coughingbear

Prompted by discussion of the '40 Days for life' protests on pashazade's journal, via a blog of Jesuit jokes, I was reminded of Julian May's Intervention and took it off the shelf for a re-read.

I've always been fond of it, and it was the first May I read, so it didn't suffer from lack of Marc, and somehow still doesn't, even though I tend to rush through the first two Pliocene Saga books to get to his first appearance in that series.

The French-Canadians in New Hampshire - remember finding them interesting, having not heard of them before this book. This local history leaflet discusses the rivalry between the French-Canadians and the Irish in New Hampshire, though provides evidence that they co-operated some of the time.

Didn't recall, though am sure I must have noticed before, that Denis was born in the same year as me.

Always enjoy the reports from observing aliens; reminds me a little bit of Lessing. And liked that they saved the dog.

Kieran is so disturbing. Effective.

I remember being uncomfortable with the ethnic essentialism when I first read it, and still am; feels as though May is awarding good conduct prizes to ethnicities she finds romantic.

Are there really enough telepaths etc? Does the genetic set-up remotely stand up to scrutiny?

Loved the Mount Washington and hiking scenes - remember thinking about them when I read Bryson's Into the Woods and he went up Mount Washington, and was as fascinated as child!Denis by the windspeed and weather. Though I was disappointed to read that the hotel was no longer very swish. Always rather fancied going there to eat eggs poached in maple syrup.

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... this is me driving a bus at the Transport Museum Depot last weekend. Obviously we didn't let any pigeons near it.



And I've added the rest of the photos from that day, including lots of signs.

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On Saturday we went to the London Transport Museum Depot open day. My dad came, and pashazade, as well as hano and star_tourmaline. It was splendid - although next time we are getting there early and queuing for the miniature steam railway trip, never mind not having any children with us.

One of my favourite things, calligraphy & lettering geek that I am, was a cabinet I found full of Johnston type. Nearly as good as driving a tube train.



Also there were wonderful models - working train and trolleybus and tram layouts, but also old models in the huge storage area, like this escalator:



(More photos here.)

ETA: oops, forgot the foliage.

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Went to a lovely Advent service in King's College London chapel this evening - I don't *think* that counted as strikebreaking - and one of the last pieces the choir sang was Peter Warlock's Bethlehem Down, which I love. They did it beautifully, too; I'd been a little worried that controlled quiet was not their best thing, but for this they had controlled quiet and intensity.

Poking about on youtube I found this recording by Westminster Cathedral Choir, which I also like:


Googling Peter Warlock, as you do, to check if I was right in remembering that he had died young, I was somewhat astonished to discover that he was Brian Sewell's father. Also a model for Giles Revelstoke in Mixture of Frailties, apparently. Hmm, wonder if it's time for a Robertson Davies re-read.

This last bit all happened more or less in duet with star_tourmaline, to whom I was playing the recording, who independently did the googling, and exclaimed at the revelations at the same moment.

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We took the Widget to the vet this morning for a check-up, and she continues to do extremely well. The vet thinks the lab in Glasgow which monitors FIP ought to write her up as a case study because it's so rare for a cat with her results and symptoms to recover. They agreed but apparently it's a bit late now, so she won't be Cat A in the veterinary literature.

However, her gums are a little inflamed, so we have to start brushing her teeth.

And Foxtrot's teeth, and Woskar's teeth.

We have a little kit with fish-flavoured toothpaste, a sort of spiny rubber thimble, and a pointy little toothbrush. And a book of instructions:

Beginner Level - Introduce the Toothpaste and Brush

Intermediate Level - Brush the Front Teeth

Expert Level - BRUSH ALL OF THE TEETH!

Apparently if we invest a bit of patience now, our cats will always think of toothbrushing as a pleasant experience. I AM NOT CONVINCED.

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Happy birthday ankaret! Happy birthday, lexin!

(Sorry this is a bit late in the day, and I hope it's been a good one.)

