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Saturday 26 October 2013

Reading and Roses

I have been out and picked the last of the roses in the garden as we are due a tail end of a hurricane on Sunday night. There is nothing more depressing that stripped rose bushes.

A long conversation with R and others last night about how none of us are really able to read a book anymore.  R and I are fellow listeners to Radio 4/World Service all night long and hear, fuzzily, at 1 am about orchids fertilisation or, this morning, the World Football round up.  I now know more about football in the Carribean than I want to, I think.

I miss reading.  I used to wander around the house with my head stuck in a really good book and once took the day off work to finish the new Jilly Cooper (Rivals!).  I have been a bookworm all my life and used to haunt the library in Bury St Edmunds, reading things like Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer.  I moved on to other stuff in my teens - Lordy Me, I was pretentious at one point - my "Cement Garden" carried front and forward round school, so everyone could see how clever I was.  I used to read the bleach bottle in the loo, if nothing else was available...

Nowadays, I takes the teenage iPad and play Solitaire or Bridge, whilst listening with half an ear to the Radio, until I fall asleep.  I usually wake up about 2 hours later and turn out the light.

Sometimes, in those dark and scary moments at 3 am, I want to weep that I will probably never read a book again.  Then I think that I have been privileged enough to read more books in my lifetime than most other people and I should not be sad about not reading more, but happy I have had the opportunity to read so many.

This attitude drives Laura mad, I know, but I just can't help myself.  Fifi had the poem below on her Order of Service at her wedding and I have never forgotten it 


“Don't be sad that roses have thorns.
Be glad that thorns have Roses."




A piccie of one of my roses.


4 comments:

  1. hey nice post meh, You are one of the best writers I've seen of recent. I love your style of blogging here. this post reminds me of an equally interesting post that I read some time ago on Daniel Uyi's blog: Be Accountable For Your Goals .
    keep up the good work friend. I will be back to read more of your posts.

    Regards

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  2. I think it is best possible attitude! It delights me, really, and I want it for my own!

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  3. Squeeeee!!! I have been name-checked in a Ch, ch & ch blog!!!

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  4. Ahem... what I meant, of course, was: I think it's a fabulous attitude and - as I am English & therefore not given the Colonists Leeway that C & MJ have to premourn you - I applaud you for it!

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