Marathon

Some people put on shorts, t-shirts and their worn-out snickers, and run out in the streets to join others in rat races. They become one with the masses of other people having the same focus – winning. As a librarian I’ve joined my own, personal rat race. Reading children’s books. I’m only competing with myself, and my playground is the library. Three books before breakfast I consider a good day.

Would you care for a biscotti?

Juicy oranges, crunchy almonds, the taste of cinnamon, clover and cardamom mixed with the smell newly made coffee. It's Saturday and working day. Have a biscotti if you'd like to make a pause, forgetting your surroundings for just a moment.

The return

Anji had no other choice than to send out a search party for Willow. What had happened to her? Why had no one heard anything from her in three months? Had a tropical fever got hold of her or had she simply refused to leave her beloved Tito’s side, cancelling her ticket home?

None of the alternatives above coincided with reality, although the last option would not have been altogether unlikely. There were several simple explanations to Willow’s disappearance from Willow’s Adventures (and none of them were because she was lacking new adventures to write about.)

Willow had made it back home. Tears in her eyes had welled out when separating from Tito over again, but she did her best to recover quickly. Luckily she had too much on her mind to let her temporal loss send her into any deep desespearation. In the mean time, Willow had become a real, live-and-flesh, librarian. She had even been offered a job surprisingly close to her idea of a dream job. Willow had moved to a new city where she knew no one. She had moved into a new home, which only lacked one very important thing in order to stay in touch with the outside world: An access to the Internet.

The fabulous library she worked at did however have an access to the Internet. It had just taken Willow more than a month to understand, that if she were to stay at work after hours, she needed some kind of nutrition stored in her drawer to avoid the panic hunger-attacks are know to cause.

Oatmeal biscuits combined with Anji’s search party has contributed to Willow’s return to civilization. It shall duly be known if anyone has noticed her disappearance.

Fly me to the moon......

Gone to a better place (with Tito) until further notice. Just imagine 40 degrees, white sandy beaches, palmtrees and me relaxing in a hammock nipping to a coconut drink.

Happy Summer Holidays!

P.S. Blogging might be scarce for quite some time.

Questions produced by an overloaded mind

Was that really it? Did I just hand in the final paper before the summer? Did I actually hand in the last paper the university is ever going to get from me? Does this mean I'm done? Have I really become a live flesh-and-blood librarian? Wow. Who wants to hire me?

A real treat

Lying in bed for hours, watching the rain. The view consists of red brick roofs, nineteen chimneys and several treetops. Light green, green, dark green. The occasional helicopter and a few stray seagulls fly by. The sound that rain falling on window makes has a meditative effect. Breathing slowly, thinking about everything and nothing. The mind flows just like it wants to, without anyone noticing. The essay written on the computer has nearly been finished. Lying in bed watching the rain for hours.

Tears

Tears. Melancholy. Missing the only person capable of filling her life with constant magic. Tears flowing down her left cheek. Her right cheek is dry.

The left eye is closest to the heart.

On the tube

Two beautiful, fashionable teenage girls were entering the tube one late Friday night. They were chattering in Arabic about the party, new people they had met and hairstyles. The ride on the tube was also spent to change their clothes entirely, making sure not one strand of hair could be seen. As the sliding doors opened, they were already fully prepared to enter a different world.

Being part of the world

There comes a time, when one has to move away. An era ends as a new one begins. It was under such circumstances I needed a place to stay for a night. I asked a very good friend of mine if it would be ok to crash on his sofa for a night, and he told me "sure, as long as there is no invasion in Burma." I never thought that the political situation in a far away country would ever have any influence on wether or not I would get a roof over my head for a night. That's when you feel that you are part of the world.

Mondays...

There's something utterly demotivating about starting a Monday morning with an essay that has to be written. The weekend seems so far away, yet the date for handing the essay in seems a lot closer. This in spite that there are still three weeks to go.

Magnolias

It was a sunny day in a garden resembling paradise. Couples were walking slowly around on narrow paths, enjoying themselves and the warm hand to hold. The bees were buzzing and the birds had been up since 5 o clock. There were colours, smells, silence. And there were beauty. "When we get married," the handsome young man said, "I want you to wear those." The young lady smiled at the beautiful pearls he had picked out for her. They were magnificent magnolias.

