Week 110: TV? Snap snap snap
October 10, 2020
- A problem I have with audiobooks, or am having with Wolf Hall at least, is that spoken words are so ephemeral. They float into my head and then they are gone. In Wolf Hall there are quite a few oldy-worldy words that I don’t know and the prose style requires maintaining some context in your head. When I realise I haven’t retained enough context to understand something I’ve just heard (who just said that? who does “my good man in Rome” refer to?) I don’t have time to stop and think because more words have already come and continue to come. I’m consuming via audio so that I can do other things at the same time, which means stopping to look something up requires stopping the washing up and the audiobook. A consequence of this is that Wolf Hall feels like it’s flowing through me. Sometimes I recognise and retain parts of the plot, and sometimes it drifts by and I let it go while continuing wash the dishes.
- Reader, I have finished Wolf Hall. Since I bought all three books and a study guide for 1 audible credit, bring up the bodies is ready to go. I know that Henry ends up marrying Jane Seymore, but right now it seems like Cromwell is going to bone her, so I’m excited to find out what happens there.
- Cracked out the slippers this week.
- I think I’ve figured out a strategy for maternity leave × NCOV19 × winter and it involves a thermos full of tea and everybody wrapping up really warm.
- I made a hat for my niece from Purl Soho’s Basic Hats For Everyone. It matches a pair of mittens I made her last year.
- I am very obsessed with Purl Soho, in particular, their use of colour in their patterns is delightful. Unfortunately, with the 20% VAT, the pound against the dollar, and postage they are also ruinously expensive. Still, I could be financially destitute but wrapped in a lovely ombre shawl. Might be worth it. Knitters if you have any UK based yarn reccs please send them over. Also I am a huuuuuuuge cry-baby about itchy knits so I only want yarns that feel as soft as an a puppy lying on a cloud.
- I made green tomato chutney. I used this recipe from some blog. It was the second google result. Sometimes It’s good to do no research what-so-ever and instead just do what the algorithms tell you. The resulting chutney was good. YMMV - i don’t have a sense of smell, after all.
- I still have at least 1KG of green tomatoes left. What should I do with these? I have now run out of jars so nothing that involves preserving.
- This was brilliant: bloomberg on blands, (via Phil)
- My dad found an old digital camera (he never throws anything out). He’s given it to E and she is delighted. She takes photos of everything. Crumpled muslin on the floor? Snap. Discarded lego card? Snap? TV? Snap snap snap. Mostly they’ll serve as a record of how untidy our house is. Not sure what to do with all of these photos (which are largely terrible in both subject and composition), but it does seem like a good idea to keep them somewhere.