It's not even 9 pm and the sky is almost dark. Yup, the not so great time of year to be in Norway is just around the corner :). It'll start getting darker faster and then there's the long wait for some snow to reverse some of the effects of the pervasive darkness. In the mean time however, there's still autumn. Summer though, is well and truly over.
Good thing then, that we made the most of it while it lasted, including the amazing week away in France! This time we even got a car that actually worked! As in behaved like a real car, with a real engine that could do all the allowed speed limits without feeling like it might fall apart at any moment or devoured fuel at such a rate as to make the whole driving fast thing kinda pointless :D.
Unlike last year, this wasn't a week of almost record heat, but more of cool breezes and warm sunshine. Interrupted every now and then by some thundering showers :). All the good stuff basically, and we decided to use/brave the weather (as appropriate) and ended up at the lake all but a couple of the days we were there! Sunburn duly acquired :P. Yes, I do get sunburned, much to the bemusement of my British in-laws...
The other thing that the week in France achieved, other than utter and amazing relaxation that is, was to underscore the end of the summer break. Even though I'd worked through most of the Norwegian summer holiday month of July, there had been a feeling of being almost on holiday :). But all that is now a distant memory. Getting back into the scheme of things though, has been somewhat difficult.
Another thing that is slowly drawing to a close is The Malazan Book of the Fallen. It's been over a year since I first started reading the series, and I'm finally on book ten. Just over half way through in fact. And what a journey it has been. Yes, not every one of the 10,000 pages has been an unmitigated joy. In some ways far from it. But, for me, the sum has greatly exceeded the parts.
By now I'm more or less used to the scale of the adventure. I'm used to the dynamics of death in the Malazan world, mostly :). I've probably met most of the characters and have my definite favourites and so on. But the strength of emotion Erikson is capable of drawing from me still, is astonishing.
And yes, I'm definitely going to find out what's happened to all the other characters. Those not already dead or dying on the Glass Desert. And some of those who have already passed the gate that is no longer Hood's.
On yet other fronts, what quality of test match cricket! And now of course, the US Open is on, the Premier League is back and so is Formula 1!! Happy days :D.
