Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

My husband has just been headhunted as those who are friends on Facebook (and anyone who reads the greyhound pages of the Racing Post - what you don't?) will know.

http://www.gbgb.org.uk/news-article.aspx?newsID=130

http://www.racingpost.com/news/greyhoun ... 85815/top/

And while I am at it, No 1 son, the one who left school at 16 with no qualifications and Chronic Fatigue, has an interview next week for King's College London.

oh, and I won £10.00 on the lottery.

Can life get any better?

englishangel wrote:My husband has just been headhunted as those who are friends on Facebook (and anyone who reads the greyhound pages of the Racing Post - what you don't?) will know.

http://www.gbgb.org.uk/news-article.aspx?newsID=130

http://www.racingpost.com/news/greyhoun ... 85815/top/

Congratulations! When I have my Saturday flutter on the dogs I shall feel a little closer to the action, knowing he's about to be crowned king of that august organisation. We used to own a racing greyhound many years ago - a bit of a nutcase but he won a few times, at Perry Barr; still got the videos, and his one trophy.

englishangel wrote:And while I am at it, No 1 son, the one who left school at 16 with no qualifications and Chronic Fatigue, has an interview next week for King's College London.

oh, and I won £10.00 on the lottery.

Can life get any better?

Well done No.1 son, and good luck! What subject?

As for all this money - will it change you at all?

Will the win change you, Mary? Many years ago, a friend of mine had a small Premium Bond win and took a group of us out to lunch to celebrate - the bill came to more than the win!

Congratulations to the Englishangel household! Don't let the money go to your head..................
Back to topic.
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. Am struggling a bit - it's heavily into dialogue which seems to make each 'scene' rather lengthy and turgid. Or is it just me, who might prefer something a little more descriptive?

englishangel wrote:And while I am at it, No 1 son, the one who left school at 16 with no qualifications and Chronic Fatigue, has an interview next week for King's College London.

oh, and I won £10.00 on the lottery.

Can life get any better?

xx

kerrensimmonds wrote: Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. Am struggling a bit - i


You and me, both



t's heavily into dialogue which seems to make each 'scene' rather lengthy and turgid. Or is it just me, who might prefer something a little more descriptive?


I also don't like the way she portrays Thomas More, who (opinion based solely on A Man For All Seasons) I always thought was a nice man.

I have to continually re-read sentences because I have no idea who is speaking: it's a bit like when I attend a performance of a Shakespearean play. It takes me a while to switch my brain into the correct state to understand what is being said.

I don't know which works it was up against for The Booker (was it The Booker that it won?), but I'm finding it hard to comprehend how it won whichever prestigious prize it was that it did win.

I am concurrently reading Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett: shades of Jodi Picoult (wanted to insert the vomit smiley, but am being thwarted by ? The Picoult Brigade?)

and recently finished The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville and LoveSong by Alex Miller; both of which I enjoyed enormously.

English Angel - congratulations to you and yours, BUT .......... you asked 'Can life get any better?' Yes it can - my sister has just been declared free of cancer!

Fjgrogan wrote:English Angel ......... you asked 'Can life get any better?' Yes it can - my sister has just been declared free of cancer!

Frances, that's wonderful news. You must both have been through hell. Let's hope it's gone for good.

'Farewell My Lovely' - Raymond Chandler.

The first Chandler I've started to read, and only because I loved the late, great Robert Mitcham playing Marlowe.

I am NOT disappointed. The written text is probably better than Mitcham's delivery in the film.

The Humbler Creation by Pamela Hansford Johnson. I first read this 48 years ago & it's still relevant. In fact it might almost fit in the "Submissive Wives" thread!

Fjgrogan wrote:English Angel - congratulations to you and yours, BUT .......... you asked 'Can life get any better?' Yes it can - my sister has just been declared free of cancer!

Obviously it can, I am grateful for small mercies, and you have great big one, wonderful news.

I've been working my way through a stack of Dr Thorndyke mysteries by Austin Freeman. I'd read the short stories years ago, but I think I'd only ever read one of the novels. Since they've come back into print, I splurged on a set of as-new 2nd hand copies. I think the mysteries work better in the short story format - Austin Freeman's sedate Edwardian charm is pleasing enough but, at novel length, the cosiness can be spread a trifle thinly.

Have switched to re-reading a couple of Agatha Christies that I realised I couldn't remember.

Next on the list once the Dr Thorndykes are out of the way will be some Paul Halters. Now amazon.co.uk are stocking novels in French, I'll be able to order without the cost of shipping added by ordering from amazon.fr. The most recent Tran-Nhut novels are also calling me via amazon, not to mention some Frédéric Lenormand.

Anyway, I'm stuck into some reading while my latest book is on hiatus for technical reasons unconnected with me - although the publisher likes it enough to ask for an extra chapter. Which makes a change from having to edit things down.

Loving the lighter evenings - a little warmer, a little drier, and longer daylight, and I'll soon be able to get out in the garden and read.

The State We're In by Will Hutton - v well written and enlightening about the political and economic situation and what we need to be doing.

I have vague memories of a venerable Old Blue called Wickham regularly visiting during my time at CH (AKAP, True Blue or Plum Senior may confirm). I believe that he was a generous benefactor to the School and had been a pupil both at Horsham and Newgate Street.

I wonder whether or not he was a relative of Bernard Wickham?