The Enchantress of Florence

Salman Rushdie. 2008. Jonathan Cape, London.

The best book of the year so far. I love the story telling, the fantasy, the richness of the language. The stories are from the Mughal Empire and the Medici court in Florence in the 1500's, and ofcourse these meet. 

The story was completely untrue, but the untruth  of untrue stories could sometimes be of service in the real world, and it was tales of this sort-improvised versions of the endless stream of stories he had learned from his friend Ago Vespucci-that saved little Nino Arhgalia's own neck after he was found hiding under a bunk in the forecastle of the flagship of Andrea Doria's fleet. p.168

Something quarrelsome rose out of the story, a green stenchy wisp of discord floated up out of the tale and infected the women of Sikri, so that reports began to reach the palace of the bitter quarrels between previously loving sisters, suspicions and accusations, irreparable breaches and bitter estrangements, cat-fights and even knife fights, the bubbling of dislikes and resentments of which the women in question had barely been aware until the unmasking of Khanzada Begum by the foreigner with the yellow hair. p. 204

on love's end...

Love's banal declension through squabbling towards n end. p.280

on parenthood...

The emperor had experienced many feelings concerning this individual:amusement, interest, disappointment, disillusion, surprise, amazement, fascination, irritation, pleasure, perplexity, suspicion, affection, boredom, and increasingly, it was necessary to admit it, fondness and admiration. One day he understood that this was also the way  in which parents responded to their children... p.311

on nationhood and religion...

...because the Raushanai are the chosen people, destined by God to inherit the earth, so if they want to grab their inheritance a little ahead of time, who can say they are not entitled? p.314

Normally he was all languid  grace and fluid gestures. Today, however, he was almost flustered, as if the news he had to impart was bouncing around inside him and knocking him off balance. p.320

Heavenly Date

And other flirtations. Alexander McCall Smith. 1995. Canongate Books

Nine short stories just the right length for my train journey. 

McCall Smith writes with the smooth calm tone and the almost reasonable suggestions of a hypnotist. Sinister events presented ever so calmly. Creepily convincing.

Wrong About Japan

A father's journey with his son. Peter Carey 2004 Vintage

Peter Carey develops an interest in Japanese manga books and movies via his 12 year old son. 

This book is about their travel in Japan; interviewing directors, fans, and sword makers. Evocative of the blurriness and misunderstandings involved in travel, between cultures and generations. I liked the descriptions of the contained anti social boredom of the teenager and the failed need to interpret and understand of the father.

This is reading in a daydream of my own of somewhat far off travel plans, perhaps once Joy is out of the pram. 

Crisply written, like an extended weekend magazine article.

Australian Parrots

second (revised) edition by Joseph M. Forshaw Illustrated by William T. Cooper. Lansdowne Editions, Melbourne 1981.

or Tea and crochet

A winter cold has us at home browsing through picture books  - this one of Australian parrots with full page illustrations and more technical information than Joy and I require quite at the moment. 

To go with the red capped and indigo capped parrots I have started a crochet hat for me. Lacy and patterned crochet at the edge of my abilities. In dark lilac wool with a navy edge and a navy flower.

Rain or Shine

A Book of the Weather by Leonard Matthews and Peter Woolcock, Hodder and Stoughton, 1983

This is Joy's favourite book. She chose it herself in a second hand bookshop in Fish Creek. Comic book style drawings, multiple illustrations per page. I suspect it may be a geography book as it's semi-scientific; explains where wind comes from. 

We read this at least once a week, but usually once a day. The writing is a little stilted in my view, but then I'm not the target audience.

things that put a spring in my step

playing children, broccoli anchovy pasta, glass jars of future meals, and the raspberry interior of the mirrored bathroom cabinet (finally)

Missoni and a bowl of wool

This  crochet piece has taken almost a year. There was a long break over summer when it was just too hot to have  a kilo of wool on my lap. Crochet comes into its own in winter and I seemed to have picked up speed. This is a basic ripple pattern, however I have not been counting reliably to 10, it's not too noticeable. I had Missoni in mind when I started and a whole bowl of left over middle weight wool. There are three bands of colour: red, blue and green separated by white and black. Almost ready to finish - now that it's almost my height and wide enough to be wrapped in. I love the way it gathers and folds. Magic