Potionem Ergo Dum

So after completing Season 6 of Buffy , i have started back at the beginning with Season One before going forward to he final season. That first season so far does seem a bit shaky ant first, and noticed it is only twelve episodes long. Perhaps it took time to take off as i only remember seeing it on TV from the second season.

Some good news from cousin, His hours that was cut from his working week have been rescinded as from next week. It means that the financial situation will improve a bit and less of a strain.

Whilst out in Ashford, found this hardback in a charity shop for fifty pence.




Potionem ergo sum!

Brutal Ale

This fully bearded chap is John Maier ,masterbrewer at Rogue Brewery, Newport, Oregon.  The reason for the pic is that whilst in Ashford yesterday waiting for my bus back to Faversham, i had a pint of Rogue Brutal ale (6.0 % ABV) in the local Spoons pub. It os a lovely tasty strong ale.

Also, looking forward to the Brighton beer festival in March.

Off to Canterbury, Herne Bay and Tankerton today.

Canterbury Tankerton and Herne Bay Visits

A trio of visits done today, a chemist, another media electronic showroom and a charity shop. This was in Herne Bay, Canterbury and Tankerton. From the charity shop picked up a couple of CD's and a book. The CD's are -

Lamb - What Sound (Mercury) - their third album, still in a trip hop and junglist mode.



Jose Gonzales - Veneer (Peacefrog) - Swedish folky acoustic singer songwriter.



and this book -



Of course ,whilst in Canterbury, i accidentally passed Waterstones, and found myself in the event horizon of the said bookshop. Unfortunately, bookshops are the pyschogeography of my inquisitive mind. Bedazzled by all the folios on display i came out with a hardback at half price (not that i suffer from abibliophobia just yet). So with guilty pleasure i purchased this one -



I decided then to skedaddle off back to Faversham and home. An enjoyable day topped off with another pint of the delicious Rogue Brutal beer in a 'Spoons pub in Canterbury.

Click Click

More pics taken -



Faversham had their Saturday food and drink market on again. Lots to tempt me but i just walked on by.



Walking down a street in Canterbury - oh dear there is a Waterstones enticing me to come hither.




Tankerton, just east of Whitstable, and the charity shop visit.

Book 10 - William Maxwell "The Château"

William Maxwell "The Château" (The Harvill Press)




The Chateau is part unscripted mystery, part travel journal, part piercing cultural study. The premise-- an American couple traveling in France after WWII only to find things less perfect and picturesque than expected-- is interesting enough. But, it is Maxwell's writing that really carries this book from a 3 star to a 4 1/2 star novel. He perfectly captures so many personal, yet universal moments in language that is subtle, moving, even ethereal.

The real treat of the book (besides the writing) is the very unconventional "Part II: Some Explanations" aka the last 50 pages of the book. Here, in an entirely different tone, which is a Q&A between himself and a reader, Maxwell explains the many stories behind the story-- the French story. Knowing this part was coming did help me through some of the more agonizing parts of the plot in Part I.

If you are hoping for an action packed plot, The Chateau will disappoint, but there is a plot; it is very carefully doled out much as life's plot is, and is delivered in such beautiful prose you won't want it to end. It is a pity that Maxwell's works seem to be largely unknown/