We live in Sheffield now, apparently. The last two weeks have been about packing and unpacking, lugging and wheezing, driving up and down the country. After almost five hours of carrying furniture and boxes down three flights of stairs, our East End movers were exhausted. (“Thank God that’s over,” one said.) The next day they had to set off at five AM to drive to Yorkshire. We live on the ground floor now, so moving us in only took them two hours. I think it’ll take us about two months to unpack.
We like it here, though we still can’t find a post office. At night the only noise is the rushing of the river, Porter Brook. It sounds like tropical rain.
I’m on a book deadline, so won’t write much here today. Here’s the story catch-up, for those of you following the game:
Story #56: ‘The Light of the World’ by Ernest Hemingway (1933)
Story #57: ‘Her Table Spread’ by Elizabeth Bowen (1930)
Story #58: ‘A Tale of the Cavalry’ by Hugo Von Hoffmansthal (1898)
Story #59: ‘I Am an American’ by James Alan McPherson (1974)
Story #60: ‘The Night Face Up’ by Julio Cortazar (1967)
Story #61: ‘The Visit’ by Stephen Millhauser (1998)
Story #62: ‘Troll Bridge’ by Neil Gaiman (1999)
Story #63: ‘7 PM Wife’ by Dan Lungu (2005)
Story #64: ‘What You Hear From ‘Em?’ by Peter Taylor (1968)
Story #65: ‘Making Father Pay’ by Frank Sargeson (1975)
Story #66: ‘The Eye of the Maples’ by Ieva Toleikyte (2011)
Story #67: ‘The Story of the Siren’ by E. M. Forster (1928)
Story #68: ‘Thunder Snow’ by Ari Behn (2011)
Story #69: ‘My Aunt Gold Teeth’ by V. S. Naipaul (1958)
Story #70: ‘Aurelia Frequenzia Reveals the Heart and Mind of the Man of Destiny’ by Richard Stern (1976)
Story #71: ