Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson, Upbeat Novel, and Wildfire Smoke

 I read Bel Lamington by D.E. Stevenson recently and recommend it to anyone who enjoys an upbeat charming novel wherein the main character is a young woman who faces challenges. This novel is set in about 1950, first in London and then in Drumburly, Scotland.

Bel was orphaned when a child and raised by her kind aunt in an English village. When the aunt died Bel had to sell the house and take the small amount of money from the sale and move to London to find a job. She found a job as a secretary in a shipping company where several potential suitors meet her. Bel is innocent and runs into a big problem. She flees to the tiny outpost of Drumburly in Scotland where her friend and her father are on vacation fishing. 

I liked this book so much I was happy to hear there is a sequel, so I bought it and will soon learn more about Bel and her adventures.

I discovered D.E. Stevenson only a few years ago. We fans call ourselves Dessies. My very favorite of her novels is Miss Buncle's Book, which is very humorous. I am glad many of her books are back in print and also available as ebooks. If you like immersing yourself in stories set in 1940s and 1950s in rural England and Scotish border towns and people facing problem and even falling in love, these novels provide that. Humor too.

By the way, I have very eclectic taste in reading. For example I enjoy the Murderbot series by Martha Wells and just bought the third book in her series, Rogue Protocol. "Sci-Fi's favorite anti-social AI is back on a mission." "Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?" I will review the Murderbot series in a future post. I recently discovered two authors new to me, Jamie Buckingham and Sean Dietrich "Sean of the South." So many good books out there. What are you reading today?

 Smoke from Wild Fires in Canada and Northern USA

June 30 2023. I am adding this note to say I am concerned about all the poor air quality and smoke in much of eastern Canada and eastern USA and in northern states including Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. My sister says the air in western Wisconsin where she lives is very smokey and in the unhealthy zone. She has developed a cough from going out in her garden. I am praying that the fires in Canada go out today! Does everyone know that room air purifiers with HEPA filters remove smoke? I got two of them (for living room and for bedroom) to remove pollen and dust and during California smoke hazard days learned that they help clean the air from smoke too. Love you guys.

Murals near my home

A building that was a church and is set to be torn down soon had murals painted on its interior court. My favorite of the murals is this tiger. 

 

Don't worry about the church, the church members have already set up in another rented building. They had been renting this building. The land will be used for houses for about 10 millionaire families who bought the property. I am not a fan of that, but who asked me?

I hope this graffiti or fancy script included in the above mural is not obscene! I can't read it, maybe you can.

Above is the church that will be demolished to make room for a group of millionaires who bought the historic property and will build homes there. Perhaps I exaggerate, but they must be wealthy to buy the large property in town and near the ocean.

June 18, Exciting Historic Events and Elvis too

June 18, on this day in history many remarkable things happened. The day after the Battle of Bunker Hill (fought on June 17, 1775), the first major battle in the US revolutionary war, Abigail Adams from her farm near Charleston wrote to her husband John, who was in Philadelphia serving in the Continental Congress.

The book I have and found this info in is The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb.

From a hill on their farm Abigail Adams saw the smoke of the battle rising above Charlestown. In her letter to her husband beginning "Dearest Friend", Abigail wrote "The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Trust in him at all times ye people, pour out your hearts before him. God is a refuge for us - Charlestown is in ashes." 

She further wrote that when their farm is deemed unsafe she will go to retreat at John's brother's home. Brave woman. One reason she wrote this letter is to mourn the death of their dear friend Dr. Joseph Warren who was killed in the battle and to inform John of the death, "Great is our loss. He has distinguished himself in every engagement, by his courage and fortitude, by animating the soldiers and leading them on by his own example."

Other notable events on June 18: In 1873 Suffragist Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for trying to vote. in the 1872 Presidential election, a fine she refuses to pay.

In 1928 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger on a flight piloted by Wilmer Stultz. She later became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

In 1983 Sally Ride became America's first woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

 

In 1948 Columbia Records unveils a remarkable new product, a long playing 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record. How many of you had those records? My dad bought me my first one, Blue Hawaii by Elvis Presley, I loved that record, the movie and those songs. My dad bought the album for me as a surprise and told me he was the cool dad and he was. Many people strongly objected to Elvis, he was too sensual for them back in the old days.

The Reading Woman and Paintings and my House Needs a New Roof

A quote on reading: "When I only begin to read, I forget I'm on this world. It lifts me on wings with high thoughts." Anzia Yezierska. "Wings" from "Hungry Hearts" 1920.

 

These illustrations are from the address book I bought, "The Reading Woman", published by Pomegranate.The book has about 40 paintings in it. My favorite school of painting is PreRaphaelite and all those whose art has a resonance with that style, like the first painting above by Frederic, Lord Leighton "The Maid with the Golden Hair". The second painting is "Summertime: Portrait of the Artist's Wife" by Edward Killingworth and the third is "In the Library, St. James Square" attributed to Thomas Pole.

New Roof Needed

In the first week of May I learned that the roof on my house needs replacing. No leaks but just aging. The ocean side especially is worn. The roof is original with the house so about 65 years old, that is a long life for a roof.  The new roof will have composition shingles and a 50 year warranty. Making decisions for this project is hard for me being a senior and a widow, I miss my husband a lot, he handled projects like this. I will not shock you by telling you how much it will cost in this part of California but a hint is that I could buy a new car for that price. I got bids from 3 companies and selected one. They are booked up until mid-August, just letting you know what I have been doing, so I am on their project list for August.