Grace Wynne-Jones

Review of ‘Ready Or Not?’ by R. Griffiths
From Amazon website.

‘I have now read all of GWJ’s books and have been utterly impressed by every single one…. Relationships are explored with genuine depth and humour and even if you’re not a fan of love winning out in the end you really wish you were…. These will remain on my book shelf and I will send them to others as newly purchased presents. Beautiful and more please.’

I was chatting with a dear friend this morning about the importance of taking naps, and this reminded me that I wrote an article about it a while ago. Naps are great! Especially after one has got into blue arsed fly mode about something. I recently did some cleaning swoops on my wee house. Where does that dust come from? Papers were thrown out, the grimy bits under the fridge were extricated and bleach was tossed around the kitchen sink…rugs, cushions and coverlets were hauled out into the patio garden to sweeten in the sun. The raised beds in the ‘garden’ needed watering. I filled a largish bucket and slopped around the place with it. Dear God, when the the kitchen windows get so grimy? More sloshing. When scrummaging around for cleaning utensils noticed partly used tins of paint in the storage cupboard. This was a reminder of the ‘unfinished’ light pink walls in bedroom and so found brush and started dabbing. Thank God for BBC Radio radio 4, tea and digestive biscuits and other reminders of life’s gentler, more pottering ways. And naps of course. Here is that article about them. It was first published in The Evening Herald.

Lots of love,

Grace

The Art of the Power Nap

Want to be more dynamic, efficient and go getting? Then close your eyes at lunchtime and have a nice nap. There is, apparently, overwhelming scientific evidence that it will give you a major boost. Of course we’re not talking about putting up a hammock by the water dispenser…though it would be great if one could get away with it. But if a colleague asks you why you’re dozing instead of, say, importantly hot footing it out the door to buy a Snickers bars quote Psychology Today at him. That influential American magazine recently ran an article called ‘Nap Your Way To The Top’ and claimed that naps of about twenty minutes increase productivity and alertness. They also improve your mood which is something we could all do with these days. Though we don’t have Italian summers we can at least have short siestas.

Experts point out that napping is far better at pepping you up than large doses of caffeine. And of course it’s far healthier. So now that you are at least partly convinced let’s get the terminology right. These naps are power naps. Toss that term firmly at anyone who wonders why you have your feet up at your desk and are, perhaps, wrapped in a nice cosy blanket. And if your boss is unimpressed tell him or her that in high flying Japan dozing is acceptable anywhere, from Parliament to business meetings. They even have a term for it called inemuri, which means “to be asleep while present”. However strict rules apply to it in the workplace. Only those low down or high up a Japanese company are allowed to doze on the job. They also need to remain upright. This shows that they are still sort of socially engaged.

Here I should admit that when I worked for RTE I regularly went to the TV centre during lunchtime and had a nice snooze when I found an empty dressing room. These are usually used by guests, including many a celebrity. So there was always the possibility that, say, Julio Iglesias, might march in while I was taking my restorative mini-break. I did, consult a list that revealed who would be using the dressing rooms, and when, but they could have arrived early.

Of course if an EnergyPod had been handy that would have been fabulous. They are comfortable small sleep pods that provide semi-privacy without being ‘overly enclosing’. The marketing info adds that a ‘built-in music player with headphone jack helps eliminate surrounding distractions’. And a ‘timer found in the arm rest prevents overnapping and wakes the user gently with a combination of lights and vibration’ .

The pods are made by a company called MetroNaps which is based in the Empire State Building and specialises in ‘fatigue risk management’. Apparently many companies have turned to it for ‘fatigue solutions’ including Procter & Gamble, Cisco and Google. MetroNaps employees can be fired for not taking siestas. .

“We used to see people falling asleep in meetings or at their desks or sneaking off to parked cars,” said Christopher Lindholst, who founded MetroNaps in 2004. with Arshad Chowdhury, an ex banker. “Arshad used to see people going to the washroom and taking naps on the toilet.”

There’s even a book called The Art of Napping at Work and its co-author, William Anthony, has found that women report more fear of this wonderful new trend. Ladies please wise up! Power napping is cool. Even if you don’t fall asleep during your nap just closing your eyes for a while will help to restore you. So make a ‘Do Not Disturb Power Nap In Progress’ sign and use it.

It’s a trend that’s sure to catch on if some courageous nappers pave the way.

Found myself doing some genealogical research recently and understand why so many people are enthralled by it. Had to virtually prise myself away from the computer and into the kitchen with bribe of digestive biscuits and a cuppa. I love the programme ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Did some decluttering yesterday, which felt nice, though of course it was a bit boring to trawl through various papers and wonder if I should keep them. For example I doubt if I need aged utility bill receipts. Of course I also found some things I’d forgotten about and that might come in useful.

