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Drive randomly around Romney Marsh, and randomly pick a village. You can pretty much guarantee it has a church, and most also have a pub. The churches are mediaeval, and there's a lot of them. 14, plus 4 (or more)... Continue reading

Posted Apr 26, 2019 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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New Year's Denge

One should always start the New Year with a walk. Well, allowing for the weather, and other plans, or hangover. Or perhaps especially with a hangover, although, luckily, I didn't. Sound mirrors - tried in the 1920s and 1930s, to... Continue reading

Posted Jan 29, 2019 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Days of Syn

Gotta confess, before I started house hunting in Dymchurch, I'd never heard of Dr Syn or the books about 18th century smuggling onto Romney Marsh. If we were still in London, we would have spent August Bank Holiday Monday moaning.... Continue reading

Posted Dec 18, 2018 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Holiday let near Hythe

The Project "Move House" involved selling my house in Brixton and finding temporary accommodation before buying another house. It turns out that renting a place to live is a lot more complicated than it was when I was young. Back... Continue reading

Posted Oct 17, 2018 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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On the Waterfront

When I decided to move to the coast, I knew I would take a lot of photos of the sea. I also vowed not to take endless photos of waves breaking on the beach. Okay, I have failed in that... Continue reading

Posted Oct 15, 2018 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Folkestone Stroll

It was supposed to be a relaxing day. Just a walk down the seafront, turn left into town, do a couple of errands, and take it from there. Hmm. What, exactly, is a relaxing day? Even going into the Tourist... Continue reading

Posted Oct 14, 2018 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Blog revival

Nearly two years have passed since I wrote this, and it's about time I started again. I'm not going to write a long essay explaining, filling in and catching up. The trick is to start in media res and take... Continue reading

Posted Oct 13, 2018 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Not Going Out

After three awful terrorist attacks in three months, several people I know, from different parts of my life have expressed a reluctance to go into London (or Manchester). This is entirely understandable and I have no desire to knock people... Continue reading

Posted Jun 5, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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The Atheist and Sacred Music

I'm writing this on here because it would be too long even for a multiple Tweet thread. I am an atheist. This means that, having thought about the matter for many years and weighed up the evidence, I find it... Continue reading

Posted Mar 7, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter: Anthology for the Changing Seasons edited Melissa Harrison

It's funny how you come across people. I encountered Melissa Harrison on Twitter. She lives quite near me and we have a shared interest in Tooting Commons. Her first novel, Clay is set partly on the Commons, and in the... Continue reading

Posted Feb 17, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Blood, Iron and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World - Christian Wolmar

This almost exactly the sort of book I was looking for, especially, actually, after the same author's The Subterranean Railway. I wanted an insight into how railways created communities. I concluded that with the previous book, focusing on the London... Continue reading

Posted Feb 9, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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The Truth About Melody Browne - Lisa Jewell

When you finish a book and declare 'That is the best book I have ever read!'. Objectively, you know that isn't true, and, anyway, who wants to rank books in strict order of preference? One's reading experience can be altered... Continue reading

Posted Jan 11, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Windermere Cruises

It's an absolute must if you are staying anywhere near Windermere. Boat trips. We went for a short cruise on the Sunday after we arrived, because, well, you just have to. Of course, I took a huge number of photos... Continue reading

Posted Jan 8, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Nymans

Nymans was already on 'the list' of places to visit, and when I saw my cousin's pictures on Facebook, I was spurred on further. It lies just off the A23 - we approached it from Pease Pottage Services, which are... Continue reading

Posted Jan 6, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Ambleside

We went to stay in Ambleside last Spring. We stayed in a delightful holiday let. Technically, it was a flat but it didn't feel like one. Perched on the side of a hill, it had a terrace and a garden,... Continue reading

Posted Jan 4, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Food in Streatham

There's something nice about going to a restaurant and enjoying good food that's presented nicely. The main pleasure is in the eating of the food, coupled with the good company and the pleasant ambience. I'll never be a proper foodblogger... Continue reading

Posted Jan 2, 2017 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters - Laura Thompson

I don't know why I chose to read this book. Or, rather, I read it because I was fascinated, but I don't know why I was fascinated. People of my mother's generation thought these sisters were fascinating. In theory, for... Continue reading

Posted Dec 29, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

I received this as a Christmas present, when I was 8 nearly 9. It was just 40 years old, and that was, er hum, 40 years ago. It had been serialised on the TV the previous year, but as we... Continue reading

Posted Dec 14, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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A Walk in Beddington Park

It was one of those days, when you have a vague notion that you want to go out but you don't know where. You don't even know why you want to go out, except for that vague notion. The subconscious... Continue reading

Posted Dec 12, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Never Again: A History of the Holocaust by Martin Gilbert

I snapped this book up on a Kindle Deal. Partly because I know less about the Holocaust than I ought to, and partly because Sir Martin Gilbert, who died less than two years ago, has a reputation as a pre-eminent... Continue reading

Posted Dec 7, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Atonement Part 3

This should be read in conjunction with Atonement by Ian McEwan - one third through and Atonement - Part 2 Contains spoilers Part 3 of this book deals with Briony's time as a nurse probationer before and just after the... Continue reading

Posted Nov 27, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Atonement - Part 2

This should be read in conjunction with Atonement by Ian McEwan - one third through. This contains what might be a spoiler for some people but what I think is a fairly well known fact about the book - which... Continue reading

Posted Nov 26, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Atonement by Ian McEwan - one third through

This is obviously a great book. It must be, because everybody says so. It's been nominated for all sorts of prizes, including the Booker Prize and the James Tait Black. These prizes are really important, because they indicate that certain... Continue reading

Posted Nov 24, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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Singled Out and Millions Like Us by Virginia Nicholson

Two similar books by this author, with similar strengths and weaknesses. The full titles are Singled Out: How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After the First World War and Millions Like Us Women's Lives in War and Peace 1939-1949.... Continue reading

Posted Nov 23, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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South Riding by Winifred Holtby

I remember seeing this book on my mother's bookshelves throughout my childhood. In my early teens I read Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth - Vera and Winifred shared a flat (and European travels and League of Nation advocacy) after University... Continue reading

Posted Nov 15, 2016 at Gertsamtkunstwerk

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