Ireadthereforeiam: May, she will stay

Gerda Leenards, 2004

Read so far.....
1. The Art of Travel (NF)
2. Absolution (Crime?)
3. North and South (Historical Fiction)
4. The Wall (Graphic Novel)
5. Snake and Lizard/ Up In the Tree/ Billy A Lolly Leopold Story (Childrens)
6. Complications (NF)
7. The Night Circus (Fantasy)
8. My Side of the Mountain (YA)
9. Blankets (Graphic Novel)
10. Lost in Shangri-La (Narrative Non Fiction)
11. The Siege (historical Fiction)
12. Trapped: Christchurch Earthquake Rescue Stories (NF)
13. Making Toast (Memoir)
14. On Chesil Beach (Fiction)
15. Book of A Thousand Days (YA)
16. Marcelo in the Real World (YA)
17. The Torchlight List (NF)
18. Great Expectations (historic fiction)
19. The Pearl (fiction)
20. Sophie's Legacy (NF)
21. Sea of Poppies (fiction)
22. The Quiet American (fiction)
23. The Ginseng Hunter (fiction)
24. A Monster Calls (YA)
25. The Wayward Bus (fiction)
26. Holes (YA)
27. The Turn of the Screw (classic, horror)
28. Dragon Talk (poetry)
29. Three Masquerades (essays)
30. Visitation (fiction)
31. Go Ask Alice (Diary)
32. The Bone People (fiction)
33. Black Dogs (fiction)

Thread 1 (Jan): http://www.librarything.com/topic/129587#t
Thread 2 (Feb): http://www.librarything.com/topic/132009
Thread 3 (Mar): http://www.librarything.com/topic/133475
Thread 4 (Apr): http://www.librarything.com/topic/135248#t

2012 TTR (try-to-read) Classics List
Sons and Lovers
Tale of Two Cities
Great Expectations)
Crime and Punishment
Libra
The Turn of the Screw
North and South
The Bone People (reading now)
Midnights Children
One Hundred Years of Solitude

Chipping away at the old TTR Classics list....trying not to fall asleep thinking about those older ones....
Currently reading:

The Bone People
Go Ask Alice
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Screwtape Letters
The New Penguin book of American Short Stories

I have a huge queue of books waiting for me to read them, it is a frustrating thing to see them (and the sunny patch on my bed) when I'm rushing past them all day grabbing nappies, bits of food off the floor, trying to out together a meal etc etc etc. Once the kids are at school I will devote whole hours at once to reading!

Nice pic ! ........

Very Fiordland ay. Reminds me of a photo I took there about 2 or 3 years ago (that trip was inspired by Marcus Lush's series South).


eta: congrats on #1 post Alex!

Hi Megan - nice new thread. Interesting pictures - very atmospheric. Love the one in 5:)

Hello, Megan! I like the paintings in message #1, and your photograph in image #5. I also learned something, as I looked up Fiordland and fjord on Wikipedia. I've seen the word fjord, but I'm not sure I ever knew what it meant.

Oh! beautiful opening! Great photo!

I "forgot" to use the thread continuation feature in March but didn't lose any friends over it. We know how to find our favorite people! I see you're still reading Screwtape, Magan. It's a devil of a book, isn't it?

Megan congratulations on your latest thread which commences with a tremendously creative shot.

Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! - both the Leenards and your very own photo. Happy New Thread!

Calm: hello, hooray you found me :) I generally favour the moody pics, in photography as well as other art. I must get it from my dad who's photographs always have a lovely atmospheric feel.

Darryl: what? no fiords in the US? We only have the one area, in NZs most southern and western corner, its remote and virtually uninhabited. Partly due to it being a World Heritage area but mostly due to its dense rainforest and steep hills that go straight down into deep seas.

As my mother says, you learn something new each day if you keep your wits about you!

Kath: great, thanks for saying. I love me a good cloudy sky

Donna: It's a devil of a book, isn't it? haha, pun intended I assume? Yes, its not making a whole lot of sense to me, possibly as Im on the "wrong side" of the target audience.

Paul: Hi Paul, adding some NZ shots of my own, even though I couldn't compete with your fantastic holiday ones. I am not even an amateur photographer.....just a happy snapper.

Peggy: Thanks so much for saying Peggy. The one I took is one of my favourites from that trip, it was taken from the boat that we over-nighted in in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland. And might I add I was the only one to catch a fish that morning :)

And, a poem that I discovered in a book of photographs of babies and their nearest ones. I hastily wrote it down at the library yesterday while keeping half an eye on Little Lenny who was constantly making a break for it.

Lullaby

O my son, born on a winter's morn,
The way is long and you are alone,
Your ancestors watch you from afar,
Will you be the next bright star?
O my son, born into war,
Grow swiftly, that you might wear
Their mantle, if you dare.
Greet them without fear,
You will be remembered there.
Kaka feather on your spear,
Feather of an albatross in your hair-
Land, sea and air
Here in the hollow of my hand-
Take them, lest they disappear.

(Anonymous, Maori Poem)

Found you!! :)

#13: I like that!

Megan - no post continuation with this one? I think your photos are great - the ones I put up are invariably taken by SWMBO or Yasmyne - I can't in good faith accept the credit for em.

Chelle: great! Hoped you would....feel free to leave your star :)
*fingers crossed all my other LT buddies do the same*

Stasia: I did too, it grabbed me while I was scanning through some poems at the library and I had to write it down for future readings. And I like that its local, Ill post the un-local one soon too (its from the Czech Republic)

Paul: yep, I forgot to use the continuation feature! Probably the wine...tonight I'm drinking a Chilean cleanskin, not too bad but it's no Gato Negro, one I fondly remember from my childhood, not for the wine but for the dinky plastic cat hanging from the neck of the bottle. My parents must have drunk a lot of it as I had quite a collection!

Hi Megan - I found the new thread. Lovely images at the top and beautiful poem!

Megan - I wouldn't be drinking imported stuff with all that great local wine all around you, but full of Chilean wine is probably not the best time to make a new thread.

Mmmm. New Zealand wine. I need to visit someday. :)

>18 Hi Kerri, whoever thought up the idea of having art to top the threads was a genius, I really like clicking on someones thread and seeing what creation they have chosen.

>19 I usually stick to NZ or Australian wines, but the Chilean wines also call to me from the time I have spent there (we lived there for a year when I was a kid, and I have travelled there as an adult).
In my defense...and Lennys (!!) I only ever have one glass a night while Lenny still requires my body for his liquid production, so I might have overstated my inability to remember to use the thread continuation :)

>20 hi Jim, international visitors get a complimentary packet of Pineapple Lumps and all the wine they can drink! (if they can pay for it themselves) :)

Book 31
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)

What a sad and heart wrenching thing to read. And what a great and selfless thing the authors parents did in allowing this diary to be published. It is a very revealing account of what it is like to start and then be hooked on drugs.

It is horrendous to think of a 15 year old being exposed and subjected to so much in her short life. Her innermost thoughts reveal that she was in fact a very resourceful, practical, smart and resilient young woman at the time of her addiction. Not that she knew it, as the addiction itself ignited a sense of self loathing that stayed with her. When she realised that she no longer wanted to do drugs again, it was fantastic to read, and her future looked so bright. Good for teens to read, but maybe better for parents of teens. 4.5 stars

Found you again--wouldn't want to miss out on the Lenny pics!

I have had Go Ask Alice on my shelf for awhile now, and I think I need to move it higher on my list. Thanks!

Hi Tui: glad you have found me, I see you are reading Middlemarch.....I recently bought it but cant see me reading it for a while. Looks an imposing size

Luxx: hello, and yes to Go Ask Alice. It is really short and easily read in bits during a day....and thats coming from someone who usually needs large chunks of quiet to read in. Go for it.

Quick trip to the pool with #1 this morning, followed by a bakery stop (afghan biscuit and a potato top pie), back home for feeding duties, and now off to the movies. Life is good today, and very un-groundhog day for once. As much as I love the little grizzle-meister, it's someone elses turn for baby duty today and for that I am glad :)

AND if I can drag my bum out of the house this evening, I could go to another film as got a free ticket.
*thinking back to when I last saw 2 movies in one day.....dying of dehydration while doing so as it was that long ago*

Mmm Megan I forgot about your Chilean days - If you had two glasses instead of one Lenny would sleep better!
Jim I can vouch for the pineapple lumps - and the wine.
Nice to see you are having such a great day - swim-flicks-good food-kids-flicks-no hogs- = great day. Enjoy. x

and we have great Autumnal sunny weather as well ....... Hope its sunny down your end as well:)

>25: it's on my Kindle, so it's much easier. I have a lovely hardbound copy--it's a reread for me and I thought the Kindle would be much more portable this time around.

Glad you had such a wonderful day today, Megan! When one has young children, no matter how beloved they are, it's important to get out on one's own here and there!

#26 Hope you had a brilliant day - I know exactly how you feel. Apart from 1 £1 junior film (Sat mornings) with my daughter I don't think I've been to the cinema since before she was born! That can't be right can it? Hmmm that's scary.

Agree with Deb... so that you don't forget how to be you. Sometimes, you can forget forever
and then you are in quite a pickle.

Hi Megan- I lost you there for a couple of days. Didn't have this one starred. 'Sup with that? Like the haunting picture at the top.
Hope you are having a great weekend.

