Vax, boox, and other confusing things

This morning I got my covid vax -- now it's twice a year if you're over 65 -- and had a wonderful chat with the pharmacist who wanted to talk about the UK. He said he was underwhelmed by Stonehenge, a bunch of stones in a field, not even as big as he expected! Too funny in light of recent chats in Shadows and Light, Steve's blog.  

And I had a ride in to the pharmacy with a friend, on her way elsewhere, but did an experiment coming home. I wasn't in a WiFi environment, and the library wasn't open yet, so I turned on mobile data to summon a Lyft and it worked fine. I had contracted for more mobile data for this reason, so I'm glad it worked.  My previous contract wouldn't have, very little data.

I think my next weaving maybe a clasped weft item. That's what I know in Spanish, so I feel it's a leading. Meanwhile to finish the gloves and socks, and the braid.

About Mona's Eyes. Hm. It's the kind of concept only a historian could think was a good fiction vehicle. And this writer really does not grasp that fiction is not about telling you what happened, and teaching you facts. Any more than a painting is a picture of what happened.  

There's so much more skill and insight needed, to understand the world you're creating, then to grasp and hold the reader's attention, and to invite them into your fictional world.  And so much more about a painting than just the narrative in it. It's an experience, not a documentary. 

The grandfather character talks down to Mona as if she's about five, gives patronizing information about the paintings they visit, one a week for a year, a perfect treadmill of art.  I did keep going for several chapters, one artwork per chapter, a reading treadmill, before wanting to scream at the grandfather DIE ALREADY! Like Seinfeld's Elaine on The English Patient. 

So overall the book was not for me. If it were a Young Person's Guide to Great Dead White European Male Painters, maybe it could work. But, hm, I dunno. I gather it's a best seller, so a lot of people like it. Anyway, see for yourself and make your case! Don't take my word for it.

Happy day everyone! Read what you like, stitch advice into a didactic artwork never mind the grumpy old lady blog writer, what does she know.

The late great nurse Marigold approves this message

Sunday morning encounter and other good things

I was out walking early this morning, catching the cool, and met a lovely baby being carried by her grandfather. I spoke to her and she studied my face complete with sunglasses. Then she turned and looked up at the sky. 

This was a smart baby -- she'd seen the clouds reflected in my glasses and realized it was the sky!  Her grandfather was talking to her in Chinese encouraging her to say hi, I think. She gave me a tiny baby wave. Awwwww.  

Then I did some really undemanding braiding while I watched Atomic shrimp hiking down a Cornish cliff with wife Jenny and dog Eva. 

We had thunderstorms last night with downpours, and today the earth's scarcely damp, so it must have been thirsty. No need to water my seedlings today. There's a lot of small foliage down but I didn't see any trees down.

And here's the daylilies budding up ready for their midJune flowering.

Gary's magnolia is in bloom, no scent though 

On Cs suggestion I've borrowed Mona's Eyes, a kind of novelish art history book. I've hardly started yet, but the gist is a grandfather in Paris taking his young granddaughter around art museums to experience many classic artworks before she may lose her vision. 

It's a bestseller and got a terrible review in The Guardian. So terrible I think there's a personal beef there. So I'll read it and decide for myself.

Happy day everyone, let's not allow journos to make up our minds for us. On any topic. Today's column is tomorrow's fish and chip wrapping.

Every day please, every month not just 

 Pride Month