Weather: Subzero conditions, but the sun is now shining.
Mood: Reasonably positive, extremely relaxed.
Word: "Delightful" - Rosie definitely picked this up from Ruth.
Rosie: After a week of potty training, we're starting to see some real progress. Six wees this morning, but the No.2s are still not hitting the target.
Lunch: Homemade Hawaiian pizza.
Exercise: 3.5-mile run, felt like -10C out. Must wear gloves next time.
Booze: Been taking it very easy recently, despite plentiful supplies. Occasional glass of red.
Purchased: Bought book 3 of 1Q84 and Simon Reynold's Retromania, plus purchased an annual subscription to Nathan Yau's Flowing Data member's community.
Media: Finished Books 1&2 of Murakami's 1Q84, and also seasons 1&2 of Breaking Bad, over the past week. More hotly anticipating the third instalment of Breaking Bad over 1Q84, which I wouldn't rank among Murakami's best works but it's a good read nonetheless. Just think it could have done with some more careful editing, and a faster pace. Now reading Houellebecq's Map and Territory, and M suffers by comparison with H; Houellebecq is a true prose stylist and bursting with original ideas. Two 70s musical gems I've enjoyed recently are Manassas (Stephen Stills) and Just Another Diamond Day (Vashti Bunyan), and I also love the new Leonard Cohen and First Aid Kit albums.
Notes: Despite lots of major life events on the horizon for the Redfords in 2012, in recent weeks the focus has been very much on the here & now, I guess partly because the snow tends to make you more housebound but also because we're conscious that this time right now is so precious. One rare escapade out the house (apart from the occasional commute) was a trip up town to see exhibitions at the British Museum and Wellcome Collection - see links for more info. We're going to try and total around 50 entries to the blog before leaving London, and so have plenty planned for the coming months.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7NrS12dc0
Blog: Above is a link to a video about Mark Steel's In Town, one of those BBC radio gems that deserve a much, much wider audience. He's a comedian brave enough to tour the country poking fun at the locals in all the towns he visits, but to do it in such a warm, funny and informative way that he somehow pulls it off. I've listened to the episodes on Bungay and Dartford, and as someone who knows Dartford pretty well, I can tell you he really nails it. I've seen Mark Steel live at Blackheath Halls and he's brilliant (whether you like his radical left-wing politics or not), and he's about to start another tour in March, so I'd advise you to catch him where you can (no, I'm not on commission!).
Photo: With my parents in sunny NZ, I've been reflecting on our campervan travels recently - below is a snippet from the comic we made of our round-the-world trip.
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