Update

Well its been a mixture of ups and downs...

On the plus side I'm able to do a little more and I'm feeling up to using the car so I'm getting out and about a bit more.

On the down side, I'm still getting really bad headaches, have no stamina, and a recent session with the physio reminded me that all my muscles have practically withered away. Also my immune system is so low that in the last 6 weeks or so I've had 3 colds that have knocked me back like flue and sent me to bed!

We've almost got the house ready and its on the market... no one has shown an interest yet. Hopefully soon, I need to get out of here.

I still use ... far too much- I've gotten lazy.

My mind's finally started to work- I've written a short introduction to Radical Orthodoxy for the Spectrum site.

I might have finally gotten somewhere with my sick pay. I've finally had my employment terminated on grounds of health. Which means I should get paid notice and should now be able to claim the correct benefit.

I still look wishfully at climbing sites/videos/magazines and wish I was well enough to go climb... especially as it looks like a great winter season and I really used to like grabbing the ice axes and strapping on the crampons...

Anyway, lets hope things keep improving...

Flat for sale...

The flat is now up on ESPC...

so now we just have to wait...

Book Review: Mari Jungstedt's Unseen

I arrived late on the Scandinavian Crime Scene!

My first book was a copy of Henning Mankell's Firewall which I received as a Christmas present over a year ago. Since then i have read some more and recently got the chance to read Mari Jungstedt's first novel set on the Island of Gotland.

First Impressions?

Well I have a problem with the translation. This problem surfaces at several levels. The first is the fact that an “american” english often grates with my “british” english ear. In a couple of places the translator's choice of words leaves a british reader reaching for a dictionary as she chooses rather singular american words when other “bi-lingual” options were available. On another level, her translation is simply unbelievable; “tomorrow was national commemoration day” er, what... that had Katarina choke on her cereal when she read it. Its called National Day. “I'm going to the state liquor store...” OK so the Systembolaget, is state run, but other translators manage to say “the off licence, the alcohol shop, etc”. The third level of translation errors is one which I missed but Katarina (obviously) didn't. These were mistakes translating places (i.e. mistaking an “en” ending for an article, etc.)

The Plot/story?

Whilst it drew me in and I enjoyed it I thought that there were some major problems with the believability of the story in places (spoiler alert). I'm sorry but if I saw pictures of people who had been murdered on TV, who I had been to school with I think I would recognise them and start to put things together a little sooner.

Having said that I thought it was well written and it drew me in. I would definitely read the next book in the series.

WSBK Update: Rounds 3 & 4 Phillip Island

Here are the highlights of round one:


And of round two:


Bayliss won both...

still MotoGP starts soon...