Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Donkey’s years*

It seems like donkey’s years since I last posted on this blog. Maybe the ‘brain-drain’ caused by the hot summer days is to blame, or maybe I spent too much time reading instead of writing. 



During my brief Corfu vacation I re-discovered the joys of reading, something I used to do a lot when I was younger. The Sony E-reader which I bought almost two years ago suddenly proved to be very handy to read ‘big’ volumes on. Something I had given up on due to my frequent back problems, which make it very hard to read lying in a deck chair, comfy couch or even in bed. Other E-reader advantages are:
  • books are a lot cheaper than their paper versions (approx. 10 euros per book, depending on its popularity and author),
  • you download them 24/24 through the bookstore’s web store,
  • easy storage – up to 3,000 books – without needing a bookcase,
  • light-weight travel.
Since April I’ve downloaded some 45 e-books, most of them in English. Last week I read ‘1000 years of annoying the French, by Stephen Clarke, an Englishman living and working in Paris. I highly recommend it if you’re a Francophile who wants to learn more about the love-hate relationship that France and England have been having since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is extremely funny – even hilarious – even if at times the author is a bit harsh on the French. But if you take it all with a generous pinch of salt, you’ll soon wish you’d had a history teacher like Mr. Clarke!  

Next on my reading list is the Millennium trilogy by Stig Larsson. As I don’t read Swedish, I have read the first volume in Dutch. The English version of the second and third volume is already on my E-reader. Looking forward to ‘digging’ into number two!

 

As for the above photo, it was taken in Corfu on Friday, May 29th, the day of our private taxi tour with Dimitris. Our driver was kind enough to stop by the side of the road to give me the opportunity to shoot this picture. 

Donkeys are not an unusual sight on Corfu, as for years and years they were the only means of transport on the island. I’ll post another donkey photo presently, as well as the story behind it … I hope that – after my two month’s absence – there are still some blog readers who pop in every now and then … 

(*) Is it ‘donkey’s years’ or ‘donkey’s ears’? Find out here!

16 comments:

ladybird said...

Note to Susan and The Broad: I accidently deleted my latest blogpost and your kind comments. These things happen when you haven't been blogging for a while. I'm so sorry, because I do appreciate your comments and the fact that you're still reading my blog. I'll make sure to be more careful the next time ...

Susan said...

You dill :-) Mind you, Blogger has been fairly badly behaved lately, so it might not have been just you pressing the wrong button.

The Broad said...

I wondered why you appeared again! I commented that I too have an e-reader and absolutely love it. It is on my bedside table and I find it much easier to read in bed with it than with some of the rather heavy books I've had to deal with in the past.

I, too, have had a rather long hiatus without blogging and am planning to get back to some regular posting now that the summer and terrible French Internet connection are no longer and excuse!

Love the anecdote about donkey years/ears!

ladybird said...

Thank you Kathie for reposting your comment and sorry again for messing-up ...

ladybird said...

Susan, If you like Stephen Clarke's sense of humour and wit, you should read 'Dirty Bertie, an English King made in France'. You'll love it! Trust me :)

Bob said...

good to have you back!!! don't stay away so long next time. g;ad you are enjoying yourself. sounds like you are preparing for retirement!!!

Carolyn said...

You know how glad I am to see you back here! You have lots to tell us, I'm sure. But I'm also glad you are enjoying yourself traveling and reading etc, so don't let blogging get in the way of that.

ladybird said...

Bob, Sounds like you know something I don't know (about retirement, I mean)! LOL!I'll do my best to limit my non-blogging periods as much as possible.

Carolyn, Thank you. It's a thin line between reading and writing. So it shouldn't be too difficult to cross :)

VirginiaC said...

Martine, I was wondering whatever had become of you...I'm glad you're still here.
I know what you mean about the heat...it's even too hot for me to blog every day....I understand your plight.
Here we say "donkey years", like "I haven't seen you in donkey years!"

ladybird said...

Virginia, Lovely to know that, despite my long absence, you haven't given up on me/my blog. Hope you have efficient airco :)

chm said...

I was beginning to wonder. I'm glad that nothing worse than reading was the reason of your absence. As they say, keep on truckin'.

ladybird said...

Hi Chm, Nice to read you. I know ... I should have explained, but then I guess I was also suffering from a spot of 'blog fatigue'. I hope it is all a thing of the past ...

Ken Broadhurst said...

I don't think Americans use the expression "donkey's years." We would say you hadn't posted anything to your blog in a coon's age -- a 'coon is a raccoon. I don't know how long one lives though. Welcome back.

ladybird said...

Hi Ken, Thanks for your comment. I like the raccoon link. However - and I looked it up - they live up to 1,8 to 2,5 years in the wild. In captivity they can live up 20 years ... while the oldest donkey in the world is said to have lived up to over 60 years. But who cares ... It's just nice to know, isn't it?

Ken Broadhurst said...

I think the first Europeans who arrived in North America had no idea how long a raccoon lived. It's hard to tell one raccoon from another, so you might be seeing many generations of them while thinking you are seeing the same one year after year. Who knows? Anyway, their ears are not as long as donkey's 'ears.

ladybird said...

Ken ...LOL and good point! ;)