h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Reading via kindle has slowed down significantly since being back in the UK. Time seems to swallow itself up here, collapsing and folding inwards. Telescoping, with no trace of the spaces where reading used to occur. Possibly the northern climate has a great deal to answer for in this situation, with darkness seeping into the early afternoon. The feeling of night arrives shortly after lunch, just when there'd be lolling and reading in a bit of sun, if there was any choice in the matter.

My tagline could well be: 'hungry, with a desire for tea and cake'. Boredom hunger, hunger for the warmth of the vanished sun.

But still, the daily deals are compulsively checked, in case I miss a book I'd like to store up for the return to my own home. Dune has been bought, which I've not read in god knows how long, and some crime thriller I got swayed into clicking the 'one click button'. Grief, it is just so damned easy to buy stuff. [Insert manic grin here]

And it's not just kindle books anymore. Being in the UK means a UK postal address and the temptation to buy actual 'things' that will come to the door in brown cardboard boxes. On order now are impossible dreams. A bowl made of alabaster, in the sweetest pale blue. Some emergency nail wraps, to bandage my damaged fingernails in silk and fibreglass resin.

Maybe I will turn into a hermit, here in the dark north, and only go outside to fetch in the milk, and sign for parcels. I'll sleep, hibernate and eat cake and honeyed milk and sleep, and sleep and sleep.

And maybe sleep?

Sounds like a plan to me... especially the sleeping bit... I get to about 1 or 2 in teh afternoon.... the sun (if it appears), has gone.... and you knwo the rest of the day only offers a drop in temp and approaching full darkness, and a probability of rain... and my body just wants to go back to bed!
I've tons* of things I could do in the house; cupbaords to sort, things for charity shops to organise into bags to take along... yet none of it manages to get done, as each afternon turns into a long long dark teatime of the soul...

I was lucky in that I had a visit from my brother and sister-in-law today. Forced me to get up early, wash my dishes, tidy, dust and vacuum. They only stayed for three hours and all we did was having lunch and talk - but boy does my kitchen, bathroom and dining/sittingroom shine now

Well, today being Sunday, is my useual housework day, today especially so, as I'm going away tomorrow, and I didn't do any housework last Sunday as I was feeling so* ill... so the floor in my bedroom, was thick* with hair over the floorboards, and the carpets downstairs were in dire need of a hoover I got the sweeping and hoovering done, though ran out of energy and time to get to do a decent clean in teh bathroom (needs a really good going over, one day soon, when I get back), and I always keep the kitchen fairly* clean, so a quick whistle round that got it well, not exactly sparkling clean, its too old a kitchen to ever* be sparkling clean, but as clean as it ever really gets Got two loads of laundry done too, and all put away, bins emptied, bedroom tidied, rucksack packed for the morning etc

That's one of the pleasures of inviting company over.

... and have a lovely time with William, 2legs.

Thanks, Lanza I think I will.... I would say you'll all hear about it when I get back... but proabably best I don't do a journal detailing all* of what I@m up too whilst away ... maybe edited highlights.... with certain aspects 'cut out' for.... the benifit of the Mods

indeed. Whatever, enjoy

Darkness is already here by a little after 5:00 p.m. If I want to do any walking in the light, I have to do it earlier these days.

*just bought three books on kindle before logging in to h2g2*

Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
Making the Rounds With Oscar the Cat by David Dosa (a nursing home cat)
Cavalier by Lucy Worsley

"If I want to do any walking in the light, I have to do it earlier..." [paulh]

Be careful not to walk inTO the light, paulh

I have to stop myself browsing eBay when I've had a few drinks, far too easy to make impulse purchases.

One of these days I'll get a Kindle. Mrs G and El already have them. I still by real books. I'm reading "The Wasp Factory" at the moment. Strong stomach required.

I've bought some rather interesting stuff off EBay when drunk... utterly baffling when it arrives, and you try to figure out what on earth compelled you to buy it

My brother-in-law accidentally bought a laptop using Amazon One-Click Buying.

I turned off the one click buy on Amazon, years ago.... and I've noticed my CD collection has stopped growing as fast as it once did

The Wasp Factory is one of the most unnerving books I've read. I am a big fan of Banks, both genres. Although it's graphic and unsettling, it's also compelling.

I'm glad to have all his books in paperback. After a suitable period of time I'll re-read them and in the meantime I like to see them on my bookshelves.

I had every Science Fiction book he wrote, but I got rid of most of them recently because I realised that after reading them each two or three times, I probably wasn't going to read them again. I kept five of them. I've only recently started reading his non-science-fiction books, starting with The Crow Road and Stonemouth. The Wasp Factory was far from an impulse buy - I've been steeling myself to read it for a few years now.

Your last paragraph sounds a bit like my weekends, Lanza. Swap "fetch in the milk" for "walk the dog" and "cake and honeyed milk" for melon and mugs of buttermint tea" and that's about right. It's very pleasant.

Deb