Bookshelf;

Elemental is a captivating story of a girl, fish Meggie; her life in a poor fishing village on a remote coast of Scotland. Born  in the 1890s her hard life, her will to learn, her life tender and brutal at times.

Meggie Tulloch writes her life’s story for her granddaughter. It begins in the first years of he 20th century in a place where lives are ruled by men and men are ruled by the witchy sea, ruled by superstitions. The only thing lower than a girl in the order of things is a clever girl with accursed red hair.

The Scottish dialect of her childhood gives  authenticity.  An expansive glossary of the Scottish words are at the back of the book.
Some of the words: 
Bonnie clip = a good looking girl
Clooties = rags bandages
Fulpie = a puppy dog
Gansey = pullover
Grunnie = grandmother
Hash= hurry
Half loaves= crude, thick sanitary napkins made out of old rags
Howdie wifie = midwife
Kist = a chest
Limmer = slut
Loon = boy, young man
Muckle =  big


I enjoyed this Novel very much. 

Why?

Trapped in seconds, minutes, hours; we never know why.Ts

Small children use the word WHY persistently, my grand children did, never stopped. Children are never satisfied with answers they ask ‘why’ constantly. 

He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes;

he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

—Chinese Proverb

What is the universe made of?

Where do we put all the carbon?

What’s so weird about prime numbers?

What’s at the bottom of a black hole?

Some of science's unsolved questions.

©Photo/text Ts 

The garden bench;

This  garden seat was in tatters, broken, finished thrown away when former neighbours moved out a few years ago. I rescued and repaired it to a new life in my garden. 

The Garden Seat - Poem by Thomas Hardy

Its former green is blue and thin,

And its once firm legs sink in and in;

Soon it will break down unaware,

Soon it will break down unaware.

At night when reddest flowers are black

Those who once sat thereon come back;

Quite a row of them sitting there,

Quite a row of them sitting there.

With them the seat does not break down,

Nor winter freeze them, nor floods drown,

For they are as light as upper air,

They are as light as upper air! 

Poet Thomas Hardy's garden in Dorchester,

©Photo/Text Ts T