The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
It always starts with a conversation – people coming together to share ideas and experiences, and when the mix is just right, good things can happen. Town centres are very much a case in point – some being strong at stirring the cooperative pot with vigour, others a little less so. Perhaps our town is somewhere in the middle, a brilliant and well supported market in Sheep Street each Friday, offset by a disappointing number of empty shops and a number of buildings looking a little sad and in need of some love. But those conversations can be the seeds which grow into something good, something we can be proud of (just like the market), whether chatting with Dan at ‘Nothing But Footprints’ (the zero waste re-fill shop at Bicester Green on Sheep Street), or Laura who is looking to launch a community magazine for the town in the coming months, to Andrew of the Lone Wolf Comedy Club and his forthcoming comedy festival on the Pingle Field in June. The seeds are planted, the shoots are sure to come.
The recipe for a tasty town is made from cooperation – the ingredients are often readily available – a healthy portion of effort; a dollop of enthusiasm; a spoon full of daring and more than a pinch of resilience – it’s just a case of mixing them together and that’s where the cooperation comes in.
Whilst browsing the forthcoming Book Club title by Charles Beamont, ‘The Spy Alone’, I took a look at his forthcoming book ‘A Spy at War’, due out in a week or so. At the front is a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt, the US president at the time, in April 1910. It reminded me of Kipling’s ‘If’, a poem I particularly love, and so I thought I’d scribe out Roosevelt’s speech as if a poem.
It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs, who comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;
who spends himself in worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails,
at least he fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who neither know victory nor defeat.
This week’s fiction is awash with twists and turns – from an eerie neighbourhood in Ann Cleeves’ latest Vera novel to monsters and magic in Once Was Willem. In non-fiction, whether it’s the psychology of nostalgia or the spectacular mating rituals of birds, we’ve got a science book for all interests. For younger readers, there’s no need for a trip to Lyme Regis when you have The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure, and Bear is a charmingly illustrated book about sharing, perfect for little ones. Finally, the Carnegie Medal for Writing celebrates the best children’s fiction every year. With this year’s award giving a voice to marginalised male perspectives, we’re highlighting some of this year’s shortlisted books that will inspire the next generation of readers.
As always, if there’s anything you need, just pop by or reply to this email!
From Sophie
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