Jennifer Kloester's Blog, page 12

We have walls! – my garden odyssey

So, after some rain and other delays, we finally have walls. At least, we’ve got the walls you won’t see. Chris has built the brick retaining walls with the wires in them that will allow him to attach the sandstone. He’s left room for the corner pier and we’ve ordered the special angled plinth bricks from the supplier. It’s fascinating to watch Chris work. He’s quick and his skill with a brickie’s trowel is extraordinary. You can see how much he loves working with stone and he has big ideas for our lovely old sandstone blocks. It’s going to be gorgeous when it’s finished.

We have walls! Brick retaining walls waiting to faced with sandstone.

AN UNEXPECTED DELAY

That turns out to be some time away as the brick yard has just called to say that our plinth bricks are not available. Damn. I’ve been waiting on promised supply for several weeks so this is a blow. Luckily, Chris is undaunted.

“No worries, I’ll just cut them by hand.”

“Wow. Can you do that?” I’m a bit doubtful.

‘Sure, why not.” He seems confident so I’m willing to give him a chance.

The first brick pier is begun with hand-cut plinth bricks.

AN EYE FOR DESIGN

And before you know it, we have plinth bricks. They’ll be part of the brick piers at each end of the wall, in the corner and at the top of the steps. They’ll be a feature so they’ll need to look good. I’m confident that Chris will pull off something amazing. His hand-cut bricks already look great and I’m beginning to realise that Chris has an exceptional eye for design. From what he’s achieved so far, I’m really eager to hear about his vision for terrace. It was his idea to copy elements of the house design in this corner of the garden and so far it seems to be working. In fact, I think by the time it’s all done it’s going to look great. All I need is patience.

Our beautiful 150 year-old sandstone blocks which will be cut by hand to cover the brick retaining walls.

 

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The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend – book review

Recommended books sit high on my to-be-read pile so when a dear friend insisted I read this one I plunged in with alacrity. For the most part I enjoyed The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. It’s an intriguing book, and well written, with a solid cast of quirky characters. Its small American country town setting is also remarkably convincing given that the author, Katarina Bivald, had never visited America before writing the book. Her picture of Broken Wheel is reflective of a thousand other US towns hit by the recession. It’s barely hanging in there. As the title of the book suggests, the town is broken.

Swedish author Katarina Bivald had never been to America when she wrote The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. Photo: Newham Bookshop

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

But Broken Wheel has a tiny population of determined residents who refuse to move on. Which is lucky because into their midst comes shy loner, Sara Lindqvist. She’s travelled all the way from Sweden to visit one of the town’s elder citizens, Amy Harris. Sara and Amy have been writing to each other for long enough to form a firm friendship. Their shared a love of books and Amy’s letters permeate the novel. Those letters mean that Sara already knows a lot about the townsfolk. What she doesn’t know when she arrives in Broken Wheel is that Amy has recently died.

Amy’s letters to Sara are are very revealing.

A SERIOUS ADDICTION

Perhaps because having a stranger in their midst is so unusual the townspeople take Sara to their hearts. They insist she move into Amy’s house and spend her holiday in Broken Wheel getting to know them all. But Sara does more than that. She’s an addicted reader and, to the surprise of everyone in Broken Wheel and the rival town of Hope, she  decides to open a bookstore right there in the middle of town. With the help of Amy’s books, Sara proceeds to change the lives of those around her. The novel is part romance, part small-town life and part homage to books and the joy of reading. I found a lot to like about The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. A book for anyone who loves reading and a nice choice for the holidays.

A surprising novel set in a small town in Iowa. Recommended reading. Photo: Nancy Sirkis

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Sunflower magic – my garden odyssey

Have you ever stopped to look at a sunflower? I mean really look at it? Recently, my sunflowers lifted their heads and showed their glorious yellow faces to the sky. There’s not much in that garden bed yet, so they’re especially precious. Today I took a few minutes to hang out with them and it was magical. These sunflowers are taller than I am and their heads are about ten inches across. The yellow of their petals is so bright and cheerful, you can’t hep but feel better just looking at them.

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Sunflowers cheer up a nearly empty garden bed.

SUN LOVERS

It’s long been said that sunflowers follow the sun. I don’t know if it’s true, but they definitely move during the day. I love the way they lift their faces sunwards, as though greeting a friend. But what fascinates me most is the way they’re made. As a bud, they’re green and tightly-closed with elegant spires that put me in mind of an elven crown. The open flower is such a contrast with its geometric swirls and tight canary-yellow flower buds that open into such long, airy petals.

The cheerful sunflower and spotted guest.

