Talisman

stir fried veg with brown rice and black bean sauce

The Power of Love - Jennifer Rush

I have - some very good silent ones. Never have I ever had a tattoo

I might skip (or rather skim) a paragraph or two, but never a whole page or chapter. If a book was that boring, I would give up completely.

I hope your job situation improves soon Nightwish - it sounds stressful. I have been there, working part time and wanting full time and know how stressful it can be. If you are patient then I am sure your persistence will pay off in the end. It was a working weekend for me also - I don't mind that much though, as I finished at 3.30 and so was home by 4pm which is the best part of the day anyway. It meant that I was still able to manage a couple of hours of reading outdoors. The weather has though since changed, so my reading today will be indoors. I have been in this job for almost five months now. The difference between here and the last place really is startling in terms of how it affects me - I am more relaxed than I have felt in years, in both body and mind - all the aches and pains have gone, I am sleeping better, and best of all, all the mind chatter has gone. I may be earning a bit less than I was, but with the tax cuts I hardly notice the difference - money isn't everything anyway, my health and sanity are both far more important.

castle

Oops Upside Your Head - Gap Band

drunk

Fake - Alexander O'Neal

neither have I never have I ever felt happy about the fact that it is raining on my day off !

We are almost half through the year already, and having done a quick count, I have so far read 42 books (from another 25 countries). Considering I got through 63 in the whole of last year this is not bad at all. Given the amount that I expect to read on holiday this year, I would not be surprised if I managed to hit 100.

Jamie Cullum - Momentum. I didn't even know he had a new album out until I heard it on the radio this afternoon, so I downloaded it as soon as I got in from work, and am now listening to the first track.

It's been a lovely sunny day here on Box Hill - Coran and I went to the cemetery at Epsom Downs this morning (closed yesterday due to The Derby) to visit my parents grave (it was 32 years on Friday since Dad passed away), and then sat in the car park for a cup of tea watching all the dismantling and comings and goings. Then it was back to Box Hill for a picnic lunch with the cyclists and a long walk, followed by a couple of hours of sitting on the grass reading.

I have read a little bit more today - Coran and I went for a long walk around Box Hill and sat on the grass for a couple of hours. I am about 18 percent through The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.

I got off to a bit of a slow start too - there always seems so much to do on my weekends off. Yesterday morning though I downloaded The Magpies by Mark Edwards, (431 pages) having seen it on the Amazon best sellers list. I started to read it at lunchtime, after Coran and I had got home, and kept on reading it for most of the afternoon. I didn't even intend to participate that much in this read a thon, but this one was so good I didn't want to put it down. I finished it just before 11pm last night, with a break of just a couple of hours in the afternoon. This is only the third book in my whole life that I have ever read in one day, so I would be very surprised if I get more than halfway through another book today. I might though be wrong.

It's the weekend and I have a stinky rotten cold, so am feeling sorry for myself. I also have a very sore and watery right eye, which has been bugging me for about 6 months now. I finally went to the Doctor about it on Tuesday and he seems to think it's a blocked tear duct, so has referred me to eye clinic at the local hospital. I hope it isn't that as if it is they have to insert something into the eye to unblock it. They will have to strap me down and knock me out before I will let them do that ! At least the sun is out though.

skydive

brush

egg, chips and peas. I am just about to light the oven for the chips.

I know what you mean Emelee - it's the same for me. The oldest where I work is 105 years old. I can't begin to imagine half the things she must have seen and done.

It has been a working weekend for me - I have next weekend off though - 3 days in a row. I didn't mind that much, as today at least was double time, and although the sun has been out, it's not as warm as it looks. I have still managed to get a fair bit of reading done anyway.

If you are meant to read it, then it will come your way for the price that you can afford. Personally even though I am low paid (relatively) I never mind paying for books. As an author myself I know that we need all the help that we can get ... I have though finished yet another country - this time Thailand - The Beach by Alex Garland. This was the Kindle Daily Deal a few days ago. Some may be more familiar with the film of the same name, but I am yet to see this. Reading the book though has made me want to see it. There is a sense of foreboding that runs right through the book from the very beginning where you just know that something really dark is going to happen - and it does. Another excellent read.

I have done various things over the years - handing out leaflets for various causes, working in charity shops, working for the National Trust and so on. The longest standing voluntary role that I had though was as Editor of the Village newsletter where I live in Surrey. I did this for a little over five years up until last summer. While it is not your typical voluntary job it was a very interesting one, where I met some fascinating people and made some very useful contacts as well. During the five years that I served as Editor the newsletter celebrated its 25th anniversary so I had the job of compiling that, which I think the villagers enjoyed. The Head of Surrey County Council evidently did too, as I had an email from him telling me so, which I printed in the next edition. Perhaps the most important thing though that I had to cover was last years Olympics - both the men's and women's road cycling races came right though the heart of the village. Box Hill was probably the most important part of the men's race in particular, as they did not just one but nine laps (the women did two). This was then as you can imagine, a challenge and a half, in more ways than one. My partner also acts as a volunteer at the local computer club, teaching people how to use computers. She finds that equally rewarding, but in a different way.

Maybe they can order it for you.

egg, chips and beans with fried bread. Unhealthy but nice.