Talisman

Being considered weird doesn't bother me, in fact I think of it as a compliment - I would much rather be weird and a bit different to boring. Boring to me is going out every weekend getting drunk and spending all your money on useless junk, like the latest this and the latest that - most of the stuff we sell at work in fact ! I have always been a bit weird - and was bullied most of my way through school for being so - for being shy, for wearing glasses, for being clever, but most of all, for being sensitive. It is that sensitivity though that makes me who I am, and gives me that appreciation for the finer things in life - Green and Blacks chocolate, beautiful sunsets and yes, even books ! It is that same sensitivity that enables me observe what goes in the world and write about it so effectively. I don't think that buying books can ever be a waste of time - books make you laugh amd cry, they make you question the things that happen in the world, and what we see around us, they teach us about ourselves in ways that nothing else can.

I like beetroot too, but definately not for breakfast ! For tea tonight though we had a stir fry with various vegetables, scrambled eggs and soy sauce. Rather yummy it was too.

Thanks for that, couldn't agree more !

As a non fiction writer (mind, body and spirit/religion) I have a large collection of books in both of these genres. I love the Conversations with God series and the works of Eckhart Tolle in particular, but have books on all different aspects of spirituality - books on meditation, on crystals (I am a qualified crystal therapist), Reiki (also do this), spirit guides and all sorts of things. I also have a large collection of religious books - the complete works of Josephus, a Greek Hebrew Study Bible, the Nag Hammadi and other Gnostic texts etc. Then there is the 'aternative' history books - Andrew Collins, Henry Lincoln, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, Lawrence Gardner, David Rohl and so on. My favourite author in this genre is Graham Phillips - who has written some fabulous stuff over the years - The Moses Legacy, Act of God and so on. I have met Graham several times and he is a really funny man and fascinating to talk to, since he is so knowledgeable on so many things. I also have a large collection of Icelandic Sagas - translated from the original Icelandic/Old Norse of course. These are tales written in the 12th and 13th Centuries about the settlement period of the country, which took place towards the end of the 10th Century. Fascinating stuff with tangled relationships and blood feuds. I will be adding to the collection next year I expect, since I hope to go back for a holiday - I have been five times and my last visit was in 2001. I do have some fiction books as well though - which I have recently begun to read again, after writing and reading non fiction for so many years, and I find that I really enjoy having something lighter to read. Mind you, a lot of the stuff I like could not be considered all that light, since I prefer the books about life in different countries, with a dark element, women in Islamic countries for example and what it is like for them.

Personally I hope that the Espresso machine does catch on. It has been in America for a while now, and is being trialled in selected Blackwells stores later in the year, according to The Bookseller. The advantages are mainly for print on demand authors like myself, who face a continual fight to get stocked in stores and get any sort of exposure at all, mostly because of the perceived notion that all self published books are inferior quality. This is not the case, as my publishing company and countless others are beginning to prove. When we do manage to get into shops, because of the ridiculous returns system and extortinate discounts that booksellers and wholesalers demand (as much as 60 percent in some cases, meaning that the book store earns four times what I do - who wrote the damned thing ? !) then it is hardly worth the effort. That is why some 80 percent of authors are forced to take second jobs and the majority of us earn less than 5K a year from writing (the most I have earned in a year from mine is around

I find it really frustrating at work as well when parents and kids come into the store together and the parents buy age rated games which you know are for the kids. Because the parents are paying though, there is nothing we can do. This to me is the ultimate in irresponsible parenting. You don't get RSI from books either !

Pasta with pesto sauce, peas and carrots

I did come across a downloadable copy that you could order somewhere, if I can remember where, or come across it again, I will let you have the address. I could do with one too, would be very useful for my next book - if I ever have the time to start writing !

When I went to a Sony trade fair a few months ago (I work for an electronics retailer) they were unable to tell me anything about these things at all, and had none on display. This is a shame, since I would have liked to have seen one. The idea of e-books does have a certain appeal for authors, since it potentially cuts out all the middle men, who are all too keen to take a slice of our hard earned income (everyone thinks authors are stinking rich, but actually most of us earn less than 5K a year and have second jobs), since the books can be downloaded direct from either the authors or publishers own website. There are security issues to consider though, since it is far too easy to copy work without paying for it, and far too many people still consider that this is their God given right, forgetting that we own the work and also have rights - to sue the pants off them if caught ! And believe me, I would ! Personally I don't think anything will ever replace paper copies either, not completely. I can see that there is a market for educational books and certain types of non fiction - a searchable e copy of The Bible for example would be brilliant, but not for fiction.

I would write to their Head Office and complain. Kids learn a lot more from books than they ever came from these silly games, that let's face it, a lot of parents use as substitute baby sitters anyway !

I didn't realise it was back either, but looking forward to seeing it again. I love it.

scrambled eggs on wheat free toast with tinned tomatoes

The most disturbing book I ever read was called Aztec and I think by Gary Jennings ? I got about one quarter in and had to stop reading as it was just so sickening, especially the bit about what they did to a young girl who they found was not a virgin. It was just awful, and beyond description. Far too horrific to detail here, I feel ill even now just thinking about it.

It was yum and very naughty, since I am supposed to avoid wheat. Will probably bloat for about 3 days now. Less exotic food tonight though, since we had pasta (wheat free) for lunch - will probably be a bowl of soup or something.

Pizza Hut for us - mountain fantastico (goats cheese, black olives and rocket - yum) with a shared salad bowl.

Jacket spud with cheese and coleslaw and a big salad

Although we sell a lot of different cookers at work, this is not one that I have heard of. Are they unique to Lakeland?

Pesto rice - basmati rice with baby carrots, mange tout and baby corn, mixed with pesto sauce.

I just spent 5 minutes writing a reply to this, but it disappeared into cyber space when I hit the post button. I hate it when that happens ! Rather than re-type it all again, the gist of it can be found here on my blogsite http://juneaustin.blogspot.com/

Pasta with Dolmio spring vegetable sauce and a large salad.