Signs of Autumn

It's definitely into my favourite season now, although we've had glorious sunshine here for the past few days, once the thick morning fog cleared. I can't believe how long it is since I updated the blog - still too many days gadding out and about and enjoying coffees, lunches and a particularly enjoyable clothes shopping trip with my friend. There was as much chatting, drinking and eating as there was trying on clothes and the day passed so quickly we ended up driving home in the rush hour traffic!

I've been enjoying the typical signs of autumn in the hedgerows and at the coast with rose hips and brambles and I don't mind the darker nights when the TV has been so good at last. Between the lovely BBC productions of An Inspector Calls, The Go Between and Cider with Rosie, we've been quite spoiled. I also enjoy Downton Abbey and have been watching the new Scandi crime drama, Beck, on BBC 4 on Saturday evenings, as well as the creepy ITV drama, Midwinter of the Spirit (love that title), and Doctor Foster on BBC. You can tell I love drama!

On the writing front, I've been featured on two different blogs with two different books yesterday and today - quite coincidentally as yesterday's should have been last week. The first is on Thursday Throng with Summer of the Eagles and today I'm on Cynthia Woolf's blog, where I'm talking about the background to The Highland Lass.

Next week, I'm speaking at a local writing group so need to finish preparing that, and I'm looking forward to interviewing daughter Victoria before the launch of Follow Me!

Enjoy your weekend,
Rosemary

TV Drama

I'm sure many of us have been watching Call the Midwife and Birdsong the last couple of Sunday evenings. What wonderful drama for cold winter nights. I haven't read the book on which the first is based but I can't imagine it would be any better than watching the characters' lives unfold, and the way it portrays the awful living conditions in which some people lived.

Although I'm thankful at how much medicine and treatment have moved on, there is something reassuring about the humanity, compassion and capability of those nurses that reminds me of the reason I went into nursing straight from school, many years ago. I only lasted half way though the 3 year training before discovering I dislike hopitals, but at least the whole environment and training was so much more regimented and particular than it seems these days. If anyone is interested in the campaign to make nursing standards higher again, please have a look at Frances Garrood's new blog.

I did read Birdsong when it first came out, as I was studying the period at the time. I loved the novel, and Sebastian Faulks' writing, although I thought some of the early scenes of passion between Stephen and Isabelle in the book were over written. I did understand the idea behind it, to show the two extremes of passionate love and horrific war. But I thought the TV drama was beautifully filmed and loved the way it took us from the dreadful trenches to the passionate love affair through Stephen's flashbacks.

Much as I adore reading, as a visual person it's a stunningly good drama or film that remains in my mind long after the final credits. Even better when both the book and film are memorable - and novels are certainly better for filling in the little details that have to be missed out in filming. Best of both worlds!

Rosemary