ARTFUL CREATIONS

The sunflower is one of nature’s artful creations. Reading about them, you quickly discover that, like pineapples, artichokes and pine cones, they are geometric miracles. I’d heard of the Fibonacci sequence but I hadn’t realised it applied to sunflowers. Turns out that the number of curves and spirals in the centre of the flower are all Fibonacci numbers. No matter which way you count them, Nature’s maths is impeccable. And the magic doesn’t end there, because even when the petals have dropped and all the glorious colour has gone, I am left with a palette of elegant black-and-white seeds that are good enough to eat.

A sunflower’s spirals reflect the Fibonacci sequence. Photo: Wakingtimes.com

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Its seeds are as beautiful as its bright yellow face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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All things Georgette – the suppressed novels

Whenever I give talks about Georgette Heyer someone always asks me about the suppressed novels. What are they? And why did she suppress them? In the late 1930s, Heyer suppressed six of her fifty-five novels. The Great Roxhythe, Simon the Coldheart, Instead of the Thorn, Helen, Pastel, and Barren Corn. She was determined these books should never again see the light of day and she was mostly successful. Today, five of the novels remain out of print though copies of the contemporaries produced in the 1970s can still be found online. The one novel rescued from Heyer’s determined censorship was Simon the Coldheart. In 1977, three years after Heyer died, her son, Richard, decided that, “in this instance, her judgement had been too harsh”. He allowed it to be republished.

THE GREAT ROXHYTHE

It is still possible to find copies of The Great Roxhythe online. Originally published in 1922, Heyer’s second novel tells the story of the fictional Marquis of Roxhythe and his service to King Charles II as a spy. Just nineteen when she wrote it, Roxhythe is both historically accurate and very readable. It’s an impressive achievement for a teenage author. Georgette loathed the book, however, and in 1951 was appalled to learn that Heinemann were reprinting it. She wrote to the CEO, her friend A.S. Frere and begged him to stop publication. Heyer described Roxhythe and the other suppressed novels as “childish”, “lethal and immature”. Though she stopped republication of the contemporary books, she was furious when Roxhythe appeared in print.

The Great Roxhythe. Georgette was very harsh in her judgment of her second novel. This is the very rare Hutchinson 1922 first edition.

REVEALING NOVELS

The four remaining suppressed novels are contemporary stories set in 1920’s England. The books reveal much about Heyer’s life and ideas at that time. Her brother, Frank Heyer, often said that Helen was her most autobiographical novel and Pastel definitely contains Georgette’s mother. Both plausible reasons for suppressing them. While the contemporary stories are not in the same class as her historical novels, they are perfectly readable. Indeed, Barren Corn is a fascinating aberration in the Heyer canon.  Though they lack the wit and flair of her Regencies, they offer a fascinating window into Heyer and the world she knew.

Instead of the Thorn 1923. One of the suppressed contemporary novels. This is another very rare Hutchinson first edition.

Helen, the 1936 edition with a cover Georgette Heyer would have loathed.

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The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery – Book Review

It’s funny how some books stay with you for years and years after first reading them. For me, The Blue Castle is one of those novels. I love Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books and especially her Anne of Green Gables series. I’ve read and re-read them, revelling in Anne’s adventures and her feisty, optimistic character but it was several years before I discovered The Blue Castle. Montgomery wrote the book in 1926 and it took me completely by surprise. And not just because it’s considered to be one of her few ‘adult’ books (it can be easily read by teens).

The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Photo: Harropian Books

REBELLION

The main character is Valancy Stirling ‘of the Deerwood Stirlings’. She’s in her late twenties, downtrodden and neglected by her snobbish family and destined to be an old maid. But Valancy has something – she’s one of those characters who draw you in. You can’t help liking her and, personally, I wanted to kick most of her relatives for their moronic treatment of her. Which is part of the fun, of course. One day, an unexpected medical diagnosis changes everything for Valancy and, for the first time in her dull grey life, she rebels. From then on things begin to change.

Lucy Maud Montgomery at work. Photo: Anneofgreengables.com

GREAT CHARACTERS

The novel has a cast of intriguing characters including the mysterious and disreputable Barney Snaith and the drunken reprobate, Abel Gay, whose tragic daughter, Cissy, Valancy befriends. I love this book for its humanity and for its wonderful twists and turns. Montgomery is brilliant at drawing characters and she pulls no punches in depicting Valancy’s ghastly extended family. As always in a Montgomery novel their are glorious descriptions of the natural world – the Canadian landscape with which she was so familiar. The Blue Castle ticks so many boxes for me and I especially love the scenes on Mistawis – the island where Valancy eventually finds herself. I think every reader dreams of going there. This is a book to revisit and to share. Highly recommended.

One fan has made a delightful book trailer for her favourite novel – The Blue Castle. 

