Zipper war

No, it's not a moment in 19th century history.

It's a battle I'm fighting right now.

In the last few weeks I had to exchange or repair a zip on MiniMojcek Nr.1's school backpack, a zip on MiniMojcek Nr.2's school backpack, two zips on my backpacks, a zip on MiniMojcek Nr.1's sweater and two zips on MiniMojcek Nr.2's jackets.

Enough zips for a while!

So, so true.

What a joy walking is. All the cares of life, all the hopeless, inept fuckwits that God has strewn along the Bill Bryson Highway of Life suddenly seem far away and harmless, and the world becomes tranquil and welcoming and good. And to walk with old friends multiplies the pleasure a hundredfold.

B. B., The Road to Little Dribbling

Just checking...

The raspberries are ripe.

The strawberries are blossoming.

The roses are in bloom.

Either climate changes are really happening or I've got some weird genetically modified organisms... because it's the middle of November!

And, yes, all the shops are full of Christmassy stuff. And yes, I'm slightly panicking because I don't even have a prototype of this year's Christmas cards ready!

I love you too!

Photos not by me, these are screenshots from Youtube.

I was enjoying the whole thing way too much to bother with the phone.

But mostly I curl up inside my typewriter with my housefly and cry
I tell my housefly not to cry
My housefly tells me not to die
Because someone’s gotta sing the stars
And someone’s gotta sing the rain
And someone’s gotta sing the blood
And someone’s gotta sing the pain.
N. Cave

Unfair!

We visited the island of Elba and all the time we watched the Montecristo Island.

So I decided to read the Count of Monte Cristo. Appropriately, right?

I went to the local bookstore and the only translation they had (I don't feel like reading the French original) was a shortened version for children and well... ok, I got it.

The book was quite enjoyable until I reached page 142. It has a footnote:

"Till this sentence, the text is, although a bit shortened, a faithful copy of the first part of the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo. The end of the first part as well as the second and third parts were omitted by the translator, who also added her own ending, which differs from the original."

I kid you not.

Science, again

Don't you just love science? So that we can explain exactly why this happens?

Add a linear polarizer and one line disappears...

Now turn the polarizer and the other line appears.

No, no magic. Just birefringence :-)

Lovely autumn

After a very rainy September (the wettest in the last 50 years), October started just lovely...

The brave ones climbed and swam in the sea.