Two movies and wine sounds like a lovely day! Your review of Go Ask Alice is fascinating. It sounds like something that someone my age (so very close to 40) would have read as a teen, but I hadn't heard of it.

Hi Megan. I'm trying to catch up on threads. I hate to tell you this, since you really liked the book--- the authenticity of Go Ask Alice is doubtful. It's actually listed as fiction, although the editor states it is a real diary that she embellished with stories from her other patients. She is a counselor or psychiatrist. She actually has a series of books based on supposedly real teen diaries.

******WARNING***MILD SPOILERS BELOW***********
I read this in high school in the 70s. I knew then that this book was bogus. No way is any shop owner in Berkeley (or was it San Francisco?) renting a shop to two teenaged girls. No background check into finances, references. No parental co-signatures. When she was living in the park, swapping sex for drugs and food and she was STILL writing her diary entries. No way. Also, none of the "druggie" teens I knew at that time- just 7 years after the supposed events in this book - would waste their drugs getting revenge, or whatever that was, on someone else. They kept their drugs for themselves and their friends.
********END SPOILERS*****

Anyway, I see it as a book used to scare teens away from drugs. As a pediatric nurse I am all for keeping kids and teens away from drugs. Presenting something fraudulent as fact to reach that end is disrespectful.
Sorry for ranting (and spoiler-ing) on your thread.

I was wondering where your thread had gotten to, Megan! I love the opening images - they're just beautiful.

Ahhh...Go Ask Alice now there is a book that brings back memories! (not that I remember thing one about the book itself).

I read this in middle school (yes, in the 70s)--on a Girl Scout camping trip, specifically. Every 11 or 12 year old girl was reading it at the time, but we had to be sneaky because it was strictly forbidden, by my parents and everybody else's parents. The thrill of contraband!

Interesting comments on fact versus fiction, and the intention of scaring teens away from drugs. Probably true, but it strikes me as fiendishly clever to figure out how to deliver a public service announcement that kids flock to as a gesture of rebellion. I'm sure our parents just felt that the subject matter was inappropriate for children, and believed we were children, whereas we were at the age of transitioning from children's' books to more adult books--the YA category not being what it is today.

Anyway, I hadn't thought about that book in ages.

Beautiful opening images!

Paul: so you sampled a few NZ wines on our holiday then? Did you go to any wineries around Qtown or North of Chch? NZ has a glut of wineries.

Alex: yesterday was overcast and drizzly, perfect movie weather :)

Tui: I can see the merit in a kindle, if only to hide the true bulk of a book, not so intimidating then!

Deb: so right with your advice again...having just an hour or two out from the home/kids makes me excited to see them again! It sure worked yesterday.

Bekka: movies are such a great way to forget about the monotonies of life. You can really get lost in someone elses for a while. I love them.

Kath: ah huh. I do recall actually not knowing what to do with myself when I had my first hours off from #1 bubba. I stood staring at the wall for a while, couldn't sit down, I couldnt decide what to do for myself as I was so used to solely reacting to what needed doing. Crazy times. Im far better at doing things for myself now. It usually involves books :)

Mark: I know....I forgot about the continuation feature! Luckily all my besties came to find me again :)

Kerri: maybe it was banned, the euphoria described while on a high makes it all sound very appealing...but then you get to the desperation and the lows. They are very low!

Kelly: wow, that is so interesting. I never doubted it, and now I feel like Ive been duped. Thanks for filling me in on all that. Not knowing much about hard drugs, or teenage girls for that matter (even though I was one, I didnt really understand them then either). Nice to see you back too :)

Dejah: I was here all along! Glad you found me again :)

Anne: I can see why parents would be wary of their kids reading it, the sex, the drugs. I would read it aloud to my kids and talk about it.
If what VioletBramble says is the case, it sounds less public service announcement, and more a saleable book from the editors perspective. I really enjoyed the book, and even if it all didnt happen to her, it happens.

On my way to the flicks yesterday afternoon, I was a little early so when I drove close to the Dump Shop (a dusty cold warehouse that reclaims things that are saleable that have been thrown away at the dump), so stopped.

The trestle table loaded with crusty and dusty and crappy books spewed forth 4 goodies for me, after a good old dig about.

The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (what looks like could be a first edition, definitely pre-Booker Prize winning edition as is without that adornment)
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (because I've nearly been there)
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Night by Elie Wiesel (anyone know this one? could be harrowing so Ill do some research before diving in)

Plus a beautifully made kids cloth book with a tactile task for each page, a zip, button, clasp, hook/eye etc. Once washed will be gorgeous for Lenny to meddle with. Very happy! And the movie I saw was fantastic, part of the World Cinema Showcase, called Margaret. A real real film. Clever film maker....

Just proves that there are treasure everywhere!

Peggy (LizzieD) is reading The Bone People right now too!

Wonderful haul!

I'm a bestie! I'm a bestie! Yes, Night is fantastic. I did not read the rest of the trilogy but this one is a gem.

Hi Lucy: we are actually reading it together, kind of like a group read without the group aspect of it :) We are discussing it as we go on my Booker thread. It's full of spoilers, so you know.

Mark: hehe, in with the cool crowd huh? It could be just you and me so far, who else shall we ask?
I had no idea it was a trilogy....haven't done my homework yet, but great to hear it was liked by you :)

Now I see that -- I'd lost track of yr last thread, which I just found, and which had a discussion abt. reading together.......

Hi Lucy, there's a fair amount going on around here that I have no idea about. I probably use 99% of my time in the 75 group and neglect so much of LT, theres only so much time in the day :)

We went to a winery on the road to Hanmer Springs called Marble Point - SWMBO very kindly allowed me to sample the wares.

Hi Megan, lovely art work to open your thread and terrific photo that you took of the waves too. I'll look for your comments on The Bone People as I plan to read it in July.

Hi Paul, Ive never stopped there even though Ive gone past it a lot. Good outlook I bet....I visited the area today...not quite actually, its the same political region (the Hurunui), my sister lives at the southern boundary so it sounds like Ive had a huge day out when I say I was in the Hurunui District!

Bonnie: I wont know how to comment on it and do it justice. It is such a great book, (so far), destined to become an all time favourite I'd say.

Hi Megan, I lost track of you from your April thread! It's May now, duh! Love the photo of the winery! The area of BC that I live in, the Okangan Valley, is a fruit belt; and we have many local vineyards, wineries, orchards. SO beautiful! Especially now that we are into spring an looking forward to summer.

Hi nancy, my friends have to look harder to find me since I forgot the continuation feature! Just the true ones come looking :) So thanks! *googling Okangan Valley* Looks pretty nice there! I bet you get lots of cheap fruit at the right times of year.

I started yoga again last night, after nearly 2 years off! It was fanTAStic.

I have had an on-off love affair with yoga since I started it nearly 10 years ago, and it is great to be back. Man oh man my back muscles are tight and worked on today, what a great feeling!

Hi Megan- More gorgeous NZ shots! Yah! And yes, please use the continuation feature. We do not want to lose you or my pal Lenny. Thank you.

Hi Mark, yay, all my friends are coming back! I will have to try and conjure up a fun Lenny pic soon....thinking thinking....
AND I have a few holidays up my sleeve coming up so you may even get some more NZ shots!

#52: I did the same some weeks ago, also after a break of about 2 years during which I did other exercise, but it just isn't the same. And those breathing techniques have helped me through some stressful days.

>55 there's nothing like yoga, even in my time off, I have been looking at my yoga books, and talking and thinking yoga. It is great to be practicing again. Now if I can just sort out my sugar addiction I could actually end up healthy! :/

Hi Megan, I started a modified Yoga regimen to help my lower back woes years ago. It worked wonders. I'm not as faithful with it as I once was, but it always relaxes and energizes when I do indulge.

I think "harrowing" is the best word to describe Night. It makes a mighty powerful impact for such a small book. I am avidly following along with you and Lucy on The Bone People journey. It's another one of those 'harrowing' books that I love.

Catching up... glad to see that you are doing something for you..

Yay for resuming yoga! I must get myself to a yoga class. It's actually one of my goals this summer, as I understand that it will benefit my spine.

SWMBO asked me if fancied yoga - I told her it was too much of a stretch.

I just started taking yoga for the first time, and I just love it! I'm glad to hear you're getting some healthy "me" time.

Megan - I remember you mentioning a while back that you were looking for a new Yoga instructor - I'm glad you found one that suits!

>57 Hi Donna, I am completely engrossed in The Bone People. I am 4/5 of the way through and just want to settle in and finish it, but I have got stuff to do all day today so wont have a chance :|
I will look forward (sort of!) to the other harrowing one on my pile then :)

>58 Thanks Kath, I am already looking forward to next Monday night. My muscles are still feeling it today, I love that feeling.

>59 As I understand it, yoga benefits every part of your life. How's that for a sweeping statement? :) I have found that it helps me remain calm in trying situations (with my kids!), helped my posture, my ability to think clearly, muscle development, mood, breathing....the list goes on

>60 Ah Paul! ba-dum-TISH
What a one liner that was :)

>61 Great one Luxx, are you managing to get away in the daytime, or is it once the kids are in bed? In the evening the body is a bit looser so I like evening practice. First think in the morning Id be lucky to touch my toes :)

>62 yes, I did find a lovely woman, she comes from the States originally. Its unusual to come across Americans here, she must have had some time here though as has some kiwi sounding vowels :)

I saw a snippet of this article in the Chicago Trib this morning and immediately thought of you. I looked up the rest of the article when I got home. NZ being a much better country to live than the US. Interesting stuff:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/04/night-owls/8917/

Mark, that is one lengthy article, a quick look and this is what I get from it:

The result: by virtually every measure, New Zealand has a more just and decent society than ours—while resorting far less readily to legalistic and legislative remedies.

