Pages

Thursday 5 May 2016

My Mother and The Durrells

View of Trafalgar Square from steps of The National Gallery yesterday
Tomorrow it will be fourteen years since my mother passed away. Time heals, but there are reminders of her everywhere, which creep up when I least expect them to. Once someone has gone, they're so quickly forgotten (unless they're in the public eye), and now some time has passed, these reminders which once made me sad, help to keep my memories of her alive. 

The latest reminder is the wonderful Sunday night TV series, The Durrells. My Family and Other Animals was one of my mother’s favourite books, and she gave me a copy when I was around seven years old. It was one of those books that stayed with me, and that copy is in the loft somewhere (must read it again). Some books you remember reading more than others, and I still recall the picture I built up in my mind of Gerald Durrell’s life in that house in Corfu.

What’s so great about The Durrells? Pure escapism: it’s set in Corfu where the sun always shines, all the characters in the Durrell family have flaws, and the overall message is it’s OK when things go wrong, when your kids don’t do what you expect them to; and I especially like Larry’s life as a writer-the scene where he’s sitting under a tree tapping furiously on his typewriter, when he says, ‘I’m in the mood’. In last Sunday's episode, he received a rejection letter for his novel; and after a long discussion with his girlfriend, he decided to give up being a writer and became a farmer for the day. Farming didn’t suit him, and at one point he cut his foot with a spade. By the end of that episode, he announced that he was to be a writer and an intellectual. Besides all this, the actors are so well cast, led by Keeley Hawes, who plays Mrs Durrell beautifully.

The Durrells, like Downton Abbey transports you to a time when life was simpler and when there were fewer distractions. Today, I’m sure that the Durrells would have more of an outdoor life than in the UK because of the better weather and different culture: but if they had WiFi in that lovely house by the sea, perhaps Gerald would be too busy playing Minecraft on his iPad to capture and learn about animals and insects; Leslie might play Grand Theft Auto all day and night with strangers rather than shoot anything that moves; Margo might take pouty selfies and upload them to Instagram and Snapchat; Larry could be too busy writing self-indulgent blog posts, tweeting under the hashtag #amwriting and posting rants on Facebook to get any writing done. And Mrs Durrell would perhaps have discovered online dating. From what I’ve read online, The Durrells is loosely based on Gerald Durrell’s trilogy, but that doesn't bother me; it's an hour’s holiday on a Sunday evening, and I'm sure that my mother would have loved watching it.


I’m running a course on social media for writers on Saturday as my alter-ego neetsmarketing, and I went up to London yesterday to test out the IT side of things. I had a couple of hours to spare before my meeting at the hotel, so I went to a place where my mother always seems to be present: The National Gallery. She used to take me to London often on the train as a child and we’d go to The National Gallery before buying marmalade and sweets in Fortnum and Mason. At the time, I found this art gallery visit boring, as children generally do, and I’d sit on the leather banquette biting my nails, waiting for her to hurry up and finish studying the paintings, which seemed to take hours. But now I go there whenever I’m in London if I can, to see the paintings from my work in progress. Each time, I notice something different, and being that close to them fuels the old inspiration.

Here’s an old post on how my mother inspired my writing: Why do I write? 
Previous post: Something for the Inspiration, inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Big Magic.
Latest post from my neetsmarketing blog: How Can Real Life and Social Media Work Together?

And here's the trailer for The Durrells:



22 comments:

  1. What a lovely post, Anita. I'm so sorry to know your mum passed away so many years ago but glad you have so many fond memories. I love the photo of the two of you too. I've not been watching The Durrells but I did love the book when I was young. Sending you a hug xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Julie! The Durrells is well worth a watch if you enjoyed the book x

      Delete
  2. I was so moved to read this post, Anita – as Julie says, great to have so many happy memories, but I’m really sorry for what you’ve had to go through. I’m kicking myself that I’ve missed The Durrells so far. I loved the book and remember enjoying the 1980s TV series with Hannah Gordon and Brian Blessed. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your lovely comment, Clare. I don't remember the 1980s series, but I expect you'd enjoy this new series if you loved the book-hope you get to see it! :-)x

      Delete
  3. What a loving expression your mother has on her face; encouragement, a wish for you to enjoy the cake, happy anticipation and a smile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Such beautiful words, Alison (can tell you are a wonderful writer!)-thank you x

      Delete
  4. Beautiful photo of you and your mother. x
    We love watching The Durrells at our house and are lucky enough to have visited Gerald Durrell's wonderful legacy,Durrell,many times here in Jersey.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely post, Anita. I, too, loved the book and the series.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know just what you're feeling. My brother will be gone two years today and my mum 12 yrs next week so at the moment I'm steeped in memories because that's all we have left. Memories are wonderful to have and eventually,after we have grieved they become more and more precious. I have been watching the to series and although I enjoyed this weeks episode I have found it frustrating. I would like to whip those children who are not children into shape. Send them all out to work,lol! It seems in the book that Sven was gay and not Mrs Durrell's love interest. I wish they wouldn't change things for TV especially if it's a true story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that memories are so special when you lose someone, Anne, especially after some time has passed, as you say. Yes, those children are a handful! I read about Sven too this week in an article, makes me want to re-read the book now so that I can compare it to the TV series.

      Delete
  7. Really lovely post, Anita!
    The Durrells was great. (I had a passion for Lawrence D in my teens - all that purple prose!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, June! Ooh-er re Larry D...;-)

      Delete
  8. A lovely post, Anita, and I really feel for you losing your mother at such a young age - with me it was my father when I was twelve. I'm really enjoying The Durrells as it's pure escapism with such fascinating characters. Love your modern take on what they might get up to today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rosemary. Sorry to hear that you lost your father when you were so young.x

      Delete
  9. A wonderful post, Anita. I lost my mum when I was young too, and I know if you've had a special relationship, which you clearly did - the memories are treasures you dip into and savour whenever you can. I'm loving the Durrells too - I worked in a Greek school before I was a writer, and every day felt a bit like being on the set of the Durrells, even if we were in the UK. One of my mum's favourites was the earlier Poldark adaptation, and re-visiting that always brings back delicious memories so I can see why watching this series has been so rewarding for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jane. Sorry to hear you lost your mum when you were so young. The memories are treasures, and they become even more special once some time has passed. I would love to see the original Poldark adaption, to see how it compares with the more recent series!

      Delete
  10. Such a touching post, Anita and lovely that something as simple as watching The Durrells brings back such happy memories of your mum - the power of fiction. I too really enjoyed your thoughts on what The Durrell family might be doing today. I suspect you're right!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your lovely comment, Rae! And now the series has finished (glad Larry decided to stay though). Look forward to the next one.

      Delete
  11. Great post, so many memories of your mother. Keep them close.

    ReplyDelete