Librarians' must-read list

The 30 books listed below are the ones that topped a World Book Day poll conducted by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council in Great Britain, in which librarians around the country were asked the question, "Which book should every adult read before they die?"

Let's see what this future librarian has already read.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Bible
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien
4. 1984 by George Orwell
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
8. All Quite on the Western Front by E M Remarque
9. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman
10. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
11. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
12. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
13. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
14. Tess of the D'urbevilles by Thomas Hardy
15. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
16. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
17. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham (waiting on my bookshelf)
18. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
19. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (waiting on my bookshelf)
20. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
21. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
22. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
23. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (waiting on my bookshelf)
24. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
25. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
26. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
27. Middlemarch by George Eliot
28. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
29. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
30. A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenhitsyn

14 out of 30. Not too shabby, I should say. Still there are a lot of good books to be read, both on the list and outside it. How did you do?

A love letter

Love of my Life,

How could time pass so quickly? How could a co-existence of so many beautiful moments possibly be continued when we are no longer in the same place? Laughter has been replaced with tears. Passion with longing. Please come back as soon as you can. There is no magic without you.

I love you.

W.

Over a cup of coffee

Two couples were sitting on an outside café drinking coffee in the sun. They were from different countries and places and spoke a lot of languages. The challenge was to find a language they had in common, because it was the first time all four of them had met. When they did start to communicate, the four of them were drifting off into new worlds by the enchanting stories they could tell of prison life in Asia, human rights campaigns in Latin-America and informal political conferences in Europe.

An alternative childhood

Photo: Simen Johan

It was always dark. It was always past her curfew hours. It would rain. It would snow. It would be windy. No one noticed her, although she was at the same place at the same hour every single night. She had no one or nothing for company except for a well used camera. Every single night, at the exact same spot, at 10:47 pm she took a photo. No one knew why she did it. No one noticed. No one cared. What she didn't know, was that a middle-aged man was observing her. Every single night. If the girl would just have lived to tell her story.

Wrinkle twinkle

He loved caressing her long, soft hair, her beautiful face. He wouldn't go tired of looking at her, his eyes shining. She felt the soft touch of warm fingertips on her forehead, and they didn't go anywhere. "What are you doing, my love?" She asked him. "I'm just helping smooth out your wrinkles, granny," he told her with a big smile.

Spring in the North

Suddenly the sour smell of something burning was noticed in the living room. We tried detecting the source of the smell, but it didn't seem to come from anywhere within the house. Opening the window, the smell intensified and its source could also be seen. The neighbour had in a moment of pure spring feeling lit his grill out in the garden where the spring flowers already were blossoming. His coal was burning and he was having beer with some of his mates. The beef and the shrimps were being marinated and the lot seemed very cheerful. Finally the grill was ready for giving the group a fine barbeque, but as the neighbour put on the beef, the sky had turned grey and it started snowing.

Who laid the eggs?

Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols of extreme antiquity; since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth (to large litters) in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox.

The saying "mad as a March Hare" refers to the wild caperings of hares as the males fight over the females in the early spring, then attempt to mate with them. It is therefore not surprising that rabbits and hares should become fertility symbols, or that their springtime mating antics should enter into Easter folklore; however, the notion of a rabbit that lays eggs has an uncertain past. It may have simply arisen from a confusion of symbolism but, like much of the holiday of Easter itself, it could be a direct heritage from older traditions.

In Germanic and Slavic languages, the word "Easter" comes from an ancient pagan goddess of the spring named Eostre. According to legend, Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and that rabbit became the modern Easter Bunny.

Source: Wikipedia

Father and Son

The enlarged photo in the hallway tells the story of the father who was teaching his son how to construct a rabbit-house for the son's new pet. Twenty years later, a new story is being written as you look out of the living room window. The son is now teaching his father how to build a garage.

Motivation

In the beginning there was chaos. Nothing was as it seemed and nothing made sense. There were too many options and no guidance. There was complete autonomy, but no ideas about how to make it work.

Then ideas began to form themselves and solutions were searched for. All of a sudden there was a tiny ray of light and decisions were made. Someone came to assist and things seemed positive.

Then there were books. Books and articles. Interviews and internet sites. Millions and millions of never-ending pages. Information was abundant, maybe too abundant. Problems started occurring. Selection processes. Time management. Pressure, yes, lots of pressure.

