Heroes, theatrical traumas and review writing

Back to a more normal routine today, thank goodness. Here’s this morning’s meditation:

Meditation 154

Sex and war
should not mix;

keep your wild dreams
hidden.

Towards evening
you long for the clean spaces,

the reassurance
of water,

but at sunset
the boundaries of flesh

contain you again.


At work, I’m scrabbling away at those dang minutes and there might well be an end in view at some point. One hopes. We also have a new list of Heroes of the Week (hurrah!) which includes Chaplaincy Ruth’s mother (for being a generally Good Person with some marvellous news that I probably can't talk about yet - but well done to her). Also on the list is John Donne (for being another Good Egg and writing an absolutely stunning prayer which I revisited yesterday), Karen from Flight Centre (for helping Carol get a decent holiday booked) and the whole cast of Much Ado About Nothing (Ruth M’s husband is in it and they’ve had to battle their way through sackings, illness, artistic traumas and the existential pain of no set at all – still – in order to get to tonight’s first night so well done to them …). Apparently yesterday’s dress rehearsal was stunningly good though and they might even do the whole thing without the set – which may possibly arrive today but who knows … Lord H and I are going to see it tomorrow so we wait with baited breath to see if we need to bring our own scenery.

Walked into town at lunchtime to pay in a cheque (gosh – how rare!) and to attempt to look for clothes. I had some hopes of getting a new dress for our second Glyndebourne outing on Sunday, but sadly nothing sprang out at me. Is there nothing at all out there for a slightly bizarrely shaped mid-forties red-head who prefers sleeves and a not-too-low neckline but doesn’t want to look like a sack???? Surely there must be something? But obviously not in Guildford – I shall have to wear the dress I wore last year and the year before that and for several years before that on Sunday, I see. Really, I despair … Anyway I also posted off a copy of Pink Champagne and Apple Juice to Charles Christian – so thank you for asking and I hope it gets to you safely, Charles. It’s a summer read for sure. Which meant my walk into town wasn’t entirely wasted (the post office on campus being closed for refurbishment …), hurrah.

Tonight, I’m hoping to continue working on my review of John Wray’s Lowboy (Canongate) for Vulpes Libris. Oh, and there’s a new series of Ugly Betty on TV – at last, double hurrahs. Meanwhile, talking of Vulpes, the lovely Elise Valmorbida has sent me a hugely kind personal email saying how much she appreciated my review of The Winding Stick – so thank you once more for that, Elise. It was a pleasure considering your gloriously humane book and I shall look forward to reading more of your fiction for sure.

Talking of books and reviews, I’m pleased to say that one of my own reviewers for The Bones of Summer has already finished it and says she enjoyed it a lot. She’ll be putting up her thoughts at some point on the Unique Logophilos site, so I’m looking to seeing what she thinks. How strange though to be on both sides of the review equation in the space of a day or so – my feet are certainly standing in both worlds at the moment. I’d best not look down ...

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Heroes of the Week
3. Paying in a cheque
4. Posting off a copy of Champers
5. Review writing
6. Kind-hearted authors
7. A reviewer enjoying Bones.

Anne Brooke - pondering heroes ...