What I Read In February

Once again I'm joining in with Laura of Circle of Pine Trees for The Year In Books. I actually managed to read three books in February,  partly because I was ill at the start of the month.

First off, I read 'A Street Cat Named Bob' by James Bowen. Mostly, I'm drawn to literary  fiction, but sometimes when I see a book with a dog (as in 'Marley and Me') or a cat (as in 'Dewey - the Small Town Library Cat that Touched The World), on the cover, I just can't resist.  'A Street Cat Named Bob' is the heart-warming story of how a stray cat helped recovering drug addict and street musician James Bowen turn his life around. After James gives Bob, the ginger tom with a big personality, a home his fortunes change when Bob goes busking with him in London. It's no masterpiece but an enjoyable read.

While I've watched the Wallander  series on television, I hadn't read any of the detective novels by Swedish writer Henning Mankell as I'm not into crime fiction.

However, a work colleague gave me the loan of 'Italian Shoes', promising me that I'd enjoy it - and enjoy it I did.

Mankell is a master at capturing the bleak Swedish countryside,  where on a tiny island,  Fredrik Welin has taken refuge in the house which belonged to his grandparents. Alone save for his aging dog and cat, the only person he sees is the hypochondriac postman, who calls even if he has no mail to deliver. His self-enforced solitude is broken when he sees a figure making her way across the ice  one morning. It's Harriet, the only woman he ever really loved and who has now come to ask him to keep a promise made long ago. They begin a journey through the winter landscape to where Fredrik was taken to a secret lake in his childhood and he is forced to confront his past.

The book deals honestly with aging and death, but also touches on other issues such as how Sweden deals with immigrants  and those living on the edge of  society. 

The same colleague, who shares my fondness for books,  gave me 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared' as a Christmas present. Not for Christmas 2013 but 2012 and sadly it sat in the bookcase as I spent too much time on line.

 It's by another Swedish author, Jonas Jonasson, but there all comparisons with my previous read end. I'm not sure if it's a book I would have picked for myself but once I started reading it, I was  hooked.

Centenarian Allan Karisson hops out the window of the old people's  home as preparations were being made for his birthday party.  He makes his way to the bus depot, steals a suitcase, and boards the bus for the start  of an awfully big adventure. Big and all as that adventure may be (and it's big involving criminals and drug dealing gangs, the Russian mafia, bumbling policemen, and a blond and an elephant), it's nothing compared to his previous 99 years which saw him meet world leaders including Franco, American Presidents Truman, Johnson and Nixon, Mao Tse-Tung, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, Stalin, and Brezhnev.

The book's charm lies party in its black humour and partly is Karisson's outlook on life. If people are nice to him, he will help them, especially if there's vodka involved. He's not concerned with politics or even the consequences of his actions. He bases his philosophy for life on his mother's words of 

wisdom:"Things are what they are, and whatever will be, will be."

A thoroughly enjoyable book which might help us look at old people in a different light. 

For April I'm hoping to read 'City of Fate' by Irish author Nicola Pierce, 'A Star Called Henry' by Roddy Doyle, and 'The Accidental' by Ali Smith. The first, which is aimed at teenagers landed on my desk for review, while the other two were charity shop purchases.

The Shortest Month

February is over and I have to say I'm glad. It may be the shortest month but it brought some terrible storms and bad weather to Ireland.
Gradually, the early spring flowers began to appear, the evenings got brighter and there was even time for some exploring and photography.

February Scavenger Hunt

Joining in with Suzzie for the Scavenger Hunt once again. As the weather was quite foul with lots of storms in the early part of the month, I found it harder than expected to come up with images for all the clues.

F is for  Fishing Boats

Fishing boats tied up in Dundalk Harbour

3pm

Finished work early so time to get a photo of the tower of Dundalk's St Nicholas Parish Church, popularly known as the Green Church because of its copper spire. It's the oldest building still in use in our town.

Grain

 We buy logs from a local forester for burning during the winter months.


Lamp

A dusting of snow on this street lamp on our one hour of snow this  year!

