This will hurt me...

Here you can see the view of Lower Sandy Bay from Battery Point, with a seagull lurking in the foreground. This photo was taken just down the road from the house that I lived in when I first moved to Hobart. I've got to admit that walking past it reminded me just how bloody miserable I was at the time. In fact, I was surprised that - in 2009 - just how miserable I remember being throughout 1996. I'm not sure that I was fully aware of the fact at the time. They say that the years between 16 and 22 are the best in your life, I'm quite happy to have found out that this is a crock. Thank god for that. Sleep or no sleep, I think that I have yet to enter my prime .

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...