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

I've had a very lazy day. I didn't do any work at all, and when I was tired, I just went back to bed with my 'audio book' of 'Three Men in a Boat'.

Technology is great. I've never really taken to audio books, and I've never made use of an MP3 player before. I once bought one to give to my eldest son for his birthday, but he didn't want it, so I ended up with an MP3 player I had no use for. I gave it to a friend. That was a few years ago.

Now I have a mobile phone, a hand-me-down from my youngest son, and it has an MP3 player. I've finally discovered how nice it is to lie in bed, listening to a novel I've read various times, anticipating all the funny parts I remember so well. They're even funnier now that they are read to me. Nothing beats going to bed with a soft voice in your ear reading you a story you love, or waking up on a day off and having a lie-in, giggling yourself awake cos the story is so funny. What a wonderful start into the day.

Good on you, Bel. Sounds like heaven.

For myself, though, I always fall asleep when I try to read in bed - a real pleasure denied me.

Jabs

I fall asleep, too, Jabs. But I can just start listening from the last point I distinctly remember having heard before I fell asleep.

That's magic for s. My sons used to listen to tapes when they were still little. It was something I wasn't used to, not having grown up with this - now - outdated technology. But I've discovered this for me recently. It's marvellous, you should try it.

I didn't want to have a lazy day. But I had a relatively unproductive one. Everybody kept interrupting me. So now I will have to work harder tomorrow.

I like listening to spoken word sometimes - I used to do it on long car drives - but I often find the voices annoying. It depends on the voice actor, I guess.

I find them infuriatingly slow. I can get through more books if I read them myself

I'm often too tired to read, and my eyes are getting poorer by the minute, too - or so it seems.

I agree about the voice, Dmitri. It has to be a voice you like. A voice you don't like will spoil it.

I agree about the reading - now that I can't see up close, I'm having a fight with print.

I prefer to read on a computer. It's lit up.

There's a radio show in the US where talented actors read short stories. Rene Auberjonois is particularly good at reading stories - as was the late (and much-loved) Jerry Orbach.

Robin Williams? Not so much.

I've never heard Odo's original voice, we only ever get to see the dubbed films.

He has a good voice.

Another good reader is the writer Jamaica Kincaid. I think she's the one who has an hilarious story about cooking an agouti.

I can't tell you any names of people who have good reading voices. I think most audio books are read by unknown (to me, at least) people.

Falling asleep is one of the pleasures of reading in bed. I wouldn't call it a pleasure denied if you drift off in the midst of a story - you even get to make up your own ending if you don't like where the author's going.

But it does tend to wake you up when the book hits the floor.

Thud.

As children, the worst threat that my mother could ever make was; "You'll go to bed without a read!"

Being read to, or listening to radio plays remains - for me - the ultimate way to go to sleep.

I used it as a thread for my sons, too.

Or even threat.

I know exactly what you mean, Bel. I usually wake up before Mrs B now and am really happy that she wakes up every day with a nice cup of tea beside her,l and tomorrow night it should be nice enough for us to have a glass of wine in the garden before it gets too chilly.

The best thing about 'summer' is that the closer to the centre of it you are, the easier it becomes to be lazy

I think I was born lazy and I only work because I have to.

It's very cold here, I you for having warm enough weather to sit in the garden. Hope you'll have a nice, lazy evening, though.

'I think I was born lazy and I only work because I have to'

I only work because they pay me to!

I hope it's nice enough to sit in the garden. It may be, but only with lots of coats and hats

Oh, so not really warm then. Do you have a fireplace? Might be a good idea to have a small fire going.

I have a whole load of stuff I can set fire to

No really - my own stuff from the garden. I'm not after insurance or anything