Today this little Eulalia darlin' turns 10 years old! Once again, how time flies, it's difficult to grasp that it was so many years ago she was perfectly adorable snug in a tiny basket -
She still likes her baskets, and to bask in the sun now and then. More about this loveable furry purry one, can be found in last year's birthday-post.
Could not resist getting a violet, as in the colour purple, nailpolish the other day. And everywhere I look there seem to be purple, lilac, violet flowers - is this an ominous sign? Or can there be beauty, fortune and happiness in purple too?
We've been having a rather drastic change of weather this last week, a much needed - both for nature and beings - very less than heatwave. Personally I could do with a bit more warmth as well as sun during daytime. I'm not unreasonable, just a few degrees and some more rays, and it would be just perfect.
However I'm very happy and pleased about the instant reaction in and gratitude from nature, plants and many animals. Everything is just so lush, green, colourful, beautiful, vigorous once again. And even if it could be a dash more beamy, a pinch warmer, this is the season to enjoy home-made cordials in lush gardens (just remember to wear warm enough clothes). Life can't be too bad, then, can it?
Behold, the # 4 or 5ish on my semi-official Top 10 Cheesecake-list - a list that admittedly so far only consists of 5 or 6ish memorable cheesecake-encounters - the one I now and then make myself for special occasions.
This one above sadly lacked a perfectly satisfying end result, but at least it made a pretty picture. And the guests were delighted, even if the baker/list-maker wasn't.
This is going to be an all rambling post, about a few things that's been on my mind on and off, but as single subjects really don't deserve a post of their own. And having said that I suddenly realize I can't remember more than a very limited few of those things. And they're basically all about blogging (nerd). At the moment. Which makes me think I really should make a note of making a note of them when I my regularly occuring moments of tossing-turning-thoughts-swirling at night...
First thing then; I'm really not a fan of the widget/gadget/overabundance-in-the-graphics-department. I for the most part like to keep things fairly simple, a light play with colours, fonts, photographs and of course let the words talk, is just the way I want it. More stuff than that gives me a figurative headache, I'll move on and never return to that website/blog. If I don't absolutely must.
However, not being a widgety kind of gal, I do enjoy the odd visitor-counter and so forth. And having waited for the numero 100 country to visit - since I made this particular counter appear on the blog - it felt unexpectedly non-mawkish when it finally did the other week. The number 100 visiting country was Saint Kitts and Nevis, a place I only extremly briefly had heard about earlier. Now I do know a bit more, just because of this little widget counter.
Conclusion - widgets can truly be mind-evolvingly good for you
Since then the counter has turned 101, haven't really figured out which country that last one is though. Welcome anyway, I hope you found something useful/readable here, perhaps even enjoyable enough for a return visit.
Second thing; Be warned, if you found above widget statement a bore, skip this part, this will continue down the widgety path. I refuse to think I have too little *real* things to occupy me, at the moment, instead I now and then find it very important as well as amusing to browse through another one of those counters. The more detailed counter, where you can find all sorts of interesting bits and pieces concerning visitors.
Like for instance, there's no surprise some companies, governments, authorities don't function so well, since some of them seem to have a whole lot of time scanning or reading and returning to a certain blog. And since I'm so well aware of the fact that there are trillions of more fantastic, world-turning, well-written that actually make a difference blogs out there, I'm sure they also scan, read and return to them too on a regular basis.
So even if I possibly feel slightly flattered about these visitors - even if they never show the courtesy of leaving a comment - this will be my...
... Conclusion - widgets can also be a tiny part of the evidence-puzzle that some people/functions out there should really make a firm note of actually working on the job and solving the important international problems they're hired and paid/funded for, instead of surfing the blogs
Third thing; When I find that a possibly new visitor has browsed the internet for a certain topic and found a certain post of mine that is - believe it or not - pretty darn boring and silly written, I kind of hope they'll give the blog another chance and do a random, or not so random, swoop on a much better post. Since IMHO, there are better post to be found and read. And. No. I. Do. Not. Have. Too. Much. Sparetime. This is important stuff too. In it's very own *minor* way.
Conclusion - things will always continue to improve, give it another go. That is, if it's not the overabundance-graphics-kind-of-thing...
Fourth thing; When I actually do find I have too much un-occupied time on my hands, I have been found to amuse myself with online translations of my own blogposts. *Easily entertained introspective twerp*. It's absolutely hilarious, talk about a more than rather completely useless blunt instrument!
Conclusion - don't trust the internet
These thrilling men are two favourite and one semi-favourite suspense novel writers of mine - note, not the gorgonized, miniature ones pictured above. Or in this case I have to admit, usually favourite and semi-favourite since these three books that have been my latest read from them, have all been rather disappointing. Very much in plot but also in their usual fluency and as in Reginald Hill's case, wit and humour.
So if you haven't read any of these writers before, these three latest read of mine are most certainly not the books to begin with. Yes, even if the books are about the same stablemates solving crimes they're said to be free-standing and can be read in a non-cronological order. Myself I never do that, I like to keep things in (cronological) order, at least when it comes to books. But for some - odd beings - cronological order or not doesn't seem to make a difference.
However, for some mystery - pun! - reason the small quality publishing company of Minotaur doesn't publish all books in cronological order. Which is completely annoying when it, for example, comes to Reginald Hill's pair Dalziel & Pascoe.
I know the books are suppose to be suspense novels - yes there's more than meets the eye in me -, but I really like it when you get more than a glimpse of their respective personal/family life too. So when the books are published non-cronological (pre-marriage, suddenly older daughter, divorced, daughter just been born, colleagues this, colleagues that, whatever happened to... etc) it gives a less pleasurable read.
