The Cataract Chronicles Part One (Featuring John Le Carre)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

So it's four am and I'm awake. But I'm not going on the morning shift today. I'm not in South Wales either, I'm in Essex. Precisely in my mother's house. Because two hours later we will be leaving to go a hospital for her cataract operation.

When we get out of the house it's dark. Not thankfully frosty though. The journey took about twenty minutes but as it was not a route I was used to it seemed longer than that.  Eventually however we get there and park.

The treatment is on the NHS. But I found out yesterday that it's a private hospital. Apparently NHS England does that, financing the private sector with public money. If you ask me it's the thin end of the wedge. We're there before seven am. Apparently my mother will be part of a group of people who are being treated at this time. I'm assuming it's all NHS before their "proper customers" arrive.

It's a place of beige and white blandness. There's the air of a hotel to the decor.

I go with my mother from the reception to the waiting room.

"Are you her husband?" One of the nurses ask me. How to deflate your ego in four words.

It's my moment to walk back to the reception. This will take about two hours. I've prepared. Brought my Kindle with me. First though cappuccino. £1 a cup. They should have paid me to drink it. It's mush.

So time to read the Kindle. It's Absolute Friends by John Le Carre. A good read reminding me of Graham Greene. As I continue reading it makes me wonder whether when Communism in Eastern European states is no longer a living memory his novels will suffer. He shouldn't be.

Trouble was,  waking up at such an early hour hit me, I felt like nodding off. But I can't in case I'm needed. Find myself struggling to continue.Eyes droop. But I continue.

90% of the Kindle done. My mother returns with an eye patch making her look less of a pirate and more of a cyborg.

We're at home now. Her sight is gradually returning. Will make sure she's OK  before leaving for Wales on Thursday. Tomorrow mainly reading I think.

Until the next time.

On Books And Wandering Along Barry Road

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Winter In Madrid by C J Sansom is a novel praised by The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Express (a publication that describes itself as "the world's greatest newspaper".....only in a parallel universe). So let's make this clear that my view is not it appears the main body of opinion of this book. But there you go.

It has been described as a "spy novel". Presumably to distinguish itself from the thriller genre. Thrills being severely lacking here as indeed is "Spy" in "Spy novel". There is a spy element set up in the beginning but then it seems to be almost forgotten until half way. Also a plot twist so obvious that it might well as been wrapped in neon. So let me make this clear. If you're considering this book for the spying part don't. You'll be very disappointed.

So what's left seems to be a checklist of things I feel I've read before. War weary central character, menage a trios, foreign location (fascist but neutral Spain in the second world war). All done better (Graham Greene came to mind - there's a Harry Lime character here as well). All in all all very unsatisfactory. There is nothing worse for the reader than the serious piece that fails.

The next book which I finished was Confessions of a Beachcomber by E J Banfield (published 1906). Not as racy a book as the title would suggest. Also more technical about the natural world of the Australian coast than I'd expected, but that's my problem not Banfield's. However mainly towards the end it was also racist in the sort of treat people with a skin darker than yours as you would a pet dog. Not a book I'll read again.

So now I'm going through The Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. So far, so good. At least there's a book where I seem to agree with popular opinion.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to wander round Barry Town as I've hoped. Things just cropped up to make his impossible. The closest was on Sunday when I wandered ten to fifteen minutes along the Barry Road, off where I'm living at the moment. Hardly great explorations of our time I know, but when you're new to an area you can find interest in what's new, until you become part of the area when it all becomes mundane.

So let's start when I'm about to leave the street. An ordinary terraced road when suddenly I notice something along the pavement....a horse.

I call to the wife "There's a horse being ridden along the pavement!"

Wife tells me to shut up. "People will think you're insulting the area".

I disagree. There's a difference between insulting an area and saying "There's a horse being ridden along the pavement"

As I entered the road turned left and noticed as the journey developed noticed that further up the hill I went the type of house changed. Up the hill meant that the houses became semi detached and to my memory some were detached as well.

Starting my journey saw a café that did an all day breakfast. The sort of thing that would give you a free ticket to heart attack city if you ate it regularly but occasionally...? Must admit I'm tempted.

Passed Jenner Park Primary school which seemed to be built in a Victorian style (the bricks appeared new).I like this style. Nowadays schools seem to be built like office blocks.

Found a new and easier way to get to Jenner Park, home of Barry Town FC than I was told. Shame the season's finished. There was a game being played that day but was too busy to enquire about it.

The Park Of Jenner

I saw this a few minutes afterwards.

