How very dare you!

In the words of Catherine Tate's character - I was a bit peeved to see that someone with whom I'd done a bookswap with, when declaring the book's condition to swap it again, stated that
'The only real minus point is that a previous owner has obviously removed a sticker from the inside front cover.'
Yes, pal, that was you!

Like most, but not all, books that pass my way, do get registered with BookCrossing, and I always state the registration and, if there is a label inside, in the book description/condition. I just can't understand why, if someone is going to pass the book on anyway, would want to remove a BookCrossing label - I mean, it's easier and less destructive just to leave it alone, and maybe the next person to receive the book might just enjoy knowing about BookCrossing to further their literary enjoyment.
Am I bovvered? - yes, just a bit when it's counter-productive to all.

Can anyone identify this book please?

I posted this query a few weeks ago on a BookCrossing forum, and, thanks to other members, some suggestions were made but the book still eludes us.

My Mum would really like to re-read a book she read some 30-40 years ago. For her upcoming 87th birthday, I'd like to be able to track it down for her. She can't remember the title or the author but I hope someone might be able to help.

Synopsis: Set in the UK around the 1950s/60s? A bunch of nuns have had to leave their convent and relocate to a very rural location, in the middle of nowhere. However, these nuns were very good at living off the land and were expert herbalists. The herbal medicine aspect seems a significant theme in the story. They take in an escaped convict/murderer who's in a bad way, and they nurse him back to health, whereupon he tries to take over and bullies the nuns, and threatens the Mother Superior with a gun (we don't know where he got the gun from though). He doesn't shoot the lady boss but eventually gets his come-uppance in the end.

Please post any leads

Wilkins Cider - Somerset

Him Indoors has a brother who lives in Glastonbury, and when he visits, he also often drops in to Wilkins Cider.

I've only been there once, about 6 years ago now. It was a Sunday morning and it was a bit like an old village inn, you'd see in a film. In the main barn, rosy-cheeked farmer types were sitting around on barrels and crates drinking and having a great time. Jugs and tankards were being re-filled but no money was changing hands. We were invited into this 'tasting' and that's what it was. Roger was only too pleased to let us sample any of his ciders and will blend the drink until it is perfect to your taste. Well, we did buy a couple of containers full and a few other things. (He also sells cheeses, pickles and chutneys etc - real ploughman's lunch components.)

As we wandered out to make our way back, another couple walked past and the girl said
"Ere, oi 'ope you'm alroit to droive?", to which her chap replied
"Oil bloody 'av to, cos oi can't bloody walk".

Wilkins also had a brush with the E.U. regarding his traditional cider-making methods, read the newsclip.

Parking Angels and Book Fairies

Now, I must admit that I do believe there is someone or something looking over me, and I don't mean nosey neighbours.

During my half-century of life, (there, I've admitted my age now) there have been many occasions where I could easily have been deleted, but for some strange incidence or coincidence. My parents tell me of tales when, as a baby I'd broken and eaten chunks out of a glass, unhooked the gas fire pipe and waved this burning torch around, and just missed many various other horrible hazards.

As A 10 year old, I remember running down a steep field at the top of a cliff to meet my friends, only to realise I couldn't stop and grabbed my brother, who was in the group, and was equally terrified, but grabbing him slowed my velocity and we both just missed going over by a few feet. (We have never, ever mentioned this since).

There have been too many incidences to recount here, but more recently, just getting up to 70 after coming off the Marsh Mills roundabout to head up the A38 Expressway, an escaped cow came down the embankment onto the carriageway, and I expected the worst. Gently braking, It turned and stared at me, but I missed it literally by inches. I remember its big, frightened bloodshot eyes (no, not mine in the mirror either). A lorry driver behind put on his hazards, but I never heard anything more. I hope it was recovered safely.

Well, getting to the point, a former work colleague told me about her 'Parking Angel'. Often, driving into Totnes at busy lunchtimes, she said - "think positive, ask the Parking Angel to find us a space". And we alway did - there'd always be someone leaving, just as we arrived. Since then, I always ask my 'Parking Angel' to find me a spot in our congested street, or supermarket car park and 9 out of 10 times she obliges.

This brings me to Book Faries.
Some time ago, I asked, in a BookCrossing forum "When are books like buses" I'll spend ages looking for a particular book, and as soon as I find a copy, for the next few weeks, every boot sale and charity shop has dozens of them. But, a few years ago, 'Him indoors' brought me home a book he'd found on a train. A hardback, but with no dust jacket, this book was "It Must've Been Something I Ate" by Jeffery Steingarten. It stayed in my unread pile for sometime (pre-BookCrossing days) and I eventually got round to reading it.

And what an amazing book it was. It would take too long to describe it here, but if you could mix up the best cookery/chef authors with the best travel authors, delete all the dross - and add intelligence and class - then you might be getting close. I foolishly gave this book up during an extensive cull of my book collection and have regretted it ever since.

Later, having joined BookCrossing, it seems that everyone who has registered this book, and labelled it 'Available' later labelled it as part of their PC (permanent collection), and rightly so. Even Him indoor's efforts to purchase it on eBay have been in vain. But Mr Steingarten wrote an earlier book - "The Man Who Ate Everything" so this became another quest.

A couple of weeks ago I joined Read it Swap it, and was heartened to see that someone had a copy of "The Man Who Ate Everything" up for swaps. Well I asked for the swap, and it was accepted. So, at the time of writing, I've posted my swap, and await the arrival of Jeff's first book.

Now, I'm on hols at the mo, and Him Indoors had the day off. I wanted to go to the beach, he wanted to go into town. The sky was clouding over, so I conceded. Whenever we go in town, we go our separate ways and agree to meet up after about an hour. When we met up we looked in some charity shops and there - uncreased spine - and for £1.50 was a paper back copy of "It Must've Been Something I Ate". It might sound silly, but I was thrilled. Him Indoors said - "Well, it must have been a Book Fairy".(He confuses angels with fairies).

You might say why didn't I just go out an buy a new copy? - but that would defeat the object. I'm sure Jeffery has had loads of income from his books, and buying secondhand supports charities and recycling.

Thank you Book Fairy

BookCrossing vs Read it, Swap it.

Of course there isn't really a contest, but I've just been introduced to "Read it Swap it" by another BXer. Both have similar purposes but operate differently.

Both pursuits are 'free' but BXing is global whereas RiSi is UK only, BXing allows you to reduce your read/unwanted bookpile in a magnanimous way (although you can initiate swaps between members), RiSi is about swapping books with its members, so you don't actually reduce your stockpile (unless you trade smaller, thinner books - or write-off those who default). That raises the next issue.

RiSi has a Feedback system, like eBay, so members can avoid dealing with those who don't keep their side of the bargain - I mean, with the changes (hike) in postal charges, this could be significant - at least leaving books around in public places doesn't incur postal charges. RiSi requires the swapper to state the condition of the book from drop-down menus, again telling porkies here would be revealed in the feedback, and like eBay, it tracks the progress of the swap until completion.

Once you agree a swap, your book automatically disappears from your list. Like BXing, booklists are linked to Amazon, so the thumbnail cover art is displayed, but additionally, there is a direct link to the details/synopsis too.

Unlike BXing, once the swap is completed, there is no way of knowing what happens to your book afterwards, unless the book is registered with BXing and the swapee is willing to journal it. If your potential swaps do have a BCID or bookplate stuck inside, you should declare this in the 'Book Description'. So if you are an avid reader - join both!

Happy reading

What is it about Magners?

It must be the advertising that has made this cider so popular. Him Indoors (Guinness & real ale drinker) told me how lovely it was (with ice) and that I really should try it. Maybe there was too much ice but I thought it tasted less cidery than the non-alcoholic Cydrax of old - not impressed at all.

Seeing I was filling my basket with other bottles, another customer wittered on to me, in Sainsbury yesterday, about the merits of Magners.

