My early teenage years were rotten. They were sufficiently miserable, I think, to warrant a doleful memoir but the writing of it would likely kill me. Never mind that, for one month (July) out of every twelve I was shipped off to summer school in a Ghaeltacht (Irish-speaking) area of West Cork. There, on an island three miles long by one mile wide, I discovered that there is something very reassuring about isolation. The mind, mine at least, relaxes in wide open spaces with long views and no visible threat on the horizon.
I hated leaving, every single time, I would cry inconsolably on the ferry ride back to the mainland. I might, if circumstances had allowed, have taken myself to live out there. I could have spent all my days reading books and listening to the ocean.
But you have to venture forth, don’t you? You have to gather all your courage and put your game face on. Becoming an adult is about being brave enough to jump in and say, ‘hey, I want to play too.’
What has any of this to do with Graham Norton?
Isolation is really medicine for me too ♥
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Glad I’m not alone (ka-boom).
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Great review and it won’t surprise you to learn that I will seek this out …. after all he is writing about a place I know quite well and after more I absolutely adore Graham Norton.
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Me too. A flipping National Treasure!
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I miss the fact that I can’t get in the car to jaunt out to the beach….its three and a-half hours away…nothing like a day at the beach to set things right….my daughter is reading The Little Paris Book Shop….its on my list….hope your having a fantastic week……xxxkat (just made my first pumpkin pie of the season…LOL)
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It’s true. The sea fixes everything. I got distracted from The Little Paris Bookshop by something else. I’m only a couple of chapters in. I’m not convinced that I love it yet.
Believe it or not, I’ve never even seen a real pumpkin pie!
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Oh my, if you love pumpkin, you must give it a try….I always add extra spices….my daughter went to school (college) in London, her favorite time of the year is Halloween and Thanksgiving….we had to send her all the ingredients for a pumpkin pie..LOL I bake my own pumpkin for my pies….however the canned pumpkin is just as good….you must try it!!!
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I promise, I will!!
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I am always a day late and dollar short. Glad I hung on to your post so that I could enjoy it over a cup of coffee. I adore Graham Norton and his knack of assembling the perfect balance of guests on his show. I did not know that he was also an author. Will certainly get ‘Holding’ Best, Lisa
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Thanks Lisa, he is a very smart man! I think you will enjoy the book.
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My copy is on the way from Amazon, well in reality it’s a Christmas present for my daughter, but I might be able to read it first, as long as I don’t drop any crumbs on it!
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Good woman!
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