C J Sansom's latest Shardlake novel, Lamentation, has been published. I've enjoyed the sequence since I read Sovereign back in 2007.
I feel as though I am currently floundering on top of a rising tide of wisteria.
The milder weather at the beginning of the month was a godsend. What a fabulous start to autumn we had! We've not had the central heating on once so I'm hoping for big savings on fuel bills this quarter.
I also took the opportunity to sit outside in the back garden feeling the warmth of the sun on my face and arms whilst marking last week's literacy. I was wearing cord jeans and a pullover to be sure but the sun felt good nevertheless..
The planned school trip to the Walker Art Gallery went well.
My Year 4 Group and I attended a workshop in which one of the Gallery staff took us round some of the portraits and asked the pupils to talk about and explain what they were seeing. The discussion on the first portrait went well. We moved rooms to a second.
Staff: So, can anyone tell me what they can see in this painting? Yes, you just there.
Child: Well, Miss, it's a self-portrait by Rembrandt.
Staff: (Pause) (shocked) That's absolutely correct. D'you know. I don't think I've ever had a young person tell me that before.
Yay! Let's hear it for my nine-year olds.
It would seem that some of them at least had been listening to some of the things that I said beforehand.
My colleague complained the whole time because she didn't know what was happening. I have a sense that she simply does not have a clue about art and, instead of just shutting up, made sure that everybody knew about this.
Ross continues his engagement (as it were) with the medical profession. At the beginning of the month, he had a wisdom tooth removed on the possibility that it was pressing against a nerve and was thus causing the tremor in his left eye. Later in the month, he attended the Eye Clinic where they said that this was probably not going to help matters although removing the tooth was not a bad thing in itself. It would appear that the thickened gelatinous substance in Ross's eye is now less thick and that observations will continue.
Half term came. I travelled to London. I met up with Anna and Charlie, Robert being elsewhere on work. We looked at houses the family may move to given that the current flat will very quickly become too small for all three of them. Then I went to Epsom to meet up with Linda, Ian and Mary. Then I came home
C J Sansom's latest Shardlake novel, Lamentation, has been published. I've enjoyed the sequence since I read Sovereign back in 2007.
I have the feeling that the idea is past its peak, however. Sansom seems increasingly more interested in giving an exposition of the historical significance of the times and less interested in the murder mystery element. I found it difficult to get engrossed in this monster tome in the way that I have with earlier products.
Despite muttering darkly all the way to the cinema about "yet another teenage dystopia", I found that I actually quite enjoyed The Maze Runner.
It's a bit sort of like a computer game where the participants have to try and find their way out of an arena in which they are being held captive, having had their memories erased. Gradually though, it becomes clear that there is something more sinister at work behind the scenes. I gather that this is the first in a sequence of young adult novels and so other films may follow - a bit like Twilight in that respect.
There was a very handsome young male cast with Dylan O'Brien, Will Poulter and Thomas Brodie-Sangster all of whom made the experience more easy to bear.
However, the best part of the evening was the trailer for the upcoming Paddington movie which kept me laughing for its complete duration - Christmas entertainment sorted!!
Nick Jonas has decided to go the full Marky Mark with his latest photoshoot for Flaunt magazine.
For some, this is the answer to many a prayer as he channeled those iconic images of yesteryear when a young muscular man dropped his jeans and grabbed his junk in his undies.
