Fond Childhood Memories

As I was stood on the platform at the train station this morning, shielding myself from the bitterly cold wind & driving snow.

I suddenly remember a line from one of my beloved childhood Christmas stories by Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales. The snippet that rekindled the memory was at the beginning, when the lead character references it "snowed for 6 days & 7 nights, or 7 nights & 6 days".  

As Christmas stories go, this is a archetypal traditional Childhood story of little town life in mid 20th century Britain, or Wales for that matter.

A heartwarming tale of times gone by that will be loved by adults & children alike, especially the audio version - with a gentle comforting tones. Ideal as a present this Christmas!

A book for your holidays

It's that time of year again - everyone starts jetting off on holidays to shores afar. This raises the old question of how to entertain ones self during the flight or on the beach.

A favorite of mine is to pass the time with a good book - especially if it's written about the destination I'm visiting. Although I haven't actually visited the island these books are referring to, I can highly recommend reading them if your after a good laugh, and the afterwards the desire to visit in order to sample his experiences first hand.

I am referring to 'McCarthy's Bar:A Road of Discovery in Ireland' written by Pete McCarthy, with 'The road to McCarthy' & the third in the series, of which I haven't yet had the chance to read but looking forward to doing so, 'The Road to McCarthy: Around the world in search of Ireland'.

In each of these books, the story is told in the style of a diary of his experiences, adventures & mishaps - all in the search of his roots. These books had me laughing with each page & left me with a burning desire to visit Ireland & explore it's many hidden treasures.

In my opinion well worth a read