June and July reading

I didn't post about reading in June. I tried to write a lot more. I finished one or two short stories and then sort of got back into reading. Mostly Kurt Vonnegut.

Bagombo Snuff Box, Kurt Vonnegut.
Short stories. The Powder-Blue Dragon was my favourite.

Welcome to the Monkey House, Kurt Vonnegut
More short stories. I didnt like these as much as the later Bagombo Snuff Box. The self titled story is the best and published in playboy.

Hocus Pocus, and Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut
Both first person. Both are similar in style. Both not as good as Vonnegut's science fiction but worth the read.

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Englehey
Science fiction children's story. Featured on lost.

Post Office, Charles Bukowski
Best book I've read recently. Biographical protagonist, drunk bum mail clerk, Henry Chinaski tells everything. Funny as hell and awesome prose.

Fight Club,?? Chuck Palahniuk
Minimalist and angry. Better than the film, more of an attack on materialistic society.??

Untitled

You buy furniture.?? You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life.?? Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled.?? Then the right set of dishes.?? Then the perfect bed.?? The drapes.?? The rug.?? Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.

?? ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

My Olympus Trip 35

Just recently, I got a taste for vintage photography. I wanted a camera that a had a light metre built in and a cult following. I found the olympus trip 35 group on flickr and, totally convinced, I bought one on ebay for £9.

It's a well made chrome compact camera with aperture adjustment (f2.8 to f22) and four focus settings.

Will upload some test shots some time soon. At the moment I'm shooting on a 10 year expired agfa 200 film. 

Hop Burrs

Burrs are embryonic flowers that turn into cones during august. Last photo is a shot showing how thick my bines are.

Allotment update

Yin yang beans now have beans on them. Corn is seeding. Lots of courgettes. Hops are developing burs, little flowers that go on to produce hops -WHOOP. Will soon be pickling gherkins. And two of the apple trees have lots of apples on them.

Baguettes

My first baguettes using trays.

and back to the allotment

Went to the allotment for the first time in a week to find weeds everywhere, the hops had gone a little mad, the potatoes frazzled, and two courgettes.

I think we have just realised how much stuff we put into the new greenhouse.

The pumpkins have started trailing and some, I think, flowered when I was away.

Botany bay and Joss bay

Walked around Viking bay this morning before going to westwood cross where there are lots of big shops. Then visited Botany bay and Joss bay. Botany bay has tall cut out chalk cliffs you can walk around.??

Margate

Margate wasn't much fun. Everything is run down or shut. Dreamland has had it, the dipper is rusting with parts missing. The beach is still great though and, away from the beach, the high-street has some chain stores. I nearly bought a beach fishing rod, but I wouldn't be able use it much in Nottinghamshire.