Aunt Dahlia’s solution is to ask Bertie to go down to Totleigh Towers, the Bassett country seat, & steal the cow creamer. Sir Watkyn has offered to trade the cow creamer to Tom in exchange for his French chef, Anatole. Aunt Dahlia needs Tom to be in a good mood when she asks him for more money for Milady’s Boudoir, her financially challenged magazine. Uncle Tom has his eye on a silver cow creamer & he’s devastated when his rival, Sir Watkyn Bassett, father of Madeline, snaffles it from under his nose. Bertie wakes one morning after another night on the tiles to be summoned by his Aunt Dahlia, who has a proposition for him. It has everything – Aunt Dahlia, soppy Madeline Bassett, lovers parted over misunderstandings, a menacing dog, vengeful magistrates & the attempted theft of a cow creamer. The Code of the Woosters is one of the most famous of all the Jeeves & Wooster novels.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that short, sharp reviews may be the norm for the next little while. Phoebe enjoyed jumping out at me from her “hiding” places as I worked my way along the fence & it was lovely to see bees enjoying the lavender & geraniums after all the horror stories recently about the demise of bee populations all over the world) & once the soil warms up properly & I start planting my veggies, I know I’ll be spending more of my weekends in the garden than writing reviews. It took ages & then once it was out, it was so heavy, I didn’t think I’d be able to heave it into the recycling bin. I spent the morning weeding the garden (my triumph was digging out an enormous spider plant. I’m writing this on Sunday & the weather is warming up here as Spring begins.

I enjoyed them both but I know that if I don’t write down a few thoughts now, it won’t happen at all. I decided to write short reviews of two books I’ve read recently – The Code of the Woosters by P G Wodehouse & The Youngest Lady in Waiting by Mara Kay.

Five farthings by monica redlich