Thursday, 11 June 2026

Thursday 11th June - Reading all day!

 I think I must have spent nearly the whole day reading Kate Morton's 'Homecoming'. I had to pause a couple of times; a piano lesson to teach in the morning, a long detailed telephone conversation with our architect about the extension, and making supper. (BB cooked lunch; we had steak, his speciality, yum yum very yum yum!).

I also had to pause and brace myself a few times; there were moments when characters did things that were so breathtakingly awful that I needed time to think about what I had read before I could continue, and instances characters who where pillars of rectitude were concealing such terrible wrongs - but one could understand why, what had tipped them over the edge.

Finally, I needed to keep reading in great chunks as the book switches between 1959, 1979, 1989 and 1999, and even though the chapters and context were clear in the chapter headings it was still a bit of a jolt to time travel back and forth.

It's a meatier read than I was expecting, and although I had several ideas as to what the plot twists might be, I was still caught by surprise by the several revelations.

It's set in Australia, and I realise I have no idea of where the cities and provinces are. I should think my ignorance is not unusual for British people, judging by the woeful answers whenever Australia is the continent for the 'where is Kazakhstan' game comes up on 'Richard Osman's House of Games', where you have to mark where various cities and landmarks are in answer to the questions.

Maybe tomorrow something will get done!

Meanwhile it is nearly bedtime and my step count is a measly 1700 - I'll get a couple of hundred in before I go to bed, and will try and make them up over the next three days (or I could just play Relampago a few times on the piano...) 

.......


Or I could try a bit of this... (in my dreams!)

Electro Swing by ShuffleDance.pl Parov Stelar Booty Swing, Em Delacrem choreography





     

19 comments:

  1. Wouldn't that get the step count up!

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  2. Oh that is so cool! I always wanted to learn to tap dance, but I think I never will

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    1. I had some friends who joined a senior beginner ballet class in their 50s... they loved it!

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    2. I can't see the video sadly so I'm not sure, from the comments, whether it features tap or ballet but I did love tap dance as a child and teen and ballet, I found it hard though I always got prizes for effort!
      I did serendipitously find Capezio taps goes in my size from the charity shop a few years ago. It was annoying as we went to a swing dance festival where they did tap but then Lockdown and other things meant I never got to use them as the classes stopped!

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    3. It's shuffle, a genre I didn't know about. Like a soft shoe tap perhaps. Try youtube

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  3. My Mum loved her books. I don't think they come out very often - not surprising when they are as thick as they are!

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    1. It's hard to tell how long the book is going to be on kindle... I'm forever being tempted by the 99p reads.

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  4. Thank you, thank you, for the dance clip - pure joy. And for the intro to Parov Stelar and electro swing. Lovely to discover this.

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    1. Like you say, pure joy. I was wasting time on youtube and there they were!

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  5. It's close to my bedtime and I watched those overactive young fellows doing their incredible moves. Makes me even more tired just watching them lol
    Homecoming sounds like a fascinating book.

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    1. They must have incredible stamina!
      Thw story in Homecoming will stay with me for a while.

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    2. I’m assuming you’ve finished the book then but want to make sure before I e-mail you.

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  6. Homecoming was such a good read.
    I think those dancers have wheels on their shoes! How do they do that!

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    1. I agree about the book.
      One of the dancers looks as though he is completely bendy!

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  7. That sounds like a daunting book. I am somewhat in awe as I am currently reading complete froth in small intervals. Sometimes, when I read a proper book, I like to take a moment to sit back and bask in a moment.
    I love the electro swing - one of my favourites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEWi3l1ghD4

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