the quirky brunette: Monday Missive

I wrote the draft for this post sitting in bed, a pot of coffee and a jug of water to one side, a pile of magazines to read to the other. At midday I was still in PJs.

I win at weekends.

This week, I have mostly been...

Reading | Ethan Frome (still)

This week I've also been nigh-on exhausted of a morning so a sneaky kip on the train has taken precedence over reading... I'm probably about four books behind on the ol' Goodreads Challenge now but hey, that's what my summer holidays will be for: catching up.

Ethan and Mattie, though. So. Much. Love.

Bob off, Zenobia, you're killing their vibe.

Singing | and singing... and singing...

{Redhiiiiiill is alive... with the sound of my overly-breathy alto/soprano dirge...}

Friday night at a smaller-scale rock choir rehearsal.

Saturday afternoon at a wedding ceremony (properly beautiful, not a dry eye in the house).

Sunday morning in church. By which point the voice was getting ever so slightly raw. Time for a good gargle.

Gigging

Last night (yes, on a Sunday night -- Bank Holidays are superb), I was mostly... out raving in Reigate (again! I know!) to Ruby and the Rhythms performing at the teeny-tiny Cage bar (or, more specifically, outside the bar). Queues to the bar proper were half an hour long at times but this was testament to how glorious the day had turned out after a grim forecast. (The turnout for the band wasn't shabby either.)

The band were great (another manifestation of the excellent line-up with which I'm now very familiar), niftily and brilliantly covering a variety of music from Chaka Khan to John Newman (check out the video, above) and the weather held off and was rather splendidly warm, and I was among gorgeous friends. WIN. Despite the wine fatigue today.

Listening | to Waves by Mr Probz

...and hoping for the weather that matches this song... sigh...

Contemplating | a Contemplation

I feel a new Contemplation may be on the cards. A few rather itchy thoughts and minor ~~gripes~~ issues have lodged themselves in my brain (and I'm never sure if an aggressive round of Tetris or a good swim will get them completely out of my system!).

Question, though, does anyone actually read the Contemplations, or are they just a cathartic release for me that would only end up as a cryptic Facebook status otherwise...? ;-)

And now... Weekly Weblinks

Kent looks to outsource over 90 libraries

Inspirational women choose their favourite books

Sainsbury's launches Children's Book Award

Author Emma Donoghue: I want to entertain and mess with people's minds

My former optician and her husband have bought and renovated Arthur Ransome's Hill Top cottage

And Michael Gove (boo hiss!) wants to omit classic American literature titles from the GCSE syllabus. Insert your most creative expletive here. __________________ [Here's mine: ****-******] Then click this link to sign the petition and voice your disapproval of this patently ignorant, bigoted display of idiocy.

Ahem. Gosh, Sorry, I got a bit worked up there. I promise it'll almost certainly happen again.

And now the non-booky links:

Five favourite seaside cafes including this one: