In an English Country Garden...

Weston Village, Bath

Passed on my way from the bus stop (one of four today!) to a friend’s house for our book group this afternoon; an afternoon that started overcast and cool, but by late afternoon the sun had appeared.

This gorgeous cottage looks to have the quintessential English country garden, except this isn’t in the country, it’s in Bath! Ok, when the cottage was built Weston was a separate village, but has since become part of Bath as the city has grown.

We met to discuss our latest book group read, “Winterdance: the Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod” by Gary Paulsen. I absolutely loved the book, as did two of the others in the group, and we’d thoroughly recommend it. If you google the title you’ll find nothing but praise for the book. I think this reader’s review sums up the book for me: “I love true stories of people, against all odds and common sense, doing the seemingly impossible and definitely improbable with a sense of humor. Winterdance is laugh out loud funny. I don't recommend reading this anywhere you will get sidelong glances for chuckling to yourself. Gary Paulsen's writing is gritty, witty and wonderfully real. I highly recommend Winterdance to anyone who has ever dreamed of chucking it all and heading out on a fine adventure.”

If you’d like to know more about the book, read on: “Winterdance is an unforgettable account of Gary Paulsen's most ambitious quest: to know a world beyond his knowing, to train for and run the Iditarod. Fueled by an all-consuming passion for running dogs, Paulsen entered the grueling 1,180-mile race across Alaska in dangerous ignorance and with fierce determination. For seventeen days, Paulsen and his team of fifteen dogs ran through breathtaking and treacherous Arctic terrain. They crossed the barren, moonlike landscape of the Alaskan interior and witnessed sunrises that cast a golden blaze over the vast waters of the Bering Sea. They endured blinding wind, snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, hallucinations - and the relentless push to go on. He crossed the finish line, but it wasn't enough: Paulsen was obsessed and wanted to race again. Though the dangers of the Iditarod were legion, more frightening still was the knowledge that he could not stop racing dogs of his own free will.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winterdance-Fine-Madness-Running-Iditarod/dp/0156001454

 Off to The Big Smoke tomorrow, so catch up with you all on Sunday…