i dream in words

Books books books

2009-11-08T11:29:00.001+02:00

It has been a while since I have done one of these and when I saw that both Gina and Sally (two recent additions to my ever growing blog reading list) have both done it, I figured I would play sheep.

I have marked the ones I have read and liked in lime, the ones I have read (or started reading) and disliked in red and the ones I am planning on reading soon in yellow (bright enough for you?)

THE BORDERS 100 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIMES

1. Jane Austen – Pride & Prejudice
2. Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird
3. JRR Tolkien – Lord Of The Rings
4. Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper
5. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga
6. JK Rowling – Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
7. Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife
8. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief
9. George Orwell – 1984
10. Raymond E. Feist – Magician
11. Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns
12. Paullina Simons – Bronze Horsemen
13. Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram
14. Margaret Mitchell – Gone With The Wind
15. Bryce Courtenay – Power of One
16. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code
17. Dan Brown – Angels & Demons
18. Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
19. Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre
20. Tim Winton – Cloud Street
21. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
22. Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights
23. Arthur Golden – Memoirs of Geisha
24. LM Montgomery – Anne Of Green Gables
25. Joseph Heller – Catch-22
26. Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat Pray Love (I gave up on this one, but may try again some time in the future)
27. Niv Mass Market Bible With Bible Guide – International Bible Society Staff and International Bible Society
28. JRR Tolkien – The Hobbit
29. Yann Martel – Life of Pi
30. AB Facey – Fortunate Life
31. Douglas Adams – The Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
32. Lewis Carroll – Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
33. Diana Gabaldon – Cross Stich
34. Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance
35. David Pelzar – A Child Called It
36. Li Cunxin – Mao’s Last Dancer
37. John Marsden – Tomorrow, When The War Began
38. Frank McCourt – Angela’s Ashes
39. Frank Herbert – Dune
40. JD Salinger – A Catcher In The Rye
41. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby
42. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – One Hundred Years Of Solitude
43. Bryce Courtenay – April Fool’s Day
44. Ken Follet – Pillars Of The Earth
45. Patrick Suskind – Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer
46. Matthew Reilly – Ice Station
47. Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow Of The Wind
48. Stephen Hawking – A Brief History Of Time
49. Christopher Paolini – Eragon
50. Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
51. Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie
52. Jane Austen – Persuasion
53. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
54. Ian McEwan – Atonement
55. Leo Tolstory – Anna Karenina
56. George Orwell – Animal Farm
57. Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange
58. Antoine de Saint Exupéry – The Little Prince
59. Roald Dahl – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
60. CS Lewis – The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
61. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Love In The Time Of Cholera
62. Bill Bryson – A Short History Of Nearly Everything
63. Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime And Punishment
64. Anthony Bourke – Lion Called Christian
65. Arundhati Roy – The God Of Small Things
66. Paullina Simons – Tully
67. John Grisham – A Time To Kill
68. John Grogan – Marley & Me
69. Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy
70. Alexandre Dumas – Count Of Monte Cristo
71. Neil Gaiman – American Gods
72. Cormac McCarthy – The Road
73. Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
74. Brendan Shanahan – In Turkey I Am Beautiful: Between Chaos And Madness In A Strange Land
75. Tim Winton – Breath
76. Bryce Courtenay – Jessica
77. Graeme Base – Animalia
78. Donna Tartt – The Secret History
79. Mario Puzo – The Godfather
80. Anne Rice – Interview With The Vampire
81. Steig Larrson – The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo
82. Stephen King – Stand
83. Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary
84. Eckhart Tolle – New Earth
85. Matthew Reilly – Seven Ancient Wonders
86. Jung Chang – Wild Swans
87. Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook
88. Bret Easton Ellis – American Psycho
89. David Eddings – Belgariad Vol. 1: Pawn Of Prophecy; Queen Of Sorcery; Magician’s Gambit
90. Louis De Bernieres – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
91. Melina Marchetta – Looking For Alibrandi
92. Celia Ahern – PS I Love You
93. John Irving – A Prayer For Owen Meany
94. Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds
95. John Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy Of Dunces
96. Terry Pratchett – Good Omens
97. Hunter S. Thompson – Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
98. Joanne Harris – Chocolat
99. William Goldman – Princess Bride
100. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations

Red	5
Green	30
Total read	35 (yikes – need to work on that)

