Every year on Wimbledon Common the tents go up and Bookfest is here. It used to be just once a year, in the autumn, but now there is one in June too. I’ve been to quite a few events over the years, and bought a number of books as well. Authors I have seen include Tracy Chevalier (Girl with a Pearl Earing), John Lanchester (The Wall and Capital) Jessie Burton (The Miniturist), Chrisy Lefteri (The Beekeeper of Aleppo) and Karen Armstrong (Through a Narrow Gate and History of God).
This year I had signed up for three events. My first was all about William Morris and his wife Jane. Now there’s a surprise! William Morris has connections with the Borough of Merton, so there is even a tent on the common in his name, always my favourite tent! The author of this book How We Might Live: At Home with Jane and WIlliam Morris, tells the story more from Jane’s perspective. In life, Jane is known more for her affair with Rossetti than anything else. But she was a beautiful embroiderer, artistic model and a great hostess. I shall look forward to reading her account. After William, died I want to know what happened to Jane.
The second event was writer/journalist Tim Marshall. He writes political and world affairs and I have read his Divided in the past. He spoke about two of his other books, about how the world is changing, the geography of countries and the situation between Ukraine and Russia. I couldn’t decide which of his books to buy, so I didn’t buy either. This just means they are on my mental list of books to buy in the future! He is an engaging speaker and writer, and explains things at a level I can understand. I’m not a big reader of world affairs at all, but his books have helped me understand the world.
The last event I booked was the stand out one as far as I was concerned. This was held in my favourite tent (William Morris) and consisted of a workshop followed by a walk on Wimbledon Common hunting wildflowers. Botanist Leif Bersweden explained how he came to write his book Where The Wild Flowers Grow and has spent a lot of time on the common (his parents live here). Leif took us onto the common on a very hot day and promised to keep us in the shade as much possible. Two stewards accompanied us carrying bottled water, should we need them.
Leif made the walk so interesting and had little stories about each flower he found for us. I particularly loved the Pineapple plant which, if you squeeze the flower heads, smell of pineapple. They really do! I began to realise how more enjoyable it is to identify flowers and plants during a walk. How much more you get out of a walk just knowing these things. I made notes of all the flowers Leif found (I wouldn’t have remembered otherwise) so I could identify them when I loaded up my photos. I feel this is something I need to look into more and could do with a good book on identification.
When we arrived back we each received a copy of Leif’s book (included in the price of the ticket), which he signed individually for us. The event was uplifting and not ‘over my head’ as I wondered if it might be. Leif made everything accessible and was willing to answer questions we had.
On the Thames
The day after was an even hotter one. I met a friend in London and bought lunch to eat in the gardens near Embankment tube station. Afterwards, we set off to Westminster Pier where we boarded a Thames Cruise to Greenwich. Both of us have Freedom Passes which gave us a great discount on the return fare. We sat on the top deck in the sun and enjoyed seeing London from the river. We had a commentary, though our guy is not an official Tour Guide. However, he was most amusing. We spent a little time at Greenwich, mostly drinking (cold for my friend and tea for me!), sitting the shade near the Maritime Museum. We then caught the boat back into London, and we had the same guide, which was fun.
My London+ 