A Bitter Sweet Week

Josh & Sam

This week has been a bit of a bitter sweet one for me.  I had the joy of seeing my daughter and her family and then today was told the news that my dad’s cancer battle is not yet over.  One day at a time……..

I haven’t done a great deal of reading but now the family has gone back to WA I intend to get back into the swing of it.  I left my iPod shuffle running all day by mistake and was at the end of Ivanhoe when I left work.  I tried to back track on the way home but after wobbling around my lane a bit on the highway I gave up and listened to some Sparks instead.  Now the damn thing is flat and I’m charging it up – more precious reading time wasted!

It was lovely seeing my daughter, grandson and my-son-in-law's sons.  I got the biggest hug from Sam, he’s always good for a cuddle and I think Josh said more to me this week than he ever has!  My grandson Jayden let me hold his hand when we were out, the last time I saw him he would pull it away and say ‘no’. 

My gorgeous grandson

The highlight was going on the Big Red Car ride twice with him, and having my photo taken with Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur at Dreamworld, and being asked if ‘mum’ would like to be in the photo too.  It’s nice being a young nana! 

Thanks to  my son-in-law's habit of not being happy with his meal when we go out I’ve scored vouchers for Montezuma’s and Outback Jacks so guess where I’ll be headed on the weekend……

Getting back to reading: Ivanhoe has been rather different than I expected.  It’s a great adventure story, but I wonder why it was called Ivanhoe as he hasn’t really featured in it very much.  I’ve got three more discs to go so he must show up somewhere.  Whilst listening to this I’m surprised at how ignorant I have been of British history.  I knew about the Battle of Hastings, and I saw the Bayeaux Tapestry when on a school trip to Normandy but I didn’t realise that Richard the Lionheart was a Norman, and I didn’t really think about the Jewish population back then.  It’s obvious there was one – I’ve read Merchant of Venice but I’ve never really thought about it much. 

I really like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; the Vanger family and its mystery are quite intriguing.  The location is different from other mystery novels, and the characters well described.

I’ve also been reading a Fontana Book of Ghost Stories, to keep my ‘spooky’ reading in hand whilst I wait for Ringing the Changes to arrive.  The Dead Man of Varley Grange and No Living Man so Tall have been the highlights from this.  I read all the Fontana’s when I was young so it’s good to re-read them all with an adult’s eye.

I've done more eating than reading this week and I haven’t played with my Kindle yet, but I do plan to check it out properly on the weekend, I'll find a free wifi hotspot (McDonald’s?), and download some books.

So until next time…..