The Blog of James Smith

I spend a lot of time feeling tired.  I think this because I have stopped having afternoon naps, which were once one of my favourite parts of the days.  Ah well, I have been sleeping a lot the past few days.

As per usual for Christmas, I got several books.  Also as per usual, I have now read most of them.

A month or two ago I bought a book called The Way  Of Shadows by Brent Weeks, which was the first in a trilogy.  It was very good.  Highly recommended if you like assassins and treason and treachery and magic and all that standard fantasy novel stuff, but given a different twist.   People die, bad things happen and punches are not pulled.  I received the second and third books as a present for Christmas, and have devoured them both already, though admittedly, I am rereading the third one, as it is by far and away the best of the three in my opinion.

I also got Neal Asher’s collection of short stories – The Gabble.  The thing that annoys me about anything that Neal Asher writes is that there is never enough of it.  His novels are not short, but I always feel they could be longer.  I still think he is the one of the greatest tellers of stories and constructors of worlds I have ever come across, but I always wish that certain areas were expanded on.   However, these stories felt right.  There was enough to them to explain them but not so much that you expected more.  Very good.  On a total aside, my dog has only ever chewed two books, both of which were written by Neal Asher.

Speaking of dogs, I am going to feed mine now.  She has spent all day in the garden running like a loon and is looking decidedly tired.  Which is always good!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty nightmarish.  We currently have the builders in, and while they are doing a goodish job, we have been plagued by various incidents that would be okay on their won, but not all in the same week.

The joiner built the stairs wrong then quit, so the builder is having to get a new staircase built, so we are still currently without stairs.

The builders broke a gas pipe, so transco had to come out and make it safe.  BY TURNING THE GAS OFF.  Great.  So we then had the coldest night ever.  I was okay, but Jordan is a heat person, and hates being cold.  Me – I prefer to be cold, I find it easier to sleep.

SO we still have only half a flight of stairs, everything is covered in soot and we are living out of one room.  Not the best way to be living at the moment.  However, it will all be finished in a week.  Hopefully.

Am at my parents today, to see my dog, who has been staying here while the builders have been in at my house.   I didn’t realise quite how much I missed her until I saw her last night when I got here.

So Saturday morning, I took the dog for a walk.  I meandered through Levenshulme, Heaton Moor, Heaton Chaple, the edge of Stockport and then walked home again.  It took me the best part of two hours, but it was highly enjoyable (crazy eh?).

Not being entirely sure how long the walk was, I used Google Pedometer to work it out.  4 and a half miles (you can see the route here).  Doesn’t sound that impressive, but it is a lot more walking than I usually do.  Ever.

I think I may take another walk with the dog next weekend.  Different route, but the same sort of length.