Bookshelf Revisited: Wintersonnenwende

 

In two days will be the winter soltice ('Wintersonnenwende' in German) and as usual I am reminded of one of my favourite books, a true children's classic that has hugely influenced the kind of books I like and the stories I want to write.

I was quite obsessed with Wintersonnenwende (engl. The Dark is Rising) by Susan Cooper and with the whole series she wrote about the Light and the Darkness. I must have read it dozens of time and even had favourite music I would read the books to and that became connected with the story in my mind (Generator by Bad Religion, how weird is that?). And I will always see the cover of the 1980's German Paperback edition in front of my eyes, mustard yellow and bleak, although I found one cover for a newer English edition online which I really liked.

The book is actually quite dark and when I read an extract while sitting with friends around a fire when we engaged in a spot of wild camping, one of them squealed and begged me to stop as the book was too atmospheric and scary for this particular occasion ...

On 22 December we will finally be half-way out of the dark.

Much love,
Qaroline

Roadtrip: Aldbourne, Wiltshire

It has been a weird day, foggy but sunny, and when all my Saturday chores were done I spontaneously jumped in the car and went for a drive.

Aldbourne is really just up the road, only three villages from Hungerford. The bus to Swindon passes through there and I kind of remembered that it looked pretty. I arrived around 3pm and the late afternoon light was extraordinary: hazy and brittle and somehow warm and chilly at the same time.

St. Michael's Church in Aldbourne, though mostly Gothic, curiously reminded me of the Romanesque St. Michael in Hildesheim (Michaeliskirche), one of my all-time favourite buildings and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. When I studied in Hildesheim, this was my go-to place on a rainy Saturday and even though both churches look nothing like each other, I instantly made the connection. Probably because both buildings look more like castles than places of worship and stand on a mound, overlooking the surrounding houses. Incidentally, Aldbourne also has the coolest bin on the planet. I imagine there are lots of them about, but this is the first one I have seen.

Love,
Qaroline

The coolest bin on this planet

 

The Goddard Monument in St. Michaels, Aldbourne

Yew tree in the churchyard

The pink library in the Old Forge

Combe with a View

Wayfarer's Walk, Berkshire

Just a ten minute's drive from Hungerford, on Walbury Hill near Combe, is the highest natural point in the South East of England. Today was cold and drizzly. I had planned to walk a bit on the Wayfarer's Walk on the ridge but the wind was so harsh that I had to find another route, tightly wrapped up in wooly hat, scarf and gloves. As the car was parked up on the ridge I had to make my way back up ... but at least I was quite warm after climbing up the hill:

Selfie with crumpled collar

50th anniversary style

I have never seen so many pheasants in my life, they seem to be everywhere this time of year. Only one of them didn't rush off in a panic ...

posing pheasant

gloriously golden larch in Combe, Berkshire

November view

almost up on the ridge

Bad Wolf.

I have finally finished the embroidery for my pillow case - just in time to hide a little something for this particular date:

The next paisley pattern will be white on red. Let's see if this is in some way prophetic regarding the impending casting decisions!

Love, Qaroline