This will be a hodge podge of odd comments and musings this evening. I started my new job on Monday and, initially, thought that it would be a full week but as I can only observe and not contribute anything very much until I have had my induction, which is next week, I only worked until Wednesday. I was very glad to get home that evening as my mind was full of information and crammed with bits and pieces that always 
occur when a new office and its members has to be learned, and the two unexpected days at home have been lovely. No matter how experienced one is and how long one has worked, starting a new job for me anyway, is always a nerve wracking event. Once I had arrived and got the layout of the office and met my future colleagues, all of whom could not have been more friendly and helpful, then I feel better but I will feel better still when the next couple of weeks are out of the way. However, I already know that working part time is going to be such a pleasure.
So what have I done in my unexpected leisure time? Very little. Mainly just lolled around, made some soup and a few meals for the freezer and read. I have just finished re-reading Death in Holy Orders by PD James and, as ever, am struck with how immaculate and pleasurable her writing is. The words seems to fall into just the right place, nothing jars or upsets and though I knew the identity of the murderer in this particular story, it made no difference to my enjoyment. I have a couple more to look at as well and I am anticipating another happy few days days of renewing my acquaintance with Commander Dalgliesh.
OK another rambling - I have written about Angela Thirkell and said I knew very little about her so I got Googling. Talk about well connected! She is the granddaughter of Burne-Jones, the painter, her brother is Denis Mackail, a writer of some repute at the time whose books are out of print, but one, Greenery Street, was republished by Persephone and is one of my favourites (he has written quite a few I gather so another author to look out for in second hand bookshops) and it seems that by some remote part of the family tree, she and her brother are second cousins to Rudyard Kipling and Stanley Baldwin which is an extremely eclectic pairing to put it mildly. I found a website about Denis Mackail, obviously put together by someone who is devoted to him and who seems not overly fond of Angela Thirkell as he describes her as 'bossy'. Well, I daresay she might have been.....
I am currently reading Major Benjy and enjoying it enormously and will probably finish and review over the weekend. As a recent Mappite finding that this has just been published is such a bonus and, as I have just watched the final episode in the series of Mapp and Lucia, was glad to have this to hand to temper this melancholy feeling. One wishes there were more stories of these two wonderful ladies and the residents of Tilling but I console myself with the thought that these books will be read and re-read over the years. Definitely my discovery of 2008.
Off to bed now.
Au reservoir
