As usual, Terry, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your letter and am looking forward to writing my response! It's amazing that we've been writing to each other for a whole year, and it's so interesting looking back on our letters to see how they've changed in that time.
In fact I'm planning a little '2023 letterospective' (retrospective look at our letters) for later in December! More about that in my reply next week.
You've asked about how I feel about memoir - well, really good memoirs are actually what I most enjoy reading. 😁 I have to remind myself though that life stories are given such different treatment by their different authors, and I'd say I prefer the ones whose story hangs off the hooks of a journey or an experience, rather than, say, a dry autobiography that is just a chronology of the author's life.
You've been reading chunks of my own memoir, in a way, since you first subscribed to my newsletter last year! Not sure my own life stories will ever make it as far as a book, though. 🤣
"it's so interesting looking back on our letters to see how they've changed in that time." Well, I've stopped addressing you as Madam, and you've stopped opening your letters with Yo, Tel, so I think we've kind of met in the middle. We ought to do a live Zoom chat, recorded, for our millions of fans!
"letterospective' (retrospective look at our letters)": believe it or not, I managed to work out what you meant. That's the result of doing cryptic crosswords! Sounds like a great idea, and I wish I had thought of it myself. If my memory serves me well the main themes were:
* weather
* tea
* puddles
* tea
* mad things in the news
* tea
Oh yes, and tea.
Have I left anything out?
I have had a look at two of the books on the memoir course. One is written in such a long-winded and old-fashioned manner that I can't be bothered with it, or maybe I'm tired. The other one I looked at elicited the inner response "So what?", or words to that effect. I think perhaps I'm not in a memoir-reading mood at the moment. But I'll try again. soon.
Thanks, Terry! Gosh, a recorded Zoom chat for our audience - that's not something I'd ever thought about! I don't want to scare anyone away....! 🤣
There's at least one glaring omission - no, three - in your list of themes - what about Willow, Minty and Mocha? They've had at least their fair share of appearances in our letters - and will absolutely be featuring in my letterospective!
Congratulations on the anniversary. Love the incredibly accurate astrological prediction. I’ll clearly have to sign up for their daily updates. Grin. And audio books? I have the same problem you have. I simply don’t have the degree of intense concentration required to listen to one. Unless I’ve preread the book, in which case it works perfectly as a way to enjoy the story again while travelling in the car. But even then, I fret a little about the degree of concentration required. Ah well.
Another entertaining letter. 1. I have read them all year long. You are perfect sparring partners. I love the abandon with which you insult each other. Shows a true friendship. 2. Exercising by using a larger mug for tea works for me! However, I find that repeatedly lifting a fork does not seem to work so well. 3. I feel the same as you do about audio books, unless they are light hearted, humorous ones. I like to go back and re-read lines, savor the language and can't do that when being read to. 4. You have a July birthday?
Yes, Brits, insults and love. I have been trying for nearly 50 years to educate the Germans and the Dutch. It's a hard slog, but I am finally gaining some little headway.......
Well Terry, the German tally is three, Inc one Elderly Jewish German lady, one Egyptian German chap and another who spent years in Yorkshire........ Whereas the headway is really with dozens of Dutch.... being twice wed here helps, as does having an Anglo Ned son who badgers his mates with English humour. I suspect he is prepping the ground on my behalf.........
The Germans are too literal. Comedian Les Dawson said that when he was going to do some work in Germany, it had to be vetted in advance by some humour council or something. He said that in one of the sketches a street sweeper looks around, and when he sees that nobody is looking, he lifts up the corner of the pavement and sweeps the rubbish under it. The leader of the humour council looked puzzled and said "But our pavements don't lift up"😂
Really? Blimey, we should give you a medal. Thanks! Fork: 😂. Yes to savouring language. Plus harder to make notes on an audiobook. I suppose Rebecca rips the tape out of the cassette and writes on that. Yes July, but won't say wot date in public? Why? You the same?
Haha. How does one clamp a driver?? Pray tell.
😂 I hope never to find out!
"Must concentrate time loop." Oh yeah, I can certainly identify with that. I much prefer to read rather than listen.
Good. I sometimes worry that I am a latter day Luddite! Not everything that's new or technology-based is good.
As usual, Terry, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your letter and am looking forward to writing my response! It's amazing that we've been writing to each other for a whole year, and it's so interesting looking back on our letters to see how they've changed in that time.
