Tor!

 

As much as I love my Kindle and the benefits that it brings I do love now and again to pick up a book. This is only my second book in the past few years. The last was a forgettable work of fiction based on Bible John lent to me by my father in law. He enjoyed it but it wasn't for me. Still like 99% of books I start I pushed myself through to the end. This book is more up my street. It was a book I have been meaning to buy for years without getting around to doing it. Knowing this my brother mailed me a copy when he was getting books for himself from an online charity store. Just as well as the dog has taken a few bites out of it. I used to pride myself in keeping all my books pristine growing up but gave up when they got borrowed and wrecked by various people. Luckily this one is hardback or the dog may have left little for me to mentally digest.

There is no doubt E-readers have their benefits. Storage is a major thing. I have a loft full of books that were, as I said, in pristine condition but if I could ever get through the junk in the cupboard to get up there I will likely find they are water damaged now. Much better to have them all stored away easily accessible. But still you can't get the smell of an old book shop when you shop online. When listening to music I do at times miss hearing the sound when the stylus hits the vinyl. Nostalgia can be found in many forms. I'm feeling nostalgic at the moment. Its an opportunity to take a break from everything that runs on electricity and sit with a book and a cuppa and relax.

Outside there is very little change but enough to feel some slight optimism. It hasn't affected me bu at the weekend my wife took the kids up North for the day to see her dad for the first time since the outbreak started. Still socially distanced and still too soon to stay overnight so she had to do the 120 mile round trip in a day. Also of great excitement to the kids was their first McDonalds in a very long time- first take away actually. This is a bit like how it should be. Not the virus of course but this appreciation of things that we used to take for granted. I have said numerous times that the kids get take aways too often to the point they don't enjoy it as much nor appreciate it. Growing up my friends and I had to get a bus into Edinburgh to get a McDonalds. We never saw a KFC or Burger King. Growing up in a new town we had a Chinese take away, an Indian takeaway and a few chip shops. None were delivery so we had to pick up on the few occassions we got one. And because of that we really appreciated them, not like now. And the other thing about it was we got whatever my parents were choosing. With the kids I have seen my wife go to two different take aways to stop arguements. Yet that does all seem so long ago. I just wonder how long it will be before that is commonplace again.

One last thing, a small thing. When my panic hit hard for the first time and I was basically housebound for the begining it made me reflect on a lot of things. It made me think about the way I had (mis)treated people, my attitude, regrets, things I missed, my well being and so much more. In a strange way it possibly made me a better person even if I was not in a position to show that. And I wonder if this break in play for the world will make many others do the same while sitting indoors stuck unable to do the things they once could do. I hope so.