The cottage is quite still
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Cottage tales | 22 comments
Photo: Anemones
It’s ten o’clock and Danny has disappeared to bed. Dr Quito is snoring gently in a basket at my feet. The wood burning stove has at least another hour of life and it’s snug in the kitchen.
Years ago I wouldn’t have dreamt of staying in on a Saturday night. Now I love it. With the prospect of a day off tomorrow I’m going to have an early night too. Not to creep under the covers and snooze though.
I’m deep into the lives of an enclosed order of Benedictine nuns. In This House of Brede
Like any inspirational read it has made me reflect on our lives at the cottage and how far we are away from living a truly simple life.
Leave a reply
Hello, I also have In this House of Brede by my bedside, one which I can dip into/out of at any time. I seem to remember watching a film version some years ago, can anyone else recall this?
hi Fiona, this book sounds really interesting. is it a true story? when i read what you wrote about it, Philip Groning’s film ‘Into Great Silence’ came to mind. Have you seen it? I saw it at the cinema a few years back, it’s a type of documentary film, almost entirely silent, about the day-to-day lives of Carthusian monks at the Grande Chartreuse monastery in France. It was almost a meditation just watching it. Spectacular, in an unusual way.
Hi Fiona
I’ve not read her and by all the comments she sounds wonderful.
Rgds
Sam
I love warm still nights reading by the fire:) I have a couple of Rumer’s childrens books and have read them several times.
They are
The Diddakoi
Mr McFadden’s Hallowe’en.
Hello Fiona
Thanks for the offer. I have just put in a request on-line, there is a copy down in Grange over Sands, so if it is not out on loan it will be in my local library in a couple of days.
Rumer Godden is an excellent and almost-forgotten writer. She wrote an interesting autobiography called “A time to dance” (she was born and brought up in India). She also wrote the novel on which the wonderful film “Black Narcissus” was based (apparently Godden hated this film, but it’s wonderfully operatic and over the top!).
I love it when the house is still and I can sit and read for hours. Seconding what Pamela said if you haven’t already read them A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner are very good reads. I’ll look out for Rumer Godden books, I hadn’t heard of her.
Rumer Godden is on of my most favourite authors. I read The Battle of the Villa Fiorita aged 9, and never looked back! Follow that up with The Greengage Summer and if you can bear it, An Episode of Sparrows. Thank God for e-bay. You’re in for a treat, Fiona.
Amalee
Hi Pamela
If you can’t find a copy, I’ll send you mine when I’ve finished it. Even the second hand copies on Amazon are expensive.
Ooh, this sounds like a good read. I have just read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, a couple of days each, couldn’t put them down. I’ll look out for Rumer Godden in the library.