Cal Flynn, Islands of Abandonment: Life in the post-human landscape

 I enjoyed that, but it got very dark and thought-provoking! Started by taking about places 'in absentia' that humans had previously occupied, but abandoned - quarried out areas, islands that no longer have the resources that brought humans there, areas like Chernobyl that have been contaminated. In each case the story was fairly rosy from an eco-perspective - nature has returned, adapted and often flourished without humans. However as the book went on and started looking into the future and how seismic events could cause humanity to perish as has happened to so many dominant species before it caused me to puff my cheeks a bit. Also got my thinking about whether humanity on the whole is a good thing! For all our technological achievements and ingenuity, would the world be better off without us?

Colson Whitehead, Harlem Shuffle

 I read it, but it didn't really go in, to the extent that it has got me worried about whether I am losing my ability to absorb information and follow a narrative. It wasn't a challenging read or a complex narratie, there weren't that many characters, but it just passed me by. Let's see what happens with the next few reads. . . 

Henrik Kniberg, Scrum and XP from the trenches

 Read on my company's 'Spirit Day' for personal development. Was recommended by a colleague and I actually found it quite useful and interesting on how a team should operate. I really like the idea of agile and the Agile principles, but it seems to be being twisted into a rigid framework in practice. am currently trying to persuade any member of my family to come and see the local G&S Society's performance of 'Iolanthe', but there are no takers. . . 

Oliver Rackham, The History of the Countryside: The classic history of Britain's landscape, flora and fauna

 'A classic, and an absolutely exhaustive study. I did find myself skipping over the more in-depth investigations into the distribution of peatbogs in East Anglia, but was still very interesting in how the landscape has been shaped, how much is genuinely natural and regional differences. I'm trying to get hold of the Fracture clinic and St Peter's at the moment, as they haven't called back following Libby's referral. Yet again, like when she broke her elbow and had appendicitis, she complained of pain, we left it because she's a tough little nut, and in the end it turned out she'd broken two bones in her hand. the medical officer at school told us to go to the walk-in centre and the X-ray showed it up. she was strapped up by the nurse and is fine, but it would be good to get the fracture clinic to confirm, but they just don't answer. the number the walk in centre gave me was wrong, but I found the number on google. It's valentine's day today, and I'm taking Helen to the ballet. It's lovely to be going out with her, Fred is going to babysit so we will see how that goes. At least we are only a few minutes away if anything goes wrong. . . 

Charles Bukowski, Post Office

 I must have read this over 25 years ago, and have a different perspective now that I am a stodgy old prosperous pillar of the community. At the time I remember cheering the writer's attitude of hating his boring job and only doing it to survive and have enough money to get drunk and gamble on the horses. I was never that nihilistic or hedonistic obviously, but it appealed at the time when I was first in the world of work. Now he seems a lot more tragic and lost. Haven't had any exercise for 4 days as I've had a stinking cold, but have a 10k race on Saturday so need to pull myself together. I've been neglecting running and getting slower and slower, in part because I've had a lot of pain in my hips, but also laziness and not liking running in the cold and dark. Will see how I get on.

D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Jeremy Harte, Cloven Country: The Devil and the English Landscape

Have been feeling under the weather for the past few days, and as I write this my joints are starting to ache and my head get muzzy as the Lemsip wears off. It's just a cold but I'm feeling very sorry for myself. 'Sons and Lovers' was a bit weird,  very autobiographical and Lawrence is very open about his over-riding love for his mother and how it ruins all his relationships with other women. Very honest, but blimey. The depiction of a mining family's life and the landscape of Nottinghamshire made it vivid and kept me reading. 'Cloven Country' must have been fun to write, an encyclopedia of all the places in England with connections to the Devil and the stories behind it. Interesting how many are due to the Victorians taking the devil on to an existing folk tale