Retreat and advance

I didn't mean to imply in my last post that I hadn't seen more in Siena than the Palio and a swimming pool. e went, as always, to see the Duomo and Duccio's Maestà.This time, too, we revisited the Simones and Ambrogio Lorenzettis in the Palazzo Pubblico, using our new binoculars and my notes from Serena Quartermaine's fresco course. Brilliant!

Since we've been back, I've done all the edits on City of Ships and been to a writer's retreat at Charney Manor - my 7th I think. If the photo has come out above, the credit is to Karen Ball, a new young writer who was there too. Thanks Karen.

I finished Pascal Mercier's Night Train to Lisbon (got the title wrong last time). It was outstandingly good, although even this ended rather unsatisfactorily.

And while we are on the subject of unsatisfactory endings, I allowed Russell T Davies to wring me out with the Torchwood miniseries, Children of Earth. The first 4 were brilliant though the 4th heartbreaking, but the 5th was just too bleak and compromised the main character horribly.But I have had endless Facebook conversations public and private with friends about this so will not go on about it here.

We went to see The Apple Cart by GBS in Bath and it was excellent. Such a clever, witty play and so well done. It was a very wet Saturday afternoon (we went to the matinee) but cheered up by a fabulous dinner at Demuth's, the vegetarian restaurant.

But the most exciting thing to happen since my last post is that youngest daughter has got a job! She describes it as the only job in architecture going in London for a new graduate so we are more than thrilled for her. So tough to be an Arts graduate, as the Guardian has been saying all week, and the architects have been among the worst hit. Very sorry for all this young talent that will have to compete for jobs with another batch next year and the next.

But for now very happy for this one talented young person.