EXCLUSIVE BOOKS 101 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE

1.The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
2.The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
3. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
5. The Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
6. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
7. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
8. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
9. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
10. The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
11. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
12. Spud – John van de Ruit
13. The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
14. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
15. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
16. Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
17. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
18. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
19. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
20. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
21. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
22. Disgrace – J. M. Coetzee
23. My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
24. The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
25. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
26. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
27. Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
28. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
29. Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
30. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
32. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon
33. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
34. Atonement – Ian McEwan
35. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
36. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
37. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
38. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
39. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
40. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
41. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
42. I Know This Much is True – Wally Lamb
43. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
44. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
45. War And Peace – Leo Tolstoy
46. Clan of the Cave Bear – Jean M. Auel
47. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
48. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
49. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
50. Possession – A. S. Byatt
51. Perfume – Patrick Suskind
52. The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende
53. Chocolat – Joanne Harris
54. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
55. Q & A – Vikas Swarup
56. Dune – Frank Herbert
57. Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
58. Fugitive Pieces – Anne Michaels
59. River God – Wilbur Smith
60. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
61. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
62. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
63. Mort – Terry Pratchett
64. Crime and Punishment – Feodor Dostoyevsky
65. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
66. East of Eden – John Steinbeck
67. The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
68. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
69. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
70. The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy
71. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
72. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
73. The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx
74. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
75. Animal Farm – George Orwell
76. The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
77. Watership Down – Richard Adams
78. Magician – Raymond E Feist
79. Middlemarch – George Eliot
80. The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth
81. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
82. The Magus – John Fowles
83.The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Agaat – Marlene van Niekerk
85. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
86. The Shell Seekers – Rosamunde Pilcher
87. The Colour Purple – Alice Walker
88. The Beach House – James Patterson
89. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
90. Kringe in ‘n Bos – Dalene Matthee
91. The World according to Garp – John Irving
92. Northen Lights – Phillip Pullman
93. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
94. Shades – Marguerite Poland
95. Kane and Abel – Jeffrey Archer
96. Fiela se kind – Dalene Matthee
97. Story of an African Farm – Olive Schreiner
98. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
99. The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
100. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
101. Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne

Red	3
Green	40
Total:	43

That’s a bit better.

I am thinking that I should possibly give Great Expectations another chance, since I can’t even remember why I didn’t like it. And, wow, so many books still to read.

The week that was

2009-11-07T09:09:00.001+02:00

We attended a Halloween party with a difference. Small cosy venue and a bunch of my favourite beats. Oh, and this view of Jozi:

We’ve seen a lot of this (and the wet stuff it produces):

Felt like this quite a bit this week:

(Chris, our wonderful NaNoWriMo ML)

And, finally, the blue skies returned on Thursday:

So glorious, it deserves another look.

And this is the view from the office balcony on Friday:

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Day 3

2009-11-03T17:59:00.001+02:00

Oh, the joy, the pain, the bleeding has begun. This year, I am writing something completely new. My husband and I were having a chat and this idea popped into my head. We discussed it a little more, and the idea just grew from there. And it is fun. And it is funny. In my head it is, at least. And that is the most important place :)

So, herewith a snippet of the mess that is currently known as Mr Universe:

“Well, we all miss home,” Laura tried to be strong, “But we are here now, and we may as well make the best of it. At least, as far as I know, we are still in our galaxy, so if you guys flake out in this round, we can all go home quickly.”

“Flake out!” Laurence exclaimed. “Do you really think we don’t stand a chance? We are the most beautiful people on our planet!”

Laura shook her head. “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant.” She had vastly underestimated the vanity of beautiful people and didn’t think that they would even want to participate in this strange event.

“Vat did you mean then?” the air got a little colder and Svetlana seemed much taller.

Laura took a deep breath, blinked just long enough to pull herself together and said “Look, this is a little... well, odd, don’t you think? And sudden. I just need time to, well, adjust. And I thought you may too.”

And all I can add is that I cannot wait to write the swimsuit section of this strange event.

Current word count: 4283 (9% complete)

This means I am just about 700 words short of where I should be today, but I knew I wouldn’t get much writing done during the week, as I can catch up on week-ends.

Personal target word count for the week: 15k

This should give me a small buffer for next week again.

One more day

2009-10-31T13:54:00.001+02:00

Indeed, tomorrow the madness begins. Or possibly even at midnight tonight – depending on how our Halloween festivities go :)

Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of angsting and word count related posts again. You have been warned.