I agree whole heartedly with the second part of that result......but there are a few terrible categories in which we score highest. Child deaths at the hands of their parents being one. Ill read more later though...thanks for the thought!

Hi Megan! My name is Callia, I am Anne's (AMQS) daughter. I was drawn to your lovely photos because next year I am traveling to New Zealand with my choir, so I am very excited. Great photos!

Hi Callia, thanks for visiting me here. Sounds like a great choir if you get to go on international visits. Are you performing anywhere? Where will you be visiting?

Just checking to see what you have been up to .....
being charming and amusing and busy, is the answer I see :)

HI Megan! Great news that you are back in yoga, I miss it! I had taken a few classes in my old town but work got in the way of going regularly. Now that I am not working it would be great to be able to find a place and get into a schedule. I haven't found a place yet though, so I'm a little jealous of you! ;) Enjoy!

Hey Megan! I actually don't know where I will be going, but I will let you know as soon as I do!

Great that you are back into Yoga -- I'm afraid I'm with Paul - my bod doesn't care for stretching much. I love Tai Chi. Go figure!

64 - I prefer evenings, too. I'm taking a class at 7pm, which allows me to skip bedtime once a week. ;)

I hadn't been by here lately since we've been chatting daily, but I was eager to know what has been going on in Lennyland. That you've had some self time is great! Yoga is great!! Those four books that you rescued are GREAT!!! It's seldom that I've read everything on a list even as small as that one. Without spoiling Night for you, I'll have to say that one of the most moving experiences I had as a teacher was when my 10th graders were reading it together. I had a student violinist come in and play while we read one scene and I'll never forget the tears out of every eye. I guess I was manipulative, but they truly connected with one book in their little lives.
I guess I'm going to have to reread The Sea, The Sea at some point. It was my very least favorite Murdoch, and I read a bunch of them in the 80s.

Love the idea of Lennyland - how does this square with Wilburville?

Kath: busy yes, the rest not so sure :) Always make time here and there during the day for some LT though :) And it helps that Lenny sleeps in (what a dream baby)

Chelle: it took me ages to find my lovely teacher, and Ive only had one class so far, so keep looking and you'll find a class.

Callia: how exciting, I hope you get to travel about a bit and see lots. I guess you'll be meeting with other choirs as well?

Lucy: Tai chi is stretching too isnt it? And the best thing about yoga is that you stretch as much as you can/want to :)

Luxx: great huh? I get to put Lenny in bed and run. Big bro gets to stay up and go with dad's schedule! It doesn't concern me :)

Peggy: excellent plan to bring in the violin! Devious ;) But what a lesson in how moving stories can be, or is that a lesson in how moving music can be? Ill read the book soon and find out. The Bone People is blowing my mind, btw, really. It is an amazing book.

Paul: to be fair its more Wilburville around here than Lennyland. The loudest one wins attention...sad but true. The librarian yesterday mentioned to me that it looked like I had my hands full. Too right! haha

Megan: Thank you! I am very excited. This is actually our own tour, so we will be working alone. However, we will probably do some workshops with schools along the way:)

Book 32
The Bone People by Keri Hulme

All I can say right now is wow. What a journey. The writing in this book flowed so nicely, was so evocative and suggestive and effective. Such fun phrasings and joy with words as:

The boy has scoured the beach, gathering shells and seasmoothed glass; tidewashed bones and old seagull feathers; poppable pieces of bladderwrack and dead dried crabs. (p252)

An odd little set of thesaurisms kept running versewise through her head. (p417)

Two wrinkled old bodies, Kerewin's greatgreat aunts, cossetted together, full of mothmirth and dry seedy shadows of laughter. (p441)

It is a very poetic book, and an un-literal read.

And the story! You are inside the characters, knowing them. Their thoughts are written alongside their speech. You love them and forgive them for their flaws. It is very hard to read their sad journey sometimes, but that is life. This book felt very real to me and I loved its New Zealandness. 5 stars.

#77 - I'm so glad you liked it! Now I feel like rereading it this summer.

I just finished too, Megan! I'm ecstatic! I LOVED this book! 5 stars from me too and also for having such a sterling reading partner!

Megan, love the quotes from The Bone People! "Joy with words" is a perfect expression! Delighted you enjoyed : ).

I'm so happy that you're getting time to yourself for yoga - that's great!! (Not a fan, and have tried several classes... one of which was a ghastly pregnancy one where we were told to talk to our babies and I promised the unborn Fletcher that I would get him out of yoga class soon).

I should read the Bone People, I should... but I gave our copy to a German friend a few years back and he read it on the plane home!

You just can't beat a five star recommendation Megan. I am really looking forward to reading The Bone People in July; lovely quotes too.

So pleased you loved The Bone People, I thought it was a great read too. Love the quotes.

I will gladly visit Wilburville or Lennyland. They sound like happy places.

Your boys are a real joy Megan - loudest and librarian are an alliterative incongruity! So pleased that you enjoyed The Bone People which is almost a national treasure over there isn't it? Certainly the parts you quoted seem poetic: gathering shells and seasmoothed glass lovely but a long book full of it may be a tad dense.

Callia: hi, I nearly missed you up there, we must have posted at near the same time. I bet it will be cool to see what other schools across the world are like. Different as well, Id say.

Kerri: I want to re read it some time as well. I think there is a lot in there that I would "get" better knowing the rest of the story.

Peggy: I love how we read at almost exactly the same pace. It was great to read along with you!

Nancy: sometimes when I love a book and read parts which must be shared, I pencil in the margins very lightly so I can go back to them. And I rub out once the thrill has passed....other than this I wouldnt condone writing in books :0

Cushla: funny! You did Fletcher a good deed in getting him outa there! I dont think we need people telling us to talk to our unborn children, we either do or we dont.
I went to a hilarious yoga class in Melbourne once (and only once), I should have known when the teacher was wearing a tiara....but I went in.
Some stretches....ok, so far so good....then a long section where we were told to "Relax your.......{insert every conceivable female-only body part here}!". I could hardly keep a straight face!

Bonnie: I was fearing a difficult read Bonnie, but needn't have. I hope my low expectations didn't colour my rating too much. I know I loved it though, and that should be enough of a recommendation.

Kerry: It was commented on by a friend from the UK yesterday that I must be one of the 7 New Zealanders who have read the book! Hmmph, I'm sure there are at least 10 :~)

Mark: It sure is a crazy ride here in Wilburville and Lennyland. As Im sure you remember from your time in a similar place :) Lucky its so fun as well or else it'd drive me batty.

Paul: people in public say things like that a lot to me....Im hoping that Wilbur is just being a boy and hasnt got some type of ADHD problem.....but he sure cant stay still or quiet for very long. Im so used to his noise level I sometimes just talk over it, until I see the look on the people's faces Im talking to. Then I remember to ask him to lower his volume. It is amazing what you can get used to.

Hi Megan! I agree. I am very excited:)

I am very excited about some upcoming trips away.
Next week I am heading to Nelson and then to the end of the road to Collingwood, with great friends of mine and all our kids.

Next trip will be to Tekapo (made famous by Paul's trip there recently!), where my sis and all our kids will stay at a friends bach (holiday home). And next trip is a few months away with an old family friend and her baby, to a Rapahoe Beach bach on the rugged West Coast. Got to keep spirits up in winter!



eta: it'll take 3-3.5 hours to drive to Tekapo and Rapahoe, and nearly double that all the way to Collingwood, thanks to the formidable Takaka Hills to get over (the most vomit inducing bends and turns you'll ever find). Hence the part-way break in Nelson.

Very cool!!!!! It sounds like a lot of fun:)

Thanks Callia, I love family holidays, especially now that Im in charge of where we go and what we do! (something you have to look forward to)

I'm definitely looking forward to that day! I already know that after I go through college, I want to travel around the world and see what the world has to offer me.

Sounds like you have some great trips coming up! Enjoy!

Ooh, great trips coming up! Of course, it's your winter (another duh moment here)!

Hi Callia!

Thanks Chelle, I love trips, they give you some respite from the day to day sameness. And are great fun in general.

Nancy: we are always opposites.....I find it hard to get my head around too sometimes :) We have been stacking our winter's firewood lately and feel very warm-in-advance. We have been lighting the fire each morning and letting it go out as soon as the sun comes around. A good solution but if you time that last bit of wood wrong you can be sweltering!

Megan - Tekapo - I'm jealous to death. Let me choose one place to live out my life in peace and quiet - then Lake Tekapo would be it.
aaah memories:

Wow - I have to de-lurk for that. Stunning! I live on a tiny island with lots of amazing sea scenes but no lakes of any real size, so I've always found them beautiful and unusual (I'm weird I know).

edited to add... just looked up the size of it and it's not far off as big as my island!