 

 

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We have steps and lorikeets …

So the great concrete pour has finally happened. At last we have permanent steps and the beginnings of a terrace. Of course, it’s all still a long way from finished but at least I’ll never have to weed the steps again. Hooray! The concrete has now hardened and gone “off” and it’s all looking good. Next step is to build the walls.

At last, the new garden steps – ready for concrete.

SUPER SKILLED

Our bricklayer, Chris, is amazing and super skilled. He also has real artistic vision. I’m not sure if that’s common among bricklayers but it didn’t take long to recognise his talent. We have beautiful old sandstone blocks in the garden that have been here for over a century. You can still see the chisel marks on them where the old masons cut the stone. I love the look and feel of them and Chris has wonderful ideas for using them on the steps and terrace walls. Right now, though, he’s busy with basic bricks – building the garden walls and planning how they’ll look when they’re finished.  I think it’s going to be amazing.

The concrete is poured and the first brick wall begun.

RAINBOW LORIKEETS

While Chris is bricklaying, I’m getting on with the garden. Recently, I hung a bird-feeder in the jacaranda tree so it’s right outside my study window. That way I can see what flies in up while I work. Today was exciting because a flock of rainbow lorikeets descended on the feeder to eat the wild birdseed. I’ve never seen so many lorikeets all at once and the noise …! They’re gregarious creatures and always ready for a chat or a squabble. They’re the most colourful birds I know with their bright green backs and red, blue and yellow heads and chests. I’m hoping the garden will become a haven for all kinds of birds and insects. We shall see.

A flock of gorgeous rainbow lorikeets.

A handsome fellow.

 

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Laughter is the best medicine – All things Georgette

I find life hard sometimes – I mean, who doesn’t? Unexpected stuff happens, people let you down and often things don’t turn out as planned. Even the best life sucks at times because hurt and tragedy come to all of us. I’ve spent six of the past seven years in chronic pain. The kind that kept me tossing and turning for hours when I should have been asleep and which sometimes made daily life nearly impossible. I tried every suggested remedy and saw all kinds of medicos. Thankfully, I eventually found a way through the pain but one escape was during the bad times was laughter. And a writer who always makes me laugh is Georgette Heyer.

The Unknown Ajax – one of Heyer’s funniest novels.

THE UNKNOWN AJAX

Though I’ve written two books about her and read her novels countless times, Heyer’s stories always feel fresh to me. She’s so brilliant with dialogue and her characters really live. Her plots are ingenious and her sense of humour is delicious. Just thinking about some of her stories makes me smile. The Unknown Ajax for example. During those pain-filled years my son gave me an Audible subscription. It was a brilliant gift and among many great audio books I discovered the wonderful Daniel Philpott reading The Unknown Ajax.

The Unknown Ajax signed to Georgette Heyer’s brother Frank. She rarely signed her books.

AWESOME AUDIO BOOK

Actually, ‘reading’ doesn’t come near to describing his rendition of this brilliant novel. Though I’d read it many times before, I don’t think I’d ever fully appreciated the genius of Heyer’s plot and characters until I heard The Unknown Ajax read aloud by Daniel Philpott. He’s a genius with accents and his broad Yorkshire is superb. He makes each character distinct and the ending is magnificent. I laughed as though hearing it for the very first time. It was a welcome escape from trouble and pain – as good books always are. Now that my days are mostly pain-free I read Georgette Heyer for pleasure, but I know – as so many of her readers do –  that if I need her, she’ll always be there to lighten the dark times.

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My Garden Odyssey – Revolution

So I finally reached tipping point. For years I’ve weeded the steps leading to the lawn because they have earth treads and weeds thrive in them. I was pulling out thistles when I threw down my fork and trowel and said, “That’s it! We need something permanent.” When my better half protested, I explained that I wasn’t wasting another hour of my life weeding the steps. “We need a bricklayer.” Hmm. Easy to say, but not so easy to find a bricklayer who a). turns up, b). actually quotes the job and c). has any sort of vision for what these steps might look like. A couple of guys came by, but they weren’t really interested. Weeks passed and nothing. So, I did what any intelligent person would do when faced with a seemingly insoluble problem … I talked to my greengrocer.

The old garden steps made of earth and sandstone. They needed endless weeding

THE INCREDIBLE BRICKIE

Turns out his son is a trained bricklayer (a “brickie” as we call them Downunder) who loves working with stone. Sounded great so I called him, he came over and we talked. Incredibly, he seemed interested – even keen. We agreed on a concept and a price and a few weekends later he began work. Boy, did he work. In addition to replacing the steps I’d also figured that the two badly-built dry stone walls might as well be properly built. And while we were at it we’d enclose the two right-angled walls with a stone terrace.

Lovely stone but these walls were not well built and would fall over when weeding!