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Very sad indeed to see that Diana Wynne Jones has died. I have loved her books since I was at junior school and bought Power of Three and Charmed Life through the school Puffin book club; I think I got Cart and Cwidder shortly afterwards. All three have remained favourites, to be joined by Archers Goon, Fire and Hemlock, Magicians of Caprona, Spellcoats and lots of others.

I was re-reading Deep Secret on Thursday, and was once again reminded how impressive a book it is; I love and laugh at Rupert and Stan and Andrew and Maree and Nick and the convention, and then so smoothly and fast she takes us to this amazing place of deep secrets, and your skin prickles with awe. And brings us back again.

Am so glad I wrote to her last year to say how much richer my life has been for her writing.

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We did not find any results for 'compost bagsi'. Did you mean 'bags'? The following results have been found for 'bags'.

Products (171)

Aisles (50)

Great Offers (29)

Recipes (53)

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Looking up and editing some photos for work this morning, I found the collection I took when we held a seminar in the Post Office Tower a few years ago. This one I had called 'London Streets'. For me it evokes very strongly walking along streets in London, looking at Georgian and Victorian buildings and remembering and wondering about the stories of the people who lived there, and seeing how much can be crammed into a small space. And in turn that reminded me of a particular poem, and of my mother, who tells the story of how, as a child, she had memorised this poem and was called on to recite it in front of a visitor, maybe her grandfather. She stood up straight, put her feet together, and said

'Lines and Squares.
By A A Milne.'

and laughed and could go no further. She tried again, standing up straighter and taking a deep breath.

'Lines and Squares.
By A A Milne'

but this time could only laugh and run out of the room. Future attempts were no more successful.



Whenever I walk in a London street,
I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street,
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, 'Bears,
just look how I'm walking in all the squares!'

And the little bears growl to each other, 'He's mine,
As soon as he's silly and steps on a line.'
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe the talk;
It's ever so 'portant how you walk.
And it's ever so jolly to call out, 'Bears,
just watch me walking in all the squares!'

ET use correct userpic (taking advantage of free paid account for 2 weeks!)

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The books I am reading: Delusions of Gender, Cordelia Fine; Gardens of the Moon, Stephen Erikson (re-read after finishing The Crippled God).

The book I am writing: To Make A Seaman: Life in the Royal Navy 1830-1860

The book I love most: Really can't pick just one.

The last book I received as a gift: Hmm, I was given several books at Christmas, and am not sure what I've been given since then.

The last book I gave as a gift: London Calling: A Countercultural History of London Since 1945 by Barry Miles, given to hano yesterday.

The nearest book on my desk: I just put all the books back on the shelves. The nearest one now seems to be Seldon & Ball, Conservative Century.

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I dropped my phone this morning on the tube. It now has a cracked screen. It is, however, also time for an upgrade if I want it (or to switch to a new provider, I suppose). I'm currently with T-Mobile, and have an Android G1, with the slidy-out keyboard. I really like having both touchscreen and keyboard, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to replace that. Currently T-Mobile are offering me the following options for free:

HTC Wildfire

LG Optimus One Navigation

Motorola Defy - this one has extra-strong glass, which right now looks rather attractive!

Nokia Chrome - not much attracted by this

Nokia 6700 - looks nice little phone, v.like a previous Nokia, but of course small screen

Nokia C6 - probably the most like the G1, slide-out keyboard and touchscreen - but resistive. Review not positive.

Nokia C7 - like the C6 but no keyboard

Nokia E72 - has a keyboard, possibly the most useful for work? Theoretically can edit documents on it.

Samsung Tocco Lite - doesn't appeal

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro - has slidy-out keyboard and touchscreen. Android, so used to that. Probably the one I'm most inclined to get.

Does anyone have any of these and have a view on what's good/bad about it?

Of course, I will also have a look at some other options and see if I want to change provider.