Megan! I found you!
I know everyday you've been waking up and saying - where the heck is Cee? I sure do miss her! LOL

Great vacation plans! You are my kind of woman! You certainly DO have to keep up the spirits and have something to look forward to... And NZ! yikes! such a beautiful piece of earth :)

Very beautiful!!!! I wish I was there right now:)

Paul: woah, now that's a picture!
Our family used to own a holiday house there, I spent a lot of weekends there as a little kid. Our house was home made, with little regard for finishing or furnishings! It would have been worth heaps now, (for the land), but it was sold before I was even into double digits. I still love the place, like you do.

Bekka: there actually is an island in the middle of Lake Tekapo. A few year ago we had ideas of getting a big group together, camping on it and voting people off who broke the rules (rules being eat and drink lots and have fun).
How interesting that your Island, and the Lake are similar sizes!

Cee: finally, you made it back. I have been wondering where you got to. I'll try not to lose everyone next thread....:)
The holidays are all stacking up now. They have been planned a while but we had been awaiting cheap accommodations to come out of the ether, and it worked!
#1 place is a DoC hut (Dept of Conservation), so cheap as chips
#2 place is a friends bach, so $50 per night (only just ready for occupation now, as brand new!)
#3 place is a not that cheap rental property, but shared costs as taking others.

eta: hi Callia! We seem to be posting at the same times these days! It is lovely isnt it, very still and sunny.

It's beautiful! We just started our Oceania unit in school so I'm expecting to be learning about New Zealand this week!:)

Wait a minute...now Paul is posting breathtaking vacation pictures on other people's threads? Wow, I hope I get a turn. But lucky you Megan. That's quite an agenda.

Megan - hope you liked the shot and are having a lovely weekend. I know that I will return there fairly soon and will probably have a place of my own there if I can ever afford it.

Bonnie - it would be my pleasure - where do you want to go?!

Gorgeous! Gorgeous!!! How do Kiwis ever leave?

Very jealous ........ of Paul's photo

>100 I hope you'll let me know about the stuff you are learning, Callia, Id be interested to hear.

>101 Bonnie, you need but ask I'd say.
*heading to yours for a new Pauls holiday pic*

>102 fairly soon? If by that you mean the end of June, Ill see you there! I suppose this means another bag of Pineapple Lumps.....actually, you'd prefer something without the gelatine if I remember.....*thinking of delicious NZ sweet gift....* ah-ha! Whittaker's chocolate it is!

>103 We leave in droves for good wages elsewhere Peggy, but in the end we come back. Usually :)

>104 Hi Alex. Have you been to the South Island lately? I cant say Ive been anywhere in the North other than Wellington or Auckland for years.

I did a trip down south island a few years back, plan to do another sometime, would like to do more west coast this time ( but need a driver there) .... one of my biggest highlights was the transalpine train trip amazing scenery & snow even in November .... would be amazing in the middle of winter ....

I think my mid-long term holiday planning will now involve a trip back to the UK though ....

PS Make sure the gift is Whittakers 'hokey pokey' its to die for :)

Ah, Alex, we are just planning our West Coast trip and want to somehow incorporate the Trans-Alpine one way for some of us....it is proving to look a bit expensive which is a shame. I have done it before but would love to again.

I have seen the Hokey Pokey one, not tried it yet though, I fear my fillings would protest!

So many good things to read about and see here!

Beautiful trips planned...

5 Star reads ( I guess I better read it )

Great kids stories..

gorgeous pics..

5 star thread!

I will definitely keep you posted:)

#77: I'm intrigued by The Bone People now, particularly as people criticised it so much a the time. There isn't a copy in the London library system (anywhere!) so I won't get to it for a while, but it's on my long-list of eventual reads now.

Hi Kath: thanks for your thorough endorsement! I love planning trips, it is half the fun Im sure. Have been suffering from Groundhog-Day-itis lately :)

Callia: great! Thanks.

Susan: not one copy!? Outrageous. I think you should request they buy one (or 6). Our libraries seem fairly receptive to that trick.

Stopping by to thank you for all your visits to my thread! Much appreciated!

>112 that's what it is all about Linda :) Love visiting your thread and seeing how things are going

Book 33
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan

This book pissed me off while I was reading it but I fear it will be fondly remembered. Just like On Chesil Beach. If you described this book to me I would think that I would really like it. The descriptive passages, the journey being more important than the destination, the real life people and their seemingly insignificant lives.....but it irritated me. I scoffed at it all the way through. I resented the suspense created for what was really a story that could have unfolded naturally. For this reason I rate it half good, half bad. 2.5 stars.

Hi Megan. I love the painting up top.

#95 Oh wow, beautiful shot Paul.

Your trips away sound great Megan, make sure you take some photos for us :-)

#113 - I've only read Amsterdam by him and was very underwhelmed. I know he is loved, so part of me thinks I should try something else, but I'm not rushing to do so.

Have fun on your trips! What a gorgeous country! AND you have Neil Finn!

Happy Mother's Day, Megan! Big Hug. Another great NZ photo and I like your little map too! Don't tell anyone but I have still not read McEwan. Sad, I know.

Tekapo is lovely!

Tai chi isn't really stretching - it's more like..... (to me) learning a song with yr. body, each movement being a note. There are phrases that join up to other phrases and even some sets of movements that are like a chorus, you do them at the end of each 'paragraph' as our teacher called them. You can move through the 'form' quickly or slowly, or break it into little pieces..... anyhow.... I'd say it is mostly about balance, about moving the parts of yr. body in harmonious and economical ways - and it is, at the core, a martial art, so many of the moves are about defense and attack, keeping yr. balance why upsetting yr. opponent's balance etc.

Now I want to run out and do my practice!

Back to wish you Happy Mother's Day -- since you are really in the thick of it.

I do NOT like Ian McEwan's writing.. ew.
I run into a lot of people who don't like him.. wonder who all these folks are who do?
:)

Thanks for the comments on Black Dogs. I've only read one McEwan which was Atonement - quite enjoyed it, but have not pursued him further.

>114 thanks, Im sure to take lots of pics, as is big bro, he's become quite the photographer in the house. Im sure hes taken more than his father has in his whole life!

>115 I have read Saturday, then On Chesil Beach. I dont think Ill try any more, I have given him a fair chance to impress me by now I think.

>116 Thanks, I like maps. Had a nice Autumn picnic on Mothers Day, it was really fun.

>117 Oh thanks Lucy, what a great description of TaiChi. I feel like I get it now, and maybe didnt have it right on before :) Sounds very calming.

>118 I think Im over it now too Kath, although perhaps not as emphatically as you :)

>119 I had heard that Atonement was a great novel, but I dont think Ill be falling over myself to read it now. Too much else on my radar!

Megan - I liked his early novel The Innocent set in Berlin and The Child in Time is also half decent. Haven't read Atonement which gets fair reviews but have read The Cement Garden which was only bearable and Amsterdam was, in my view, possibly the least deserving award-winning novel that I have ever read. Not my favourite writer by any stretch of the imagination but I have somehow managed to accumulate all his work.

I enjoyed Saturday & Solar but haven't really read others ....... but he does seem to polarise readers

checking in for updates.....

Paul: strange huh, I fell ambivalent towards him as well but manage to own quite a few of his books. And find myself wanting to read more. He has cast his evil spell on me!

Alex: Saturday was his first that I read and I liked the meandering style, but the rest that Ive read? meh

Kath: Updates....off to Nelson/Collingwood tomorrow so will be light on LT action til next week. Please make sure my thread doesnt go cold til then! Ill try to check in at my friends place but run the risk of being labelled a queen-nerd for doing so :) hehe, I dont mind that though

Have fun! Take us along, and post us some pics when you can : ).

Thanks Nancy- Just doing some last minute things, like getting some anti travel sickness tablets, sourcing some car toys and LT (a necessity as Im sure you'd agree).

Enjoy your trip. Long time since I've been in Nelson, though I've been stocking up on Marlborough wines this morning at the supermarket.

on it!

Just stopping by to speak, Megan. I miss you! We'll have to do it again.
No McEwan for me so far. Nothing I see here encourages me to change that.

Megan- Have a wonderful trip! We'll be patiently waiting for reports.

And while we are waiting.. we really need to keep Megan's thread cozy.. so .. lets see..

I have no stories to share yet today, but some of us are halfway through the day already,
so give us something to smile or gasp about!

I'm off to bed to execute Queen Anne. I really, really, really recommend Bring Up the Bodies. Is enough for a small smile, Kath?

Passing thru - Have a great weekend.....

I don't know about smile Lizzie, that was more of a gasp!!
Poor old Queen Anne...

I am still with Bitterblue. I keep having to put it down. I hate to do so,
but on the other hand it keeps me with the book longer. I will hate for this one to end.
To make it worse, the author is in no hurry to even decide if there will be a book 3. Sad Sigh
I love these folks...I will miss them.

Hi Kerry Kath Peggy Mark and Alex.

Just checking in after an exhausting day having fun on the beach in the bright sun going crazy with the kids, driving to the oldest pub in NZ for a local beer and then "home" to our friends place for a curry for dinner. Im pooped, and its great. What a stellar weekend!
I'm pleased to report that photos are coming soon!

Am having trouble deciding which book to pick up, the must read book club one or RDs highly recommended The Swerve...which is great btw.

Thanks for visiting in my absence :)

Oh yeah....book highlights on my trip (so far) include:
The volunteer -run library in Collingwood with a cute wee room full of books, conveniently open for 2 hours on the day we were there. And Bainhams Store, a cafe/essentials store/post office at the end of the road (very remote) and there's a little tiny room with books for sale. Very cute, mainly classics and Enid Blyton books for some reason. It was a dusty and poky little place and was just lovely.

