A long pause and a favourite piece of imagery.

I didn't want to feel that I would have to blog everyday, but it's been a little while since the last one. Then again, I'm struggling to remember what happened a week ago!

I've spent a bit of time reading, quite a lot of time actually. I've finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  This is her third novel, published last year.  It was 'on my list' to read but I was reticent to read it as she is an American Thriller Novelist and the novel is set in America.  I've nothing against Americans or America per se, but the setting and the style of prose is dull and uninteresting.  The New York Times says that she is 'one of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time' with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. All I'm saying is it didn't do it for me.  The American dream setting, the obvious plot that (it's revenge served on a cold dish)  The ditsy male and female characters, sickly sweet sentimental stuff, lame psychopath...  Nah, not in a hurry to read her other novels.

On the other hand, I'm just about to finish Lars Kepler's The Nightmare and it has me gripped. What surprised me to learn was that this novel has duel authorship by Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril. The setting...Sweden (that's pretty exotic to me), The intelligent repartee between the characters, strong male and female characters, links to art and music, guns, action, and my favourite bit of imagery for the week 'Silence fills the room. It's as if feathers are falling all around them.'  mmm, just let me mediate on that image awhile longer. Lush, all I want to say to Lars Kepler is

Anyway, it seems that I have found a genre I particularly like, Swedish Crime Thrillers, and I'll have to investigate further on the individual works of Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril.

Enough bookish stuff.  I have also been busy researching courses in various subjects that I would like to undertake.  The trouble is, it all costs money.  Which has led me to start to apply for jobs. Not jump up for joy I love going to work everyday types of job, just low paid, fits in with the family routine kind of stuff.  Ah well, I'm certainly not alone in that department.

Blue Monday

this is the formula :



where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=N_a. 'D' is not defined.

So, just to live to tell the tale is impressive enough I think.  I don't really want to spend too much time adding my own failings into the formula.  Suffice to say, roll on Tuesday.

I've read a book this afternoon, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  It was a quick and easy read, but I wanted to see for myself why Teens seem to be so taken with it.  I get it, sort of, but I can see that you'd have to be Teen to take full advantage of the emotional roller coaster Green takes you on.  The feedback from the Teens on Green's website seem to agree that they loved the characters, plot and emotional roller coaster, but disagree about whether it's a love story or not.

The weather curtailed my grocery shopping adventure today and I headed towards Arbroath.  Disaster struck however, when my only Waitrose 'bag for life' was whipped savagely from my trolley by the wind before I had time to enter Lidl.

Oh nooo!

I'll never be able to afford another one, and now I don't even live remotely near a Waitrose ...sob.
I'll have to slum it with a Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda bag from now on...the shame.

To cheer my self up, I went to Asda for the remaining  items on my grocery list and as I was feeling  very sorry for myself,  I bought books. A knee-jerk reaction, I know, but I'm weak.

Rant

When will publishers desist with this disgusting habit of 'printing' a sticker on the front cover?  It's bad enough that stickers are stuck on covers, very irritating and time consuming for me. I spend ages trying to peel it off in a oner and get a damp cloth to get rid of the sticky residue.
The printed on sticker is really a step too far. 

I feel a protest coming on..

Bleugh, Blue Monday Weather.

See!  Look at that offensive yellow sticker, It spoils the aesthetics of the front cover and feel of the book!

An Unexpected Journey

I've had a much more productive day today and it feels good.  Not productive in a work/earning/contributing way (stab of guilt).  More in a 'being a bit more spontaneous' sort of way.
I took full advantage of Claire's overnight stay at Gran's house.  Claire was to walk to Gran's house from school tonight, which left me with a day without the constraints of the school day.
I started off my morning with a refreshing and blustery walk in the park with the Rocket and Radar. Despite the hailstorm, I really enjoyed it.
I did resort to type when I returned home; cleaning floors, washing and ironing but that was all done by 11.30.  Then a notion took me....go to the cinema, see The Hobbit.  I checked online and the next showing was at 13.15, perfect.
Bliss. The whole cinema to myself... and then 3 people joined me. They were quiet, so I forgive them for encroaching on my solitude.

Result! Enjoyed the film, did a minor spontaneous thing and filled an afternoon without any anxiety.  More of the same please.




Carnoustie House Grounds, with a lovely sunrise this morning.



Radar, with a 'Watch out Rocket, I'm going to steal your stick!' look.

It's a four letter word beginning with 'f'.........

FORM! 

I spent the first part of the morning weeping/swearing/pulling my hair out and eventually passing out trying to fill in a Disability Living Allowance form for Claire. I've been advised by 'Professionals' that Claire is entitled to apply for an allowance to allow her to access resources and activities that she wouldn't be able to access otherwise.
But they are never going to make it that easy for you.  Over 50 questions, most of which required 'additional information' to support the answers. I ask you, who among us would not baulk at that monstrosity of a form?

I got to question 25 and felt like slitting my wrists.  So I stopped and made a tea and settled into a chair with my book.

I actually nodded off!, I fell asleep!  Oh good God, what has become of me when I meet my match in the shape of a form?? 

Worse still, it was only 11 o'clock!  So now, elevenses mean snack and snooze for me.

A dangerous path to tread.

Spent the afternoon wrestling with my crochet project and have now resorted to YouTube to get lefty support for beginners.  Oh well...

Smart thinking

I will do my best to remember this when it all goes t*ts up!

Faff, coffee, faff, bed

As I'm not employed at the moment, life seems to be a bit free-fall.  I've discovered that I'm a bit of a ''routine-junkie'. Apart from the guilt of not working/earning/contributing to society/paying my national insurance, I have lots of anxiety about how to fill my time. I think it's a case of be careful what you wish for.

Book wise, I'm reading The Snow Geese by William Fiennes.  He came to give a lecture at Dundee University a few years ago and I was captivated by the way he spoke and discussed his book.  This is actually a  re-read and the reason for this is my current fascination with watching migrating geese. This is William's story about his journey from Texas to the Arctic Tundra where the Snow Geese go to breed.  It is a beautifully written book that has been research well and is much more than an ornithological travel journal, it's filled with great insights and wisdom.