Presents progress

An update on some of the Christmas and birthday presents I've received.

The Cantos of Ezra Pound. Slightly more than 800 pages of wilfully obscure poetry. I haven't finished it yet. But have set up another blog, A Canto A Day, with the madly optimistic aim of reading and commenting on one canto every day. We'll see how long that lasts!

Hex. The complete DVDs of this series, which I'd never seen before. Frankly, the presence of Jemima Rooper got it onto my wish list. I've started watching the first DVD, the pilot episodes, and oh lord how slow moving it is! I might save this until I have flu.

More Jemima Rooper in Lost in Austen. I came late to this series on telly, but loved it - and it sparked my unhealthy interest in J Rooper. It struck me as absolutely uncynical, bizarrely, in its obvious utter love and respect for Jane Austen, in contrast to more straightforward adaptations. This has the real wit and cruelty that Jane Austen always showed, not just nice dresses and wet t-shirts. One rainy Sunday I'm going to watch the whole thing in one go.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs. Watched this over two nights. It's not up to the standard of the original series, but better than the first movie (Bender's Big Score) and better than most things on telly any time. Will probably be better on a repeat viewing.

Pulling the dvd of the first series is just brilliant. Again, I came late to this on telly. I think it was on BBC3 and so naturally I assumed it was crap. It isn't - it's filthy, crude, loud and hilarious. Can't believe BBC have cancelled it, while 2 Pints of Idiot and a Packet of Idiot is onto series 8.

The Rest is Noise was largely on my list in preparation for Counterpoint. On my application form I said that my favourite period of music was the first half of the 20th century, which this book covers brilliantly. It's my onthetrain book at present. Only problem is it talks in such a detailed way about the musical structure of key works that you you really need an accompanying set of cds and scores.

Marcella Hazan's The Essentials of Italian Cooking looks inspiring. Haven't really used it yet, waiting for better ingredients to come into season. I have used some of the bottle of white balsamic vinegar that came with it.

Aberystwyth My Lovely was my secret santa present at work, so once again I don't know who to thank. I've started it, but frankly not impressed so far. It's not nearly as funny or clever as it thinks itself.

And finally Hih by the unfairly unknown Monica Vasconcelos is unfairly unknown.

Thanks to everyone for these and the other presents I haven't mentioned. All I really need is more time to appreciate them. And there's still no news on whether I'll get it.

Inevitably

the bathroom work has now stopped until the new year. Nothing done today as other work is demanding to be done. Actually, I'm not that bothered. It really is not much more than snagging now, apart from refitting the bath panels, which builder has agreed to do tomorrow. It's more of a problem for builder, because he's having to wait longer for payment. And he's agreed to take £300 off the roofing work that we'd already identified in the new year.

I can at least move my bathroom stuff back into the bathroom for two weeks, which means I have more room in the kitchen. And it means I did a smart thing today in buying a new bogbrush. From Woolworths, as it goes, at a stupid price. What a shop! As each shelf becomes empty, they sell it. The only bags they had (to put things in) were binbags, so I was traipsing around a rather smart town in Kent (hint: I began to feel disgusted and almost wrote a letter to the Telegraph), with this huge sack over my shoulder like a lowrent premature santa.

Some shops have their own atmosphere. Woolworths was desperately sad. I went into Halfords on Saturday to get a new headlamp bulb, and it smelt of disappointed ambition. I went into BHS today for the first time in years. Previously, I was put off by the SALE SALE SALE signs everywhere. Now it's the only shop that doesn't have them. It was halfempty. And HMV was basically saying we know you're going to buy dvds and cds, you don't care how much they cost, you'll even form a snaking queue halfway around the store to pay us. Packed. Bastards. I gave up and, reader, I bought the dvd I was intending to buy in Sainsburys later for £2 less. Take that, HMV!

Not in Norwich

I've amazed myself this morning by being in and out of Bluewater by 10:15. Haven't got Christmas totally (aha) wrapped up yet but I'm well on the way, with literally days to spare. It's still touch and go if the bathroom works will be finished by Christmas. The floor is now grouted and looking good, so what's left:

shower curtain rail
mirror
tighten wc fixing to ground
replace whb splashback with one that actually matches the other colours
a bit of work on the outside window and back door

It's all entirely achievable in one day but ...