Book: Coconut

2009-10-30T14:40:00.001+02:00

The urban slang term ‘Coconut’ is used to describe black people who act “white” - it literally means black on the outside and white on the inside. The title sets the tone for this well written, easy to read book about two young girls growing up in the ‘new’ South Africa.

It is really two separate stories, the one of Ofilwe who grew up white and the other of Fikile (or Fiks) who desperately wants to be white, and the struggles each of them have with the paths their lives have taken. Some scenes in the book are hard to swallow, not because they suspend belief, but because we never want to accept such situations, but they are dealt with so graciously and elegantly that one almost smiles through it.

I try and make a point of reading ‘local’ literature as much as I can stomach, but as I prefer reading fiction, it doesn’t happen too often that I do pick up a locally published, South African-flavoured book. My mom bought my daughter a copy of Coconut at the recent Jozi Book fair, so I thought I would see what it was like, as it was in the house already, and I am quite pleased that I did pick it up.

You can read an excerpt from the book here, but I would recommend reading the entire book instead.

The day that was

2009-10-23T19:57:00.001+02:00

On the way home, the signs of summer.

I so wished I could capture scent with the pictures with the jasmine heavy in the pre-storm air.

And then the storm started brewing. I saw it first through the Jacaranda.

And then the hailstones hammered down.

My children left footprints in the snow.

And then it was over. Just like that. Only the neighbour’s white roof gives it away.

It is still raining. Distant thunder rumbles, God bless Tupelo.

On Television

2009-10-18T10:58:00.001+02:00

It happens, every now and again, that somewhere in conversation I may mention that we do not own a television set. This, of course, means that we do not really watch TV. And generally the response is ‘Oh, my god, how do you live?’ as if there is no life without TV.

The reality is that we live quite happily. We control what we watch and when we watch it and how much we watch. We, as a family, also spend an enormous amount of time doing other things, like gardening, reading, chatting and laughing. And yes, we do watch things, but it is controlled, and it is our choice. But whenever I have this discussion, I cannot help but recall the song by Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy that sums up my feelings about TV in general perfectly, lyrics as follows:

one nation
under God
has turned into
one nation under the influence
of one drug

[chorus:]
Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
(2x)

T.V., it
satellite links
our United States of Unconsciousness
Apathetic therapeutic and extremely addictive
The methadone metronome pumping out
150 channels 24 hours a day
you can flip through all of them
and still there's nothing worth watching
T.V. is the reason why less than 10 per cent of our
Nation reads books daily
Why most people think Central Amerika
means Kansas
Socialism means unamerican
and Apartheid is a new headache remedy
absorbed in it's world it's so hard to find us
It shapes our mind the most
maybe the mother of our Nation
should remind us
that we're sitting too close to...

[Chorus:]
Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
(2x)

T.V. is
the stomping ground for political candidates
Where bears in the woods
are chased by Grecian Formula'd
bald eagles
T.V. is mechanized politic's
remote control over the masses
co-sponsored by environmentally safe gases
watch for the PBS special
It's the perpetuation of the two party system
where image takes precedence over wisdom
Where sound bite politics are served to
the fastfood culture
Where straight teeth in your mouth
are more important than the words
that come out of it
Race baiting is the way to get selected
Willie Horton or
Will he not get elected on...

[Chorus:]
Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
(2x)

T.V., is it the reflector or the director?
Does it imitate us
or do we imitate it
because a child watches 1500 murders before he's
twelve years old and we wonder why we've created
a Jason generation that learns to laugh
rather than to abhor the horror
T.V. is the place where
armchair generals and quarterbacks can
experience first hand
the excitement of warfare
as the theme song is sung in the background
Sugar sweet sitcoms
that leave us with a bad actor taste while
pop stars metamorphosize into soda pop stars
You saw the video
You heard the soundtrack
Well now go buy the soft drink
Well, the onla cola that I support
would be a union C.O.L.A.(Cost Of Living Allowance)
On television

[Chorus:]
Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
(2x)

Back again, "New and improved"
We return to our irregularly programmed schedule
hidden cleverly between heavy breasted
beer and car commercials
CNNESPNABCTNT but mostly B.S.
Where oxymoronic language like
"virtually spotless", "fresh frozen"
"light yet filling" and "military intelligence"
have become standard
T.V. is the place where phrases are redefined
like "recession" to "necessary downturn"
"Crude oil" on a beach to "mousse"
"Civilian death" to "collateral damages"
and being killed by your own Army
is now called "friendly fire"
T.V. is the place where the pursuit
of happiness has become the pursuit of
trivia
Where toothpaste and cars have become
sex objects
Where imagination is sucked out of children
by a cathode ray nipple
T.V. is the only wet nurse
that would create a cripple