The first Reginald Hill book that was published in Swedish was On Beulah Height (first published in 1998) - which was a most pleasant encounter, if it hadn't been for the translater going waaay out on the Yorkshire moors to try and translate Dalziel's dialect into Swedish. Major nuisance. But other than that I found it to me a very good, witty, intellectual mystery read.
The second book published was Bones and Silence (first published in 1990), and is that weird or not, non-cronological and with 8 years apart... Then came The Wood Beyond (1996), Recalled to Life (1992), and somewhere along here I began looking for the English versions since I really wanted to fill in the non-cronological gaps. Strangely enough I haven't been able to find the very first Dalziel & Pascoe book, A Clubbable Woman (1970), until just recently.
So after I finished this book of less-than-the-usual-high-quality named Ruling Passion (1973!!) - I guess that year of being first published can give a clue as to why it wasn't a very good read, 35 years down the line one might gather that the writing has improved considerably for most writers... - I continued with the clubbable one, and once again I have to honestly say that it isn't a very good read.
But I will of course adamantly finish it, no question about that! And when I've finished it it will be the 12th book - of them three in English, since I actually find the Swedish translations to be a more than notch more enjoyable read than the English original... - by Reginald Hill I've read. And even if the earlier books aren't nearly as well written as the later ones I will still think he's a wonderful way with words and plots, mystery/suspense/thriller genre or not.
Next thrilling man then, Ian Rankin. Great writer, who let's you take more than a peek behind the "glossy" facade of that gorgeous, fascinating city called Edinburgh. As in most places, countries, cities, villages things aren't what they seem, and he writes about them in a non-compromising way. The jaded, run down, the worn, torn and shabby back side of Scotland's grand city.
It's not intellectual, it's more hardcore, in-your-face suspense novels, but very well written just the same. I relish every new pocket edition. Well, perhaps not the latest one as much then, Fleshmarket Close. I found it to be more than a bit lenghty, lacked in plot credibility, haphazardly written.
So far eightish excellent Chief Inspector Rebus-books gulped down, more to come.
The last of these three men is Peter Robinson, who also writes about a pair of police stablemates. But, IMHO, not at the same high quality level as Hill and Rankin. And since the personal relationship between these two reminds me a whole lot of the tiresome, immature and incomprehensible one of the police detectives in Stephen Booth's novels, I'm no great fan of his books - although I've read seven of them so far - I just see them as some light, relaxing, far-from-imprint-reading. Now and then you need that too. Besides these books are set in Yorkshire too, can't be that bad a read then. Nevertheless, Yorkshire set or not, the latest read, Piece of My Heart, was *a bit* too strained, long-winded add an anti-climax ending. End up with a far from satisfied undersigned reader.
For some odd reason number two, Robinson's books aren't published (in Sweden) from the very beginning of the series either, granted cronological published but only the books that's been written after In a Dry Season. This bugs me, since I'd like to know a bit more about the background of the main characters and what makes them tick. And since I don't think this is an amazing writer I can't be bothered finding the books in English. Just a slight case of vexation. Needed to be ventilated.
The second (third if you're being particular) of the Secret Rooms we visited that Saturday some weeks ago was actually a garden, the inner courtyard of the Tessin Palace (Tessinska palatset), situated just opposite of the Royal Palace. The Tessin Palace itself is home to the County Governor (landshövding) of Stockholm, so alas there was no peeking inside. But the garden itself was really lovely - though very crowded of course.
This beautiful garden is actually the motif of the first prize painting - which has obviously not dried yet - so with a talented painter it has every chance to look amazing.
The man behind the palace and it's garden is the once upon a time court architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, in the late 17th century he built a palace that would reflect his and his wife's social position. It's a delightful baroque garden where French garden art meets Italian architecture. On a very limited area Tessin created a magical illusion of depth and and perspective.
Initially the garden consisted not only of the embroidered parterre with box hedges, a small fountain and clipped trees but also of marble sculptures. Most of them have gone missing over the years - something I'm rather grateful for... Through the centuries the palace and it's garden has been renovated and rebuilt in accordance with fashion of the times. In the late 19th century the garden was altered and new plants were enrooted.
I have a sneaky suspicion though, that the worst kind of rebuilding/modernizing indoors was made in 1968 when the State took over the property for use as residence for the County Governor. Although it was also during the 6oies that the garden once again was rebuilt in accordance with Tessin's plan, at least as much as possible without the missing sculptures.
The palace itself has apparently since been carefully renovated back into it's former glory, but as mentioned above alas not opened to the public - if you don't hobnob with the County Governor of course. But this rare opportunity to peek into a wonderful, unsual and very secret little garden in the middle of city, a stone's throw from the *real* palace was quite a treat too.
The third/fourth/last Secret "Room" we visited that day was not a palace, but most impressive, beautiful, important and interesting building in it's very own way. More of that later.
There's not one, but at least two hedgehogs visiting on a regular basis, I'm so very flattered! A few days ago loaf doggie - minus squeaker toy - gave the smaller one a barking welcome. Which wasn't particularly appreciated. After loaf doggie reprimand she/he finally headed for the food, I got the impression of a weary and disoriented wee prickly one, I hope it was just the extraordinarily warm day that caused it and nothing else.
The heatwave and drought we're having at the moment is shared by our southern neighbour, Denmark, and this weather has caused many hedgehogs there to die because they can't find enough water or food. So for all of you who are blessed with adorable prickly visitors like these, make sure there is plenty of water in all bowls and dry cat food too! We can all make a difference for the wee ones sharing our neighbourhood, our planet. One small step at a time.