Went through my wardrobe the other day with a friend. There were a number of items in there that felt like ‘discoveries’. For example I have a number of fairly swanky jackets. Should wear them more often. And I have a large collection of scarves. Also found a nice pink top that seemed like a newcomer. I think I last wore it when I was an extra on a TV programme and was sitting with a very handsome French man in a makey uppy restaurant.

As I’ve mentioned before in my blogs I love animals. I adored a pony called Merrylegs when I was younger. Was also very fond a poodle called Tinkie, a pug called Zoe and a Yorkshire terrier called Scut. Animals often feature in my novels.

I really miss having a cat and here are some jottings about a wonderful feline called Puddy.

Puddy

Puddy was black and white and opinionated. He was brave too. Sometimes howls rang out in the night when he encountered a mean streets tom. There were evenings when he sat for a full five minutes before leaping through the cat flap like a feline action hero. He knew how to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Though he was neutered he had not lost his va va voom.

He once returned home with a large fish. Where had he got it? Unanswered questions such as these were part of his mystique. He was a big cat. I admired his strength. The heavy, surrendered weight of him on my lap…the deep vibrating purrs. . We sometimes snoozed together. It is extraordinarily therapeutic to have a cat nuzzled into your armpit. He had strong preferences about food, its brands and flavours. He was his own cat. I lloved that about him too.

At first this love was most inconvenient and completely unsought, or so it seemed. I felt I didn’t need this kind of anthropomorphic sentimentality. Puddy’s mother, a stray, brought him and his small siblings to my patio garden. The other cats eventually wandered away but Puddy stayed and, gradually, I began to learn why cats can inspire such devotion.

Hemingway, for example, shared his Key West Home with more than 30 cats. Dr. Samuel Johnson had a pet cat named Hodge whom he fed oysters to and other treats. Mark Twain revealed “I simply can’t resist a cat, particularly a purring one.” And who would ever have guessed that the august Sir Isaac Newton is often credited with the invention of the cat flap. He cut a hole in his study door so that his pet puss could come and go.

Someone once remarked that “having a dog is like a marriage, but having a cat is like having an affair”. Maybe that’s why ads for cat food sometimes resemble Mills & Boon novels as glamorous career women embrace their purrfect partners.

“As we see animals more as equals we like the fact that cats see us as inferior” one cat lover told me. “I find it rather funny that my cats order me around.” A psychologist who has studied feline charisma added that the human-cat relationship is quite an egalitarian one that may appeal to feminist instincts. Thankfully Puddy was only haughty when he felt the situation required it. But he never quite forgot forgot his wildcat roots. Strangers made him dart for cover,

“There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go” Mark Twain once wrote. When I left Ireland for some years I had to rehome Puddy. I wish I could have brought him with me, but his new home in the countryside was wonderful. He could roam freely without fear of bullying toms and his new human companion showered him with care and affection. After a bewildered while he settled. I received photos of him looking extremely contented.

Quite a while ago I bought a bag of catnip and sprinkled it in a corner of the kitchen. Puddy passed away before I returned to Ireland. I wanted him to know that even though I cannot see him he is welcome to wander through these rooms. The cat flap is still in the kitchen door. Sometimes a gust of wind makes it sound as though he has popped through it. Dropping in for a while before setting out on bigger and more satisfying adventures. Bravely exploring his great elsewhere and sleekly slipping into its mysteries.

Lots of love,

Grace

If you like handmade and vintage items then you’ll enjoy browsing through www.etsy.com It may even bring out the inner quilter in you!
(One of my favourite films is ‘How To Make An American Quilt’.) I came across the website in a magazine article.

I interviewed Jane Brocket a while ago. She is the author of ‘The Gentle Art of Domesticity’ and she believes that we should ignore dust in favour of expressing ourselves creatively in our homes. “My quilts make me happy,” she declares. The article was published in The Irish Times.

Was intrigued by something Nate Berkus said on Oprah. He suggested that we should ’shop in our homes’ and I think it’s a clever tip. He’s a wonderful interior designer and he says many people have furniture etc that might benefit from being moved to another part of the house. For example a pretty table might be languishing in the spare room and it has the wow factor and looks ‘new’ when moved to the kitchen. Obviously we have to shop in ordinary shops sometimes! But it’s fun to appreciate what we already have.

