I finished "Three Men in a Boat" yesterday. It was fun and light and relatively pointless. I struggled with the lack of narrative arc -- as I told someone a few days ago, it's not the kind of book you read to find out what happens at the end. There's nothing driving the plot. It's just a series of silly, cleverly worded misadventures.
I am not going to continue on with "Three Men on a Bummel," which I hear isn't as good.
Anyway, I'm glad to be done with it so I can catch up on my stack of five New Yorkers and then, hopefully, begin another book. This is how life works, right? We finish one thing in order to begin the next thing.
Speaking of books, I took Olga to the cemetery yesterday where we found this Kate Atkinson novel lying on a bench. It was quite damp and had seen better days, so I didn't take it. I'm unfamiliar with this one.
We also came across the lost glove in the top photo, perched on a fence waiting for its owner. Doesn't it look like someone making shadow puppets?
Olga took a moment (I didn't force her, I swear -- except that I did) to pose on the organ-shaped grave of
Charles and Hannah Barritt.
And on the way home, we found a rather smudged toy badger, set out on a garden wall. Olga had to investigate to see if it was real. It looks like another dog's lost toy -- but I suppose it could have been a child's toy. They're fairly filthy too.
Last night Dave and I went out for dinner, which we hadn't done in ages. We went to our local, the Black Lion, which has been through an extensive renovation. Apparently they had to move around some walls to create a new emergency exit, among other things. It's not a very cozy pub -- lots of hard, shiny surfaces -- but my meal of cod on a chickpea and tomato stew was good and the place was busy. It looked like they were going to have live music but we got out of there before that started!
What an interesting gravestone. And Olga makes it better. I love the photo of her with the dirty badger. Wouldn’t it be fun to put gloves on all the fence spikes and all making different shadow puppets? Your next project.
ReplyDeleteIf you lose a glove it should be mandatory to put its lonely partner on a fence spike. ditto socks.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you and Dave got a night out. I think with Covid that has become a rarity for many people. I can't remember when we last went out for an evening meal and there is a reasonable pub a kilometre away with a courtesy bus to drive you home at the end of the evening. I think I need to drop some hints!
The expression on Olga's face as she looks at the badger is priceless. I think she would have liked to take it home.
-Caro
I read that Kate Atkinson book a few years ago...it was quite good I think! ( most of her books are easy reads)
ReplyDeleteNice photos of Olga, especially the one with her on a grave.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be four Black Lion pubs in London but your local must be the one on West End Lane. Is it correct that you call them gasto pubs (Google Maps)? We call them gastro pubs.
I heard that The Badgers were playing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I know that Atkinson. Thanks, I must check it out. Three men in a boat was always written as a series of short pieces on a theme, and I believe originally published that way.
ReplyDeleteI think Olga wouldn't have minded worrying that glove a bit, too.
My favorite photo today is the one of Olga with the toy badger. She looks like a curious pup!
ReplyDeleteOlga is so cute with that toy badger. I love that organ shaped grave and how Olga posed there.
ReplyDeleteYes! The glove has almost taken on a life of its own, as if trying to convey something.
ReplyDeleteOlga is looking at that badger like, "Oh, Daddy Steve, cannot I have this lovely badger? Please?"
I probably would have taken the Atkinson book home, dried it and read it. I have not read that one.
I used to like live music but these days it's too loud for me. I guess I'm offically an old fuddy duddy! Olga is cute investigating the stuffed animal. Kate Atkinson's "Life after Life" was a book I couldn't get out of my mind; I've never heard of that one either.
ReplyDeleteThat glove does look like it's making shadow puppets. I love that photo of Olga checking out the badger and that grave monument is something to see. I'm wondering if your local has good fish and chips. I'd love to find some here but so far no luck.
ReplyDeleteI really like your first photo . I looked at it first and it didn't make any sense. You explained it later. I thought that it was a sculpture of some kind.
ReplyDeleteI love both photos of Olga! The badger is cute and the organ monument is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, the glove does look like it's making a "dog shadow"! My first thought was maybe it's saying something in ASL.
Such a cute picture of your dog with the stuffed toy. Oh, my. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteYour meal sounds . . well, not okay. But I guess you had to be there.
ReplyDeleteOhhh I would have had that dirty badger, taken him home and given him his own room.
ReplyDeleteOlga looks a little sad that the badger doesn't want to play. The organ is a lovely gravestone.
ReplyDeleteMitchell: That sounds like an art project beyond my capability! LOL
ReplyDeleteCaro: Yeah, it's funny how we used to go out much more than we do now. I think that's partly Covid and partly age!
Frances: Good to know! I've only read "Life After Life" and "Started Early, Took My Dog," and I liked both of those.
Andrew: Yes! That's our Black Lion. I suppose it's a gastro-pub, though I'm not sure it bills itself that way.
YP: If a fan dropped this he was WAAAY off course. (Unless he was headed to the Black Lion to watch the game on telly.)
Boud: I guess many books from that era were originally published in serialized form, like Dickens.
Ellen D: She is very curious! If it's another dog's toy it probably smelled like dog, which intrigued her.
Robin: Isn't that a remarkable grave? One of the most unusual in the whole cemetery.
Ms Moon: As much as I love picking things up on the street, that book was just too far gone. If I want to read it I'll buy one!
Margaret: I feel the same way. I am not at all interested in being blasted by live music.
Sharon: They've revamped the menu so I don't know how their fish & chips are now, but I'm sure they still sell them!
Red: Well, it kind of is -- a found sculpture!
Kelly: Funny! I didn't even think of ASL. (Or English sign language, which is apparently different.)
Peace Thyme: She's definitely wondering what the heck it is!
Catalyst: The food was good, honestly. We were neutral on the atmosphere, though.
Linda Sue: LOL! Well we don't have the room for that! If I brought him home he might get devoured by Olga.
River: Isn't it a great gravestone? It really stands out. I wonder how much it cost -- it can't have been cheap, even back in the day.
Wow -- what a gravestone! Love that! And I just adore Olga checking out the little panda. Wonder if that's the same Kate Atkinson who did the Jackson Brodie books. I'll have to look her up. Pity it was so wet -- the cover is beautiful!
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