"... It was past four o'clock and New Year's Eve; the snow that had fallen all day gave back a glimmering greyness to a sky like lead.
'I'm sorry,' said Wimsey, 'Whereabouts do you suppose we've got to, Bunter?'
The manservant consulted a map in the ray of an electric torch.
'I think, my lord, we must have run off the proper road at Leamholt. Unless I am much mistaken, we must be near Fenchurch St. Paul.'
As he spoke, the sound of a church clock, muffled by the snow, came borne upon the wind; it chimed the first quarter.
'Thank God!' said Wimsey. 'Where there is a church there is civilisation. We'll have to walk it. ... Br'rh! it's cold. I bet that when Kingsley welcomed the wild north-easter he was sitting indoors by a good fire, eating muffins. I could do with a muffin myself ....' "
That could be books and cakes taken care of! Whether or not we end up eating muffins by the fire, I hope lots of people will join in with the Cornflower Book Group's March read.
(The picture is nothing like the East Anglian fen country but seemed to have the feel of the day described. Details here).
Sitting by the fire eating muffins - that's for me! What did you say the book was?
Posted by: Mr Cornflower | 31 January 2012 at 09:07 PM
I just bought a wonderful used copy, and planned to read it this month, but didn't get to it, so I'll save it for March. One of my fave DLS.
Posted by: Nan | 31 January 2012 at 09:20 PM
Great!
Posted by: Cornflower | 31 January 2012 at 10:23 PM
OOh, this one is one of my favorite Wimsey stories, and perfect for chilly March. Count me in.
Posted by: rj | 01 February 2012 at 03:03 AM
Great, ordered (!) and have The Fountain Overflows on my desk too - just got to juggle 'We, the Drowned' (Carsten Jensen) - one to read in the bath, one for the commute (to work) and one for the return commute....? As you know I am busy on the Claire Tomalin talk (Charles Dickens: A Life) at Southwark Cathedral for the ACTUAL (200th)day 7th February - and there is so much interest - wonderful - we've had to 'close the books' on the actual Guided Walk - but the Cathedral can hold well over 1000 - but you must register!
Posted by: Rose | 01 February 2012 at 02:14 PM
Ooh - I love this one. First read it when I was 8, though I rather think a lot of the subtleties went straight over my head then. (I read Murder must advertise first and know that all the drugs and sex stuff definitely went straight by me..) And I agree - it's the perfect read for a cold and blustery March.
Posted by: Alison Morris | 01 February 2012 at 02:41 PM
Oh, I've had We, the Drowned on my wishlist for ages, so let us know how you find it, Rose, if you have a minute!
The Claire Tomalin talk should be fascinating, so I hope you get a capacity audience.
Posted by: Cornflower | 01 February 2012 at 08:27 PM
I'm always slightly nervous when I choose a CBG book that people may not fancy it for one reason or another, so I'm delighted that this choice seems to be going down well and is a favourite Wimsey book for so many.
Posted by: Cornflower | 01 February 2012 at 08:30 PM
8 - that's impressive, Alison!
Posted by: Cornflower | 01 February 2012 at 08:33 PM
Like I said, I suspect that only the bare bones of the plot actually registered :-)
Posted by: Alison Morris | 01 February 2012 at 08:55 PM
Finished 'The Nine Tailors' at 7.15 pee hem today!
Posted by: Rose | 05 March 2012 at 10:00 PM
Ah, the policeman!
Posted by: Cornflower | 06 March 2012 at 11:29 AM
"Mr Ashton was a farmer of the old school....they made his lordship extremely welcome and offered him a glass of home made cowslip wine. "As long as there's peggles to be got, I'll make my peggle wine" said Mrs Ashton...." Cowslip wine is available in this country - made with cowslips from Portugal, so says the Lyme Bay Winery based in Devon. Apparently the New Forest Cider stall in Borough Market, London Bridge (next door to me, hooray) stocks cowslip wine, as does the St Martin-in-the-Fields Shop - but a word of warning from Lyme Bay Winery, it is wise to ring ahead just to check they have it in stock alternatively you can buy direct from LBW at their online shop www.lymebaywinery.co.uk I will be tracking down a bottle one way or another and will report back! Click on here for charming painting by Arthur Hopkins 1848-1930 http://www.myartprints.co.uk/kunst/arthur_hopkins/cowslip_wine_hi.jpg
Posted by: Rose | 07 March 2012 at 12:39 PM
Oh, please do report back, Rose, as I'd love to know what it tastes like.
(PS - saw the Vogue cornflowers!).
Posted by: Cornflower | 07 March 2012 at 01:51 PM
Lovely to read the book again, and it still had me chewing my fingernails wondering 'who dunnit'... Looked up muffin recipe in my old Good Housekeeping Cookery Compendium... I assume these are good old-fashioned English muffins made with yeast, then toasted, and dripping with butter and home-made jam...Lord Peter would have no truck with the American variety...
Posted by: ChrisCross53 | 13 March 2012 at 08:10 PM