2011 — 2 December: Friday
At least I remembered to wind forward my wristwatch calendar about six hours ago so it was only "wrong" for just over a day. I'm starting to suspect it may soon be winter.1 Seems to happen quite regularly hereabouts. Now, how about that morning cuppa, Mrs Landingham?
Phew, what a scorcher
I'm so behind the times. When did we get a guvmint department called "Energy & Climate Change"? I was just checking the 'official' definition of "fuel poverty", which (it seems) is the need to spend more than 10% of my income2 on heating, to keep my main living area at an "adequate" 21C. My atomic clock is showing 18.6C but I've simply donned an extra layer and made another cuppa.
This restored my normal degree of bonhomie:
But this novel boasts more than just sex, secrets, non-threateningly attractive monsters, self-help, and short words. Readers will be pleasantly surprised by Chapter 16, which jettisons traditional prose for the sake of a challenging but not too difficult Sudoku puzzle. (Hint: Find the 6's first.) And toward the end of the novel, there is a seamlessly integrated three-page interview with the cast of Mad Men.
Mission #1,...
... now accomplished, took me into the stately (and rather crowded) pleasure domes of Soton for an hour's rambling around, and from where I returned clutching the latest collection of pieces by Clive James...
... to each of which, I'm pleased to note, he's added an updated postscript. Mission #2 was to nip out again and grab some foody stuffs. Now, after a late lunch, I have a few minutes before setting off on Mission #3 (in search of my next cuppa and biscuit) over with Roger and Eileen (she rang earlier to invite me).