Suddenly the spring sun arrived. Not having anything to do with chaos, books nor time pressure, but still it had an effect on everything. There were smiles. Someone pressed the fast forward button and things started happening.

Finally I was on my way.

Of trash and treasures

Carlos had everything he needed. Food, clothes, shoes, his own bedroom, loving parents, quarrelling siblings and even an amazing XBox. He knew there were boys his age that didn't have all that he had, but normally he didn't dwell on it. For ages he had dreamed about a brand new pair of Nike Shox Turbo OH shoes, because he had worn out his old ones.

One day he couldn't find his old shoes anymore. Carlos asked his mom where they were and she told him that she had given them away to a boy that was walking barefoot on the street. She had bought her son a new pair of shoes, of a brand that was totally unfamiliar to him. After a moment of sulking, he decided to put on the new shoes (that were not Nike Shox Turbo OH shoes, not even anywhere close). After all, Carlos had to go to soccer practice.

On his way to the field, he saw some shoes that he recognized. They were worn out, had a hole on the left toe and were tied with red laces. These were the shoes his mother had given away. In them was a boy Carlos' age dressed in rags, but with the biggest smile possibly imaginable.

Good morning, sunshine

In the middle of deep sleep, Tito jumped high. Something had scared him. Claws! "What's going on?" Willow asked him still with sleep in her eyes. She soon understood what it was. A large black and white long-haired forest cat was looking at her from its view-point on top of Tito. It was the beautiful male that lived in the house they were visiting. Petting the lovely soft-furred fellow, she didn't mind that it was just 6 o'clock in the morning. Tito wasn't as pleased as her and turned around to sleep for another couple of hours. The cat was purring contently. So was Willow.

Travelling

The landscape was changing as they moved on; cities, suburbs, forests, mountains, lakes, cottages, more lakes, more mountains, forests, suburbs and finally cities again. Landscape can be interesting enough to make the hours fly by. Good company is even better. As the lovers traveled together, she drew him a genealogical tree so that he could learn the names of her family members that he was about to meet. Her family was not big, so it was quickly done.

Then she wanted him to draw his genealogical tree, both his mother's side and his father's. Just as her family was very small, his family was compensatory large. Completing his family tree, he drew both of their names into it. She felt honored to be included and also very touched. Some day they would make the family tree grow even stronger.

Diplomacy

There was seemingly nothing that could be done. They had tried everything from tempting to tricking to forcing to begging, but they didn't get anywhere with her. The situation was locked, because the girl simply refused to eat the soup that her parents had put in front of her. She would not even touch the silver spoon that lay beside her bowl. The girl had decided not to eat. Only babies eat their food with a spoon.

At last her father came up with a bright idea that might be worth trying. He laid a fork beside her bowl of soup gone cold and waited for a reaction. The girl thought about it for a little while, before grapping the fork and eating her soup with it.

4-year old girls can be tough negotiators.

A member of the family or The calling

Whenever the old man went outside in the beautiful, flowery garden that his wife had spent years cultivating, the dog would follow him like any faithful companion. He would spend hours looking at his master reading political essays and other fine pieces of literature, never going tired. His master was a good one that played with him, petted him and sometimes gave him delicious bones to gnaw at. Sometimes when the old man got tired and needed a siesta, the dog would start whimpering and barking at the second his master closed his eyes. The rest of the family members explained this odd behaviour as a fear of losing his master to death.

Through the years, the faithful dog also got older. He continued looking after his master until one day he knew it was his time to leave. He was no longer able to take his food, nor his water, and although his master and the other family members did all they could to save him, it could not be done. The dog had been called and there was no way he could ignore his calling.

As the dog drew his last breath of air, it was as if he in one moment could feel all the love he had ever given and been given throughout his life. His master had loved him for 12 years; the dog had loved his master for 84.

As they parted, tears were covering the old man's smile.

Coexistence

The alarm clock went off at exactly 8 o'clock. Willow turned it off half-conscious and turned around to sleep a little longer. Tito was trying to communicate with her through a veil of sleep that was still uniting her with the dreaming world. When his words failed to reach in to her, he started to massage her while repeating his words. Slowly Willow gained consciousness parting with sleep and understood what he was saying. "Happy Women's Day, Willow! I love you!" Tito's irresistible dark eyes could probably make any woman feel beautiful. His promise to make a romantic candlelight dinner for two to celebrate the wonders of womanhood sounded lovely. Tito knows how to make Willow feel special.

