Round the Herne

 This is my reading of E F Benson's amusing short story "The Psychical Mallards" (1921) which in some regards foreshadows the childhood of Harry Potter and his life with the Dursleys. I wonder if J K Rowlings had read this story at some point in the past and it sowed a seed? The fatherly conversation about queerness raises a bit of a school boy snigger. It can be read entirely innocently (and was most likely meant in that way by the author), though the word queer had started to be associated with homosexuality by the late 1800s and as Benson was himself a lover of men he might well have been familiar with its dual implications and its relevance to boarding school life. Anthropologists have noted that some cultures associate magical talents, such as possessed by Tim, with sexual ambiguity - but I think that may well be reading rather too much into a simple tale of wizardly nonsense (plus he does get married, eventually)  Incidentally, if some listeners think I have lost th...

 This is my reading of Saki's short story, 'The Disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh' (1919). Aside from being an amusing diversion it is a reminder that some people bring great joy by their arrival in our lives whilst others bring great joy only when they depart our lives. It is never a great idea to be one of the latter. Apologies for the rubbish accents, I really must try and acquire some better silly voices.

 Finding the time to record or write anything of late has proven a challenge. I cannot remember the last time I wrote a poem, so I thought it might help to get in the literary "zone" if I recorded a few poems by other people. The selection here is random with no particular link between the works beyond the fact that I like them. The first offering is "The Only Son" by Rudyard Kipling, a lupine tale (appropriate for my next book) which shows that we often do not know our own relatives very well and that parentage can come in varied forms. This is followed by Stevie Smith's "Mrs Simpkins" which is also about family and reminds us that one person's vision of heaven may be another's vision of hell. Then we have the inimitable Oscar Wilde with "Athanasia", with echoes of Egypt (putting me in mind of my last book) and demonstrating again his passion for the natural world. Finally there is Hilary Llewellyn-Williams' poem "Ursa"...

 This is my reading of the last part of Lucy M Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954), in which all the loose ends are tied up and the groundwork laid for the sequels. Christmas day arrives at the isolated country estate. Wishing a Happy New Year to all my listeners (both of you) - hope it is a great improvement on the year now going for all concerned.

 This is my reading of the tenth part of Lucy M Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954), in which Tolly has an encounter with the (only mildly) menacing spectre of a cursed tree. There's also some Christmas shopping, if you can bear the prospect at this time of year and are not sick to the back teeth of shopping.

 My reading of the next part of " The Children of Green Knowe" (1954) by Lucy M Boston. In this part Tolly learns about the malevolent presence of the cursed yew tree Green Noah. Getting back into recording the story after a Christmas hiatus for family members who were staying here (the house is nowhere near big enough to accommodate quiet space for me alongside everyone else).

  My reading of the next section of Lucy Boston's "The Children of Green Knowe" (1954). Tolly finds out about Green Noah and we hear another of Granny's stories about the ghosts and the origin of the flute. The snows begin to melt. A Merry Christmas to those viewers that celebrate it.