Coots

It's a long time since I've done this but today I read a book cover to cover in a day. It was Arthur Ransome's Coot Club. I've slowly been re-reading the entire Swallows and Amazons series in the correct order after Beth bought me them all for me in hardback with the original covers last Christmas¹.

The last one, Winter Holiday, was a bit of a drag to be honest which is partially why I'd put off reading this one but once I'd got started I remembered what an excellent adventure it was.

It's not just the story either, the other thing that makes Coot Club so good is the way it evokes the whole atmosphere of the Norfolk Broads in the interwar years when Thames barges and wherries were still moving cargos about under sail (although there's a nod to the way things are going: the Thames barge has had an engine installed, although it's not used).

Meanwhile back in the real world it's been a very cold day. Snow was predicted but never happened so we went for a walk across Quy Fen in the biting wind. It wasn't a great day to be out to be honest but at least we got a few miles in. We saw yet more dead rabbits and one who was clearly on its last legs although it disappeared into the undergrowth before I had time to lean down and grab it which left me with mixed feelings: killing them isn't much fun but it is the right thing to do, poor little sods.

1. So my nephew Jamie has now inherited all my old Penguin paperbacks, much to his delight.