"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Thursday, March 01, 2007

A Welsh Saint and a Bookish Celebration

We interrupt the usual update of Winter Break Activity to mark the beginning of March, my natal month. And in particular, two festive occasions.

Anyone of Welsh heritage knows--or should--that this is St. David's Day. Dewi Sant (in Welsh) is the patron saint of Wales. The Welsh version of St. Patrick, if you will. And the appropriate Welsh emblems for the day are either a leek or a daffodil. For adorning my clothes, I prefer the daffodil--by a mile. For eating, I'll take the leek, preferably in soup.

As the only daffodils round here are at the florists, here's one from my garden. (At the moment, it's buried by snow. This is a shot from last spring.)



Another March 1 celebration (Over There, not so much Over Here) is World Book Day. Check out the poll on the official site. How many of the Top Ten "Can't Live Without" Books have you read? My score is 9 for 10, missing only His Dark Materials. I will admit, though, I could quite happily live without Great Expectations, probably my least favourite Dickens, who definitely has a place on my "Can't Live Without" authors.

In honour of the occasion, I urge you to take a book down from the shelf. Give it a hug. Maybe open it and read a little!

Better still, be extra kind to the people who create books.

Tidy an author's bookcases. Please! And be sure to dust off each book, really, really well.



In my household, we inevitably refer to March 1 as March Fool's Day. As the resident March fool, I plan to be both foolish and festive...a warm-up for the impending Birthday. The countdown has begun!


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