Church

Now don't get excited Second, I have absolutely no intention of going to Church. I only mention it because my beloved has started her annual campaign to get me to go.


Every year at Christmas, she and my son go off to the local god-bothering centre for an hour of hymns and intensive god-bothering, leaving me at home to stew in my agnostic/atheistic juices, and enjoy a large single malt (Tobermory 10 year old this year)

I enjoy this time alone. I can watch the TV, blog on the PC or best of all, read a book without any disruption.

Total Immersion

One of the best things about holidays is the incredible pleasure of long, extended periods of uninterrupted book reading, where the plot and characters become real, where you can become completely involved in the world the book creates. I can do it, my beloved does to a certain extent, but my son can't. He can read, and read well, but he doesn't get immersed. Sad.

The first time it really happened to me was when I was 21. I'd always liked books, and one of my presents was a book voucher. I'd recently read "The Hobbit" and quite enjoyed it, but I thought it a bit simplistic, more of a children's book. One of my friends at work had told me the Lord of the Rings was much better, so I bought a copy with the voucher.

For 3 days I did nothing but read. It was a long weekend and I started on the Friday afternoon when I got home from the book shop. I lived in the world of Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf. I only stopped for toilet breaks and food. I almost cried, and certainly felt depressed after I finished LOTR.

I haven't been able to repeat that feat, as I've got a lot more responsibilities now, and I can't afford 3 continuous days of reading, but every opportunity I have, I return to the magical world of books.

So I'll be reading when the rest of my family are off god-bothering. I know who's got the better deal. Maybe I'll get another bottle of malt just in case. Talisker sounds good to me.

That's the only spirit I believe in.