Do Nothing

So much has happened since my last post, and it's all happened through a fog of what's felt like a threatening migraine. I think it's over now.

Today I got my reading mojo back. I spent most of the day surrounded by unfolded washing and dirty dishes, reading The Mayor of Casterbridge. What a yarn. I think the media survey from last week made me so aware of what telly I actually watch, and what telly I just have on in the background, and what telly I let Sweeney watch, that this week we've hardly had the thing on at all. Well, it is only Tuesday.

To be honest, though, is it better, more worthy, to read, say, the Gaskell novels that constitute the Cranford series, than to watch the TV adaptation?? I guess I wouldn't get so much out of the millions of Austen adaptations if I hadn't read the books a bunch of times already, but I'd still enjoy them. But then there are the people who loved Lord of the Rings, and were near-suicidal at the films. And I'm having a few conniptions around the proposed casting for the Tintin movie, and I wouldn't rate myself as that rabid a fan ...

This year, I decided to read only what's on my shelves already. No trips to the library, no buying books, no borrowing books. It's May and I feel that this is the first book I have a real chance of finishing. Actually, I think this is the first book since I struggled through Charlotte's Web just after Sweeney was born, that I've felt like that about. Some Pig.

Sweeney's reading has taken a whole new direction. Amazing You emerged from his vast stockpile a few days ago. It's all about kids understanding their genitals, and has a lot of lovely illustrations and a reasonably no-nonsense style. I skim past the stuff about girls, and apart from being chuffed at the story of his dad cutting his umbilical cord, he glazes over at the stuff about how babies are made and end up on the outside of their mums. He likes the illustrations.

And On a Tall, Tall Cliff. I think I picked this up at The Warehouse for about 10 cents one day about a year ago because I liked the illustrations. Busby asks his friend Puffle to do him some extraordinary favours, and Puffle gets a bit ticked off, but does it, and it all turns out great. Friends trust each other and don't always need to understand exactly what's going on for things to still turn out great. It's a gem.