Chillin' Out and Reading Matters

After pulling out the envelope to get seven visits done in a day , a feat that i do not want to repeat too often,i took out my own advice and decided to chill out for most of the day today and recharge the batteries. Anyway what i have left is just supermarket visits ,some for a morning period of 8.30 am to midday or from 4 -8 pm. Anyway, there are just three visits left so one i could do this evening.

I had a lie-in this morning. I listened to Desert Island Discs with Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4, and then the book of the week. The book is This Long Pursuit: Reflections of a Romantic Biographerr by Richard Holmes.

I have bought quite a few books that i listened to via the radio such as th bio on Angela Carter.

I now have Xmas cards and a wonderful selection of books from grondfic that came in the post yesterday including a Xmas card

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Earlier in the week i received this from Amazon.



One of the writers in this selection is none other than itjustis.

Well, folks, i have a book to post today sold from Ebay - one that i had already read -a book that my bro gave me from his unending pile of books. I also have Xmas cards to post before the damn postalstrike next week.

My Fave Xmas Songs #4

Another of my fave songs with Chrissie Hynde at the vocal helm - must read her biography book in my collection.

The Pretenders - 2000 miles (It Must Be Xmas Time)

Shirley Collins Again

Picked up this classic folk album from 1971 yesterday in Maidstone.




Shirley Collins & The Albion Band - Murder of Maria Marten

The Friday Five

What was your favourite sitcom growing up?

What favourite food puts you in a great mood?

Who is the funniest person you know?

What music , if any, are you listening to right now?

Have you ever been in an accident in a private vehicle when driving? When a passenger?

Book 93 - Immanuel Kant "What is Enlightenment?"

Immanuel Kant "An Answer to the Question: 'What is Enlightenment?" (Penguin Books)



Written during the period known as the Enlightenment, the philosopher attempts to explain basic principles to his reader. He explains the concept of the republican government, and why it is essential to perpetual peace. The philosopher is confident that human kind is progressing toward a better state. The optimism of the Enlightenment, and the belief in the capacity of humans for rationally reworking the world, is on full display.

Book 94 - Mark Forsyth "The Etymologicon"

Mark Forsyth "The Etymologicon :A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language" (Icon Books)





This is a book of words and a book of origin of words. There are some very interesting stories about how a word came by and some not so, but nevertheless, the book keeps your attention till the end.

The author shows many strange connections between roots and the words that have formed in the English language. Learning the roots has definitely helped me improve my vocabulary. The other day I impressed my colleagues with the meaning of 'retrospective' using Etymology.

The author could have dived deeper into other roots like 'paed' for child (paediatrics, pedagogy), 'gyne' for woman, 'manus' for hand (manuscript, manual). I searched for some of these after reading the book, but would have loved it read it in the articulate style that Mr. Forsyth writes.

It is a very funny, enlightening and ingenious book about the origins and hidden connections between words in a light-hearted and often irreverent way, which starts and ends with books, and covers everything else in-between: from chickens, testicles and sausages to Bohemia, California and assassins on drugs. You will never think about certain words in the same way again.

Friday Musical Selection - Folk Flavours All The Way (or Visions of Albion)

Well , as it is Friday , here is another musical selection.

Shirley Collins and The Albion Country Band - Poor Murdered Woman

( More folk flavours here )

Snizzles

Loads of sneezing and so on.. damn cold symptoms .. thankfully work is winding down before Xmas so getting the old col remedies out.

At least four payments this week giving me triple figure suns , from PIP, Mystery Shoppers UK ,International Service Check and MF.

Just one more visit to do and tat is it.

Good Night

And hence in dreams we explore the outer limits.