Lots of love,

Grace

Mairead, who works in the lovely branch of Waterstones on Dawson Street in Dublin, recommended ‘I Captured The Castle’ by Dodie Smith a while ago. It is delightful and different. J.K. Rowling is a big fan of it.  Of course Waterstones had loads of wonderful contemporary fayre. But sometimes it’s nice to read some classics.  Mairead would be happy to advise on classic summer reads.  Here are some of her suggestions:
 
‘Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a great tale of fantasy for all ages. Adapted many times, none compare to Carroll’s original tale. Go through the rabbit hole to find out why.’
 
‘Emma

 An enduring classic, Emma is a romantic meddler. It often backfires getting her in trouble. Austen’s Emma is the perfect accompaniment to long summer evenings. Edward Cullen has nothing on Mr. Knightley.’
 
‘Three Men in a Boat

 Originally meant as a serious travel guide, Jerome found the material so funny that it was published as a comedic novel. This ranges from severe hypochondria to disastrous picnics. An absolutely hilarious summer must.’
 
‘The Yellow Wallpaper and other Stories

 A selection of short stories is a great way to get your teeth into some classics this summer. Charlotte Perkins oilman weaves feminism and great writing seamlessly into these disturbing tales.’

Mairead also recommends the intriguing and eerie 

Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Dark and scary, Grimm’s Fairy Tales are just that. Forget that Disney stuff, the Brothers use allegory and mythology to tell their tales of enchantment. Beautifully crafted.’

Enjoy your classic reads!

Lots of love,

Grace
 

Tara is a very special place and well worth a visit. There is an informative radio documentary about the Hill of Tara on the right hand side of this homepage. I recorded it some years ago.

Lots of love,

Grace

Went for a picturesque bike ride on Sunday. The sea looked like it was the Med. I stared at it for quite a while. It seemed so sinewy and with so many different patterns. I’m glad that I made time to watch it. A little boy was intrigued by the swans in the harbour. And a very friendly dog jumped up in greeting on the pier. A sunny early afternoon made more enjoyable by noticing.

I received this lovely comment on Monday. It was encouraging to read it so MANY THANKS dear Reader!

‘I am a forty eight year old woman who loves books and I have read zillions in my life. My husband has never heard me laugh out loud as much or cried as I read “Ready or not”. It was a fabulous read and I am now an avid fan of yours. So sad when the book ended but ready for the next one. Wonderful and beautifully written.’

The popular Dundrum branch of Hughes & Hughes has reopened its doors and savvy member of staff, Chris Mills, has kindly provided these summer reading recommendations. The store has lots of great books for your delectation.

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
 
Gaile Parkin’s first book is set in Rwanda, where Angel Tungaraza is a celebration cake maker. As she deals with her customers and designs cakes for their celebrations she hears their stories and becomes involved in their lives. The lives of the people in her apartment block become part of her own life. Angel listens to problems and makes strong bonds with neighbours, such as Amina, who become her friends. She and her husband Pius have had their own sadness back in their native Tanzania. Now they are left to bring up five grandchildren after the deaths of their two children. This is a story which celebrates love and friendship. It is no merely sentimental tale, but an emotionally complex and satisfying read, with characters that you come to care about.
 
 
Enchantment – The Life of Audrey Hepburn by Donald Spoto
 
Even if you are not a devoted Hepburn fan, this is a great film biography. Her life spanned wartime deprivation in Europe; then fame, award ceremonies, lovers and husbands, and of course those fabulous dresses. This is a well researched and well written biography of an actress whose iconic status remains undiminished. Spoto’s book is as involving as a novel and gets behind the Hollywood scenes for a thoroughly enjoyable read. He also writes of Hepburn’s later career as a Special Ambassador for UNICEF which she took very seriously despite her own failing health. The book is well illustrated with photos from her early life and plenty of film stills.
 
The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
 
A detective with a difference – Erast Fandorin is a new recruit to the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Moscow. The Guardian said of this one, ‘Think Tolstoy writing James Bond with the logical rigor of Sherlock Holmes. A hoot’. That just about says it all I think. Well all that is, except for the fact that Fandorin has a penchant for disguises and various deadly arts. He also has a devoted assistant in his perilous adventures. This proves to just as well as he becomes involved in all sorts of hair raising exploits in the service of Mother Russia. Naturally there is also love, passion and a mysterious, beautiful, dangerous woman in amongst all the skulduggery. But fear not, Erast Fandorin will save the day and even return for further investigations.
 
 
Other People’s Husbands by Judy Astley
 
If you feel like reading a witty, romantic bit of escapism then give this latest one from Judy Astley a try. Sara married Conrad, a sexy famous painter twenty five older than her, while she was still a student. Her mother (naturally) told her not to. Several years later, Sara is being charmed by Ben one of her students from the Adult Education Centre. Meanwhile Conrad has begun to plan to die before her gets old and decrepit, as retiring to play golf is really not an option. Was Sara’s mother right after all? This is humour with a touch of black, along with romance and artistic mid life crisis. But don’t worry, all’s well that ends well.

Dance with Wings by Amelia Carr
 
This is a story of two lives and two generations – Sarah’s and her grandmother Nancy’s. It is a compelling family drama moving from World War II to the twenty first century. Nancy was one of the courageous band of women pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary doing their ‘bit’ for the Allied forces. The author has done much background research and she has woven into her engrossing story real life events. Family secrets and war time love and romance make for a satisfying story. Sarah gradually comes to learn more of her grandmother’s hidden past and as she does so she changes the course of her own life. But I won’t spoil the ending. One to wallow in on holiday – well worth a read. The feel of the war period is convincing and it’s nice to see women’s war time exploits being given centre stage.

‘…this is one of the best Irish novels this year…The trip to Greece is steeped in olives and jasmine, cicadas and sunshine…readers will love the local gigolo, Dimitri. Grace writes with great humour…On a more serious note, her portrayal of friendship, commitment and the complexity of relationships is very real and most enjoyable.’ Ready Or Not? EVENING HERALD

Sharing resources and swapping are growing trends.

For example if you log onto www.swapaskill.com you’ll find lots of folk who want to swap “favours” with each other in “the spirit of community giving and sharing”.

Here is a sample of some of some other sites to surf:

www.freecycle.org describes itself as “an entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills”.

www.liftshare.com Need a lift somewhere or want to offer one? Then log onto this free website.

www.bookcrossing.com ‘Release’ tagged books in public places for others to pick up and then chart their progress and the lives they touch. BookCrossing wants to turn the world “into a library”.

www.dublinwaste.ie Pass on or pick up unwanted items for free.

www.swapz.co.uk A website where you can swap anything with anyone.

www.readitswapit.co.uk Surf and swap books.

www.bikebudi.com Helps you to find cycling buddies.

www.letslink.org Find out about Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes (L.E.T.S.) which are ‘local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money’.

“She saw herself riding in the passenger seat, Sam behind the wheel. Like two of those little peg people in a toy car. Husband peg, wife peg, side by side. Facing the road and not looking at each other; for why would they need to, really, having gone beyond the visible surface long ago. No hope of admiring gazes anymore, no chance of unremitting adoration. Nothing left to show but their plain, true, homely, interior selves, which were actually much richer anyhow.”
— Anne Tyler (Ladder of Years)

When I was a girl the aroma of freshly baked cake softened any childhood worry. The fragrance drifted out from the big Aga in the rectory kitchen and seemed to fill the house with tiny kisses.

I liked that making a cake took time. It was a choice. A treat that had to be assembled. Preparations for it were deeply satisfying. My mother swirled a wooden spoon through the mixture. I loved the way the texture grew creamy and confident. How it slurped deliciously into a baking tin before it was placed carefully in the oven.

What would it taste of? Lemon zest perhaps or vanilla..caraway seeds or chocolate. It was hard to resist having a little peek at it as it swelled importantly in the heat..gathering sponginess and firmness and a golden exterior. There were some expert proddings to test that it was fully cooked before it was decanted onto a wire rack to cool.

This was the time to gaze at it in familiar wonderment. There was, it seemed, an almost alchemical quality to the process. A rather untidy array of ingredients on an old wooden table had cohered into a delightful symbol of cosiness…a simple and deeply comforting pleasure that would require icing. And perhaps an array of edible decorations…silver coloured balls to give it some extra vavavoom. When displayed on a large porcelain plate it acquired a sort of cakely stage presence. It was watched and admired, and then eaten swiftly. Any memories of the mild messiness it had caused in the kitchen were forgotten. The dustings of flour that frequently drifted onto clothes. The escapee granules of sugar. The discarded oily paper that had once contained margarine.

My own attempts at baking are more amateur. Whimsical and experimental. Every so often the urge to bake comes upon me. I reach for a porcelain bowl and weighing scales and baking powder as though embarking on an age old ritual. I select the cake that calls to me from a small array of recipes. I grease the baking tin. Should I use cinnamon? Who knows what my cake may become. I do not bake very often. I am not a master of the craft. But the long ago aroma of my culinary efforts is almost a reward in itself. Hopeful and sweet. Warm and musky. An old joy to share in slices. Accompanied, of course, by steaming mugs of tea.