Still Alive
Taking down the birthday cards at the weekend I pulled out a pin badge that was in one of them (Fig. 3), its message holding true one week into my fifty-eighth year.
In this autumnal phase of life I find fortified wines are increasingly often an apt choice of beverage. I haven't much capacity for alcohol these days, and a small yet richly-flavoured glass or two of sherry or madeira can be very satisfactory indeed. As these are more or less long-life products (depending on the amount of fortification), they can be a practical option too, with some styles keeping well in the fridge for a fortnight or more. If I uncork a bottle of regular wine there's no chance of my finishing it unaided in good time, and, wastefully, half of it may end up being poured down the sink.
I've been drinking sherry for a while but am still a newcomer to madeira. On Saturday I had two glasses of the 10-year-old Verdelho Madeira made by Henriques & Henriques. I'd previously sampled their equivalent Sercial wine, so had high hopes for this one. I found the Verdelho a little mellower and sweeter: to my taste a slightly better choice to drink on its own.
On Friday I finished reading Restoration by Ave Barrera. I loved her debut novel The Forgery, so was eager to read this one when I learned it had arrived in English translation, issued by the excellent Charco Press. In no way was I disappointed: it's as good a book as I've read all year.
It follows a young woman tasked with restoring a neglected old house in Mexico City. At a superficial level, the descriptions of the house & its contents are beautifully done. Behind that is a good deal of symbolism & allusion (only some of which I apprehended) that Barrera wove through her text with a light but sure touch. It had one of those endings that made me wonder if I'd missed some important clues in my rush to get there. Rather than irritation though, this only provoked a desire to re-read the story more attentively, an impulse I've only very seldom felt on finishing a novel.
Where I live, Friday was no worse than a very rainy day, as Storm Claudia passed us by. Not so far afield the storm's effects were more significant. Abergavenny saw some flooding, while in Monmouth the Monnow broke its banks causing more widespread damage. I’d intended to visit Monmouth on Saturday, having formed the mistaken impression that the storm may not have been as bad as forecast. On arriving at the town I quickly saw how wrong I'd been, as the way forward was blocked off by police, and, though I could only barely see the river from my car, it was clearly in full & furious flood. A couple of dozen onlookers were taking in the spectacle from vantage points along the riverside. Clearly all was not well, but even so I was shocked when I saw the aerial photos later that day that showed just how extensive the flooding had been.