Miscellaneous Lists March

This year March came in with a lion and, apart from a few days, pretty much went out with a lion - I don’t know what happened to the lamb. Maybe the lion ate it. At least it wasn’t quite as rainy as it was in the previous months.

Once again I can’t really remember what I did in March and I have failed to keep any kind of written records. I have however taken lots of photographs, most of which no-one else will ever see, but they do help to jog my memory.

The most exciting thing that happened in March was that my windows were finally completed. I am too frightened to work out exactly how much it cost but I could probably have spent the same sum of money flying business class to and from Australia or staying in the Ritz for a week. It was worth it though.

So, miscellaneous lists for March.

Carefully curated image of what the garden looks like at the moment

Gardening

I have spent quite a few hours in the garden this month. It’s quite daunting but it is very slowly beginning to look better. If I was the sole owner of the garden I would be prepared to have it re-designed but as I’m not the sole owner that’s not an option. I have removed quite a few dying shrubs so there’s lots of empty space which if I’m not careful will soon be filled with sycamores. We have two mature sycamore trees in the garden and there are hundreds of seedlings everywhere. As I’m going to be away for the whole of May I am a bit restricted in what I can do. I’ve decided not to plants seeds inside as I can’t expect the neighbours to come in every day and take care of them. I’m going to plant some straight into the ground and hope for the best.

Outings

March wasn’t a great month for outings but I did leave London a few times. London Sister and I had a day out in Windsor and we were very lucky as it was really sunny. We didn’t plan to arrive on a day when there was a state visit and it was a bit surprising to come out of the station and immediately see the crowds waiting to cheer both the Nigerian dignitaries who were visiting and the king and queen. London Sister and I are not royalists but somehow we managed to hang around long enough to see both the king and the queen roll by in separate golden coaches. I can confirm that neither of us waved Union Jacks.

Almost certainly this house is haunted.

Later in the month when the weather had become wintry again I went for a walk with two friends and miraculously we did not get lost. The walk was a circular walk starting and ending in Pluckley which is famous for being the most haunted village in Britain. I thought our chances of seeing a ghost were quite high. We did have quite a frightening experience as we were walking down a narrow path between trees and a high wall. The wind suddenly started roaring and the tree branches above our heads began thrashing. Thirty seconds later everything became eerily still. That’s as close as we got to having a paranormal experience.

I also went on a walk by myself from Cookham to Maidenhead which was uneventful but as always the stretch by the river was lovely. I spotted some ducklings who had got trapped between a boat and a boardwalk. They were very noisy but eventually were rescued by their mother. I trailed round the charity shops in Maidenhead and bought nothing.

On Saturday I went on the large demonstration in central London which felt a little bit like an outing. It was freezing but I was appropriately dressed. It is quite difficult to assess how big a march is if you are part of it but it was clear that it was huge. At one point the police announced that there were 50,000 people on the march while the organisers claimed 500,000 which I think was more accurate. I’m glad I went on the demo and it was quite uplifting to be surrounded by people who have similar views to me.

I wish I could buy this bag but the young woman carrying it told me that it was made by her sister so not for sale.

Books

I’ve read quite a lot this month, and my two favourite books were My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, which I read for the third time, and One Afternoon by Siân James, who is a new author for me. I am a huge Strout fan and am currently re-reading all of her books in the order in which she wrote them. I don’t understand people who don’t re-read books. It’s bit like saying well I’ve visited Italy once and I loved it but I’m never going back there again.

I really liked One Afternoon, which was written in the 1970s. It reminded me of Margaret Drabble, although the characters felt slightly more relatable though I may be misremembering as I haven’t read any of her books for about 30 years.

Birds

My new best friend

The other morning while sitting up in bed I watched a woodpecker in the sycamore tree. I am very lucky to be able to bird-watch from bed. I also met a heron. For years there appeared to be just one heron living in the small park which I walk through on the way to the station. Recently the heron population has significantly increased and now you usually see at least four or five in the three minutes it takes to walk along the river to the exit. There are two big messy nests in the trees next to the river so I suspect there will be even more herons in the next few weeks.

What I Watched

My favourite viewing on television was The Other Bennet Sister which was hugely enjoyable and just a little bit silly. I’ve also started watching The Walsh Sisters which I think I’m going to like. There are five Bennet sisters and five Walsh sisters and, as I am one of five sisters, I’m on familiar ground with both of these series.

I went to the cinema to see Midwinter Break. It’s based on a novel by Bernard McLaverty and is about a couple who originally lived in Belfast but are on a weekend break in Amsterdam. A significant turning point in the story relates to something that happening during the Troubles. The Guardian reviewer gave the film a five star rating but then went on to say:

“Perhaps there is something a little bit straightforward about making the Troubles a keynote moment in the past for Northern Irish characters, though for a certain generation it is plausible enough.”

This I think illustrates how English people fail to understand how much the conflict impacted on almost everybody who lived there. Anyway I thought the film was very good and Leslie Manville who plays the wife did a very convincing Irish accent. She sounded just like a friend of mine who was brought up in Belfast but has lived in England since she was 18. I think I need to re-read the novel.

In April I plan to do a lot more work in the garden and to go for more walks.