Sporting Glory and Rabbit Proof Fence

We headed to Inverloch this weekend for some sport. I participated in a very windy 10km beach run and my partner did an ocean swim. (We are a sports mad fitness couple like Grant Kenny and Lisa Curry ex Curry-Kenny nee Curry, except not divorced yet.)

Needing a cassette based story tape for the car (and one that wouldn't shit my partner to tears) I borrowed Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington/Nugi Garimara read by Rachael Maza.

This was top story tape selection. Not only is the story itself gripping but I felt like I was learning something. And something important too. Listening to the tape I realised that I haven't engaged with many stories about the stolen generations in Australia. This book helped me imagine how I would feel if it happened to me.

Also, in case you're wondering just how glorious our sporting achievements were, let's just say that we both saw a bit of the podium. From the crowd during the presentations. Not to worry. We are friends with the girl who came third - reflected glory!

To Central Victoria!

Drove back from Adelaide yesterday, stopping to visit more family in central Victoria.

We had almost four hours of Summer Lightening by PG Wodehouse to go, which should have seen us well across the border and into the Mallee district. Unfortunately the cassettes were old and the sound quality was terrible - sounded like the narrator was underwater with a mouth full of yummy cheese. It wasn't worth the effort and we gave up at Murray Bridge.

So we reluctantly went back to The Map that Changed the Word. This book has lots of really interesting information about 18th century fossil collecting, the growth of coal and canal mania (shut up, is so too interesting). The frustrating thing is that the author, Simon Winchester, labours his points and repeats himself. As a result with both ended up screaming, "We already fucking know!"

Not to worry. At least we heard many descriptions of the lovely lovliness of the lovely patchworked English countryside.

To Adelaide!

Drove to Adelaide yesterday.

We started listening to The Map that Changed the World. It's an historical novel about some dude who makes a geological map of England in 1815. My partner likes maps, and I like the history of science so I expected high-fives for top story tape selection. Unfortunately, there were a few issues.

The narrator had a lisp. I was surprised. Then I realised - read by the author. Actually, it was pretty easy to ignore his slight speech eccentricity. What annoyed me more was the book's wordiness. The author writes very long sentences, described a pair of velvet curtains for five minutes (blue, crushed velvet, with gold tassels - I could go on), and used words like stippled. It grated on me.

We only got through one tape. We may try again on the return journey if we are feeling stronger.

Fortunately I also borrowed a back up story tape by an author famously economical with this words - PG Wodehouse. Well, maybe not, but when he does it it's funny.

My favorite PG quote - "I have only two things to say to you, Lord Tilbury. One is that you have ruined a man's life. The other is Pip-pip."