One October weekend

Yesterday I went to Rochdale's festival of Literature and Ideas. I heard Bonnie Greer speak about the Brontes but also more broadly about the value of reading, especially the classics. She owes her own education and many values and attitudes to her father and compared this upbringing  with Patrick Bronte's influence over his children. 

Great to see so many people there on a Saturday early afternoon. The audience included many young women who I'm sure went away inspired.

After a break something completely different. Dom Joly, best known for Trigger Happy TV. I was never a big fan of that programme as I have never liked seeing people being hoaxed- and always been over-anxious that it would happen to me. But hearing him talk about some of the stunts from his perspective was truly entertaining. While the unacknowledged costs of some filming caused an intake of breath, he is certainly someone with an imagination and able to describe  his experiences vividly. The audience of fans went away from this very happy I'm pretty sure and I was definitely won over.

Back to Manchester for my favourite curry in a familiar and relaxing restaurant, ended a lovely day.

Today Sunday and an extra hour to come round slowly before heading for the allotment and some fresh air.

In the afternoon , unusually, we headed off by bike to the Whitworth Art Gallery to attend a Manchester Literature Festival event. This was a discussion between novelist Sarah Hall and environmentalist and politico George Monbiot who I have long admired, since reading that he had covered 4 allotments with fruit trees.

His particular passion at the moment is the idea of "re-wilding", that is re-introducing species to wilder parts of Britain which he believes will restore the ecology and bring about environmental benefit. Sarah Hall's most recent novel, The Wolf Border, also deals with this topic. Their discussion was interesting but what particularly came through from George especially, was the notion that rewilding is about more than just  physical change to the landscape.It is also an attitude of mind and he believes that we need to recapture the wildness deep within ourselves to free our imaginations and creativity. I like this notion.

Regrettably, that's all the "book" events for this year I think. But after even only a few, I know there is a pile of books I have been inspired to read over the winter months. 

What a good weekend- and I haven't mentioned the friends met, the banter on the tram to Rochdale, the allotment discussions and the energising impact of fitting a cycle ride into this as well.