A July Letter
Hot in the city and the best £12 I've ever spent
“It was the middle of June and the sun all day had kept right on shining with sweet mightiness”
This is the first line from The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.
The middle of June and the Summer solstice is past and here we are, on the 1st of July and summer proper. July is (in my head) long lazy days, reading outside, living on salads and ice cream, trips away and picking cosmos and sweet peas from my garden.
The second half of June was fiercely hot as we in the UK, like much of the rest of Europe coped with a heatwave and burning temperatures. I was out one day and overheard someone describe the heat as aggressive. I hadn’t thought to describe it like that before, and yet it seemed exactly right. That very morning I had stopped less than 5 mins from my house to apply more sunscreen as I felt the sun searing my bare arms. As you will know if you have read this for longer than a minute, I adore the sunshine, but last week, when temperatures were tipping into the 36C (98F) range daily and moving was impossible without instantly becoming a sticky mess, it was a challenge. London radiates heat when it is hot. It rises from the tarmac and the buildings and envelops us. Public transport can’t cope, and we all become sleep-deprived as most of us don’t have air conditioning in our homes.
The UK has been mocked for it’s weather forever. I always want to leap to defend our little nation, pointing out that we are a small island in Northern Europe, pounded on all sides by the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel. Of course, the weather is changeable! However, these changes in summer temperatures are something else altogether. We have already had 2 heatwaves before the end of June, and another is fast approaching. Our climate is undeniably changing.
My greatest purchase in June was without doubt this handheld fan from John Lewis. I bought the neon pink version (which is now out of stock) on a day when the temperature was almost 30C by 10 am, and John Lewis was a temporary sanctuary between tube rides. It has been my constant companion ever since. The best £12 I ever spent and I suspect one of JL’s best sellers last week, if the number of people I see using them on the tube is anything to go by.
June was also filled with the scent of Jasmine and roses, lingering on the breeze when it could be found; early morning runs before the heat of the day and iced coffees. Wild flowers bloom in so many London parks where areas have been left unmown and seeds scattered. To see these urban areas humming with bees and butterflies is an absolute treat.
A Celebratory Moment
We celebrated my parent in law’s Diamond Wedding anniversary during the heatwave. 60 years married is a long time! My mother-in-law was 19, and my father-in-law was barely into his twenties when they were married, which wasn’t unusual in those days, especially when living together wasn’t an option! A huge achievement, and it was lovely to celebrate their many seasons of married life with them.
Cultural Moments
I had a solo trip to Cambridge earlier in the month with the sole intention of seeing and exhibition at Kettles Yard called Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today. I enjoyed it very much but I had hoped for more Winifred Nicholson, who is one of my favourite artists. Only one of her paintings was on display in the exhibition which was a little disappointing, although there are more in the house at Kettle’s Yard. An excellent reason to visit Cambridge if you are looking for one. An art book I keep in my kitchen and turn to regularly for some floral joy is this one. I love Nicholson’s gentle paintings of Cornwall.
I also popped along to Fortnum and Mason for a tour of their artwork by the store’s archivist. It was a fabulous hour where we were shown and taught about the works of art that are hung all around the store. I have been to F&M many times, but shamefully have never noticed the art before - I will now! The event was free and part of the excellent Classic Art London Series.
Reading
Reading updates have been in short supply recently, so these are a few of my recent and most enjoyable reads
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
I loved the BBC series The Durrells but until now had not read the books it is based on. What a joy to come to My Family and Other Animals in the summer months. Blue Corfu skies, an eccentric family and deliciously funny and detailed stories of the humans and animals that Gerry spends his time with. My admiration for Louisa Durrell, who as a bereaved mother of 4, leaves England with barely any money but a longing to start a new life in Greece, knows no bounds.
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
I had been anticipating sinking into this from the moment it was published. I adore Elizabeth Strout and regard her characters as friends. I bought it and saved it until a weekend when my husband was away, and I could dive into it without disturbance or interruption. It did not disappoint. I was anxious about the lack of Olive Kitteridge, but Artie more than made up for it. A brilliant teacher who has no idea how good he is as he grapples with US politics, relationships and working out his place in it all. Strout writes the kind of sentences that I find myself reading over and over again for the sheer enjoyment of their perfection. The book jacket and end papers are also stunning. This book will remain in easy reach for further enjoyment rather than instantly joining its companions on my shelves.
Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith
I have only read a couple of other books by Highsmith, one of which was The Talented Mr Ripley, and I was left unsettled by both. This is no different. The suspense as David’s obsession with Anabelle escalates and leads to extreme behaviour is more than unsettling. Creepy, twisted and typically Highsmith. I couldn’t put it down.
As an aside if you haven’t seen Ripley starring Andrew Scott, I highly recommend it. Stylish, beautifully shot, and Scott plays the role of Ripley to perfection.
The Socialites by Caroline Lamond
I met Caroline Lamond at the Ealing Book Festival. She was one of the other local authors and was pitching this book. She pitched it brilliantly and I instantly knew I wanted to read it.
This is a hugely enjoyable account of the lives of three women who all happened to go to the same strict convent in the London suburbs as young girls
The actresses Vivien Leigh and Maureen O’Sullivan and Sonia a writer and the wife of George Orwell. The story follows their lives through the golden age of Hollywood to London and Paris. It spans four decades of stardom, tumultuous marriages and relationships. It is also an excellent examination of the struggles women in the public eye faced as they got older. Their worth decreased as their age increased. The storytelling and detail are superb. I am sure this is down to endless research on Caroline’s part.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
I am fascinated by the 1920’s literary and art scene and was drawn to this book for that very reason. Hadley Richardson is Ernest Hemingway’s wife. They move to Paris so he can pursue his writing, and their life becomes a whirlwind of parties, alcohol and gossip. She is fascinated by him, and their relationship is filled with passion and ferocious love. Eventually, of course family life with a wife and a son becomes too claustrophobic for Ernest and his head is turned by the attention he is beginning to receive as he becomes known as a writer.
This like The Socialites is filled with fascinating detail and brilliantly mixes fact with fiction.
There have been other books, but I will finish here before this becomes a book in itself. However, before I go, I must recommend my writing friend Amy’s Substack, The Neurodivergent Author. She recently published a series of articles on her solo trip to Oxford, which, as a fellow solo adventurer, I loved.
I will finish here as I need to go and work out how to pack for a trip where temperatures will be in the mid to late 20’s during the day and fall to below freezing at night.
We had such a lovely time celebrating with you.
Much love
Carolyn and Trevor
Lovely post Angie - I’ve noted some of those books to add to my pile! x