vivdunstan

Watching another Treadwells recorded talk, and laughing when the speaker said "You don't need to note the references to books etc., I have a bibliography for you." Yeah right. Brings back memories of some St Andrews CS lectures in 1993/4 when a couple of us had to go along in person months afterwards to ask insistently for copies of the slides we were supposed to get and why we had been told not to take any notes at all! Anyway another good Treadwells talk.

I'm working my way through a subset of the Treadwells of London talks available for members, getting through all the ones I fancy before I cancel my recurring monthly membership subscription. Tonight's talk was from an archaeologist speaking about ritual deposits, especially in private houses between the 16th and 19th centuries. Fascinating. Possibly too many slides for the time allotted, but I certainly wasn't bored!

Thought I'd do a quick recap on the main things I've been/am watching recently. These are in addition to things we record on the Sky Q box and watch together. Watching anything at all is tricky for me given how heavily asleep I am for most of the time, including often at night between dinner and supper, assuming I can resurface for supper. But here are some of the main things I'm squeezing in.

• Finishing Wednesday season 1, ready for watching season 2 later this year. I binge watched the last few episodes, which is extremely unusual for me.
• Rewatching Daredevil from the very start, ready (though I may be lagging a bit behind!) for what looks like pretty much a continuation coming later this year on Disney+.
• Watching plays on National Theatre at Home. So far I've got through London Tide (a version of Our Mutual Friend), Prima Facie (the Jodie Comer version), and am now onto Noel Coward's Present Laughter starring Andrew Scott. I have *so* many more on my watch list to hopefully get through with my year's subscription. It takes me a lot of watches to get through a single play.
• Watching recorded talk videos from Treadwells occult bookshop in London. So far I've learned about subjects such as Greek folk tales about goblins at Christmas, and an overview of the history of grimoires. Lots more lined up to watch soon.
• Enjoying some of my favourite YouTube channels, such as writer Christy Anne Jones and a Swiss family of Norwegian Forest cats.

Finally managed to watch some of the festive talks from Treadwells, which are available to view free online until today. I'm considering taking out a short paid membership to watch some more of their online talks, so it was really good to try out the technology. Also highly amused at the cat interruptions, in the talk about Greek folk tales of goblins at Christmas!

Squeezing in a couple extra books to my current reading. For fiction Treacle Walker, the Booker-shortlisted novel by Alan Garner I’ve had waiting to read for a while. And for non fiction the 1978 book John Dee On Astronomy, which I’ve borrowed from the university library to read.

Current main reading, April 2022 edition. I’m expecting this set to carry me through the month.

Novels fantasy Wheel of Time book 3, scifi Expanse book 1, and occult Edinburgh fantasy The Library of the Dead, more Sherlock Holmes (currently The Sign of the Four novel), Oliver Sacks neurology and Loren Wiseman’s Traveller RPG editorials.



Of these I’m about 40% through each of the Wheel of Time and Expanse books, tending to read one for a run of days, before switching to the other, and vice versa. The Edinburgh occult book is my next main novel after finishing one of those. It starts well. Sherlock Holmes is an ongoing reread of the original canon, but very leisurely. I’m greatly enjoying the neurology book. And the Traveller RPG columns continue to delight. I think they might literally take me years to finish! I Kickstarted that collection, and am slowly savouring it on my Kindle.