Spring Time At Last !

The clocks went forward and thus we are officially in Spring , which meant that overnight we lost an hour of sleep. Now this begs a question, must we go back to the previous time zone? IMHO i prefer that we stick to this time and not turn back the clocks for winter. Still, that is my opinion and i would like to know what you think.

Meanwhile, i have started reading the short introduction to the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard whom is now regarded as the founder of Existentialism.

Been listening to the Stanford "Irish Symphony" and wondering why it is not as well known as works by Ralph  Vaughan Williams or Gustav Holst , both of whom were taught by Charles Villiers Stanford. His Irish Rhapsodies are a delight, and the CD i listened to last night had the 5th Rhapsody on it (he wrote six in all). The Chandos record label did release all six rhapsodies on a double CD which is in my Amazon want list. 

Book 25 - Marie Darrieussecq, "Breathing Underwater"

Marie Darrieussecq, "Breathing Underwater" (Faber & Faber)




A strange book - all atmosphere and very little plot in this 128 page novella. The prose is certainly striking - very poetic and elusive. The perspective kept shifting from one character to another but it was quite hard to know who was actually 'speaking' .

There is no story at all. The synopsis says it all. It is all about the style, the attention to detail of the world and how the author's descriptions make the world somehow strange or unfamiliar. Forget dialogue, getting to grips with characters or even their names, and the reader never uncovers the motives of the characters in this book. This can be a difficult read and at times i was unsure about which character was in the spotlight as the narration jumps around a lot. There seems at a first glance to be a lot against this novel, but i paradoxically found that what made this novel infuriating at times, the ambiguity, vagueness also are its strengths. It is highly poetic and leaves a lot of responsibility with the reader regarding the book's interpretation or meaning.

All very vague and elusive - unlike anything else I've read but nevertheless a book I did not enjoy and hence would hesitate to recommend.

Thoughtful Florence

I was about to put on some clothes this morning after having a bath , and Flo decided to sit on some clothes, ut i had to take this picture as it captures her in a thoughtful mood. 

Craft Beers

Wow, listening to Radio 4's Food Program on craft beer from London to the States and around the world. Classic Porter styles, Old Stouts, dry hopped beers etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03z3l4f


and followed up with this one on US craft beers from 2012 -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gf4l0

Stress

It seems to be a case of taking one step forward and three steps back.
I have come to some financial hick-up and thus will need to reign in some things , and now that the scanning job has now been cancelled a further loss of income has accrued. It is difficult just keeping afloat but this setback seems to hit me like a double whammy.

Feeling a bit stressed too.