In fact I'm planning a little '2023 letterospective' (retrospective look at our letters) for later in December! More about that in my reply next week.
You've asked about how I feel about memoir - well, really good memoirs are actually what I most enjoy reading. 😁 I have to remind myself though that life stories are given such different treatment by their different authors, and I'd say I prefer the ones whose story hangs off the hooks of a journey or an experience, rather than, say, a dry autobiography that is just a chronology of the author's life.
You've been reading chunks of my own memoir, in a way, since you first subscribed to my newsletter last year! Not sure my own life stories will ever make it as far as a book, though. 🤣
"it's so interesting looking back on our letters to see how they've changed in that time." Well, I've stopped addressing you as Madam, and you've stopped opening your letters with Yo, Tel, so I think we've kind of met in the middle. We ought to do a live Zoom chat, recorded, for our millions of fans!
"letterospective' (retrospective look at our letters)": believe it or not, I managed to work out what you meant. That's the result of doing cryptic crosswords! Sounds like a great idea, and I wish I had thought of it myself. If my memory serves me well the main themes were:
* weather
* tea
* puddles
* tea
* mad things in the news
* tea
Oh yes, and tea.
Have I left anything out?
I have had a look at two of the books on the memoir course. One is written in such a long-winded and old-fashioned manner that I can't be bothered with it, or maybe I'm tired. The other one I looked at elicited the inner response "So what?", or words to that effect. I think perhaps I'm not in a memoir-reading mood at the moment. But I'll try again. soon.
Thanks, Terry! Gosh, a recorded Zoom chat for our audience - that's not something I'd ever thought about! I don't want to scare anyone away....! 🤣
There's at least one glaring omission - no, three - in your list of themes - what about Willow, Minty and Mocha? They've had at least their fair share of appearances in our letters - and will absolutely be featuring in my letterospective!
Those malingerers. They deposited muddy paw prints all over my crossword, so we are no longer on speaking terms 😡
Uh-oh...... 😿😿😿
😂
Congratulations on the anniversary. Love the incredibly accurate astrological prediction. I’ll clearly have to sign up for their daily updates. Grin. And audio books? I have the same problem you have. I simply don’t have the degree of intense concentration required to listen to one. Unless I’ve preread the book, in which case it works perfectly as a way to enjoy the story again while travelling in the car. But even then, I fret a little about the degree of concentration required. Ah well.
Thanks dear Terry. Always an enjoyable read. 🤗🤗
I've tried listening in the car, and, to borrow from Fats Waller, taint no good, like a nickel made of wood.
Tha6for congratulations. Yes, our horoscopes are amazingly accurate 😂
Another entertaining letter. 1. I have read them all year long. You are perfect sparring partners. I love the abandon with which you insult each other. Shows a true friendship. 2. Exercising by using a larger mug for tea works for me! However, I find that repeatedly lifting a fork does not seem to work so well. 3. I feel the same as you do about audio books, unless they are light hearted, humorous ones. I like to go back and re-read lines, savor the language and can't do that when being read to. 4. You have a July birthday?
Yes, Brits, insults and love. I have been trying for nearly 50 years to educate the Germans and the Dutch. It's a hard slog, but I am finally gaining some little headway.......
Headway? Really? Well done!
Well Terry, the German tally is three, Inc one Elderly Jewish German lady, one Egyptian German chap and another who spent years in Yorkshire........ Whereas the headway is really with dozens of Dutch.... being twice wed here helps, as does having an Anglo Ned son who badgers his mates with English humour. I suspect he is prepping the ground on my behalf.........
Ha ha ha.Good luck with the Germans, Maurice
The Germans are too literal. Comedian Les Dawson said that when he was going to do some work in Germany, it had to be vetted in advance by some humour council or something. He said that in one of the sketches a street sweeper looks around, and when he sees that nobody is looking, he lifts up the corner of the pavement and sweeps the rubbish under it. The leader of the humour council looked puzzled and said "But our pavements don't lift up"😂
Really? Blimey, we should give you a medal. Thanks! Fork: 😂. Yes to savouring language. Plus harder to make notes on an audiobook. I suppose Rebecca rips the tape out of the cassette and writes on that. Yes July, but won't say wot date in public? Why? You the same?