Happy Women's Day to all you fantastic, strong and beautiful fellow sisters out there.

March

When we woke up this morning, we turned the calendar and saw the new photo of a smiling Che. Having breakfast together, Tito told me about a tradition that he's grown up with. A tradition that it would be very nice to continue with in our little family.

Every New Year's Eve, 12 candles are lit for a few minutes. Each candle has a sticker with the name of a month. When they are blown out just after midnight, a wish goes with every single one. One wish per candle, one wish per month.

Every first day of a new month, a new candle of the New Year's Eve candles will be lit and let to be burned down. Then the wish will come true.

Winter Wonderland

Sunday morning Tito woke up and just knew: "Today we'll go skiing!" And as usual Tito was quite right. Spending 20 minutes to get dressed (as one truly needs in a cold place like Willowlandia) the skiers were ready. Driving for a while, they reached their starting point - the forest surrounding the city. As it happened to be a Sunday morning, Tito and Willow weren't the only ones having thought the day perfect for skiing. The forest was full of children, youths, adults, grandparents and dogs skiing at their own phase while enjoying the fine day and the excellent skiing conditions. (The dogs did naturally not wear skis, if anyone thought so.) Skiing for quite some time the couple made it to a small cabin. There was smoke coming up from the chimney and outside very many pairs of skis were stacked. Inside there were a lot of people relaxing with a cup of coffee, waffles with brown cheese, buns and cinnamon rolls.

The rest was well deserved and the hot chocolate had probably never tasted so good. It also gave good energy for returning to the starting point. Tito and Willow were left with a feeling of well-being having accomplished a great day with physic exercise and the internal peace that the forest always gives the people visiting it stayed with them.

The world is in your hands

Two girlfriends met after a long time apart. There were smiles and big hugs and a promise to go take a coffee together. Selma and Willow walked down the street absorbed in their own conversation. Tito followed politely holding Willow's hand.

The Camel was the name of a small, cosy café downtown. The three of them entered and found a table. Strawberry rooibush and steaming cappuccinos were served and the smiles continued. The topic "vacations" turned up. Tito and Willow had already bought their summer tickets to Titonia, a place with spectacular coral reefs, wild tropical cloud forests and white sandy beaches for miles and miles. Selma had not decided her summer destination yet, but was toying with the idea of joining her friends in Titonia. "Excellent idea!" Tito and Willow exclaimed.

The world is in your hands, Selma. Titonia might just be a couple of clicks away. We're awaiting your decision with great interest!

Vacation

Puff, puff, the train is coming. Rucksacks, suitcases, umbrellas and plastic bags. People stressing, running towards assigned seats, pushing to come first. Puff, puff, the train is leaving the station. The conductor comes to check the tickets and quickly walks away.

Then you may lay back, plug music into your ears and close your eyes, knowing you're on your way.

Quetzaltenango

This morning, Tito and I decided to take off. To Quetzaltenango. We wanted to escape for a while, going deeper and deeper into the forest. There were puffing volcanoes, the summing of multicoloured insects and an air so rich that our clothes stuck to our bodies. The forest was a wild one, so we had to use our machetes to cut our way through. To get a better view of the area we started ascending one of the inactive volcanoes. We were all alone apart from some shouting monkeys and jabbering parrots. Reaching the top, we had the most amazing view. Ancient Maya temples were looking up over the tree crowns reminding us of a great civilization. And to make the moment even more special, one of the shy quetzales flew past us on graceful wings.

Open your mind

There are no borders impossible to cross. There are no obstacles too big to overcome. There are no limits to the joys you can get pleasure from. Nor is there any end to how much beauty can be found in the smallest of things.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Muffinman

When people normally wake up on Sunday morning, the Muffinman has already been up for hours. He's been preparing in the kitchen, gathering flour, sugar, chocolate, eggs, vanilla, dried fruits and other fine ingredients. There is no limit to what the Muffinman can do with food. The smells that reach the bedroom are almost divine and they make you want to get up to start a new day. A new day with muffins and who knows what else.

Let's start exploring.

Kissing dolphins or Dreaming

There's something special about mornings when you wake up from a series of dreams you remember every part of. They might include stories about how the pine trees put on frozen raindrops like diamonds in the winter, plane-trips seated next to a little girl eating ice-cream or the planning of a school theatre play about rainforest reservoirs.

It's even more special waking up having someone to tell these dreams to. Then you might reach the conclusion that you most likely are able to remember all those details because you've spent the night feeling safe and comfortable while being hugged asleep.

Magic world

The air was filled with fairies, their magic wands flickering with sparks. Then he appeared and the world stood still for a moment. Tito had come. Willow threw herself around his neck, giving him a big kiss welcome. She knew she was never to let go of him ever again. So much time had passed, at a slow snail's phase, but they had made it. Finally she felt herself as a complete human being. Tito felt the same.

Love is a powerful force.

La Mariposa

La Mariposa woke up from tranquil dreams embracing the new day. She checked her wings and antennas before setting off. She flew from flower to flower licking sweet honey, feeling happy. La Mariposa had a large number of friends that she met every ones in a while and this morning in particular, she felt urges to see them again for a large reunion. Flying softly to their meeting point, she saw more and more butterflies coming in. Their wings came in all shapes and sizes and the colours matched all those of the rainbow. "Let's go to Willow's tummy," la Mariposa told her friends. And that's how it came to be that Willow spent the entire day feeling restless, yet very excited.

Tito is on his way.

Here's to all my friends

Friends who come along when I call and tell them I would like to take a walk in the forest with them. Friends who trust me with their thoughts and problems. Friends who invite me to their beautiful new home to end up in a comfortable sofa relaxing with whatever is on TV.



Friends who invite me for a highly impressive three course dinner, followed by a movie and a coffee at a cozy café afterwards. (Here's to AJ.) Friends who call me when they happen to be in the neighbourhood and friends who call me just to ask how I am. Friends who read my humble blog and find it interesting enough to comment. Friends who gather to knit together. Friends who arrange film-nights with lasagne....

And that was just this week. Needless to say I'm very privileged.

Who wants my heart?

Once upon a time there was a mouse that was so happy that it decided to give its heart away. It felt a strong and warm feeling inside and knew what it had to do. Seeing the mole up on its dam it run towards him. "Mr. Mole," it said, "I'd like to give you my heart because I feel so happy today." "No time for hearts, my dear mouse, I have a dam to build," the mole answered and continued his work. The mouse was not the kind to give up and so it continued its wanderings in the forest.

Suddenly it felt a thump in the head. A walnut. "Good morning, Mrs. Squirrel," the mouse said upon seeing her up in the tree. "I feel so happy today that I'd like to give you my heart." "No time for hearts, my dear mouse," said the squirrel. "I have walnuts to crack." Feeling a bit blue, the mouse continued. It sat down on a little piece of bark in the greenest of clearings. "Why doesn't anyone want my heart?" The mouse asked itself with a sigh.

Then a tall, thin creature with a never-ending neck came up to the mouse. The mouse had never seen any such thing. "Excuse me, miss, but what are you?" "I'm a giraffe," said the giraffe. "What a beautiful heart you have." "Thank you," the mouse said with a sigh. "I used to be so happy that I wanted to give my heart away, but no one wanted it because they had no time." Thinking for a bit, the mouse suddenly lightened up. "Maybe you want my heart, Miss Giraffe?" It said with excitement in its voice. "Oh, I couldn't," said the giraffe. "It's too much and beside no one has ever given me anything before." "But I want to," said the mouse, and stretched its arms out towards the giraffe.

And from that day on the mouse and the giraffe shared something special and lived happily ever after.

A travel back in time

Having enjoyed looking at old French postcards for quite a while, Willow decided to take a trip back in time to see how the world really was when the postcards were made. Anji (the master mind behind Time And Oft) said she'd just go fetch her coat and she'd come along as well.

Meeting for the first time, Willow showed Anji her brand new invention - a red, white and blue time machine with a cockpit resembling that of an airplane. Closing the door, buckling up and pressing a few buttons, they were on their way, going at a steady phase of 10 years per minute. Destination had been set to 19th century France.

