Life: 31st January 2024 - Wassail and Reading

Reading

The first quarter of the year is always very stressful at work - and I being someone that doesn't have a natural "off" switch, I actually have to work hard at trying to relax. One of the things that really relaxes me is reading, and I do read every day, even if that is just squeezing in a couple of pages before bed.

My January reads are unusually non-fiction heavy:

Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by Professor Alice Roberts

I'm not hugely into archaeology, but my husband used to teach it and I am an admirer of Alice. I love the way she challenges preconceived ideas about burials. In one example she looks at brooches which were used to fasten cloaks. She posits that rather than the number of them being related to status, it could simply be that the person died in cold weather and so was wearing two cloaks.

Ellie and the Harp Maker by Hazel Prior

This one was a book lent by a friend and although it is actually set in nearby Exmoor (which I liked), I just didn't like the tone of the book somehow - it felt like it was somehow dumbed down - I can't really describe it. It was a very sweet book, if you like that kind of thing, just maybe a bit too saccharine for me.

Letters of Note by Shaun Usher

I decided that rather than scrolling on my phone at breakfast, that I would read a few letters from this coffee table book. It is packed with really interesting letters. My favourites are the speech that the US president had prepped in the event that the moon landing failed and the woman who has a long operation without anaesthesia, and writes to her daughter about it.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

This has been on my wish list for several years, and I picked up the copy at our trip to Hay-on-Wye last year. It is a fascinating read exploring various psychopath avenues by a very engaging writer.

Wassail

Last year was my first wassail, and this year I went again with my cousin. It is such a strangely quaint little ceremony with Morris dancing and a torchlit procession to the orchard where the Wassail Queen toasts the trees. There is literally a piece of cider soaked toast placed in the tree (for the robins) to toast the forthcoming year's harvest. A great time had by all.

Love Mrs Jones x