Enchanted, Ms Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones is my favourite author. That deal was closed a long long time ago - in the late 1970s, when I first read Wilkins' Tooth - and I have never seen any reason to re-evaluate my position on this.

Inevitably, a new book from DWJ is An Event in my mad little world. Will it be another Hexwood, or Deep Secret? Or, you know, not?

Enchanted Glass is not another Hexwood. And it's not another Deep Secret. But it is a wonderful, charming, inventive and engaging book in its own right, with a beautifully drawn cast of characters and location and an intriguing mythos backing it up. Is it set either in Chrestomanci's world or one of the related worlds? Quite possibly. But equally, it could easily not be. Which is refreshing. I like Chrestomanci, and certainly The Lives of Christopher Chant is in the top 50% of DWJ's output, for me - but all my other favourites are non Crestomanci books. I prefer DWJ when she stretches her wings and tries something new. And if she really wants to go back and revisit old triumphs - well, I wish she'd either consider sequels to Hexwood or Fire and Hemlock, or revist the Magids' multiverse once more.

But I digress. Enchanted Glass appears to be not only written a fresh slate for DWJ it also seems to be nicely set up for one or more sequels, ending as it does on a semi- cliffhanger with some plot threads still trailing. Which is Good News, I'd say.

It's not the most complex book she's ever written. It's not the most challenging. It is however beautifully constructed and played out, and the overall effect is as enchanting as the glass windows which give the book its name. When I finished Enchanted Glass I loved DWJ even more than ever. I hope there are sequels - I want to find out what happens next. I want to find out more about the folk who will not use iron, about the Puck, about Groil and Rolf. I want to know what happens to the counterparts - are they safe? There's plenty of scope for sequels. But *as well* as those longed for sequels to my favourite books though, not instead of .........here's hoping, anyway.


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Mr Friendly Throws Like A Girl. What's Up With That?

Everything you need to know about Lost in 8 minutes 15 seconds

In Pursuit Of Resolution-Based Triumph

Further to my resolutions posted yesterday, in an attempt to promote a positive outlook on life and turn that frown upside down, I'm going to tweet or tumblr at the end of every day the things that have made me happy that day. This will help me go to bed thinking happy positive thoughts instead of Wire ones (grim depressing and unintelligible). I'm also going to start each day recording the things I'm looking forward to. For I am DETERMINED to transform myself into the lovechild of Basil Fotherington-Thomas and Mary Poppins or DIE in the attempt. I WILL achieve positiveness. I will. I'm going to be so bloody chirpy people will look at me and quake. Well. Perhaps that's putting it a smidge strongly. Neverthess - project chirpy is off and running.


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Blimey, That Went Quickly

Another year over. It seems like only yesterday it was the beginning of 2009. It's a function of getting older, I guess.

So. An eventful year. Some good stuff, mainly to do with the kids who continue to be a joy and a delight and a gift beyond our comprehension and frankly beyond our deserving. Some bad stuff - death in the family, other family type worries, the world economy COLLAPSING, swine flu, that sort of thing.

Concerts played in, concerts and shows attended. Mainly fabulous. Some old friends reconnected with (definite high spots of the year) in fortuitous circumstances (one on Twitter, another literally bumped into in a cafe many hundreds of miles from where she was presumed to be). Some old friends lost touch with. Some current ones finally given up on. Sad. But life goes on.

Books read - lots and lots. Blogs written. Photos taken. BSG discovered and devoured en famille in a few short weeks. A life documented more thoroughly than ......ever? Well, since 1983 anyway. I still have my 1983 diary. Hilarious. Sad. Scary. Hopeful. Spurs had a bad year that year so I thought. We'd have taken that year for most of the last 15, I reckon! Of course, 2009 has been excellent for Spurs. A strong finish to last season, a stronger start to this one. It's bound to end in tears but there were few Spursy tears in 2009 except for the whole losing the carling cup final thing.

A lot of playing, in 2009. Not enough - but more than I anticipated at the outset. It's never enough though. Ended the year buying a beautiful mollenhaur Bass. Hope I get to play it plenty - without diluting how much I play the sopranino or descant, or the rest.....

The year had its usual highpoints - fitness fiesta, Sennen Cove, the Doctor Who Xmas special. Some unexpected additions to the highpoints included the IVFDF and various recorder courses/playing days. The Losty rewatch was a breeze - finished way ahead of schedule. It was the last one before the final series. The 2010 summer marathon will be dealing with a complete work rather than a work in progress. Change my dear. Sigh. 2009 saw the last few Tenny episodes. So - more change. Bad change. I won't write about that.

What will 2010 hold? Feck knows. I have a couple of things to look forward to, already booked in my diary. Shows and concerts I hope to be seeing. Very excited about those. Fitness fiesta, obviously. Sennen.

What else? Well - I will continue to try and be a better mother. I'm left with no choice now but to try and grab our finances by the throat and throttle them into submission. The family issues may make that more difficult but there you go - as Scarlett O'Hara was once told, the good lord doesn't send us shit he hadn't given us the tools to deal with (I'm paraphrasing obviously).

I want to play more, read more, write more and not let my commitment to the gym falter.

I want to love Matt Smith or at least be able to find an accomodation with the situation, as I did when Tom Baker took over, that doesn't mess with my unwavering and permanent commitment to Doctor Who.

I want to see Spurs win the league. Actually, I want to see them win the double.

I want a tidyish relatively clean house.

I want to get 50% of my books on librarything.

I want to keep up with Big Finish.

I want to be more happy and less sad.

Piece of piss, right? ;)



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The End Is Just The Beginning?

Maybe. We'll see. Fight the future? Or embrace the future? Or just, you know, live in denial from now on?

It's Time - But The Moment Has Been Prepared For....

I never got over the Pertwee/Baker regeneration. Never. I'm still upset about it, remembering it now. I never forgave Tom Baker for not being Jon Pertwee. The only reason he isn't in my triumvirate of ultimate evil is that it would feel slightly treasonous to include him. No regeneration since has affected me so much. Let's face it - by the time Tom left I was much older and (ahem) wiser, and the nature of time being what it is (linear) I continued to get older as the Doctors passed by. Even the Baker/McCoy regeneration which was wrong on many levels didn't affect me so much since by then I wasn't 6.

Today's regeneration, only 18 and some hours away, looks set to affect me even more than Pertwee's. I don't want Tenny to go. I've had more than a year to come to terms with it and, basically, I've failed. I've always hated change (the legacy of the Pertwee regeneration?) and this is definitely one change too far. I keep hoping I'll wake up and it will all be a dream. But no. I'm Not Happy. Tenny has become my equal favourite Doctor, something I never thought I'd say about anyone. Of course, RTD wrote him as Pertwee, kind of, which helped. We won't just be saying goodbye to him but to his faux unit family too. And the master. All my lovely Pertwee analogues removed in one fell swoop.

It's a sad day.


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