September..ing

 

September is nearly over and I haven’t written a single blog post.  Here’s a quick round up in Christina’s ‘ing’ format. I have been….

Visiting the Lake District. Took the dog to Grasmere for a couple days. We walked around the lake and Alfie went for a paddle. He’s still not brave enough to swim. 

Exploring Dove Cottage where Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy.  I’m not a huge fan of Wordsworth’s poetry but I really enjoyed my visit.  Only a few people were allowed in the cottage at a time and the guide was available to answer questions without being intrusive. And I liked the garden which was designed to look as it might have done when Wordsworth lived there.  I was on my own while Paul and Alfie were back at the pub where we were staying having an afternoon nap. So I was able to take my time in the museum listening to recordings of the poems and looking at original manuscripts.

Eating Tuscan Fish Stew.  We had this on our holiday in a pub in Grasmere.  Then Paul cooked his own version when we got home. Both were delicious.

Enduring an unpleasant sickness virus which hit Paul shortly after our return from the Lake District. He’d blamed the mussels in the fish stew but I hadn’t eaten any of these and I was sick too. Horrible but didn’t last long.

Travelling to Northern Ireland with my youngest sister.  We stayed in Brooke Lodge guesthouse in Magherafelt which was really welcoming and comfortable.  Another visit to The Scullery in Ballyronan for lunch in what was our old ‘sitting room’ - another word I’ve never heard in England. 

Listening to the writer Donal Ryan talk about his latest book ‘The Queen of Dirt Island’ at The Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy.  I chose this weekend to visit NI so I could attend this event.  I finished the book while waiting at the airport that morning. Very good - made me cry at the end which was a bit embarrassing in the airport cafe. He read from the latest book and talked about his writing methods. I’d have liked to have heard more from him and less from the man interviewing him who told the audience at least five times that he was an academic.  Something Donal Ryan isn’t even though he teaches creative writing at the University of Limerick. He was very down to earth and approachable.  I bought my own copy of the book (I’d read a library copy) and had it signed. 

Contemplating buying one of these T-shirts at the airport on the way back. After all I was born in County Derry.  Not at £25 though.

Enjoying autumn walks around the park and the racecourse with these two. Note Paul’s hat! 

Teaching my adult classes. Now that the threat of Covid has retreated for now at least, I have larger groups this term.  The first couple of sessions have gone well.  I’m teaching a course I’ve called ‘When Literature meets Painting’ and we’re studying Margaret Atwood’s ‘Cat’s Eye’ as well as some ‘ekphrastic’ poems. . This is a new word to me too - it means a poetry which responds to a painting like this one.

Trying not to moan about being cold.  We have the heating on this evening but I note the room thermostat has been turned down to 19 degrees. Last year I’d have turned it back up to my preferred setting of 21 but not with the huge price hikes looming.