When the time machine suddenly began to shake, Willow gave Anji an insecure smile, hoping her fellow traveller would continue believing everything was at it should be... When the time machine finally came to a full stop (after more shaking that a 5th degree earthquake), Willow slowly opened then door. She didn't know what to think; just that the view that met her certainly did not look like Paris or Marseilles or any other French fashionable 19th century town.

There were rocks in all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see, some so big that they would be classified as mountains. Norwegian mountains. Trapped between these wildly majestic mountains was a wooden house that must have been an abandoned (or still inhabited?) train station. The mountains probably made it look smaller than it really was. Willow sent a guilty look Anji's way, trying to decipher what she might be thinking about the unfortunate situation Willow unknowingly had put them in.

All Greek to you?

Instructions:

1 100 gr ball Iceland color 9660, violet
1 50 gr ball Nubbles color 404, celebration
16" circular needle, size 11
Double point needles, size 11

Accessories: Stitch markers, waste yarn, tapestry needle

"Using Nubbles, CO 24 sts. Join, being careful not to twist. Work in Stockinette Stitch (knit every round) for 2". Change to Iceland and work K1 P1 ribbing for 2". Change to stockinette stitch and work set-up round: K 12, pm, m 1, pm, K 12. Lower palm: K one round even, then work increase round: K to marker, sl marker, m 1, k to marker, m 1, sl marker, k to end of round. Continue in stockinette st, working increase round every other round 3 times more and ending with a plain round - [33 sts]. K to marker, remove marker, place next 9 sts on waste yarn for holding, remove marker, CO 1 st to bridge the gap, K to end of round - [25 sts]. Continue working even in stockinette st until piece measures 6" above ribbing.[...]"

And when you break the code, start understanding what it says and manage to transform it into action; you'll end up with two nice and warm woollen mittens.

Determined

The black sun was filling the city with darkness. The neverending silence was deafening. All the regular people had most likely hidden themselves out of fear or out of intelligence. The young girl was out on the slippery sidewalk all alone, walking quicker and quicker. The sun made her cold, so she slowed down to be even colder. At last she reached her destination. It was a big forged iron gate. She put her finger on the doorbell and waited. Time had seemingly stopped. Then she heard something incomprehensible on the highly modern speaker and the gate opened. She went in, found the hidden door on the inner wall and opened it. Complete darkness. She turned off her vision and opened for touch. Feeling her way forward she found the staircase. A flickering yet playful light met her on the second floor and she turned on her vision again. Reaching the forth floor she was met with a great big hug and followed the hugger inside. Everything was different there.

Nothing is forever

I have not had a glass of milk in seven years. It was about the time I went to live abroad for the first time that I stopped drinking milk, but I cannot remember anymore what (or who) it was that made me stop. I cannot even remember my last glass of milk or whether or not I knew at the time that it would be the last.

Out of nowhere came the idea that I should have a glass of milk again. I don't know why, but I just felt like pouring myself a glass of fresh milk. So I did. And it did actually taste quite good.

€ 35

Some persons prefer bar-hopping. Others prefer island-hopping. I prefer bookstore-hopping in January. I find it impossible to believe that there should exist anything more thrilling, more breathtaking and more arousing than January bookstore sales for a booklover.

Today's conquests to be incorporated in my sacred collection of books include: three wonderfully illustrated cookbooks to giveaway prices, two hardcover books for children (one with funny nursery rhymes and the other a beautiful story of a melting snowman) and a Dan Brown book.

Mission: highly successful.

Flies united

Willow was pouring tea down her giant cup, looking forward to a calm morning reading the paper and listening to the radio. As she was about to take the first sip of her lovely blueberry tea, she noticed a foreign body in her cup. A fly had dived into the pool of warm tea, and drowned. Turning up her nose, Willow poured out her untouched tea and the dead fly. What a waste. Making new tea and pouring herself a new cup, tranquillity ones more filled her. The newspapers didn't report too much misery (at least not the cultural pages) and the music coming out from the radio belonged to the category "feel-good". Halfway through her morning cup of tea, a new kamikaze pilot was circling itself in above her cup. Then it dived in and died. Willow poured the remaining tea with the new dead fly out, turned off the radio and folded the paper. The magic of a nice morning had certainly been broken.

Happy New Year 2007!

Here's to new beginnings, new opportunities, happiness, good health and flourishing love.

May dreams be made real.