Great to hear you had such a good weekend. Hope you didn't get too shaken up by the latest quake.

The Swerve is on my WL so go and read that one first!!

I agree go with The Swerve .......

Sounds like you're having a wonderful time, Megan. Looking forward to the pics!

I enjoy dusty, poky interesting old places myownself.....
Nice to see you!!!

What a lovely vacation, Megan! I look forward to pictures:)

Hi Megan!
Sounds like you are having fun! YAY! You make me remember going on family vacations that were packed with great stuff - but tiring. I felt going back to work was restful! Lots of great memories.

McEwan: Loved your review of Black Dogs! Made me smile. I don't know what's up with him. I loved Atonement when I read it for my real life book club - though many did not. It seemed the biggest complaint was unlikable characters. But I found it to be a geat read. Amsterdam I was not impressed. I would advise anyone to just skip that one. Too many other good books in the world to read. So, now I'm torn. Not sure which of those two books is more indicative of his style and would I want to read more of his stuff?

waiting for pics...
;-)

77: Megan, I'm so glad you and Peggy loved this book as much as I did. I'm going to finish reading your in-depth comments about The Bone People on your Booker thread. I've been getting sidetracked lately and have had less time to spend on LT.

136: New Zealanders must be big readers. That dusty back room filled with books sounds like the highlight of your trip. kidding, of course, though I'm sure it was fun to poke around in there. Did anything jump into your book bag?

Megan - jealous of course....it goes without saying, but so glad you are having or have had such a great weekend.
Donna - I would step in correct your appraisal on books and bookshops - Books are so darned expensive there that when, like Megan, you uncover a treasure trove it will certainly set your pulse a-racing!

Add me to the list of jealous folks, but I'm glad that you're having such a great weekend!

Delighted you are having fun and finding lots of great dusty and poky book spots! Charming!

Beach... sun... oldest pub... beer... friends... curry...

Sounds idyllic! Sorry I haven't dropped by for ages, glad to hear you're having a great weekend.

I see you're having a good time Megan. Oh and yes I'm officially jealous. You and Peggy have made The Bone People sound very enticing. I'll be reading it in July.

Jealous as well! It sounds like a wonderful trip!

>88: we have a Collingwood in Ontario too: it's a ski resort area--wonder what yours looks like
>95: oh that looks like a slice of heaven!
>117: agree, Lucy. It feels more like a shape poem to me but same idea. So good for joints and balance.

I hope you post pics of your trips so those of us who live far away (and won't likely ever get to NZ) can visit vicariously.

Not a single thing going on here...
Some paperwork to take care of ... and then?

Nuthin' ( thank goodness!)

Hope you are enjoying your vacation!

Hey Megan! Sorry I haven't been posting, I wasn't able to load your last thread at all so I missed the link to the new one. That, plus I'm a bad horrible person. Please forgive me. =(

Sounds like a wonderful vacation!

Hooray!
So many unread messages to read upon my return home. Thanks everyone. I will reply to you all soon.

Just have to put down the books I bought yesterday when my lifelong friend Lea took me into "town" (Nelson) and to, amongst other places, a second hand bookshop. It is called Liter Arty. *chuckle*

I got (all for around $10 each):
Players by Don DeLillo
Everyman by Philip Roth
The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin
Tracks by Louise Erdrich (a lucky guess as I only thought I had heard of her, turns out I have)

And Arlington Park at the op shop around the corner for $2.

Add to these the two books returned to me by the friends we were staying with, and the two library books I took away with me, and I had quite the tbr pile next to my bed in the motel room last night!!

i am a Louise Erdrich fan, and thats a good one.
blackwater Lightship was a decent read for me, some were over the moon for it. Well done, I say!

Nice book haul, Megan. A stack of books beside the bed sounds so comforting.

#155 - Hi Megan - Are you a Rachel Cusk fan? I LOVED The Country Life, but then wasn't thrilled with The Lucky Ones. I've been meaning to try Arlington Park, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I look forward to your thoughts.

>137 Was lucky enough to be away for latest earthquake, but was just thinking the other day how there hasnt been one for about 2 months. Should have known not to go there as I did say that exact same thing to the butcher the day before Feb 22!

>138 Alex, I did, still havent got far though, a couple of heavy eyelids have gotten in the way....

>139 Hi Lynda, pics oading as we speak, only a baby, and 2 three year olds might slow down the actual posting of them!

>140 Kath, theres such a thing as too dusty though....some definitely fall into that category...

>141 Hi Callia, *trying to chose which pics to post*, come back soon to see the holiday snaps :)

>142 Cee, I am confused about Ian McEwan, I dont really enjoy reading them but look back on them very fondly. I need therapy! I think maybe Ill try just ONE more :)

>143 Donna, a few fell into my book bag at the next second hand shop! Only 5...I did that thing where your eyes scan every fiction book on the shelves in record time. (needs must as they say)

>144 Hi Paul, I took a Kaikoura photo similar to the one you posted of the beach and mountains. I have resolved to go back there soon as was so taken. The baby seals have gotten bigger since your visit, they say hi :)

>145 Darryl, it was the longest weekend ever! Wednesday to Tuesday, what a great time.

>146 Hi Nancy, sometimes I feel like my holidays are just book shop tours! Not that I mind, at all :)

>147 nice to see you Genny, a holiday is just the thing to recharge the batteries. Ironic really seeing as I actually get less sleep what with babies being in unfamiliar places etc, but still, its worth it.

Welcome back, Megan! We missed you. There was no on else to chat with. Can you believe that?
BTW- Nice book haul!

>148 Bonnie. I hope the hype doesn't set up some expectations for you, maybe attempt to go in to it with neutral feelings

>149 Kerri - I am always jealous of other people and their holidays but luckily I remember to feel thankful and appreciative of my own holidays.

>150 Hi Tui, is this your first visit here? Welcome, love to see a new face around here. :) Collingwood is near the end of the road and is a small town, very small. Lovely coast all around as its on a small peninsula. photos soon!

>151 Kath...life goes on huh? Figures I suppose

>152 Hi Chelle, great time had by all, we all agreed that the holiday exceeded our expectations, I cant wait to stun you all with pics!

>153 Stephen! *trumpets of celebration ring out across the land* Finally you grace me with a visit. Your absence had been noted, good to know it wasnt that my thread smelled bad :)

>162: nope, I've been before but I don't get around all the threads I want to very often because of that life thing. ;)

>154 Hi Joanne, lovely to see another new visitor! Thanks for the good wishes, the break was fantastic: helped by perfect weather and great company.

>156 hello again thanks for the great job in keeping my thread warm in my absence :)

>157 A stack of books beside the bed sounds so comforting.
It certainly made the motel room feel like home!

>158 I havent read anything of Rachel Cusk, the cover of Arlington Park was pretty, and the back sounded ok, so thought Id take a chance. Ill be sure to post my "review" whenever I eventually get to reading it! I cant promise you itll be soon though.... :)

>161 Hi Mark- of course I believe you that LT practically stopped in my absence! haha Nice to be missed though, I hope to put up pics soon if the kiddos continue to behave!

>163 eek! Huge apologies, I knew you cant have been a regular visitor as I would have surely known you better if that were the case. That life thing? Oh yea, gets in the way sometimes ay?:)

The bach we stayed at, and kiddos playing in the shallow tide.


The view from outside the bach, like one metre outside the bach...


Wilbur (centre) and the kids on the beach outside the bach, Collingwood.

Don't worry, even if your thread did smell bad (it didn't) you have children as an excuse. ;)

Strikingly beautiful! What a great vacation spot!

>167 yea, that's true, although its not so much the children that smell bad, just their....well, you know :)

>168 true Cee, it was gorgeous. Oh, and did I mention the little Blue Penguins seeking shelter under the house in the evening? They made very strange noises that we thought was the valve radio going out of tune....then we thought it was one of our babies crying...then it was suggested that it was perhaps one thousand zombie babies (the person suggesting that had had a few beers), then we settled on penguins. Which is what it was :) Cute!

...zombabies...blue penguins...black sand beaches...must be Megan's thread.

Welcome back--beautiful pictures!

I would like to get to The Bone People this summer...

>170 hey, I hardly ever talk about zombie babies! hehe

>171 Hi Anne, its nice to be home again, got the fire stoked and now just need to work on staying awake long enough to actually read a page or two!

aha! I knew there would be pictures :)

Fabulous!

Hi Megan - never a lack of adventure in your life! Love the penguin story ;-)

How come your pictures are all so fabulous? Did your Dad teach you a thing or two?

Wow! Gorgeous photos! And it looks so quiet and secluded too. I'd love to find a place like that to go during fourth of July week, so I could avoid the constant (non-professional) fireworks (I'm definitely a fireworks Scrooge). Anyway, it looks like it was a lovely vacation.

You had baby penguins under the cabin? You had a beach and view like that AND baby penguins? Waaaaah!

Kath: you were right, there might even be more! I do love holidays, especially when it was so cheap (apart from petrol getting there and back) and such good fun with old friends.

Cee: we were a little bit freaked out by the penguin noises at first :)

Kerri: Im with you there, amateur fireworks annoy me too. A good way to deal with it here is to go onto the Port Hills and look over the whole city, you get to see specks of light going off, but no noise.

Tui: that beach place was a real find. I am definitely going back...it is even worth the 7 hour drive with two car-hating kiddos!

>176 That's what I say!
At least I get to see what a real-life bach looks like. Thank for the pictures, Megan!! And if you haven't heard the baby penguin being tickled, you need to go HERE immediately. The cutest little animal ever!!!

Peggy, that is what they sounded like under the house! Funny. We didnt see any though, just heard them. And the noises they make are startling for the uninitiated!

The trip looks and sounds wonderful, Megan. Good to have you back.

Big Bro giving it a good go on the swing.


On the beach north of Kaikoura, for a much needed car break.

Hi Joe, I believe I was just over on your thread while you were on mine! Thanks, its good to be home, and to be planning the next trip :)

Hah! You're right, Megan. Good to see you both places!

#178 that baby penguin is adorable!

Megan your pictures are awesome! I love that first panoramic view, I wish I had a camera that could do pictures like that!

More great photos :) I do hope that there are more adventures and more photos..

I'm loving all the photos, too, Megan. So glad you had a blast!

Chelle: i only discovered the panoramic function recently, it is quite fun to use as you swing the camera around and when two points on the screen meet the camera takes the picture itself. And it does do the sweeping landscapes well

Kath: there will be more Kath, next one is end of June, and one after that is end of July. Already looking forward to them both.

Nancy: thanks! Photos do brighten up the place dont they. I confess to being more eager to post on LT than on FB with my photos. This group is my first choice now :)

>181 Oh! What a happy looking little brother :)

LOL - I startled DH and Loki with the penguin sounds... I can see where that would be disconcerting to hear that under the house! So so cute little fella!

You seem to love get-aways as much as I do, Megan. Glad you are able!

Hi Megan- Once again, great photos! I want to visit NZ. Wah! It looks like the kids were having a ball, especially my pal Lenny!

Megan - great photos - Collingwood looks wonderful / how did I miss it? - the baby Penguins were small animals or small chocolate biscuits?
Lenny and Wilbur look like they are lapping it up and also growing very very quickly.
Miss Kaikoura and NZ terribly already - seriously looking at some long term investment over there to justify parking myself on (figuratively) your doorstep.
The weather also seems to be holding up nicely.

What a lovely time! Thanks so much for posting the photos and sharing your experiences.

Love the photos. Looks like all had a great time Megan.

Cee: for sure, getting away is the key to my sanity. I really should be living in a rural wonderland. I love landscapes.

Mark: Lenny sure loves his big bro :) I am lucky to love in a beautiful country , but I suspect there is beauty in your part of the world too. I intend to discover it for myself one day.

Paul: Collingwood is nestled in the northwest corner, and is a 2 hour drive from Nelson- there is no through road up there, so its a dead end. We were super lucky with weather. Thank goodness :)

Linda: I love posting pics, it is addictive! I know I like seeing others photos...so hope mine are appreciated (or skimmed over to get to book talk- book talk? What's that!!)

Bonnie: glad you like them. We all had a great time, the 4 kids entertained each other which made it much easier for us parents, and freed us up to have a few more stress-free wines :)

I visited a friend yesterday afternoon, and it ended up that I was left in the house with Lenny asleep and everyone else out....and I didnt have my book! *gasp horror frustration*

So I ended up reading my friends University reference book on Incarcerated women who are caring for babies (she's studying for her PhD in social work). It was actually very interesting, so I may as well add it to the ridiculous pile I already have that I am currently reading.....such is the life of a book-lover!

Hello Megan! Thanks for your thoughtful kindnesses on my thread. I'm back! And trying madly to catch up with everyone...Bach! A peculiarly NZ word. First time I saw it, I thought it was a spelling mistake for 'beach'. Gorgeous gorgeous pics of scenery and kids and you and you and the Cranswick family. Very jel that you got to meet up - though I am hoping to do a face-to-face with Paul in KL at the end of August (en route to Cambodia..). Ian McEwan? Hmmm - he is an absolute literary star in the UK. Must say, I loved his short stories - First Love, Last Rites and also The Comfort of Strangers. I read Atonement and just did not get what all the fuss was about. I prefer his contempories, Graham Swift and Martin Amis. But my, Ian has certainly been prolific! Great list of books you have up there at the top. Love loved all those short novels by Steinbeck - well up there in my Top Ten authors. Now i must get on with my visiting! Puff puff pant pant.

I am very behind! Lovely photos Megan, glad to have you back:)

Pru! Hello, so great to see you back again. I hope you are well.
I am told that "bach" is short for bachelor pad but I dont buy that as the origin of the word. It really is just used as a shorter alternative for "holiday house".
Ian McEwan is confusing me at present. I am unsure if I love him or loathe him. Ive never had that before....I like descriptiveness, but not the way he does it which makes it feel like the mere listing of somethings attributes. Steinbeck however is my new fave! Im so glad to have discovered him.

Callia: hello, it is very very easy to get behind on LT, that is why I put photos up so people can get a visual even if they arent reading the posts :)

Trying my hardest to get through The Village and the World but not finding the time at all today - gettin' my German Eco-feminist freak on is harder than it sounds!
haha, now there's a phrase I doubt Ill get much more use of!

Megan didn't you feel like you were in the book itself reading about ladies incarcerated with their children whilst being housebound because Lenny is fast asleep. There must be a short story in there somewhere.....probably better not commission Ian Mc to write it though as you probably wouldn't enjoy it!

Hi Megan!
#1 I want a baby penguin
#2 The smile on Lenny's face is priceless!
#3 Glad you had a great vacation. Is it beginning to get a little chilly in your area?
#4 Isn't it true that true readers will pick up just about anything to read when you have a few minutes to spare. Glad the book you had available to you was interesting.
#5 Have a great weekend!

Megan, you will forever be my German Eco-feminist freak no matter how soon or how far you move on.

I think you are the first German eco-feminist freak that I've met!

>199 what a great connection you have made Paul!
I have friends whose babies have been mega-sleepers and I know they have felt incarcerated in their own homes, unable to get out and about. I have never had this "problem" as both mine are 45 minute nappers.

Quite frankly, I have no sympathy for them as, lets face it, you can either wake the kids up and go, or read a book! Mothers who are actually incarcerated I feel more sorry for, as they have probably had a lot more to deal with in their lives than being house-bound.

>200 Hi Lynda, the chill is certainly in the air, and the frost is on the ground (some mornings), but the frosty day brings forth a clear sunny day usually. And the dastardly easterly wind that can ruin a summer day is largely absent in Autumn, so it is fantastic.

#4 too true, we have to read something dont we! I'm just glad it was an actual book and that I didn't have to resort to advertising leaflets or can labels :)

>201 aw thanks Peggy :)
I have to say that the term Eco-feminist is still a little beyond my understanding, probably because I dont like labels.

>202 Hi Tui, when some bright spark in your book club says you are all reading the autobiography of a German Eco-Feminist, then read the autobiography of a German Eco-Feminist I will! I'm not saying I'll give it a 5 star rating, but I'll give it a go.

Interestingly, topics overlap with my last (and only) feminist literature read of a few weeks ago. When it rains it pours!

Why am I the only one not seeing a baby penguin?

Just stopping by to say that your version of a sloppy joe
sounds :P

sorry...

I am finally down with a book.. thank goodness! it has been days!

Hi Kath, see post #178, there's a link :)
I'll be over to your soon to see your version of a sloppy joe....yes, my version is marginal in terms of its nutritional value....

***********

And what a happy surprise to find a relatively local book sale to go to this morning! Saw it in paper, got in car, bought books, and am home again. Easy. For $24 I got:

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
Two Lives Vikram Seth
Operation Shylock Philip Roth
The Plague Camus (a long time wished for book)
The Beautiful and Damned F Scott Fitzgerald
Breakfast at Tiffany's Capote
The Stone Diaries Carol Shields
My Fathers Tears John Updike
The Carpet Wars Christopher Kremmer (have a few of you read this recently?)
Complications Atul Gawande (have been wanting this for ages!!)
Americana Don DeLillo

STOKED!

Some great stuff there Megan. Loved The Plague and think it the best of Camus' work. Can see that the weekend has started really well and long may it continue.

Hi Megan- Congrats on the book haul! All for a good price. Enjoy your weekend.

Sounds like a great deal, very nice haul. :)

Nice book haul! I'm reading Complications right now tho it's a library book and I will have to give it back.

>205 ::impressed::

Excellent haul, a bargain, and what? A week's reading? ;)

What please is "eco-feminist" please? Is woman feeding eco? I am not understand.

Paul: weekend went downhill unfortunately....grouchy big bro saw to that pretty quickly. My patience has worn thin now with it all and quite frankly I cant wait to ditch the scene and head to the movies tonight. A friend has entered a short film into the 48 Hour Film Competition and the heats are tonight. They actually make the film in one weekend.

Mark: I love the thrill of the chase, I hold back on full priced books and when I find one in great condition that I have wanted for ages, I just about squeal with delight.

Stephen: I am very happy with todays purchases. *glances lovingly at book pile in front of me*

Anne: Complications is the one I am thinking about starting first from the pile. Then I'll have to go to my next oldest lot of new ones and try Everyman by Philip Roth I think....then ...then...who knows?

