Irish women writers...

Just finished reading  'A Charming Man' by Marian Keyes. Lovely book, dealt with extremely serious issues like alcoholism and domestic violence without without completely bogging down or depressing the reader. Love the way she writes, she is so funny and I laughed so much, at one point husband thought have been struck by late night madness/mirth-ness.

Must says really impressed with Irish writers, specially the women. Fell in love with Maeve Binchy and finished all her books which are available in the Oxfordshire library. Really loved the way she writes...her books were my only friends in the first few lonely months in Oxford.

Now that no longer have any books left to read, though every time I visit the library, faithfully (like a ritual) go and run my eyes through her books, who knows may strike gold with a new arrival! Nor can afford to buy books in present circumstances, so was looking for replacement author. Found another Irish lady--Marian Keyes. This was her second book, the first one a book cheekily called "Further Under the Duvet".

My vocabulary has also expanded to boot. New words/slangs learnt are:

Cripes: Slang used to express surprise, annoyance, disgust, etc.

Fecking: Polite and socially acceptable profanity used by the Irish. 

And a lovely phrase : rough as badger's arse...to describe post drinking hang over. 

Isn't this cool? So get ready to hear these words from me sometime soon in future!

Down and out with a cold...

Remember those scenes in Hollywood movies where heroines have flu or bad bouts of cold and heroes  bring them soup and daisies? 'You've Got Mail' is a classic example. Meg Ryan looked super cute with disheveled hair and pink nose, being cheered by Tom Hanks.

Sadly in real life getting a cold is nothing romantic nor do heroes come to hold fort with daisies.

To give a little background to this sudden interest in  cold and flu-- in this sunless island I have managed to get a sun stroke. Was out on one of the rare sunny days, soaking the sun in, and lo and behold got a sun stroke just like I used to get in Delhi. Getting a sun stroke in Delhi makes sense, but here it is like being a feminist in Mars. Most people give me incredulous looks or think that I do not know the right words and phrases being non native speaker and all.
At the risk of sounding obstinate, I insist that it is sun stroke cos I have suffered from it many times in India. I even know the whole routine by heart now. It starts with a buzzing in the head and stingy, watery eyes closely followed by headache, bad cold, running nose, fever and body ache. Stays for 5 to 7 days and vanishes to strike some other unsuspecting victim, leaving me with a peeling nose and looking more puffy and anemic than ever. Best medicine is rest, sleep, hours of it, lots of fluid and hot passionate sex [ just kidding:)].

So right in the middle of a week which promised to be super hectic canceling work and commitments left, right and centre. Am sitting surrounded with tissues, inhalers, balms and only allowed to drink hot drinks (decreed by husband). Feeling mighty sorry for self, husband also sympathetic but too busy to play nurse. Husband wanting me to visit doctor, resisting mightily, do not want to be poked and prodded at.

Husband has essays to submit one after another, wife out of action by cold, hence one take out after another and dirty dishes piling up. The worst bit is that it gets really boring after a while.  Do not have the energy to go out, yet too restless to sit at home. Bemoaning lack of  entertainment and guilty about being out of circulation.

Sitting at home, brooding about everything and nothing, feeling emotional and prickly. Horror of horrors realizing how unkempt my surroundings are. Spying all the hidden dirt, unhoovered carpet, things away from their usual places and mounds of dirty laundry. Cringe to myself, was I not a clean freak? When did this happen to me and my house?  New resolve in life-- revert back to being a clean freak as soon as health permits. Husband beware, serious cleaning time ahead!

No getting a cold is definitely not a good thing to happen, in spite of how glamours they make it seem in movies.

P.S. Photo courtesey google images.