Happy Easter

'Sir Winston Churchill' Narcissus. The first to inspire, but the last to bloom in the Mike's America garden. Just in time for Easter.

And speaking of Churchill, I recently viewed "The Gathering Storm" a condensed film history of the years leading up to the start of World War II. Much of it shot on location at Chartwell, Churchill's home in Kent that I visited several years ago, it sounds a warning for the times to come, both in World War II and today.

You may not be able to find it at your DVD rental store, but you can purchase a used copy from Amazon books for less than $8.00 shipped

If you prefer your history in less condensed form, I cannot recommend more highly the two volumes called "The Last Lion" by William Manchester. The second volume, "Alone" chronicles the same time period as the film. Manchester's writing is brilliant and if want a book that is also a great vocabularly builder, this is the one.

The Churchill Centre has a rather not so kind review of the book by an author who prefers an alternative view. The Centre also takes a look at numerous other Churchill volumes.