Lazy Blogger

I can't believe it. I knew I hadn't blogged for a while but my last entry was on 1st September. Why don't I blog? Because I am too busy reading DoveGreyReader and Susan Hill. And of course once I have read their daily offerings I feel that anything I upload will not be worth bothering with. What these writers have in common is that they open our eyes and minds to the world of literature and also,as a bonus, life in the country.

DGR is "only" a gifted amateur, or rather was, as those in the world of books have been sensible enough to make use of her obvious talents. You can read more about DGR on Norman Geras' blog. Susan Hill has achieved a wider audience out in the "normal" world by having written (and had published) many books. Some of these are "ordinary" novels, "I'm the King of the Castle" has been used as a GCSE set book for many years and has mainly been the cause of SH's overflowing inbox. She is also the creator of detective Simon Seraillier, with who I have yet to become acquainted. On top of this she wrote "The Woman in Black" which was adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatrat and has been running in the London West End for 17 years.

This morning, following my usual ritual, I read DGR (she will always be my first love) followed by SH. SH is fond of throwing out lines of prose or poetry and challenging her readers to identify them. She knows that someone will catch them and today Walter J Essex obliged by identifying 'the idle hill of summer.' as a line from A. E Housman's, A Shropshire Lad.

Having read my two favourite blogs I usually spend the rest of the day following up on subjects they have discussed and going over off on about twenty different tangents. This morning my roamings led me to the website of The Poetry Society whose home was always on the top floor of the Royal Festival Hall. Due to extensive renovations of this building which dates from the 1950s the Poetry Library has been closed for some time but when it reopens in 2007 I urge you to pop in.