RD: A weeks reading! I wish. I swear I dont want to wish my life away, but what I wouldnt give for a days uninterrupted reading!
Eco-feminist....that would be a woman who is really into being a woman, and who loves the earth too :)

Megan - Love my siblings especially my twin to bits but it is so much easier to achieve that state of well being at the remove of a 14 hour flight.

Book 34
The Village and the World by Maria Mies

Book Club made me do it.

This collection of words and chapters is the story of the author, her life and her life's work. It is interesting (mostly) and coincidentally compliments the only other piece of overtly feminist literature I have read, Three Masquerades. There were quite a few crossovers, and a number of issues that I enjoyed reading about. Like globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation (grouped together as an evil 3), politics, NGOs, economics and social policy.....etc etc.

Content-wise there were heaps of issues that resonated with me. Two that spring to mind are the excesses of big business, and the comodification of nature. The idea that we (as humans) need to live more simply, and to try and steer clear of the greed that advertising and marketers constantly feed us, runs through the book as well.

Peeve: I was irritated by the authors over-use of italics. Strange words appeared italicised, presumably for emphasis. But it was too much, by about 5 per page.

All up it wasnt baaaaad, just not that well written or put together. 3 stars.
ETA downgraded to 2.5 stars upon refflection

>212 oh hi Paul, you snuck in there.
I was actually referring to Lenny's big bro....but my own big bro does provide me with plenty of feudal fodder, and dont get me started on his wife.....
*omg did I actually just write that?*

So many great books there - my fave is The Stone Diaries - may it start a love affair with Shields!

So are the book shelves groaning again?
Stuffed to bursting?

Nice list of books :)

Great book list! I am impressed.

Lovely haul at the book sale!

Enjoyed your comments on The Village and the World. Tend to agree the effects of globalization are everywhere, and certainly not always positive; a friend and I were just discussing this. I understand being irritated at overuse of italics; the "new" convention of not using quotation marks for dialogue is one Peggy and I were just discussing as another peeve.

>215 hello Prue :)
I have heard and heard and heard about Carol Shields but never read her, so in I go. I kind of had her pegged as emotional chick lit, but Ill have to see for myself.

>216 Oh Kath, we really need another new bookcase. We have stacks of books all over, and with the latest little round of aftershocks it has made me nervous that they'll be toppling! (hasnt happened yet)

>217 Me too Callia, and to think if I hadnt looked in the paper yesterday morning I would never have known!

>218 thanks Lucy, I was pretty happy with what I got

>219 Hi Nancy, glad you read my "review" and liked it. I remember blindly accepting my university lecturers views that globalisation was the way to go and all good for everyone, I became seriously disillusioned when I came to my own conclusions later on.

Hi - is the movie tonight? Hope your day picks up.

Great loot for you!! The Carpet Wars should be great - I saw it in Unity last week and put it down. A couple of RL friends have read it and loved it.

I think Carol Shields wrote Larry's Party, which is the only book I have in which you turn it upside down and read the same thing from two perspectives. And no I have not read it yet, ha ha, but that doesn't stop me from buying more books.

Awful weather heading our way up here - hope you miss it.

Hi Cushla,
The film was last night. It was one of the regional heats in the 48 Hours Film Competition. My friend had a film entered so I went along with him to see it on the big screen. It was great, and so many 2-7 minute films! Was nice to get out, and I arrived home only to accidentally wake Lenny up while checking on him, and he was awake for the next 3.5 hours! I couldnt believe it. Teething has a lot to answer for.

Hi Megan, breezing through and catching up a bit. (I had to go back and check out the baby penguin again) Hope you have a great week!

Aftershocks... seems a good reason to get a new set of shelves :)

oh and aftershocks... YIKES .. how long to they go on? I guess they are a way of life now?

Just thinking of my bookshelves and knowing with certainty that they would be a serious hazard if I lived in an earthquake zone.

Hi Megan! Great batch of books up there. The Village and the World sounds a bit disappointing, although with some important themes running through it. Hope your next read is better.

Lynda: I wish I had for footage of the penguins under the holiday house! No time for Monday-itis now as at my sis house looking after her 2 kiddos for the day. Actually turns out well s the older kids play and look after themselves.

Kath: Yikes indeed! They are few and far between now. I hadn't felt one for nearly 2 months before the 5.2 last Friday, that one brought with it a few smaller after-aftershocks :)

Tui: we cottoned on pretty quickly that they need to be fastened to the wall, this of course means that the books themselves can topple out, but better that than the whole lot.

Kerri: It was a bit OK and a bit dry... but yes, interesting themes, and a life spent following her passion which was grew to read about. My current book is An Ice Cream War which was so kindly given to me by Paul on out meet up. I am really enjoying this one, even though it is so different from my kind of books. One lesson on why its good to read out of your genre from time to time!

So much going on here as usual. While that baby penguin is adorable, it can't hold a candle to Wilbur pushing Lenny on the swing. I can just imagine Lenny making some pretty chortling noises himself. I need to post more pictures on my thread. But first, I need to go somewhere with gorgeous scenery. Maybe the Kansas City book sale next month?

I like the thrill of the chase for books on my WL, too, Megan. I hope to have a long list to post after my KC meetup at said book sale.

Hi Donna
Lenny was making some pretty cute baby noises on the swing, he loves them.
Gotta go- kid crying!

eta: kids apparently cry for attention, and stop as soon as they get some feedback! hehe, all drama around here

Just made and ate a third of a silver beet pie. YUM. Might have been the bacon and cheese and egg that made it so delicious, but I still like to refer to it as a silver beet pie, makes me feel healthier :)

Megan - teething sucks, if you know what I mean. SWMBO is adult teething at the moment and has issues with needing a root canal and the removal of a wisdom tooth - what an inappropriate name for a tooth that seems to serve little purpose at al except to cause its owner inordinate amounts of pain.

Worried to see that the tremors are still visiting once a while. I remember at Lake Tekapo the house owner where we stayed telling me about all the mobile updates everybody got and that NZ now has a country full of seismologists. I hope they (the tremors) go back deep under the ground and don't disturb you all for another 150 years.

Paul, it is true about us now being a nation of seismologists. Any tremor at all and everyone immediately calls out their estimate of its magnitude. I for one am pretty good at it! The 4.3 at 5 am this morning was too early for me to guess, I was too busy being grumpy at the 5th time that night I had been woken up (the first 4 times were due to kids :|)

Terrific book haul Megan. I read The Plague a few years ago and found it to be a 5 star read.

Hi Bonnie! I have been after a copy of The Plague for ages, so was pretty happy to find a nice copy of it for so cheap. In fact, I'm still buzzing from all my recent book hauls.

**************

Was just about to sit down with my coffee and log on to LT, Lenny was playing happily in the plastic container drawer in the kitchen. Aaah, sweet silence.......hang on.....this is too silent.
I go and pop my head around to spy on my littlest monkey, and I see him in a pool of runny marmalade. Sitting in it, sucking it off his little fat fists and generally happy as a pig in muck! lol
Damn those 3 jars of unset marmalade given to us, sitting unused and too potentially redeemable to throw out. Their flimsy rubber banded lids....no problem at all for an inquisitive food finder like Lenny. hehe

And in other Lenny news- he can walk!
*weep weep*
My baby has gone vertical :(
(*swoon swoon* what a gorgeous toddler he is)

Well, that explains it then. Lenny was celebrating!

Kath, of course you are right, he was probably wondering where the celebratory cake was, so decided to help himself to the marmalade instead! He was very happy with himself walking those first 4-5 steps in a row :)

Congratulations on the book haul and the ambulatory toddler. Those first steps will definitely lead to more trouble.

Time to google some marmalade cake recipes.

Time to google some marmalade cake recipes.

Oooh, now that is a good idea! Thanks :)

Wow! Big news over here!
Yay for Lenny! Poor Mum.
Teeth, toddling, and trouble - ha!
May you be blessed with boys that run together in the same direction - more of a chance for you to catch them :) My girls always seemed to run in opposite directions. oh so long ago ;-)

btw - very nice bunch of books you picked up! Which reminds me I have to read The Plague - and it is filed very neatly under the C's. Love my new system :-)

Walking and covered in marmalade - oh my!

Hi Cee! Big bro is often enlisted as helper when it comes to Lenny, he is quite good at lugging him around, which of course is discouraged unless as a directive from me!

Luxx, nice to see you here, how is little Victor going? My friends littlest trouble maker is 4 months older than Lenny/Victor and when Lenny had already started moving across the floor...her 10 month old was still sitting still inertly in one spot! Makes for a different parenting experience that's for sure.

It's funny how different these little people can be. B walked at 9.5 months, and Max didn't walk until 13-14 mos. Doc is cruising along walls/furniture like crazy, so I'm on the lookout for first steps pretty soon. He is still such a joy.

Cool! Our littlests are on the same page in that regard then :)
I didn't walk til I was 2 because of congenital hip dislocation that wasn't picked up til I was 18 months old. Didnt do me any harm.

I worried about these things with B, and then realized I was silly when I had Max; they work it out in their own time, it seems. Brooks didn't speak until he was nearly 3, and now he won't stop...

