Bits and pieces: It is now Monday. Got up early to take a shower, the house is rather full. But so did Andrew and Karen who are going swimming at the pool. So a rather garbled account. Mollie the cat is very discombobulated. Her attic bedroom has been taken over by Ben and she has been LOCKED OUT. So the cat and I both spent an uncomfortable night together and now she happily has full ownership of my bed.
Sunday and Ben is here, he has been to the Oasis Concert on Saturday night in Manchester. He is our fashion expert and no he won't be wearing a skirt at the forthcoming wedding. Lillie and her mum have just come back from Manchester looking for a dress for Lillie for the forthcoming marriage of Tom and Ellie, they were not successful. I suggested my dress from way back in the 70s but it is too small for Lillie, she has become colour fixated on the dress she wants, the colour is blue at the moment. It is decided that my old dress is a heirloom and will not go to a charity shop, it is made out of synthetic material, but hangs beautifully. The following blurry photo also shows my daughter in her red outfit. The photo itself belongs to a much larger group which I have cut out. Basically because they have passed on and it is sad to remember days when everyone dressed up to go out to a restaurant.
We were so much tinier in the olden days!
Well the media seem to be in a tizzy about the The Salt Path and the goings on of the couple. Did she fib, or is leaving out certain parts of the truthful story a sin. Her one moral sin was to imply that the walk did her husband's terminal illness, CBD a favour by extending his life. When according to other medical opinion it should not have progressed the way it did. It of course gave others, who were also suffering from the illness, hope.
How truth can vary from whatever side you are reading it is an unenviable place to have to go. 'Righteousness' is not part of my thinking and the story was good apparently. I did not read it for some reason. But as a story it seemed to have many fans. Well it is all water under the bridge, another shining star exploded.
There was a chap in a dark grey, drop-pleated skirt in Co-op recently. Needless to say, he stood out like a sore thumb in a parochial little country town like ours. Then there is a chap who I've seen twice now - late 70s, in first a mini dress and 2ndly a dress that did him no favours, selling at Antiques Fairs I've been to. Obviously in touch with his feminine side, but no tidy hair or makeup to go with it.
ReplyDeleteI read the Salt Path and enjoyed it, though I did wonder about his illness improving so radically as it seemed to do. I would not had the brass balls to completely reinvent my past in the way she did, but they are millionaires now, so laughing all the way to the bank . . .
"so laughing all the way to the bank " diddling all those readers may not have won them brownie points though. Think Waterstones is refunding the money for the books. But as you say the money they made will come in useful.
DeleteI like that old photo of you and your daughter in your lovely dresses! I don't even own a dress or a skirt anymore. I look more for comfort and don't go anywhere too fancy I guess.
ReplyDeleteWell during this hot weather I have found some dresses and skirts Ellen. Perhaps it was a wise move to keep hold of them and not give them to charity shops.
DeleteI just read the Salt Path, then googled her name and the name of the book to get all the contrary comments. I had originally thought I would suggest the book for my book club selection, but decided against it, due to the controversy. I am still not sure I made the right choice as the club members could have drawn their own conclusions. I may change my mind and recommend it with a disclaimer. Then there are her two books following the first one on their continuing life after that original walk. .
DeleteWell it could be an interesting discussion, the fine line between fiction and non-fiction Ana. There is a lot of talk about fact-checking books. The publisher does not take responsibility for that and the film producers did not, claiming they centered the film on the book.
DeleteI read The Salt Path, I didn’t enjoy it at all. I’ve done my share of long distance walking and from that point of view I thought it had little credibility, maybe every aspect was invention who knows.
ReplyDeletewww.mylifeinflipflops.blogspot.com
Raynor Winn did say that the journey she described was true but of course there was a lot of lying about how the journey started. It is part of a genre of 'journey' books. Some I enjoy but others are too self absorbed.
DeleteIt has to be noted that our generation had a sense of appropriate dressing for public outings. Today it needn't be a 'frock' or a skirt, but too many--at least where we live--appear to be wearing their under clothes to go shopping--or their pajamas. Does that observation make me a fuddy-duddy? 'Modesty' seems to have a negative connotation, something reserved for the chin to ankle coverage of the Amish women in their regulation dress. Surely there could/should be a middle ground [?]
ReplyDeleteThe pajama thing has always dumbfounded me. Honestly, here both men and women go to the store wearing their pajamas. That's just the craziest thing to me.
DeleteI think the pajama clan can be found in this country as well taking their children to school but it is more down South than up here in the North Sharon.
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