I've Been To The Windy City - But I Wasn't Blown Away

5 December

Apologies for my absence - I’ve been to Chicago for Thanksgiving. The Windy City. But as I indicated in my Blog, I wasn’t blown away. Nithered, yes, as night-time temperatures dropped to -5C, but blown away, no.
Which is all rather a shame as I have often gained inspiration for my writing from trips abroad. Both MÄLAREN (Sweden) and BIRDS OF THE NILE (Egypt) are obvious examples and the idea for FERIA came from one of our Spanish holidays. Bur so far my American experiences have failed to provide anything concrete. Having said that, I was intrigued by a painting in the Art Institute of Chicago which set me thinking if it did not actually inspire me. ‘Mrs Darrow’ by Manierre Dawson (c1911) is a cubist (?) representation of a woman (I can tell that much) who appears to be a well-to-do socialite. The warmth of the painting’s colours and her engaging smile (a bit crooked, but it is cubist) drew me in and I was fascinated to know who she was. I have searched the net but I’ve not come up with anything. Perhaps that’s just as well as it leaves room for my imagination to work on it – but I have enough on my plate for the time being without the distraction of writing about a New York socialite. One day, when I have time …
At least my break away gave me the opportunity to catch up on my reading – there were two eight hour plane journeys to fill if nothing else. I make a point of taking something that relates to the country I’m visiting so on this occasion I selected The Great Gatsby and The Last Tycoon (F.Scott Fitzgerald), Stoner (John Williams) and an old favourite, Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates). I take particular interest in American literature of this type and when I have a chance I will post a blog with my thoughts about them. On perusing the bookcase in my daughter’s flat I came across The Bean Trees, an (early?) novel by Barbara Kingsolver so l read that too. Add to that Seating Arrangements (Maggie Shipstead) and I’m just about read out. Goodread reviews will follow.
So what have I come back to? A pile of washing and ironing and an empty fridge by the look of it. My wife is staying on for another week so I’ve been left to fend for myself. Please don’t feel sorry for me though, I actually enjoy being on my own for a few days. Before you know it, Christmas with all its attendant demands will be upon us and the chance to get anything done at all will have eluded me, so I must take this opportunity and press on. Now let me see – where was I? Oh yes, trying to find a clean pair of socks …