Arrivaderci Roma

Just back from a quick birthday jaunt to Rome with Son #2. It was gloriouso in every way, not to mention very scorchio. there is not a sight that has not been seen and photographed from every angle by said son.  I have been to Rome before – just for the day many, many years ago with Brother Basil and two friends and we ‘did’ St Peter’s and the Vatican Museum. I remember coming away impressed and with fresco neck. This time it was less of the religious stuff and more of the ruins although many churches were visited en route. And Son #2 did want to do St P and Vatican so I was delighted to do it again. Much has changed, not least the amount of people and the noise.

But for now I must leave you with that tantalising tease for I must sleep before the parish outing to Lindisfarne tomorrow.

I’m back

Sometimes I have difficulty switching off when on holiday. It takes at least a week for all the stuff swirling round your head to settle in a quiet corner. I spent that week pottering, tidying, reading a little in the garden on the two sunny days this past fortnight. This fun was only broken by 2 visits -  one to the dentist and one to the gynaecologist. Both a riot.

I miss work. I miss the people. I miss the routine which is not really routine because every day is different. I miss it all.  And although I recognise that we do need to take some time out, I do get awfully bored without it all. You see, I love my job. It is the perfect job for me and why would I want to take time away from it? To do it better when I return refreshed, I hear you cry. OK, you got me on that one.

This week I went to stay with P in the Borders. That’s the place where you go for peace and quiet and a chance to restore your soul. P lives deep in the valley with just nature for company, and no TV or radio or music either.  On the 3rd day I couldn’t take it any more and hightailed it up the road back to concrete and noise. Although that’s not to say that the country is completely quiet what with the sheep, cows, cats crunching mice and rabbits, bees and the quad bike shepherds.

Throughout it all I gave up smoking. So far that’s 1 week 5 days 10 hours etc and I’ve saved £111 (which coincidentally was the cost of the purple Radley handbag in Melrose).  Must write to Bishop Martin’s wife who sat next to me at the Synod dinner and told me about Champix – a new drug to help giving up smoking with great results.  My sister and I both started taking it at the same time and although she gave up a few days before me because she just went off them, I held on to the last minute before I had to do it. I won’t say its been easy – there is a certain amount of willpower involved – but it certainly hasn’t been hard. And the benefits are immense, as you’d expect. Of course this is not the first time I’ve given up in my 38 years as a dedicated smoker. I did manage 2 years when I was a curate but that all fell apart after a rather stressful time and one too many G&Ts and a persuasive friend.

Champix does have some side effects but they are not too horrendous. You just have to look out for suicidal thoughts and so far I’ve not had any of them. Son #2 is on them now too but we’re keeping an eye of him as he has a very dark sense of humour.  And I should warn you not to mention my girth which was slowly declining and is now rapidly reappearing.

So back to work tomorrow and I expect a round of applause for making it through a couple of weeks without work – oh yes, and without fags.

Holiday update

Spent an hour in the chair with the lovely Pedro this morning having a little root canal treatment. Nothing better for your holiday enjoyment. Of course, now that he’s done it he reckons it won’t hold so I need a cap or crown. I am rather weary of the whole affair and fed up eating soft food (missing filling on other side too).

So what else have I done with this well-earned holiday?  3 DVDs have been watched while it poured rain outside. They were: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (loved the book and love the movie); Doubt (scary Meryl Streep and scary story of nuns and a priest); Quantum of Solace (not short of car/boat/plane/people chases).

I’ve also done a bit of ferrying around of Son #1 and we haven’t been near a Historic Scotland site yet. Next week…

Oh yes, and I gave up smoking. Now on Day 5 and its a breeze. Thank you Champix.

Books, books and more books

My holiday is drawing to a close with only 2 more days to get some reading done. I have come to the conclusion that my idea of heaven is surely a pile of books, a comfy chair, and an endless supply of decaff coffee, redbush tea and jelly bellies.  What have I read so far? Well, thank you for asking.

Earth Has No Sorrow by Michelle Blake.
I think this author was brought to my attention by a Church Times article on ecclesiastical whodunnits. This is the second in the series of Lily Connor mysteries, Lily being a priest in The Episcopal Church (USA). This one looks at anti-semitism and a missing friend. Throughout the book we also have the struggle that priests have with their love life. Characters in churchy books are always familiar to us and Blake certainly knows her church. But I do wish that Lily would lighten up a bit.

Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal
Another whodunnit but this time set in medieval times in the fictional Tyndal priory (a ‘double house’ where the monks and nuns live side by side and run a hospital). There is a new prioress, a few gruesome murders, and an exploration of being gay in unenlightened times. The research is excellent and pretty empowering to women which is always good to read!

Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
This one is by the author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and is a joy to read. The characters are amusing and instantly recognisable and the dialogue is superb. Mrs Elner Shimfissle is up a tree, picking figs, one minute and the next thing she knows she is wandering the corridors of heaven meeting people she loved. Meanwhile the town mourn the loss of an extraordinary woman and her highly strung niece takes to bed. But God still has plans for Elna and she is sent back to continue her journey. This book made me laugh, cry and desperately want to be ‘good’. A great read.

Grimm by Mike Nicholson
Mike and I used to work together in The Rock Trust and this is his second book for children. (The first being the prize-winning Catscape.)  Set in the fictional town of Aberfintry it tells the story of the spooky Hotel Grimm and the strange goings on there. 11 year old Rory has the unenviable task of giving the hotel a new image, and the adventures begin. I couldn’t put it down and read it in an afternoon – and didn’t guess the end either. Buy it for your children now.

The Reader by Bernard Schlink
I was told to go and see the movie but really don’t like doing the cinema on my own so I thought I’d read the book instead. (Kate Winslet just got a Golden Globe for her performance.) And I see it was in Oprah’s Book Club too. What a book!  15 year old Michael has a passionate affair with an older woman. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to see the woman he loved in the dock being tried as a war criminal. Deeply moving and highly recommended. (In fact, I think we may do it next in our Book Group.)

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
This is the first Kate Atkinson book I’ve read and it has made me want to read them all. This one is her latest and is set in Edinburgh and Musselburgh which is what attracted me to it. Another mystery novel with surprising twists and turns and un-put-down-able. Young Reggie (short for Regina) is nanny to a GP with a secret who goes missing.  Detective Chief Inspector Louise Munro is also looking for a missing person and will not take Reggie seriously. Good characters and a great read.

No Suspicious Circumstances by The Mulgray Twins
Now, this one was bought because The Mulgray Twins are members of the church along the road from here. D J Smith is an undercover revenue  officer who works with her trained sniffer cat Gorgonzola. On a heroin trail DJ moves from Edinburgh to various points on the east coast, ending up on the Isle of May. Another good read which will keep you amused from beginning to end.

In between all this I should also say that I have been interrupted by Son #1 who is here working on his dissertation. This has involved reading snippets of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Derrida, Daisy Millar and the Bible. It certainly hasn’t been dull, that’s for sure.

Holiday snaps

Just back from a few days R&R at Langwoodbarn, the home of the beloved Patsy, somewhere deep in a valley miles from anywhere and Peebles.  It snowed. There was no TV, no Radio, no music – just peace and quiet and sheep. Bliss! Well, bliss for a few days. We extroverts can only cope with such silence in very small doses.  And I did get a bit panicked that it might freeze and I’d never get out. So I came home. But I am still on holiday and now the serious reading begins.

Here are some photos. The wonderful thing about this vista is that it is constantly changing.