[Chorus:]
Television, the drug of the Nation
Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation
(4x)

~ Television The Drug of the Nation by Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

And…

2009-10-17T19:12:00.001+02:00

And… I’ve done it. As I wrote the previous post I realised that it made perfect sense to do something I’ve been thinking about for a while. So I have imported all the media-related posts from ElectricBunnies. And I have started thinking about all the things I can blog about here.

Let’s hope I stay inspired.

Compass change

2009-10-17T18:55:00.001+02:00

I haven’t been writing. I haven’t been blogging either. Not much, anyway. I haven’t blogged here for ages, because I haven’t really known what to put here. The writing is always in the back of my mind, even though life has been so busy I haven’t had a chance to think. And I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, this blog should be about more than just writing.

I don’t like blogging about my life in public domain. It too often comes back and bites on in the arse. But I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, it is possible to blog about certain parts of life without giving too much away.

I am still deciding what I want to do here, but I will be changing the focus of this blog. There will be still some writing-related posts – especially with NaNoWriMo just around the corner – but I suspect I may start blogging about other things here too.

I have especially thought of moving the media-related posts from ElectricBunnies over here, widening the scope of the blog already. And it will be nice to feel comfortable here again.

Fail

2009-09-26T08:47:00.001+02:00

Taken at a local supermarket recently. Apparently, you could win a 2 night stay at a fictional place :)

(The town is actually called Knysna)

Wonder what’s next? A trip to Hogwarts maybe?

This is why proofreading is so important.

i’m sorry to admit

2009-09-19T08:02:00.001+02:00

I’m sorry to admit
but my life
is simply too boring for fodder
no guns and car chases
no murder
no psycho family or knives
found here

I’m sorry to admit
but my life
is simply too small for your picture
no drama or intrigue
in fact
this is mostly a sleepy comedy

Sounds of summer?

2009-09-17T20:47:00.001+02:00

I heard this song for the first time yesterday, and have not been able to stop listening to it since.

If this is the sound of my summer to be, then I am in for an awesome summer.

Words, or the lack thereof

2009-09-12T09:25:00.001+02:00

If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything. - Bill Lyon

I have been busy. Really busy. And I know this is no excuse. But it has been keeping me away from the words. My two new stories are still swimming around in my head, and the characters from Young Gods have started visiting me in my dreams again, but I simply have not had the time or energy to sit down and write.

I was battling with editing Young Gods, because there is just so much wordage, and so much that I like, but also so much that I hate, that I decided to take a step back from it for a while. I have been toying with the idea of using November to edit instead of participating in NaNoWriMo, as most of my work-related projects should be wound down by then.

My daughter and I also considered using November to write 4 short stories each for NaNo, but she will be writing exams, so we will see how that goes.

My husband and I sat down recently and put down some goals for the next 20 years (which sounds like an awfully long time, until you start planning it). I put down some writing goals as part of these plans, like having my first novel sold in the next 3 years and my second in 6. I don’t like to disappoint or miss deadlines, which is why I put down these goals on our official plan, because I know I will force myself to meet them. Let’s hope my muse feels the same way.

Taylor Swift meets Coldplay

2009-08-21T18:55:00.000+02:00

The link to this video was shared by someone on Twitter today, and I think I have fallen in love with this quite a bit.

Cannot wait for the MP3 download to become available from Jon’s site.

Sea monsters

2009-08-16T11:55:00.001+02:00

Following hot on the heels of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I am reading at the moment and thoroughly enjoying), Quirk brings you (queue the organ music) Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

I found the book trailer on Myke Amend’s blog, and enjoyed it so much, I had to share.

Cannot wait to read this one too.

The return of the Words

2009-08-16T09:19:00.001+02:00

After weeks and months of no words, I suddenly find myself working on not one, but two stories. It feels great to be writing again.

I am not sure where these stories will take me, or what format they will end up in. The first story is, for now, a middle-grade story that I am calling Lori’s dad, and I think it is a spy story. The other I am calling Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and it seems to be a chick-lit story. Both were, as always, inspired by dreams and random thoughts, and both are screaming to be written.

