The Art Of Life.

It is Thursday morning, the back door is open, the birds are singing, and the sun is shining. I am listening to an album called Each Little Thing by Sharon Shannon. I bought it in the Oxfam shop in Bath yesterday afternoon. Sharon is a wizard on the accordion. I heard someone say once that she is to the accordion what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar. I wouldn’t go that far, but she is great. I have seen her play quite a few times at Glastonbury and she is the perfect music for festivals when the sun is shining. Sharon is playing in Frome soon, so I must try and get a ticket. Incidentally, the late great Kirsty McColl sings on one track on this album.

I had a topping time in Bath yesterday, everyone was out and about enjoying the Spring weather. After I left Oxfam, I had a look in Topping & Company which must be the best bookshop in the west of England and it is obviously run by people who love books. They have literary events on all the time, where authors read and discuss their work and sign books. Consequently, they have hundreds of beautiful signed books for sale. It is the kind of place that makes me wish I lived in Bath.  I was in there for at least an hour just browsing and looking at books that I didn’t know even existed. I could easily have bought a dozen books but in the end, I was sensible and just bought a signed book by Paul Durcan called The Art Of Life. I have liked Paul Durcan ever since he worked with Van Morrison on The Days Before Rock & Roll.

He has always spoken very highly of Van and I read once somewhere that he said the two greatest Irish poets were Patrick Kavanagh and Van Morrison. If I ever went to a Paul Durcan reading, I would ask him who Justin was. I bet he is sick of people asking him about that though. Another reason I bought this particular book was that several of the poems mentioned County Mayo which is where my family originated from. Anyway, if you love books and you are ever in Bath check out Topping & Company. It’s just around the corner at the top of Milsom Street.

 After that I had a bit of a sit down near the Abbey and listened to the buskers and then caught the 4.35 back to Westbury.