Thursday 4 September 2008

To the Lighthouse!

And now it rains and rains…and I feel like I am a Joni Mitchell song.
Blue, here is a shell for you


Inside youll hear a sigh


A foggy lullaby


There is your song from me


As the weather dictates, I have crawled into bed where I read…I let me repeat that..READ! My wonderful American Cousins have sent me something called a Sony Reader. It is basically an electronic book which means I can download novels and biographies and reference books and histories and lots and lots of bad thrillers and I can pump up the font and lie in bed and read. I haven’t been able to lie around reading for over two years now. By the time I get to the end of a day my damaged retinas are too tired to grip pages without pumping up the light so much light that ships come crashing into my walls mistaking my flat for a lighthouse. Even with ironically blinding light it is often still just not possible to lie back and read…..the words on the pages seem smeared and torn and float and bubble.

Audio books are an option but have you ever tried to reread a sentence whilst listening to an audio book? Impossible. You get distracted..can’t go back, get bored…hate the actor’s voice..fall asleep. Reading with my own eyes means I can go back and forth over the paragraph, make my own private universe within the stories.. I am once again an independent reader, an astronaut, and adventurer. A Reader of Books.

This blog raises a toast to some of the loveliest people on earth..them that sent me this device! You know who you are!! Thank you!

9 comments:

Suzie said...

The American salute your magical worlds. I am so glad it is working now. Now I have lots of crap romance novels for you to read.

Janelle said...

ah you can sing that brad song now:
"i'm the luckiest girl in the world.
my dreams have come truuuuue.
i'm LUCKIER (sang in snarly way) THAN YOU!" triumphant!
XXX janelle

tinku said...

1) your relatives are so generous and lovely, what a thoughtful gift
2) are they taking people on a waiting list to be added to their extended family??

Val said...

happy reading ... dont forget to blog now and again :-)
ps could you send us some of that rain when you've had enough??

tam said...

Fantastic. I'm a fan of listening to stories, but prefer being read to than audio books and its true, there's nothin like the real thing of just you and the words. looks bloody marvelous now all you need is an automated gin and tonic mixer.

timothymarcjones said...

I'd go mad without books me. Glad they're back for you.

Your lighthouse imagery is vivid and amazing.

Chimera said...

Thanks y'all. An automated gin and tonic maker is definately on my Xmas list..wonder what would happpen if you chucked all ingrediants in a teasmaid?
Ta Val, I'll keep blogging and please TAKE the RAIN..holy soggy trouser cuffs!
T xxx

Anonymous said...

That's so cool. I'm sure your relatives think the same about you. Chris x

Alex said...

So you got it working in the end? Well done!