Last weekend we headed for Christchurch for Mothers' Day. We usually meet some interesting drivers along the way, but this time was the best ever. For some time we followed a mid-size camper van which couldn't decide which side of the road we drove on over here. He solved the problem by straddling the centre line most of the time. Where is Mr Plod when you need him? Being out of cellphone range we were unable to report his dangerous driving, but I would hate to have been coming the other way, and was very pleased to finally get past him.
Driving round Christchurch and showing mother-in-law the area she used to live in was an interesting experience. Most of her old street looked fine, but a few blocks away is Eastgate Mall with one whole wall scaffolded up, and a Shell garage where tanks have popped out of the ground. Around town the Hotel Grand Chancellor on a drunken lean certainly dominates the skyline.
Speaking of skylines - we didn't leave until later coming back on this trip and were treated to a glorious range of colours as the sun went down. Here's one example as the colours changed from red, to orange to yellow.
Cold, wet weather is at least good for settling in and getting lots of craft and reading done.
A second pair of socks is on the way, the last sleeve of a jersey I began last winter is half done, and several scrappy quilt tops have grown somewhat.
Working with the iPad is also my new obsession. Having been given vouchers for Mothers Day I have been researching new apps to add to my toy. I'm looking at one which will enable me to transfer and read many types of files from my computer, another which will let me make notes by typing or handwriting, and one which will let me add notes and clips from just about anywhere and synch them easily between my computer and the iPad. That's not to forget the games like Angry Birds and Bejewelled Blitz. Lots of time-wasting fun. Mind you this weekend I have hardly been able to get the iPad off my husband to do anything so perhaps an iPad2 might need to be in my future?
Figuring out how it all works is also useful for work purposes as the discussion over audio and e-books continues. I think people are only just realising how fast the e-book world is progressing. It will be some time before paper books disappear, if ever, but electronic formats are certainly becoming an option for many. Now if only the book suppliers would come to realistic pricing for e-books instead of charging almost the same as a paper book which requires far more processing.
Anyway, this weekend ordinary library books were my entertainment and I had plenty of time to catch up on my reading as heading outside was not really an option.
Working with the iPad is also my new obsession. Having been given vouchers for Mothers Day I have been researching new apps to add to my toy. I'm looking at one which will enable me to transfer and read many types of files from my computer, another which will let me make notes by typing or handwriting, and one which will let me add notes and clips from just about anywhere and synch them easily between my computer and the iPad. That's not to forget the games like Angry Birds and Bejewelled Blitz. Lots of time-wasting fun. Mind you this weekend I have hardly been able to get the iPad off my husband to do anything so perhaps an iPad2 might need to be in my future?
Figuring out how it all works is also useful for work purposes as the discussion over audio and e-books continues. I think people are only just realising how fast the e-book world is progressing. It will be some time before paper books disappear, if ever, but electronic formats are certainly becoming an option for many. Now if only the book suppliers would come to realistic pricing for e-books instead of charging almost the same as a paper book which requires far more processing.
Anyway, this weekend ordinary library books were my entertainment and I had plenty of time to catch up on my reading as heading outside was not really an option.
Harlen Coben's Live Wire brought back a familiar character in Myron Bolitar. I prefer these to his stand alone stories, but this one had less humour and more of a dark family story in it. Still a good read, although it feels like the end for this character.
Jodi Picoult's latest Sing You Home certainly manages to mix in a set of controversial topics. She moves from describing the obsession that can come from IVF treatment for infertility, to the difficulties of living as a lesbian without the civil rights of other couples, to the treatment of homosexuals by religious fanatics, and legal questions of what makes good parents and whether IVF embryos are people or property. Told in three different voices, the characters felt a bit over the top and the ending somewhat contrived and predicatable. Not a bad read, but not one of her best works for me.
After the intensity of that I have moved on to a rather large tome - Bill Bryson's At Home. I wasn't sure if this was going to be too 'dry', but with Bill Bryson I should have known better. Only a few chapters in and already I am intrigued by his format and the snippets of history he is revealing. Should be a good read.
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