News

While we're still unable to travel overseas, my reading this week has taken me to some notable cities of the world. London, New York, Berlin, Milan and, of course, Paris are all acknowledged in the history of the iconic magazine, Vogue (details of the new book 'Glossy' below).

And I've enjoyed thinking of some of my memories and associations with the French capital, not least the hospitality offered to strangers.

There's the wonderful Shakespeare and Company bookshop on the banks of the River Seine. Opened in 1951, this English language bookshop became a meeting place for writers and readers, even offering a bed and a meal to those unable to find accommodation elsewhere - in return for working a shift or two in the store.

And there were the marvellous tales of the Supper Club organised by the late Jim Haynes in his home. Dinner would be available to anyone who wanted to drop by as he sought to "introduce the whole world to each other".

But this week I read an article in the New Yorker magazine which detailed how Parisiens have been opening up their homes to asylum seekers.

Since the start of the pandemic, a lack of state-provided housing in France has meant that migrants are often forced to sleep in makeshift camps or in Métro stations so in an improvised, ad hoc scheme, residents have been making spare rooms available and offering a bath and a hot meal to individuals and families.

Such kindness and compassion is uplifting and encouraging to read as we begin to think again of community rather than isolation going forward.

The sad news of the death of Prince Philip on Friday has brought much media coverage about the man and his achievements.

While he has been a public figure, and familiar to all of us, for so long, we always learn more about the essential goodness of an individual on their death, and also the troubles and challenges they had to overcome.

While there have been numerous biographies about Prince Philip and more will undoubtedly follow, I was surprised to learn that he enjoyed poetry, was a great letter-writer and had also written, or co-written, some 15 books himself. Many of these were collected speeches, others recalled his carriage driving, and a number were about wildlife and his concern for the environment.

Though now we have entered a period of national mourning, this coincides with another step in the easing of lockdown.

It means from tomorrow we can visit bookshops and libraries again, to browse shelves and select new titles.

While we've noted how books have been a huge solace and inspiration to many of us in the past year, bookshops have, of course, not been considered essential. And in France this has been particularly contentious. However, in their current lockdown that decision has been revised. Now bookshops have been given special dispensation to remain open, considered as vital to life there as ... florists, music shops and chocolatiers.

Happy Easter! Among the chocolate, spring sunshine and boat race, it's a weekend to consider belief, faith and trust. But it's followed hard on the heels of April Fool's Day this year.

The news is regularly challenging our perception of what is true and false at the moment so it was interesting to see how media outlets, entertainment programmes and big brands approached the annual custom of practical jokes and hoaxes, particularly in these difficult and precarious times.

As my mind has been on dogs - with my reading of Simon Garfield's new book (details below) - there was a cute and heartwarming tale of the police engaging the help of our four-legged friends. The South Australian force has launched the Small Area Urban Search And Guided Evacuation dogs here.

We may have been buying more new books in this past year, so a product has been released to remind us of well loved and familiar volumes. Called Papier, the new scent is 'sweet with just a hint of the musty smell of aged paper,' and 'conjures memories of old-school reading with a sprinkling of violets and a dash of tasteful potpourri'. Find out more here.

But I did my first double-take while reading news from the publishing sector. An imprint of HarperCollins announced that it is no longer using punctuation in any of its books or communications, quoting the respected novelist Cormac McCarthy as saying "If you write properly, you shouldn't have to punctuate". The publishing team was led in their decision by researcher Dr Lucas Matthews, whom you can see explaining more here.  

Among all these wry tales, though, was a wonderfully amusing and rather lovely enterprise which isn't a one day wonder. Micky the rescue pony has been delivering books to readers in Wiltshire, inspired by the story from Jojo Moyes, 'The Giver of Stars' which featured as my BBC Radio Suffolk read last month. You can find out more about Micky's story here.

Thank you for reading. Happy Easter!

These days small tasks or niggles can seem mighty challenges or major setbacks. Many things are no longer familiar or everyday, and we have to assess and reassess chores and activities to ensure they adhere to restrictions keeping us all safe.

Lockdown may begin to ease tomorrow, but we are aware that this is slow and cautious progress. And for some people, who have been more isolated, it may be more difficult to make the transition than others.

I've been inspired in recent weeks, though, to learn about people who've wanted to discover the true extent of their potential, mentally, emotionally and physically.

You can read about how Vanessa O'Brien decided to climb mountains in my recommended book this month. Scroll down for more information.

But I was asked to interview four Shropshire men about their plans to row the Atlantic later this year. You can read about them here.

They are all over 50, one is partially sighted and their predominant experience of rowing is in the gym. And they signed up for the challenge in the midst of a global pandemic. It's meant that the delivery of their boat was delayed, courses for the qualifications required by the race organisers have been repeatedly postponed and they have had only rare occasions in between lockdowns to meet and train together. But their indomitable spirit, positive attitude and commitment to each other is truly uplifting and inspiring.

“I think we’ve all got the attitude that nothing’s unachievable,” says Martin Skeehan, one of the crew. "We will make it happen. It may seem impossible, but break it down and take the first step, and then the next one.”

So whether we're planning to climb a mountain, row the ocean, or get through the week, that's a simple message we can all remember!

And for this week, things look cheering with some sunshine and warmth forecast, and the hope of Easter to celebrate.

Thank you for reading.

This week I've been thinking about appointments and queuing...!

I'm pleased to report that I've had my first vaccination and had only to walk down the road to receive it at my local centre.

There was a queue of quite a few minutes to wait outside - apparently there were a few problems with the check in desk. But everyone was content to stand patiently, enjoying the spring sunshine and exchanging a few words of friendly conversation with the steward before stepping inside the hall for the deed itself.

Everything was run very calmly, confidently and efficiently and there was a warm, friendly, collaborative atmosphere. I'm sure we were all very grateful to everyone who is playing their part in making this particular service possible. A short delay was no hardship.

Of course, our daily schedules are different these days and we are making more allowances for things taking a little bit longer than usual. But will we be willing to stand quietly and patiently in line when things get back to normal? Perhaps we shouldn't expect everything to happen to our own personal timetable. And perhaps there are benefits of things taking a little longer.

I've had cause to use other medical practices in recent months and I've noticed that the staff, who in other times might have seemed rather tense and hurried, now appeared happy, attentive and relaxed.

The restrictions ensuring distance and cleanliness are not ideal but they have set clear parameters, recognised and, generally, accepted by all. Perhaps those boundaries have allowed staff a new freedom to give more time to their patients and we are all valuing personal interactions more deeply.

We never doubt the dedication of medical staff, of course, and there's a profound reminder of their care and compassion in my recommended reading this week.

Michael Rosen's new book relates his experience of suffering from Covid. His memories and observations are presented in verse, but he also includes a number of letters written to him by members of the medical teams caring for him during his time in intensive care.

These messages are incredibly moving, willing him to recovery with great warmth and affection, written at the end of emotionally and physically demanding shifts. It is clear they never once forgot the person in their care.

While Michael's gratitude to them is present in his writing, it is also evident how great a toll the illness has played on his life. It was interesting, then, to hear the novelist Maggie O'Farrell on Desert Island Discs this week.

She had a serious illness as a child and talks about how she feels she wasn't the same person after the event as she had been before. She also says she is forever grateful for the life that she has been able to lead subsequently. It's a fascinating interview. If you remember, Maggie joined us in Woodbridge three years ago to talk about her memoir 'I Am, I Am, I Am'. Take a look here.