So far, I have written just on 500 words on Lori’s dad – a slow start – and just about 2000 words on Snow White.

I am so glad the words are back.

Thoughts on the Jozi book fair and the local publishing industry

2009-08-08T16:11:00.001+02:00

My daughter and I went to the Jozi Book Fair today, where my mom was promoting her book (Steps to Financial Freedom).

The fair was held at Museum Africa in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, Johannesburg and was the first such event in Johannesburg. All the publishers were there with tables - groaning under piles and piles of books - and friendly smiling faces.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have been very well publicized, as there were more organisers than attendees – or so it seemed, at least. I only heard of the event because my mother was speaking, so I wonder if anyone else had heard of it. Which is a pity, because there is a great need for such an event. In fact, because I hadn’t seen any advertising for the event, I assumed it was an industry only event, and declined taking my daughter’s friends along.

Another pity is the vast number of political literature available, and how little fiction there is by comparison. Our culture has a rich tradition of story telling, and yet we spend all our money on fiction written by non-South Africans. And I doubt that this has anything to do with a lack of writers or readers.

I do hope that this changes quickly. I have seen some non-political South African fiction on the shelves recently, so I am positive that there is change happening in the local publishing industry. But the reality is still that, when I walk into my local bookstore, I am more likely to purchase a book by an international author rather than a local one, because, for some strange reason, local fiction is more expensive. That, and there simply isn’t enough available that is compatible with my tastes.

I really do hope that next year’s event is much better advertised, and that one day, I am there talking about my own book.

The world I live in

2009-08-08T08:50:00.001+02:00

I took a couple of pictures recently of the world I live in.

Early morning at work:

I love winter trees. I cannot help but imagine the dead branches as long, scary fingers.

Early morning, visiting a customer:

Loved the gardens and the sun streaming through the trees.

The door to winter:

We don’t get snow in winter, so when anything white falls, we like to pretend it is snow. This was taken last week-end, and it looks like, if you had to open that door, you could walk into a blizzard.

Mocking turtles

2009-08-06T21:14:00.001+02:00

[picture source]

My daughter and I recently watched Alice in Wonderland again. It must be one of my favourite adaptations ever of my favourite story. I am almost sure it was Alice that inspired me first to tell stories myself, and has influenced my thought patterns for a very, very long time.

Anyway, since watching the movie, the Mock turtle’s song has been stuck in my head. This is not a bad thing, because it is a cheerful little song to hum on dreary mornings.

"Will you walk a little faster?"
Said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us,
And he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters
And the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle -
Will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have notion
How delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us,
With the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!"
And gave a look askance -
Said he thanked the whiting kindly,
But he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, could not join the dance.

"What matters it how far we go?"
His scaly friend replied,
"There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side.
The further off from England
The nearer is to France -
Then turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?

~ From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Wish you were here Wednesday #9

2009-08-05T08:00:00.000+02:00

Nearing winter’s end

2009-08-01T15:49:00.001+02:00

I have almost made peace with the fact that I just don’t seem to write in winter. We are nearing the end of a particularly tough winter now – well, tough for those of us who are used to long, sunny summers and very mild winters.

I have spent most of this winter sleeping, or just cuddling up in bed. Normally, when I am not writing, I spend a lot of time reading, but this winter even stole that from me – it was simply too cold.

This morning, I woke up to the sounds of rain, and knew that winter is at its end, and with it, my writing hiatus. I could feel the stories stirring deep inside, and the words bubbling under the surface – the writing will be back soon.

My mother has been tempting me recently. She is moving to the coast in just over a month’s time, and planted a seed – why don’t we move down too. Dreams of working in the morning and writing in the afternoon appeared. And I am not sure I can stop this seed from growing this time. And maybe it is time for a change.

Wish you were here Wednesday #8

2009-07-29T08:00:00.000+02:00

The Lightning Thief

2009-07-27T18:57:00.001+02:00

Finally, we have a date – 12 Feb ~~2009~~ 2010. Whether we in South Africa will get to see it then will have to be seen, but at least we have a date to aim for.

Loved the books, can’t wait to see what they do with them.

[eta: thanks to Missus Emm for spotting my little date faux pas]

Wish you were here Wednesday #7

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000+02:00

Wish you were here Wednesday #6

2009-07-15T08:00:00.000+02:00