I didn't realise that you could include TY (house) and NEWYDD (new) as one word. After enquiring about this on Twitter it was suggested to me that it was named after a coal mining village in the Rhondda and that Barry was the port it was shipped from. I've no idea but just putting it out there.

There was a convenience store towards the end of the road. The local headlines were about a teenager who tried to commit a robbery using a fake gun and a chip shop burnt down due to an overnight fire. You might think a thousand and one jokes seem appropriate here, but livelihoods has literally gone in flames.

Opposite the store there was this chain pub restaurant.

Wonder if anyone talks Anton Chekhov here.....probably not

Later Wife/daughter and I went to have dinner here. Lighting was a bit dark. As if designed by the Addams Family. But could not fault the food or service at all.

As we walked back there was something heartbreaking. Put on a lamppost was a smiling picture of a child with some flowers and a printed note saying "We will remember" on it. Sometimes even words are not enough.....

There is a view from the road. Here it is.

Not the Rhondda. Still a good view

Hopefully on Wednesday will be able to wander round the town called Barry itself.

Until the next time.

A Trip To Ponty, Which Of Course Includes A Small But Quietly Wonderful Second Hand Bookshop, Penguins And A Museum

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Though often in this blog I've made it clear that I've always admired Pontypridd when compared to Bridgend Town I hadn't been there,other to watch a rugby game in over a year and quite fancied going on Thursday if only because...well I'll come back to that later.

Unusually this week there were no issues with the weather. So no matter when wife/daughter woke up we could spend a part of the day there. Thus the Kia Picanto was fired up and the three of us arrived there just before twelve.

High Noon At Ponty

After lunch we started to wander around the town centre. In terms of comparison with Bridgend Town nothing has changed. It's still better. There is no sense of decay here. There did not appear to be many shop closures since I last visited with a noticeable exception. The Marks and Spencer was closed roughly a year ago. As far as I can work out an outlet store aside there is only one Marks and Spencer store now between Cardiff and Swansea and that's in Neath. I'll confirm that if I ever go there.

Generally though to a visitor's eye this is a town centre at ease with itself.

Are you watching Bridgend Council?

One of the highlights for me was in Pontypridd Market.

Pontypridd Market

And specifically to the bookstall selling pre owned books.

Inter Books

The ladies went off to do some shopping by themselves. I had an half an hour.

This is a small but quietly wonderful place. Even more so given the decline of bookshops, There is the sense that you as a reader have the chance of the thrill of discovery which the internet for all it's wonders can't match. If you're a reader and you're in Pontypridd give it a visit. For remember, it's sort is dying.

This is how I like a bookshop to be

I could have bought between eighteen and eighty books that afternoon. But I controlled my Penguin book addiction and just bought eight.Starting with...

1440 - John Wyndham - The Midwich Cuckoos

I am a fan of John Wyndham books. I reckon because he was able to write science fiction in the style of an ordinary novel. Thus making it relatable to his readers. 

442 - Graham Greene - Brighton Rock

It's rather surprising that this is the first Graham Greene book I've got for the collection since I've started it. I am a fan. The Heart Of The Matter is one of my most favourite books of all time.

765 - The Innocence Of Father Brown

Confession time. I've never read a G K Chesterton book. Solely because of having so many books and so little time (aka life).This also applies to this next novel.

2535 - Colette - My Mother's House

1425 - Honor Tracey -The Straight And Narrow Path

I've never heard of this writer before. So to be honest I really can't say anything yet.

There was a series of books called Penguin Specials which were about the issues of the day. I bought two of them. Firstly.

S222 - John Mander - Great Britain Or Little England

This is a book about Britain's place in the world post Empire. I bought it because it might be timely post Brexit.

S182 - Edward Crankshaw - Khrushchev's Russia

I bought this because it appeared interesting.

And finally.

Francoise Sagan - La Chamade

I think I've mentioned before how surprisingly emotionally affected I was by Bonjour Tristesse. So any chance I get to buy another book by Ms Sagan will always be taken.

Before leaving for home we visited Pontypridd Museum.

Pontypridd Museum....with added finger

This is a small place. On the ground floor there are exhibitions which this time was an art one. I won't lie this is not to my taste but each to their own. It is a converted chapel which explains this showpiece.

Impressive

Upstairs shows us more with regard to history of Ponty. It also has this which if you put an old style 10p (which they will give you in exchange for a current one) one of the trains will move around the place.

For the child in us all

As long as you don't go in expecting the British museum. I reckon you'll like what you'll see.

We left having enjoyed ourselves. It was a good afternoon,

Until the next time.