Megan, my niece had a similar problem. She was dx at about a month? And put into a
lower body cast for I think, for 3 months? My sister was already ( apparently? maybe? )
suffering from post natal depression. It wasn't talked about much in those days. That dx didn't help.
She just wanted to be away from Kim. That meant that Kim ( who is 12 hours younger
than my fourth, Cory) was often with me. Amy was 13 months when Cory was born, and still in a crib.
So when I had Kim, I would just pop her into the crib with Cory :) I was so into kid mode in
those days that having 5 kids 5 and under to take care of was no trouble at all :) LOL.
Anyway, it didn't do any harm to her either :)

Marmalade cake! Ow!

Larry's Party was a good read, if I remember.... quite interesting.

Oh dear Megan - my little buddy is already a bona fide biped- good luck! Wilbur and the man himself wil be able to really keep you fit now.

>244 its easy to obsess over it when you are so engaged with your baby. I totally get it now that I was was way too anxious about baby #1, but I was very good at hiding it, so that's something ;)

>245 5 under 5? Pssh, a walk in the park! (NOT) Kath you must be a super hero, no wonder you can barely sit still even now. If your 2nd 3rd 4th and surrogate 5th were anything like Lenny, then I guess they fit in progressively better with each one. They just have to.
My non-crawling and late walking itself wasnt a problem, but the hip joint became a major problem later in life when osteo-arthritis set in and taught me a lot about the importance of the provision of seating in public places (amongst other things).

>246 Hi Lucy, my sister liked that if I remember correctly, Ill have to borrow it off her if I ever get to The Stone Diaries through all my other books that a vying for my attention.

>247 Hi Paul, Lenny was so happy about being able to walk that he got up extra early to keep practising! 445am.......one giant nappy load later revealed the real reason for his uncharacteristic early rising...but it didn't stop him tottering around grinning. Funny really, even at 5am I have to admit that :)

Ta da! Two marmalade loafs, and only three more to make to rid myself of runny marmalade for ever.


And this is how you look after kids when you've got 4 to deal with for a whole day. :)
They went on on their own, honest....

#166 Beautiful photos Megan

#194 Too funny!

#195 "Bach! A peculiarly NZ word. First time I saw it, I thought it was a spelling mistake for 'beach'" Oops, I assumed it was a typo... *embarrassed face*

#248 Yum and :-) respectively

Hi Heather,
Thanks for stopping by, thanks for the lovely comments too.
I forget that peculiarly NZ words like "bach" are peculiarly NZ words! People who live south of where I live call a bach a crib. Other countries must say holiday house? beach house? I actually dont know!

>249 Hmm...

*looks for phone number of Child Protective Services in Christchurch*

>249 Brilliant. Ignore the Longface Puritan Doc. Just...brilliant.

"My baby has gone vertical"! Lenny on the loose, huh? Bolt your doors, ladies! My little buddy is on the way!

BTW- I like that baby crate! We could have used one of those!

>253 Sorry, but there is a clear pattern of child abuse and neglect by Megan. First she leaves her infant son in the care of strangers from a foreign land that she's never met (Paul and SWMBO), then she uses the kids as penguin bait, and finally abandons them on a deserted beach. And now this??? She'd better have a damned good lawyer if you ask me.

LOL .. and don't forget evidence that she keeps them in a cage, Darryl.

Been lurking recently on your thread with no time to comment, but i'm back with a vengeance, now so be warned Megan. Mwaahahahaaaa

Hahaha I'll put myself up as a character witness Megan don't you worry - Where can I buy the cage by the way?

Megan, do you say "bach" like Johann Sebastian or bach like bachelor?

Nice kennel! Great idea!

Youhave to come and see two of my babies in my thread :)

>249 Oh I wish I'd had one of those;-)

Some gorgeous photos and amusing tales, Megan. Both made me smile!

We were always hoping someone would start sellng children's chewable valium... :)

...and oral Haldol (a rapidly acting antipsychotic drug) for wayward teenagers.

I'm laughing hard about the marmalade story. He needs the energy for his walking - cool!! (but I guess life is about to get busier).

#258 in Megan's absence (am sure she has been up for at least an hour but neglecting her thread again in favour of her kids) I will answer nz ish questions... It's Bach like batch and in Dunedin it's usually called a crib, just to confuse matters further.

Uh-oh, my kids in the dog kennel have caused a stir. hehe, they love that kennel! Its a my sisters house and big bro entices any other kids who are there into it (usually with some toys) and they have a grand old time. Poor old dog doesn't get a look in at all.

>252 Aw Darryl, Im usually such a good mother, just this one slip up. I mean, they were only in there for a few hours.....JOKE ;) (see above)

>253 thanks Richard, I knew you'd have my back :)

>254 he may not have big bro's olive skin, but he's got his baby blue eyes which should get them, that's if his vice like hair grabbing doesn't get them first!

>255 damn, my lawyer is in Africa til end of next week.....ah well, Im sure this will all have blown over by then *wishful thinking*

>256 Hello Caro, great to see you here (minus the bat hopefully), cant believe you caught me in an awkward moment, "children-in-cage-wise" ;) But nobody comments on the marmalade cake...maybe I should take that discussion to Joes cafe?

>257 Thanks Paul, your opinion has the most sway as you have actually seen me in RL, and my squeaky clean parenting in action....never mind that I had Lenny out in a cool breeze with a high temp that day....damn....am I digging a hole here?

>258 Tui, as Cushla says, its like in bachelor, or batch of scones. Although, in the interest of cultivating some swankiness, I will consider pronouncing it like Johann Sebastian Bach from now on!

>259 Hi Kath, in actual fact, a better idea is the trampoline with the 6 foot high netting all around it. You can zip it shut and keep them ALL in there, and they think its FUN!? Mwa ha ha :)

>260 *whispers so Darryl wont hear* I wouldnt mind one either, it came in very handy that day :) My sister is so lucky to have a kid kennel dog kennel

>261 sounds like a good result Prue, kids do generate some funny stories

>262 Jim, I hear you. Even after big bro had had an anesthetic, (at aged 1 1/2) and we were assured by the medical professionals that he would be sluggish and groggy for the afternoon, (yay! I thought)- he was tearing about loud and fast as ever within 30 minutes of leaving hospital!

>263 teenage-hood: now there's a period in my boys life i have to look forward to. Although.....it is 10 years away........are there many developments in that area yet Darryl? You'll keep me in the loop on that one i hope :) (I am willing to send Pineapple Lumps)

>264 Thanks Cushla, my personal question-answering-service :)
Of course I was attending to the needs of the children first....as always *sigh* Its my book babies that are sadly neglected, as much as I hear their cries, I have little time to comfort them in their loneliness :(

aha Cush and Megan, thanks. bach (as in Johann Sebastian) is house in Welsh, so I wondered how you say it.

#249: The kennel looks like an excellent ready-made hut! There's something about little kids and small spaces - it reminds me of a story in the papers here last year that said the nanny to the Prime Minister's children had been seen carrying the baby in a hessian shopping bag from one of the supermarkets, which was apparently supposed to be terrible, except it turned out that the child's brother and sister also used to carry her around the garden in the bag to keep her amused, and she loved it.

Glad you found something to do with all that marmalade!

When I worked at the vet, I was always asking for a large kennel in the waiting room.
I thought it would be perfect for the clients who brought in kids ( sometimes 4 or more ) and left
them for the reception staff to watch. ( Cause they weren't doing anything else?) Never got it though.

Wonders what Megan is going to do with June for a rhyme, which starts tomorrow. In June we will spoon? June is in tune?

She better hurry, June will be here...well, SOON...

Sorry...

Moon
Swoon
Afternoon
Cartoon
Baboon
Vinegarroon (DO NOT GOOGLE IF ARACHNOPHOBIC)
Musketoon
Saskatoon
Croon
Spoon
Balloon
Saloon
Poltroon (my personal favorite, next to "saloon")
Eftsoon (kinda Shakespearean, but I'm really reaching into the grab bag at this point)
Patroon
...I think I'm done.

spittoon
goon
boon
loon
noon

why are we doing this... ?

Rhymes for "June" for Megan to choose from for her next thread.

bonnie doon
buffoon
tune
rune
ruin (a stretch I admit)
soon
hoon (that's local dialect here for a young man who drives like an idiot and does wheelies)

OIC :)

Goboon (like Prue's "hoon")

Shoon (archaic plural of "shoes" that floated to the top of my brain)

lol, you guys are great. :)

>267 bach (as in Johann Sebastian) is house in Welsh
I had no idea, maybe that is where it came from? We did have a lot of Welsh settlers here back in the day...

>268 Kids and cats seem to love small spaces. The old thing about the cardboard box being more exciting than the gift is so true - up to age 4 so far as I can tell....Ive never seen Wilb so excited as when he got to play in the box that our new TV came in.

>269 I can see how the Vets werent excited about getting a kennel in the waiting room for the kids! Maybe a cornered off play area, but not a kennel. Think of the PC police!

>270 Ah ha.....that will have to wait for June....*checks calendar*....hey! Thats already today here! (damn LT US time gets me confused)......

>271 June has been here for 10 and nearly a half hours so far and I havent started my June (she'll change her tune) thread! Eeek, better hurry.

>272 *off to google "Vinegarroon"*
ETA ecchk, is that some spider/scorpion mating gone wrong or what. Well, I was warned....

>273 /274 yep, thats why thanks RD...if you google any of my headers (since April and until September, when my rhyming thread-headers will cease) you might see that it's a song, and not of my own doing.

*chants to self*
Must not forget to use thread continuation function
Must not forget to use thread continuation function
Must not forget to use thread continuation function
Must not forget to use thread continuation function