1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created - Charles C Mann

This is an absolutely fascinating book about the 'Columbian Exchange' - the bacteria, plants, people etc. that moved from continent to continent when trade opened up.

It made me realise just how LITTLE I know about history, and the complexity (and delicacy) of our relationships with each other and the natural world. I'd call is a 'must read'.

Easter Tree - 2012

Spring is here, and Easter is coming, so I've decorated my Easter branches. Traditionally, the eggs would have been painted hard boiled eggs, to be shelled and eaten on Easter Day.

Like many traditions associated with Christian festivals, bunnies and eggs are 'borrowings' from earlier religions. The Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre was associated with the hare, and the Zorastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration which fell on the Spring equinox.

I'm just glad that we don't have don't have the Polish tradition of 'Switch Day'. On Easter Monday boys whack (switch) girls with willow branches!

Nicholas Nickleby

I'm not sure that this one counts, as I listened to this on my Kindle. The previous time I'd come into contact with Nicholas Nickley, was when my Ma read it aloud to us when we were kids. She "left the boring bits out", and so it was good to have a better gist of the plot this time around.

When he's good, Dickens is very. very good, and the antics of the 'baddies' had me rolling with laughter. My favourite part, as last time, was when Mrs Nickley's neighbour (a madman) attempts to court her by throwing vegetables over the wall between their gardens.

I think that's enough Dickens for a while, as there are only too many 'good, sweet creatures', and syrupy deathbed scenes I can take.

Sun, sky, stone...

Lots of people complain about the weather in Oxford.

However, on these clear, cold Spring days the sky is beautiful.

The sun brings out the glow of the stone.

Dr Fautus - Thomas Mann

Having recently seen the play Mephisto, based on the novel of the same name, written by Klaus Mann, it was all the more interesting to read Thomas Mann's Dr Faustus.

I found this a very haunting book. It weaves together the Faust legend; the supposed biography of composer Adrian Leverkühn; against the background of the end of World War II. More than anything else it is the story of a friendship.

I wish I could have read it in German, and knew more about Schoenberg, so I could have had a greater appreciation of the music.

The Master and his Emissary - Iain MacGilchrist

By popular request (well, two people), I'm going to blog about the books I read. So...I've just finished:

The Master and his Emissary - by Iain Gilchrist

The proposition of the book is that the two hemispheres of the brain produce different views of the world, and thus different values and priorities. Further, that 'left hemisphere' values have dominated, to the detriment of the human condition.

I found the book quite convincing, but I don't have enough neuroscience background to be able to access his scientific claims. Well worth a read, let me know what you think.

Ludlow War Memorial

The was memorial in Ludlow is very beautiful. It's in the shape of a cross with two birds in flight.

I've done a wee bit of research on the Internet, but I don't seem to be able to find out who the artist is. I have a theory that it might be the sculptor (Captain) Adrian Jones, who was a Ludlow lad. The Cavalry Memorial at Hyde Park Corner is his best known work.

Wroxeter Roman City - or a wall

"Let's go to see the Romans" I trilled.

"They've left" grumped Dr B.

I insisted, dragged her across most of Shropshire to find that Wroxeter Roman City was:

i) Closed (the guide said it would be open, I checked, really I did).

ii) Consisted of a wall (it looked better in the guidebook, really, it did).

Dr B was not impressed.

Miss T and Dr Bones go mad in Shropshire (or a Tales of Two Kindles)

"So" said Dr Bones, "let's go away to a cottage for a few days".

"Yes, let's" I simpered. That's how, dear reader, I found myself navigating to Henley Cottage. The cottage featured in the BBC TV programme 'The Victorian Farm'. As well as having no running water, or electricity, the neighbours are very friendly (see above).

As we had our first sight of our holiday 'home from home', I was reminded of Uncle Monty's cottage in the film 'Withnail and I'.

Thanks to Dr B's narrow boat experience, by the end of our stay we could boil a kettle in under an hour!

The cottage only contained these tiny, doll sized glasses. Pouring that many glasses in order to drink a bottle of wine is incredibly debilitating.

In the evenings we were able to read...

...by Kindle light.

Fantastic view from the outside loo :-).