Still my current favourite is Weston's Vintage (8.2). Not only does it taste great, but as it is so strong, it can happily cope with the addition of ice - and it still tastes of cider. Westons also do a very tasty organic (6.5) and 1880 Premium to celebrate 125 years of cider-making (8.2). They do a Vintage Cider Box (7.2?) and another bottled variety to be found in Tesco, but for me, the Weston's Vintage 500ml is the best.

Most stores sell this at £1.57 but, at the time of writing, Morrison's are selling at four for £5 and on offer at Sainsbury £1.27 a bottle, and Tesco £1.18. Somerfield have just started doing a litre of Weston's (7.2) for £2 something - I can't remember exactly - but it's not as nice.

Apparently there is a chap who visits Sainsbury, Marsh Mills, every evening and purchases six bottles of Weston's Vintage - he is known to the staff as 'Westons Man'. It can often be 'feast or famine' with this cider and I do feel guilty if I take the last bottle off the shelf, knowing that I've deprived 'Westons Man' of his favourite tipple when he comes in later. On the other hand - it might have been he who cleared the shelf the evening before, when I go in to find the shelf bare!

A good low alchohol alternative is Sainsbury's 500ml offering at 99p - not more than 1.0% vol, but with a decent flavour.

Benji, my second dog

Marty was doing fine now, but I'd always told 'Him Indoors' that I liked Yorkie terriers - he agreed, but said he could never eat whole one!

Now we had a little more doggie experience, and just before my birthday he said he had a surprise but could I give him a sub for it.
I agreed and one evening, a day or two before my birthday, he picked me up from work, with Marty in the back of the car as usual, there was a tiny little bundle of fluff, huddled in the corner of the rear seat.

It was dark at the time (November) and I couldn't wait to get back home.

When we did get home, my heart melted to see this tiny and timid Yorkie who was already called Benji.

Benji was only still a puppy, about six months old. His owner had just had a baby and couldn't cope with a young dog as well, so 'Him Indoors' had found Benji in the 'Small Ads' in the local paper. Benji came with all the proper vet's papers, pedigree etc, and could quite easily sit in the palm of your hand.

Marty was a real champion, and was really happy to make a new friend, there was never any animosity between them ever, in fact they shared a basket and were best pals for years.

June/July Reads

My Idea of Fun by Will Self - I didn't enjoy this book, it was just plain weird. The distinctive, lugubrious voice of its author haunted the narrative throughout. Admittedly it is well and intelligently written but after the 'First Book', it seemed to degenerate into the ramblings of a madman, from which it didn't recover. Just a very weird and unpleasant reading experience.
Certainly not my idea of fun.

Bill Bryson's African Diary - Bryson's short account of his visit to Kenya following a invitation by the charity Care International.

Titanic Survivor - The Memoirs of Violet Jessop, stewardess - Edited and annotated by John Maxtone-Graham
Excellent life story of this amazing lady.
Her experience on Titanic is about halfway through the book and for only a few chapters, but the rest of the book is just as interesting.

On the Flip Side by Nicholas Fisk - A large print, children's book about Lettice who can communicate with her pets. She discovers why dogs stare at, and bark at nothing and cats have 'mad moments'.
A bit of a cop-out ending though.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - I did enjoy this 'chicklit with style'. Andrea wants to be a writer but gets a job at Runway Magazine as a junior assistant (slave!) to the demanding editor, Miranda. She hopes that in a year, she will go on to greater things (as promised) but can she stick out the whole 12 months?
To be released as a film in the UK in October '06.

More to Life Than This by Carole Matthews - It's tale of how couples can take each other for granted and how they might be tempted away.
An enjoyable little read.

The Apologist by Jay Rayner - Marc Basset, overweight and unlucky in love is a venomous restaurant critic. Following the suicide of a recipient of one of his vitriolic reviews, he meets the grieving widow. This sparks a mission to apologise to all the people in his life that he has offended with varying results. It also leads him into a new career as Chief Apologist for the U.N. and that's when the trouble really starts.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - A children's book of wonderful escapism. Fast moving and witty, when Artemis kidnaps a fairy he thinks he can get-rich-quick, but these fairies are armed and dangerous!