When I first started this blog, I was convinced I would write regularly. Since then my mum has died and I have not even thought about it. So, here I am again. It's Sunday afternoon and I have just been trying to get a ticket for the Moody Blues concert in October, but the site did not work. That is, I got an error message.
Over the summer I have done quite a bit of reading, not all very good books I am ashamed to say. But there were a few good ones, like Middlemarch by George Eliot and I have nearly finished Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
School has started again and I am pleased to say that I have some very nice pupils (except for a few very nasty ones, but I am determined not to let them spoil things for me and the other children).
England was very hot this summer when I was staying there. At one time we even had to suffer 35 degrees Centigrade in the shadow, and I really do not like that. It is hot today as well.
A colleague of mine owns a holiday home on the Veluwe, here in Holland. Perhaps I can stay there for a few days in the autumn holidays. Would be nice.

Spring

Still reading Middlemarch, but because my mum is terminally ill, I cannot seem to focus properly. I start every evening, but after a few hours I sometimes have not read more than a chapter. The weather is hot and I would love to go somewhere, but I cannot leave the city right now, because of mum. Still, I made arrangements for my holiday this summer. Something nice to look foreward to. I wish I could talk about things with my sister, but she lives further away and so ... Never mind, I'll manage.
No cropcircles reported yet in England. They are late this year, but then everything is late. It was cold for a long time, so everything started growing late, and now with the hot weather, everything seems to be starting at the same time.

Cell

Started reading Cell by Stephen King. The idea of a kind of signal that is transmitted to every cell phone in the world is really frightening. I had not thought of something like this before, but I did hear of research that is being done on radiation and cell phones. It seems that it is not very healthy to use your cell phone a lot. Well, I only use it for emergencies anyway. If you want to know more about the book go to Stephen King's website http://www.stephenking.com.

It's been a while since I wrote, but I'm still not really feeling up to it. They say life goes on, and I'm sure it does, but it really does not feel like it. I should try to live my life as normally as possible and also think of nice things, but it's terribly difficult. I do not sleep well, and I still cannot concentrate on reading anything worthwhile. I'm only reading thrillers at the moment. I have nearly finished Seventy-seven clocks by Christopher Fowler. Is quite a good read. And I just bought the latest Stephen King novel. I thought I read somewhere that he was not going to write novels anymore. Must have changed his mind.
I would like to put some nice websites in this blog, but I am not sure how to do it. Maybe this will work: http://www.victorianweb.org. Very good site for anyone who is interested in all things Victorian.

Sad

My mum is dying and I cannot think, I cannot read, I feel like screaming all the time.

Nearly weekend

Read the third chapter of The Chimes last night. So far it reminds me a lot of A Christmas Carol. I hope to finish it tonight.
We are busy organising a schooltrip to Malta at the moment. I always like this kind of thing very much, but I also get very nervous beforehand, because I want everything to be perfect, and nothing ever is. My pupils are very enthousiastic of course. Anything to get away from school.
Nearly weekend. I wish I could get a little bit of peace and quiet, but my mum is having an MRI scan today and we do not know what is going to happen. I'm just so very, very tired.

Blogs

Today I read through quite a few blogs of people who have the same interests as I do. It's amazing to see how many people start with one or two entries and then are never heard of again. Tried to read a bit yesterday but fell asleep while watching a stupid soap. Woke up at three this morning feeling afwul!! My mum is in hospital with a fractured hip and I am obviously very worried. I leave home at 7.15 every morning to go to work (I am an English teacher in a secondary school), often we have after-school meetings and then I visit mum at the hospital. I came home at 9 last night, which is a bit too late for me. Anyway, I hope things will be a bit better today.

As you can imagine, I don't have much time to read at the moment and I really hate that. And when I do find the time I have trouble concentrating. Well anyway, my plans for today are: read the next chapter of Middlemarch, read the next chapter of Ackroyd's Dickens and finish The Chimes. If I can manage a few hours tonight, that should not be too difficult. And if you are wondering where I find the time to make this entry, I am teaching at the moment, but I only have eleven pupils who are training for their written examination in May, so they really don't need me now. They should be able to do things all by themselves at this stage!?

I really wish I were on holiday in England right now. This pic shows the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, one of my favourite places. I took this last summer and as you can see, the weather was marvelous. Lots of people in Holland say that you shouldn't go to England, because it always rains there, and I hope they will go on thinking that, because then it will stay nice and quiet there.

Chimes

Read the second chapter of The Chimes bij Charles Dickens. I always find his short stories much more readable and therefore enjoyable than his full length novels. Of course I have not finished this yet, so I may still change my opinion. I had to read Dombey & Son as an assignment for my course, but I could not really get into it. It's all a bit too melodramatic for my taste. But you should not judge a writer after having read only one book, so I'm trying again. Years ago I read A Christmas Carol and I quite enjoyed that, so that is why I started The Chimes. I am also reading Dickens' biography by Peter Ackroyd. A very good read!

Sunday afternoon

The sun is shining and unfortunately I can see how much dust has gathered after the winter. I can now understand why people want to do the spring cleaning. The cat is enjoying himself, though. Yesterday read through Chapter 2 of The Literature of Terror Vol. 1 by David Punter. A very good introduction to the Gothic and related terror writing. I'm going to tackle the next chapter in a moment. It's a good thing that it's a Sunday and I do not have much work for school at the moment. Did some grading just now, but it was just half an hour's work. Not bad for a weekend. I sometimes spend a whole weekend working, grading and preparing.

Introduction

I love reading and anything to do with books and I am currently studying 19th-century literature and this seems a nice way to keep track of what I am doing. At the moment I am reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. I work as an English teacher and I have too little time to do a lot of studying, unfortunately.