The Aardvark Blog

Nothings gives pleasure more than a good book, a beautiful music and a wonderful view
23/12/2017

I confess the Aardvarks have been feeling a bit battered lately. December has not been an entirely stress free month and for once I will not be sorry to see it depart and be replaced by the normally reviled January. It all started with the snow.

We had been so looking forward to our Christmas Fair for months and many of the stalls had been booked in the first half of the year. I was getting messages from stallholders talking about the lovely things they were bringing and making, we had the return of Dutch Lewis and his trio, and lots of people contacting us to say that they were coming. Then came what seemed at the time to be the start of the next ice age ( yes I know it was only a foot of snow but it seemed more) and the cancellation of the fair, followed by several days of short opening hours and difficult conditions. Some staff were unable to get out of their driveways, but Paul who is one of the closest to the bookshop managed to cycle in to us everyday. A truly heroioc effort for which I am very grateful. After the snow we have had various other problems including a bout of unwellness for me and an ongoing computer problem which is stressful and unlikely to be resolved this side of Christmas.

But our minor travails are not the point of this blog and pale into insignificance in comparison with the issues many people we know deal with on a daily basis. This morning when I was grumpily driving into the shop I was lucky enough to hear the most wonderful piece of music sung by the Ebor singers. A Christmas piece by Byrd from an album of Royalist music that has just been releasaed. Another brilliant find by R3 Record Review ( possibly my second favourite programme on radio - after 'In Our Time').

And then I started to think about the book that I was reading last night Mick Heron's 'Slow Horses', and wondering whether his extremely superior plotting would overcome my mild dislike for his slightly jerky prose style. And thinking with pleasure that I had two more volumes in the series over which to make up my mind

Then as I swung round into the car park I was confronted by the most beautiful winter sun over the hills opposite.

The clouds had turned an extraordinary dark peach colour and the sunlight was blazing through.

And seeing all of this it made me realise how incredibly lucky I am, and how the exegencies of everyday existence are so much less important than they seem. I hope that Christmas brings  you similar moments of joy and contemplation and we look forward to seeing you in 2018.