Just what the doctor ordered

Not the best photo I took today unfortunately but the one most related to a new development in my life...

Breaking news! I've just joined a book club.

Having swottily done my homework and read the two assigned books for the month, I went along to my first meeting this evening with some trepidation.

The meeting took place here at Doctor Duncan's - a favourite drinking den of real ale lovers from miles around (700 guest ales in 12 months I'm reliably informed). The pub is named in honour of Dr William Henry Duncan, a leading Victorian public health campaigner, whose work in Liverpool's slums drew attention to the links between poverty and ill health. At the time it wasn't uncommon for 40 people to be living in a single cellar room and Dr D's warnings that poor sanitation might just be linked to the deaths of thousands from cholera led to his appointment (in 1846) as the UK's first Chief Medical Officer and to some much needed improvements in living conditions.

I can only speculate as to whether the good doctor would approve of a pub being named after him!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I think the meeting went well. Everyone seemed lovely and welcoming and I hope I didn't show myself up too badly! The books under discussion were 'The Best of Everything' by Rona Jaffe and 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.