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The very generous caulkhead gave me the wonderful set of Puffin postcards produced to mark their 70th anniversary. It's great fun looking through them, and coming across things like this cover of Little Plum (which I was reading only recently):

( Little Plum cover )
or the Something to Do book, which I remember us having. It was illustrated by Shirley Hughes, whose drawings I love, and I'm sure I remember making an advent calendar based on its instructions, though I have forgotten all the other things, if we ever did them.
( Something to Do )

Like callmemadam, some of my favourites are missing, and there are quite a few books I never had or saw, but lots that I did, like this edition of Paddington at Large
( Paddington at Large )

I was very fond of Paddington, but I think more as a wonderful character than the stories themselves. I preferred Michael Bond's Thursday books, especially the first one when Thursday the mouse tries to help turn a old-fashioned shop into a supermarket. But 'Please Look After This Bear' was irresistible. I had one of the large Paddington bears wearing real wellies, which I loved and which was lost in a house move, sadly. Mine had yellow wellies, and pyjamas that my mother made for him. The stories I remember liking best were in the Blue Peter annual, perhaps because it made him seem so real. And of course the five-minute animations with Michael Horden narrating.

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Penguin have produced a list of 52 books to read in 2011, to make you 'healthy, wealthy and wise'. Not entirely sure many of them would be my pick...

Instead, since Christmas I have read:

- Surface Detail, Iain M Banks. Enjoyed this much more than Matter. The exploration of the Hells is excellent, and there's a brilliantly written warship, Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints. Although most of the various plot threads do all tie together effectively, some of the intergalactic politics felt a little bolted-on, but maybe I will feel differently when I re-read it. And I was glad I followed various people's advice and did not look at the last page (which I might well have done), but it did leave me expecting a bit more twist at the end than there actually was.

- Thanks, Johnners, Jonathan Agnew. A very good read if you like cricket/Test Match Special. Which I do. More a book about Agnew's involvement with TMS and Johnston than a biography, and about what makes the programme fun. With some slightly depressing reflections at the end on the future of cricket, although he admits that he may be suffering from Golden Age syndrome.

- three of star_tourmaline's Dick Francis novels - Break In, Bolt (same hero, Kit Fielding), Nerve (1964; after reading two set in the 1980s I was shocked they were only getting £10 a race, until I looked at the publication date). Enjoyed them, and look forward to more.

- the first four Aurora Teagarden mysteries, by Charlaine Harris - these were written before the Sookie Stackhouse books. Light and fun.

- Waking the Witch, Kelley Armstrong - the Otherworld series, with Savannah Levine as the heroine. Enjoyed it, but it has a slightly cliffhanger ending so now waiting for the sequel, Spellbound, which is due out in the summer. Both this and the Aurora books were Christmas presents from star_tourmaline.

- Red, Warren Ellis. hano gave me this for Christmas, after we saw the film last year. Dramatic, and fun to read (& a much simpler plot than the film), but I am not very good with graphic novels; I don't take long enough to absorb the artwork. Need to learn how to slow down with them. And then start reading hano's Sandmans.

- Jo Returns to the Chalet School, Elinor M Brent-Dyer - re-read mostly in preparation for this week's Chalet group meeting, where we discussed whether Jo Bettany would get published these days, the kind of advice given to authors about plot/adult characters, and what appealed to us about the books. Discussion was led by a group member who writes for children/young adults and also reviews manuscripts, and was great fun. Some admitted that they had preferred the abridged Armadas as children, because they were a faster read. I did not mention that I once spent ages comparing the Armada & hardback versions of Jo of, and marking up all the changes (in pencil, natch).

I was amused, reading Jo Returns, to notice how medical personnel are the literary critics in Chalet-world. Jem pronounces on whether Jo will ever be a writer in Jo of the Chalet School, and in Jo Returns it's Matey who tells her the first book is terrible, and makes her start again.

- Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, Little Plum, Rumer Godden. Came across these on the shelf and spent an enjoyable hour reading them again. I have always liked Godden's style, and I love the idea of building my own Japanese dolls-house. I never will, of course, but I did once have two beautifully painted Japanese kokeshi dolls, nested one inside the other, and called them Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. I'm not sure what happened to them, though I still have my Russian dolls.

Plus some bits and pieces for work, including 'Popularity of the Royal Naval Service, with a defence of the admirals and captains against the aspersions of the Edinburgh reviewer, Mr. Hume, and Sir Francis Burdett...' (1826), 'Irish immigrants in Scotland’s shipyards and coalfields' (Historical Research, 2010) and an article on the naval prize system.

Probably none of these will make me healthy or wealthy or even wise (though I now know a bit more about horse-racing than I did) but they did make me happy!

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This passage from The Sword in the Stone always made me laugh, even before I had met Woskar, the sleepiest cat in the world. And right now I wish I could have a little nap too.

Merlyn said, "I beg your pardon. I am not having a very good day today, and there it is."

"About Kay," said the Wart. "Even if you can't change him into things, could you not give us both an adventure without changing?"

Merlyn made a visible effort to control his temper, and to consider this question dispassionately. He was sick of the subject altogether.

"I cannot do any magic for Kay," he said slowly, "except my own magic that I have anyway. Backsight and insight and all that. Do you mean anything I could do with that?"

"What does your backsight do?"

"It tells me what you would say is going to happen, and the insight sometimes says what is or was happening in other places."

"Is there anything happening just now, anything that Kay and I could go to see?"

Merlyn immediately struck himself on the brow and exclaimed excitedly, "Now I see it all. Yes, of course there is, and you are going to see it. Yes, you must take Kay and hurry up about it. You must go immediately after Mass. Have breakfast first and go immediately after Mass. Yes, that is it. Go straight to Hob's strip of barley in the open field and follow that line until you come to something. That will be splendid, yes, and I shall have a nap this afternoon instead of those filthy Summulae Logicales. Or have I had the nap?"

"You have not had it," said Archimedes. "That is still in the future, Master."

"Splendid, splendid. And mind, Wart, don't forget to take Kay with you so that I can have my nap."

"What shall we see?" asked the Wart.

"Ah, don't plague me about a little thing like that. You run along now, there's a good boy, and mind you don't forget to take Kay with you. Why ever didn't you mention it before? Don't forget to follow beyond the strip of barley. Well, well, well! This is the first half-holiday I have had since I started this confounded tutorship. First I think I shall have a little nap before luncheon, and then I think I shall have a little nap before tea. Then I shall have to think of something I can do before dinner. What shall I do before dinner, Archimedes?"

"Have a little nap, I expect," said the owl coldly, turning his back upon his master, because he, as well as the Wart, enjoyed to see life.

(Crossposted from Dreamwidth, where it appears with a Woskar icon)

Happy New Year - I know it's a little bit late...

Am going to try and start posting again, via DW with a cross-post, because LJ are annoying me with their pop-up ads.

I have a long half-written post with various book reviews, but I have to admit that what is exercising my mind this morning is Jill Paton Walsh's Sayers continuation Attenbury Emeralds, which I have not even read.* That's because the Lord Peter list are discussing it, and in particular issues around the wealth of the Denver estate and whether Paton Walsh is making Lord Peter too middle class. And I have been trying to remember where in canon the sources of both Lord Peter's and Denver's incomes are discussed. I think I'm right that Lord Peter inherits some money (from his mother's side?) and then makes himself genuinely rich by property investment. I never had the impression that the Duke did much in that line, rather that it was a big agriculturally based estate, but can anyone remind me of anywhere that's discussed?

Also I agree with everyone who's saying the Wimseys' children would not be brought up to call Bunter 'Mervyn'. By Bunter, even if not by Peter and Harriet.

* I bought the first two continuations in hardback; quite enjoyed parts of the first, less the second, and will probably get this from the library at some stage.

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