So, what do you think of it so far? The Durrells, I mean.
If you live in the UK, Sunday evenings on the telly have just got a whole lot gentler. The always-watchable Keeley Hawes heads the cast in a series based on Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy.
And it's pretty sublime. The warmth and light of Corfu shines through in this very enjoyable series. It's a bit like The Darling Buds of May only set in Greece. Just the thing for a Sunday evening.
It's got me hankering after Corfu, where I lived for a year in 2012-2013. I do pop back there from time to time and I know how lucky I am to have a foot in beautiful West Dorset and another in the jewel of the Ionian (although I have to be careful not to do the splits).
Corfu
Dorset
Just like the Durrells, we left rainy Dorset, pretty much on a whim, for life on a Greek island. Who wouldn't want to up sticks and escape the drudgery of the day job? Especially to Greece.
Dorset
Corfu
But my grown-up gap year was not what I expected. I was homesick beyond belief. By the end of it, I had learned a lot - not much in the way of the language, it's true, but a great deal about myself. Most of all, I absorbed the power of philoxenia, that extraordinary Greek kindness which is more than just hospitality, it's true generosity of spirit and part of the greater concept of philitimo.
The following video sums it up beautifully. (Yes, I know it's from Crete, but you get the picture.)
I'll certainly watch for the new series - it will appear here next year. I'll watch for your book too - as soon as it is out in paperback please let us know.
Very much looking forward to the book Maddie. Funnily enough, it was Keeley Hawes' presence that put me off watching The Durrells. Just goes to show you can't please all the people, all the time!!!! Loved the books though!!!! Lucy x
A Happy New Year to you all! Here's hoping that 2020 is peaceful, healthy, everything you hope for and full of blue sky bunting. After twelve happy years, I've decided to give up this blog. I wanted to say a big thanks for all your support. The World from my Window has opened many doors (and indeed windows) for me during that time, including an appearance on Channel 5's The Gadget Show , and a weekly writing slot on the world's oldest weekly magazine for women, The People's Friend . I love sharing my stories with readers of my Maddie's World column and the People's Friend team are a joy to work with. Long may that continue! Through this blog, I've had a loyal host of followers from all over the globe, including particular champions in those dozen years. It's a huge boost and very humbling. Thank you. Since I was a young child, writing has been my thing. I started this blog during a creative writing course with The Open University in 2
It's blowing a hooley out there. The wind is lashing against the windows and the dogs are play fighting in front of the Aga before one of them goes too far and I have to break up the party. It's recycling day today and the wind knows it, whipping up through the street into the square and down the alleyway from the church to present the village with a soggy mess of paper, cereal packets and plastic all along the side of the road, a twice-monthly confetti for the marriage of consumerism and environmental guilt. You can tell a lot about people from what's in their rubbish. Forget about stealing ID, I'm talking about their character - where they shop, the type of people they are. A small, white bottle with a label denoting that it's kefir, a fermented milk drink good for the gut, rolls around my doorstep. It's not mine. I pick it up to dispose of it and can feel there is still some miracle juice inside. It was clearly not to the user's l
Mr Grigg is accosted by a naked German in the showers just before unsuspecting Mormons do the rounds on the boats in Corfu marina. Hop, skip and jump across to the final installment of The World from my Porthole . That's about it. Love Maddie x
I'll certainly watch for the new series - it will appear here next year.
ReplyDeleteI'll watch for your book too - as soon as it is out in paperback please let us know.
Very much looking forward to the book Maddie. Funnily enough, it was Keeley Hawes' presence that put me off watching The Durrells. Just goes to show you can't please all the people, all the time!!!! Loved the books though!!!! Lucy x
ReplyDeleteCorfu - such a beautiful island and such warm people. Would so love to go back.
ReplyDelete