This will hurt me...

Here is a boat. I wish that it was a better shot, but the camera can do only so much. If Santa has worked his calculations out correctly, and is on top of correspondence, I may well be in possession of a slightly better piece of equipment the other side of this retched holiday season. On other matters, the other day I was perusing the annual NME top whateveritis albums of the year and was reminded yet again of the cruel march of time. There was a time that I attempted to remain abreast of the comings and goings of the music world. I'd keep an eye (ear?) on the hot young acts, and was generally hip - if somewhat dismissive - to the critically acclaimed artists . Browsing this year's top whateveritis , it quickly became apparent that I hadn't actually heard of , let alone heard the majority of the acts. Despondant, I click back to 2007, and find much the same thing. '06, '05, '03, on and on it goes. Yes, it appears that 1997 was the last year that I could with ...

Henry and I have just finished Muriel Spark’s excellent short novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie . No doubt, many people will be more familiar with the cinematic version of 1969, but I must say the book is far better, for the usual reasons (nuance and depth not the least). Upon some reflection on our recent reading habits, we have deliberately chosen a ‘feminine’ novel to mix things up a bit. I have been worried about Henry’s escalating assertive masculinity, and figured that a book written by a woman, set in a girl’s school and ostensibly about a ‘strong’ women in her prime would offer a counter balance to the raging testosterone that has taken over the house. Having not read any Murial Spark previously, let’s just say that I was taken by surprise. I was taken aback by the complexity of the narrative and plot. This is a book rich and original in style. In terms of delivering a ‘feminine’ voice, I guess it did that. I am not sure if it delivers a message that will be helpful for He...