Two Jeeps in the Abbey

Recently (as mentioned several blog entries ago), I've been re-reading Noel Streatfeild's books. I read Party Frock a few days ago, for only the second time ever. I was struck by how they treat the nearby Abbey. They hold a pageant there, with ballet dancers and horses and mummers, and Jeeps drive up. A few responsible characters worry about the grass being torn up (which would affect the re-sale value of the Abbey), but that's about it.
I was amused by the contrast between this cavalier treatment of an Abbey and the reverence which Elsie Oxenham's characters hold for their Abbey. There's rarely ballet on the Abbey garth (in fact, I can't think of a time when it does happen; Damaris, the resident ballet dancer, surreptitiously practices steps inside the Abbey and dances at the Hall nearby, but not much on the grounds). And I can't even imagine EJO's horror at Americans! with Jeeps!
Oxenham's father wrote religious books - but then again, Streatfeild's was a bishop. So it's not a question of upbringing. Hmmm.

a fifty item limit

Last night a friend of mine quite reasonably suggested that I read a Kurt Vonnegut book (can't remember which one). I snapped that that wouldn't happen, which was rude and (from his point of view) out of the blue. So later on, I tried to figure out my snappishness about such a mild suggestion.
My library allows one to check out 50 items at once. I can't remember the last time I didn't have my card maxed out. More to the point, I have a pile of books on hold for me at my desk at work; as soon as I return a book, I check out another from that pile. Thankfully, a lot of them are quick reads!
Also I have about 75 books in a to-read pile at home (not Library books). So yeah, I feel - not quite overwhelmed, but whelmed, and resistant to casual book suggestions.
Sorry!

too sick-making, darling!

A friend recommended Buried alive : the terrifying history of our most primal fear by Jan Bondeson. I tried it, I read 28 pages over lunch - and then had to stop, because the legends of people clawing themselves out of graves made me queasy. How funny to think I'm one of the superstitious, easily scared people Bondeson writes about!

Wintle's Wonders/Dancing Shoes

I've been re-reading my beloved (and very beat-up) copy of Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. It's one of the first books I remember getting as a gift. Before my family took a long car trip, my mom took my sisters and I to the bookstore and let us choose several books each. This was a huge deal, because my parents spent as little money as possible. So I bought Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes (Wintle's Wonders), Theatre Shoes (Curtain Up) and Skating Shoes (White Boots). Dancing Shoes is my favorite; I've read it so many times that it's missing a few pages (111-114). It really is a Cinderella story - Streatfeild's best wish-fulfillment tale.
I don't remember the trip at all, but I smile every time I see those four beat-up books, with my wobbly handwriting inside.