Hermione Ranfurly, “To War with Whitaker”

Well, hello! Yes, I’m back. I know, I left without saying good-bye, and that was rude. I’m sorry. I left you at Outlander, right? I’ve read a lot since then — I know you have, too — and guess what?

I can’t remember most of it.

So here we are again. I’m going to keep things shorter for now, and skimp on the images. I stopped blogging because it was taking so much time, and actually I have managed to write a book since then. So that’s good.We’ll just see how this goes, shall we?

Up today, a book that was recommended to me by a new friend. We moved quickly in our book conversation from the marvelous Patrick Leigh Fermor to the delightful Countess of Ranfurly whose diaries of World War II were have been collected and edited into a delicious memoir. The newlywed Lady Ranfurly — clearly a woman of great charm and determination — followed her husband Dan to the Middle East and managed to stay there after his capture and internment in an Italian prison camp. Working as a secretary in various hot spots, she met much of the British High Command (and some Americans as well: not a huge fan of Eisenhower). Lots of stiff upper lip and whimsical but not annoying detail. The Whitaker of the title is her husband’s valet, gloomy and fat but extremely loyal, whose parallel adventures with the war machine add comic notes. If this is the kind of thing you like, you know who you are.