On Luck...David Livingstone and Humphry Clinker

My son just had a lovely birthday. He became in years what has always been my lucky number. St Patrick's Day just passed - the luck of the Irish..

Spring, daffodils, lambs gambolling and mewing for sustenance. Emerging from a long winter. A wonderful coloured, scented bloom in the garden.

This makes me think of luck. I am a huge believer - call it what you will. Fortune, good luck, karma, fate, coincidence. I have a great friend and mentor who is a lifelong sailor and yachtsman - he has so many lyrical superstitions and tales - I am endlessly enchanted.

I had a wonderful conversation yesterday on how lucky we are to be aware of the blessings of that which money can't buy - I hate to sound all worthy - it was mainly a conversation about the untold joys of Radio 4 Extra - currently with an adaptation of one of my favourite books Sons and Lovers.

I thought I might add the books I have on the go, I seem to have a particularly engaging Spring Selection :

Every Contact Leaves A Trace   Elanor Dymott
Tales of Unease                            Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Happiness By Design                  Paul Dolan

I'll report back as I go.

I also can't get enough of the Shakespeare's Restless World podcasts. I play them on my Mac whilst I am working.

Right.

Tobias Smollett was born on this day in 1721. The link is to his work The Adventures of Humphrey Clinker. There is also a great Guardian piece from 2013 about the sad in my view demise of his influence and popularity. Got to love the name Roderick Random. He would of course be a huge influence on a certain Charles Dickens.

Today is also the birthday of David Livingstone , in 1831. He seems to have certainly established a connection between mosquitoes and malaria and enjoyed a good strike rate with his 'Livingstone's Rousers'.

Rembrandt's Titus was sold by Christie's for a record 760,000 guineas on this day in  1965.

March the 19th is the feast day of St. Joseph always falling during Lent and therefore a period of abstinence - dishes without meat are traditionally served.

Which leads me to the rather marvellously named sfinci di San Giuseppe traditionally prepared in Southern Italy on this day.

Tuck in.