Clock

Clock tower in Drogheda

Honey

I like to put a little honey on my porridge for breakfast in the winter.

Fountain

This is the fountain in Dundalk's Market Square. It's very popular with children and usually gushes  up much higher than this but it was on a  subdued cycle when I stopped to snap it on my way home after working late. I intended going back in the hope of getting a more impressive shot but it has been closed off due to roadworks ever since!

Round

Ireland is famous for its round towers which were used by monks as a place of refuge during Viking invasions. This one at Dromiskin, Co Louth, dates back to the 12th century. It would originally have stood higher but the top was altered at some stage leaving it with a squat appearance.

Shadow

We had so much dull weather at the beginning of the month that it took me longer than I expected to get this shot of shadows on the wall of the old St Joseph's orphanage at Seatown Place, Dundalk.

Group

A group of birds including swans, mallard ducks, moorhens and gulls in Ice House Hill, Dundalk after a brief snow shower.

Repurpose

Beer barrels which were cut in half find a new use as planters outside a pub in Dundalk

Clouds

It's great that the evenings are getting brighter so I can get out to take photographs and walk the dog, and enjoy sunsets like this, after work.

Grave Matters

I am rather enjoying my weekly visits to Drogheda as it gives me the chance to explore our neighbouring town.
Lunchtime presents a limited opportunity for discovering something new, so I've got into the habit of grabbing a quick sandwich and then going for a walk on the axil of streets near to where I park.
This week I wandered into the churchyard of St Peter's Church of Ireland as I had seen some interesting photos on Instagram.
Maybe it's a photographer thing, but I do enjoy walking around old graveyard, looking at the tombstones and wondering about the lives of those long gone.
John Duggan, commemorated in the tombstone above was a soldier who fought in the Charge of the Light Brigade before settling down to the more peaceful existence as a sexton of St Peter's Church.

Above left is the skeletal couple  believed to date back to the first quarter of the 16th century. It's what's known as a 'cadaver stone' and was taken from the tomb of Sir Edmond Goldyng and his wife Elizabeth Fleming. It has been built in the churchyard wall and shows two cadavers enclosed in shrouds which have been partially opened to show to remains of the occupants of the tomb.
Much prettier was the dove resting on another tomb stone while the snowdrops were a reminder of hope in a somewhat spooky place.

A Lunchtime Discovery

Drogheda. Lunchtime. I have a small window of opportunity to get a photo for my Photo A Day Project. I wander into a church and immediately I'm in awe as I see the light streaming through this marvelous window.
I didn't need the plaque underneath to know that it was by the famed Irish artist Harry Clarke.

The Passion window, which tells the story of the Passion of Christ through  key motifs
including  the crown of thorns, nails, rooster, and shroud, was originally installed in the tower of the
Ausgustinian Church, Shop Street,  in 1927 but later relocated to the front wall of the church in 1979 as the tower was never finished.

Born in Dublin on St Patrick's Day 1889, Harry Clarke was a noted stained glass artist and illustrator of books.
His father had a church decorating business and Harry studied stained glass making at the Dublin Metropolitian School of Art, winning a number of national competitions.
He received many important commissions for both church and secular work both in Ireland and further afield, and after  his father died, he took over the running of the stained glass studios.
One of his most acclaimed pieces was created for the International Labour Court in Geneva. However, the deeply conservative  Irish government which had commissioned it, didn't like it and it was never exhibited by the State. His widow, the Newry born artist Margaret Crilly, bought it back after he died of TB, aged 41. It is now on permanent exhibition in the University of Florida.

Many of his windows are to be found in churches throughout Ireland although not all those that are attributed to  him are actually by him, as the studio also produced windows without his input.
There were quite a number of people in the church while I was taking photos. Two ladies were having  loudly whispered chat, and one man wanted to know why I was taking pictures of the window. When I explained that it was by a famous Irish artist and that I thought it was beautiful, he admitted that he had never noticed it.  He then had a good look at the window and thanked me for bringing it to  his attention. That's one of the reasons I love photography - it helps you see things which you otherwise mightn't notice.