A GARDEN REVOLUTION

So Chris laid sight lines and began digging. It was incredible to watch. He must’ve removed at least fifty huge wheelbarrows of soil from the site. The height of the nearest garden bed lifted at least eight inches with all the dirt. It was awesome. So the old stone walls disappeared and the foundations for the new walls and the terrace appeared in their place. I am quietly excited.

The walls disappear and the sight lines are laid. Very exciting.

Progress – and lots of earth for the garden bed.

A last look at the old steps before they disappear forever. Hooray! No more weeding steps.

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The Talisman Ring – Rare Cover Art – All Things Georgette

Readers love Georgette Heyer for her humour. Her historical and detective novels are full of funny scenes, witty dialogue and memorable characters. Heyer’s wit and sparkling language make her a popular re-read and one of her finest comic novels is The Talisman Ring. It’s a period mystery with great characters, a page-turning plot and some very funny dialogue.

The American edition of The Talisman Ring. Doubleday 1937.

WRITER’S BLOCK

The book had an unusual birth because for once Heyer had writer’s block. It was April 1936, she was 34, with a two-year old son and the main family breadwinner. With twenty books under her belt, this was the first time she’d felt she’d ‘written herself out’. After struggling for several days she’d almost given up, when ‘a Wholly Glorious novel burst upon [her] in the space of twenty minutes’. Three hours work gave her the synopsis and two months later she’d finished The Talisman Ring.

The Talisman Ring 1936 first-edition dust jacket.

RARE COVER ART

Heinemann commissioned the well-known artist, Philip Youngman Carter to design the dust wrapper. Youngman Carter was a writer married to the famous mystery author, Margery Allingham, but he was  best known for his book jackets. He designed dustwrappers for many famous writers, including H.G. Wells, Daphne du Maurier, John Steinbeck, Graham Greene, J.B. Priestley and Rebecca West. Heyer had several fine artists design her book jackets. Arthur Barbosa was her favourite, followed by Philip Gough. She also liked  Theyre Lee Elliot’s eye-catching art deco jacket for Pastel (1929). Surprisingly, the original cover art for The Talisman Ring still exists, though it’s never been seen in public. Consisting of a rough pencil sketch and the final watercolour design, the two pictures remain in private hands. I’m delighted that the current owner has given me permission to share photos of Philip Youngman Carter’s original design.

Pastel cover art by Theyre Lee Elliot 1929.

 

Close-up of Philip Youngman Carter’s draft sketch for The Talisman Ring dust jacket. This is the first time these images have been made public.

Youngman Carter’s draft and final cover art for The Talisman Ring.

 

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The Book of Dust Volume One: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman – Book Review

Philip Pullman is a brilliant writer. I loved His Dark Materials trilogy when it came out and I especially loved the books’ bewitching protagonist, Lyra. So it was with real anticipation that I began reading Pullman’s eagerly-awaited Volume One of his new Book of Dust trilogy. Pullman calls La Belle Sauvage an ‘equal’ rather than a prequel and maybe it will be once the trilogy is complete. For now, however, this first book reads like a prequel. Lyra is a baby and this is the story of how she ends up at Oxford’s (fictional) Jordan College – where she is at the beginning of His Dark Materials.

British author Philip Pullman poses with his new book ‘La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One’.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)

LA BELLE SAUVAGE

Though Lyra’s at the centre of the story, the book is really about young Malcolm Polstead. He’s eleven and an honest and honourable hero who will do whatever it takes to protect her. And she needs protecting. In Malcolm’s hitherto calm and regulated world (his parents own a pub, The Trout, outside Oxford) menacing forces are at work. When a flood of Biblical proportions rages through the town he saves Lyra and takes to his  canoe, La Belle Sauvage. Malcolm and his obstreperous teenage friend, Alice, must then embark on a perilous journey downstream to London.

Pullman creates an alternative version of Oxford in his novels. PHOTO: Oxford University

PLEASANT BUT SOMETIMES FRUSTRATING

Though a pleasant read, at times I found the book frustrating. There were so many bits that could have been so much more. Unlike His Dark Materials, which introduced readers to a rich, complex world, Malcolm’s world feels less compelling. Sometimes I found the story slow going and with only occasional tense bits. Being a baby Lyra needs a lot of feeding and changing and most of the female characters spend their time doing domestic work. They often felt two-dimensional and Mrs Coulter, who was so riveting in the previous trilogy (and has a brief cameo here), failed to grab me. I love Pullman’s language though and the way he creates recognisable, magical variations of our world. That was satisfying. Malcolm is a likeable hero and there were enough layers and dramatic incidents to keep me going to the end. My fingers are now crossed for the next book.

‘His Dark Materials’ Philip Pullman’s compelling first trilogy. PHOTO: Digital Spy UK

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