of the fascinating reprints by Persephone who now have an excellent catalogue of titles published over the last six years.  Their website is www.Persephonebooks.co.uk and a visit is to be highly recommended. Not only do they sell books, but they also hold literary lunches and each year host a weekend of literary talks and book discussions at Newnham College, Cambridge led by such distinguished speakers as Katherine Whitehorn, Sally Vickers and Juliet Gardiner, to name but a few.  Strolling on the lawn at Newnham in between talks with a cup of coffee in one hand, a home made chocolate brownie in the other and chatting with kindred spirits is one of life’s most satisfying pleasures.

The Oldest Recorded Town in Britain

I live in  Colchester and this is how it is described in the guidebooks, but anybody visiting the town would be hard put to find much to look at that would lead you to believe this description is true.  At the moment, there is a huge hoarding sign when you drive away from the main station declaring Visit the Sites of Colchester, and they are not referring to historical sites.  We are to visit all the new building sites that are overwhelming the town at the moment.  There is nowhere to drive in Colchester where you do not come across a new ‘super luxury development’ or signs declaring ‘building for the future’, traffic is diverted while new roundabouts are being built, and a short drive to the supermarket takes on aspects of a car rally as maps are checked to see if there is anywhere you can drive without going round in circles. We are being Barrattised and Persimmoned to death.

The one genuine piece of history in Colchester is the Norman castle and I am sure that if the planners had their way this would either be demolished and ‘town centre homes for the discerning’ would be built on this highly desirable location.  Failing that, the keep and the tower could be converted into homes that only a millionaire could afford. 

I find this all totally dispiriting.  When some new houses were built back in the 80's the skips were full of old Roman mosaic floors that had been found during the clearing of the site and were just chucked out.  If you dig in your back garden in this area you are going to hit a Roman site sooner or later and I suppose boredom can set in, hence the skips full of historical artefacts. Bill Bryson in his Notes from a Small Island, put his finger on the reason for this disinterest when he said that our problem was we had too much history, and what did it matter if we knocked down an old church or building, hey there was another round the corner.  His view was that in the USA they view it differently and look after their heritage as they do not have as much of it as we do.

This picture is of Bourne Mill, a National Trust Property which backs onto the small block of flats where I live.  On a sunny day it is quite beautiful and every weekend families come along with tiny children who take great delight in feeding the ducks and the magnificent swans who dwell there.  It is slap bang in the middle of a developed part of the town, but when I drive into my cul de sac surrounded by the trees at the back of this property, it is quiet and peaceful.  I was assured when I moved here that as this was National Trust land there would be no further development, but somehow I do not find that as reassuring as I used to…..