Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania is one of those kids films that makes me smile.  Along with "how to train your dragon" they are wasted on children.  But when you live next door to Count Dracula? Seriously, I met my South African very loud, very entertaining sun-loving neighbour yesterday.  His name is Bram - I ask him "like Bram Stoker" and it makes me laugh inside when he says yes, though he must be so very used to this. Small things entertain me in lockdown - like the day he was sunbathing on the flat roof next door and inattentive - a passing seagull drank his soup for him! (yes, I know it's not a seagull)

Today I met my neighbour up the road smoking quietly in front of the charity shop; I joked he'd been kicked out to smoke - he and his partner live across the road and we go to work at the same time and "clap for the NHS" at the same time.  But we've never spoken beyond a good morning.  He says he woke up craving a smoke and there's none in the house - I say I feel like that about coffee - and chocolate and we end up singing "everyone's a fruit and nutcase" together while bonding over migraine (him) and asthma (me) - how did we get there - chocolate of course - he can't eat it and like me has rescue meds at home.  I'm amazed at the conversations I'm having with neighbours now we all have way too much time.

 Later Adrian Goldsworthy's epic and fairly tedious Vindolanda will be finished.  How do you explain to your mum what a "sword and sandals" novel is?  No wonder I am an alien being.  I feel like I am from Neptune not Venus (I read "Men are from Mars and women are from Venus" once upon a time before endless banter/football/SAS who dares wins conversations became part of my working life) King Neptune and I share a passion for all things watery - my fond nickname from one friend is "Pondlife"

And so the next book will be a Ta Da moment.  It's taken me 5 years to find a 2nd hand copy of this one - the library never had it, and it was far too pricey new on Amazon.  "A patch made in heaven" by Dominic Couzens.  A year of wildlife watching in one place.  Very exciting.  It was recommended by the lovely and knowledgeable man who led the bird watching course I'd attended and who washed up in our bookgroup for a while as a token man, until he took up painting instead!  Will update on progress.