Politics and Reading

Today and probably a bit tomorrow we are participating in the 24 in 48 readathon, designed for people who want to join in with Dewey but need their sleep. It's always nice to have another excuse to stuff the house cleaning and sit on the sofa all day. Other more out-doorsy stuff happening tomorrow for everyone (trying to make the most of the sunshine before it leaves us) so it will be mainly today ... we will just see how much we can manage. I thought I would join in with their suggestion and time the reading instead of doing our usual page count. Not really planned the day as such, I just have a couple of things that are already in progress so I am going to get on with them: The Idiot by Elif Batuman, yet another from the Women's Fiction Prize shortlist, and The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal. Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald needs some concentration rather than my usual bedtime twenty minutes so I thought I would give it another start today too.

Monkey and I popped down to London last week for the big Festival of Resistance that accompanied the visit from whats-his-name. It was a fantastic day, even though we could not hear the speakers due to Trafalgar Square being too packed, just great to be reminded that there are lots of people who care. Here is my favourite protest sign:

I made this banner/sunshade at the last minute having not been inspired with anything witty or profound to put on a placard. We met up with my sister Claire, but missed my brother Giles who also took the day off. A right wing relative in the States was disgusted that all those people failed to turn up for work, which left us just a little bemused.

In other news I have been in correspondence with Her Majesty over modern forms of address for married couples. My parents recently celebrated their diamond 60th wedding anniversary and if you get in touch with the palace (or through the central registry office as I did) the Queen will very kindly send them a congratulatory message. The message came, however, addressed to 'Mr and Mrs Martin Frampton', as if my mother has no separate existence of her own ... so I wrote a very polite letter expressing my disappointment that such an antiquated form of address should be used in the 21st century. Here is the disappointing reply:

I am not sure that Charles would be any more receptive so am thinking of writing to William if they make it to 70 years.