EARLY AUTUMN FAVOURITES

I have decided to ease myself into blogging again by writing a post about the things I have been appreciating recently. So without further ado, the following are my early autumn favourites in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. "Plumdog" by Emma Chichester Clark is an absolute pleasure to read! A year of events told by Plum the dog, and illustrated in bright watercolours and coloured pencils by Emma. Imagine muddy walks, leaps into the sea and meeting new friends, told with a lot of charm and eye to detail. My plan is to give this book away to a friend later in the year because she has just got a new puppy, but I will be sad to see it go. Definitely a great present for any dog person out there!

2. "One Man and His Bike" was written by author and Guardian journalist Mike Carter, who travelled around the coast of Great Britain by bike. A personal and well documented journey from its beginning to end, Mikes takes you along for the ride and shares all the geographical and social variations the coastline has to offer. I believe the book can be summed up nicely in saying that it has an air of Bill Bryson's travel writing mixed with a lot of seasalt and that extra bit of black British humour.

3. I was more than excited to start "Headlong" by Michael Frayn as I have become strangly fascinated with art history over the last couple of months, and luckily I was not dissapointed. About in equal parts the never-ending story of creation and destruction, highlighting the uncertainty of the values of and judgements on either, and an introduction to the art of Bruegel the Elder, all wrapped up in a gripping modern day plot, it is one of the better novels I have read recently. 4 1/5 ouf of 5!

4. Next up, I would like to point you in the direction of the excellent "Londonist Out Loud" podcast, if you are not already an avid listener. It is a beautiful format in which writer and journalist N Quentin Woolf interviews Londoners of all boroughs and jobs, visits the trusted institutions but also the lesser known nooks and crannies, and generally discusses topical issues.
     As a London enthusiast myself (no point in hiding behind piles of correspondingly themed books any longer; I have found my people!), I have been borderline obsessed with the podcast for the last weeks, and it is making me very happy every time I tune into the theme song by "Songs from the Howling Sea" and N Quentin Woolf's puns and soothing voice. My favourite episodes so far have been the one on Lucy Sparrow's Felt Cornershop and the one on the only newspaper press remaining in Fleet Street. Do give it a go! What remains is only to wish that I will ever have as interesting a job!

5. If after hours of listening, you can spare just another hour to treat your ears AND eyes, I strongly recommend the documentary "When Ludy met Roy" about Sir Roy Strong turning 80 years of age and looking back on his lifetime achievements. I have recently come across his and his wife's work in relation to the Laskett Gardens (I simply adore the photo below!), but naturally Strong is best-known for his museum work. Especially his thought that museums should at best be influencing the direction in which society goes has lingered with me. You can access the documentary either via Youtube or the BBC.

Happy Autumn!