Author Topic: What book are you reading?  (Read 507577 times)

Offline gertbysea

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #360 on: October 03, 2012, 12:32:16 am »
Well spotted with the similarity between ceilidh and cuilidh, Gert - cuilidh is a rarely used word now, even some of my native Gaelic speaking family were unsure of its meaning!  Organised ceilidhs are becoming popular again over in Scotland now, I believe, not quite as spontaneous as the village ones, but good to see the revival, nonetheless.

This pleases  me no end. I hope it is a Successful revival.  Be wonderful if we could all get together as a family, community, village, or group of any  kind to play music, to dance  and to sing.  We could all have a. Voice instead of sitting silent watching  crap on TV.

What a novel idea that we should communicate with each other . Imagine that.?

Gert
Gretchen in Cairns, Australia

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg.

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #361 on: October 03, 2012, 01:02:56 am »
I agree, community spirit is fading.
Street parties, ceilidh's or whatever you want to call them are becoming a thing of the past.
More and more of us are not socializing as a community and half the time don't even know the neighbors.
Sad really, bring on the fun like the old days.
LOL now I sound like my granny!!!!  ;D

Offline cottchick

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #362 on: October 03, 2012, 02:22:00 am »
I am reading the Magic Faraway Tree to my youngest now, its her first "chapter book". I am so excited that she will be in these worlds, and then....Narnia!! My childhood favourite.

Well I have finished reading the latest Jack Reacher, loved it for a good annual JR fix. Am now reading "Sweet Poison" all about sugar and finding it absolutely fascinating. I rarely read non fiction but this has me captured.


Offline gertbysea

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #363 on: October 03, 2012, 02:31:28 am »
Ha ha. I know one neighbour really well. When we first moved in  10 yers ago every time a leaf fell from one of our trees into her yaed she called the police. She called the police  maybe 50 times over several months And every  time they had to respond to her idiotic unfounded complaints over many things.  We finally got our solicitor to write to her and she stopped for a time.   When she climbed a ladder Nd hurled a use in a really vile way aimed  at my DG I really blew a gasket.  Shortly after that her husband, who is a Fly in fly out miner came over to complain about  what I had said to his loony tune wife. I explained to him that  he had no  idea of her behaviour as he was , with good reason, rarely home.

If she keeps to her medication she is tolerable. She is known  as a  Neighbourhood menace  and people do not even want to walk by her house. She has so our neighbourhood that we stopped having street parties because no one wanted her to come. One person can upset a whole community.

Gert
Gretchen in Cairns, Australia

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg.

Offline deedub

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #364 on: October 03, 2012, 02:41:16 am »
I'm still reading Caitlin Moran's book - left it at home when we were on holiday and read a couple of light fiction books on my kindle while sitting poolside, lovely!
I read to my kids every night - they are 7 & 9 and can read for themselves but they still want me to read to them. Right now we are up to book 15 of the Famous Five series - we have 6 more to go after this! Before our Famous Five 'episode' I read them all 7 books from the Narnia series. Next I'd like to read them The Secret Garden, Little Women, Seven Little Australians, anything from Joan Aiken - all my favourites when I was a kid!
I once said to them that one day they'll think they're too old for me to read to them - they both responded with a resounding NOOOOOOO!
After I've read to them they go to their room to read on their own before lights out - they're both into 'Diary of A Wimpy Kid' at the moment.
Melbourne, inner north

Offline gertbysea

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #365 on: October 03, 2012, 03:13:58 am »
You are lucky getting to read all these books again.  I also like that the Kindle can read to you as well which is handy for teaching kids to sight read.   There are endless ways to  teach kids to read theses days but parents are the best way to get them interested in how exciting it cam be and stretch their imagination.


I read the Secret Garden not so long ago and still loved it.

Gert
Gretchen in Cairns, Australia

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg.

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #366 on: October 03, 2012, 03:28:48 am »
What a shame Gert especially as she is next door.
Obviously something wrong with her but yes one person can undoubtedly spoil the community.
We are in a newish area and so know two of the neighbors reasonably well.
Street party here every Xmas but same people who attend every year and no newbies :(
A good ceilidh would be an ice breaker. Not sure if the fuddy duddy's would like some bag  pipers keeping them awake  ;D

Offline gertbysea

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #367 on: October 03, 2012, 03:43:13 am »
Ooooooo I love a bag piper. Last one I saw was at a funeral. He was 7 ft  tall and big with it. He held those pipes like they were a wee baby. The kilt was colourful with a very large sporran or at least it seemed so to me. He had a very shiny dirk in his sock! I was captivated by his baby blues and  barely gave  the coffin a glance. Naughty Gert.
Gretchen in Cairns, Australia

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg.

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #368 on: October 03, 2012, 03:59:18 am »
There is something special about the pipes.
We had a bagpiper come here for my dad's 80 th birthday party just over 2 years ago. All the family were here around 25 of us.
Dad had no idea and had tears in his eyes when he heard the haunting sound of the pipes coming towards our front door. He was seated out in our alfresco area and when he looked up as the piper came in,my niece who is a champion highland dancer, came down our staircase in her highland dancing costume and went outside and danced for dad for half an hour with the piper playing the traditional music to accompany the dancing and all of us looking on. He was enthralled and had tears streaming down his face. Dad passed away 2 months later and we had a piper pipe in his coffin at the funeral.
We still have the video of his last birthday and we are so glad as it was very special.
Dad never forgot his homeland and was a Scot through and through.

On a lighter note I have some very funny photos that someone sent me of a pipe band in the wind!!! Very naughty photos but very funny ;D

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #369 on: October 03, 2012, 04:00:11 am »
Just thinking this has nothing to do with our choice of books that we are reading!!!!! :o

Offline gertbysea

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #370 on: October 03, 2012, 04:15:22 am »
Doesn't matter MF it was a lovely story , heartfelt and meaningful. Never forget where we have sprung from.

Oooooo a pipe band  a blowing in the wind. A sight to behold. 

I just bought and sent three Lilian Beckwith books from Amazon to a dear friend far away. I would love to re read them but they are not on Kindle .  Perhaps they will return to me sometime in the future.

Love this thread for all memories book reading has given me.

Gert

Gretchen in Cairns, Australia

Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep. Carl Sandburg.

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #371 on: October 03, 2012, 04:21:55 am »
Maybe one day they they will put them on Kindle. Sometimes I get disappointed when I can't find something on kindle that i want  but there is always something there at a reasonable price.
Haven't had much time to read recently and really need to get back into it as I usually devour books.  ;D

mcmich

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #372 on: October 03, 2012, 05:25:32 am »
I don't know my neighbours at all.
My son-in-laws parents have a street party every Christmas Eve which we go to.
They live in a big circular street and all the neighbours put tea lights along the gutters and everyone just walks in to each others yards and has a drink and some finger food, very friendly. One of the locals dresses up as Santa and drives around on his Harley for the kids. A lovely night.

Mama Fergie

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #373 on: October 03, 2012, 06:17:50 am »
That sounds lovely Michele.
Would great if all our communities were like that  :)

Offline Amy :-)

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Re: What book are you reading?
« Reply #374 on: October 03, 2012, 06:21:41 am »
That sounds lovely Michele.
Would great if all our communities were like that  :)

So true :)