Opua: black water; full moon
Opua: black water; full moon
Smooth black water. Full moon. Clear star-filled night. The only sounds: steady rhythmic oars and a burble from the dinghy bow as I rowed ashore before dawn this morning to do the laundry.
I skim a half dozen newspapers online most mornings.
Both THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE and THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD had articles about local weather today.
Chicago’s said, “Who Needs Florida?”, because a mild winter has reduced resident’s need to escape south.
New Zealand’s affirmed that December was the coldest on record here for sixty years. In Opua a succession of what in New England would have been fine fall days has ended and summer may have finally begun. Fall is the best season in New England, but Carol had hoped for more from summer here. And I did, too. Today is shorts and tee-shirts. A big high is over the country. Summer may last two or three more days.
I finished reading OVER THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.
It was a good and well-researched retelling of the Magellan voyage.
I then began and quickly finished, THE NEWS FROM PARAGUAY, a novel that won the National Book Award for fiction a few years ago. This is not necessarily a good recommendation; but I enjoyed the novel, which is about an Irish woman who becomes the mistress of the dictator of Paraguay in the 1850ties and 60ties, and was based on true events.
I have begun IRON KINGDOM, a history of Prussia.
Thursday, January 4, 2007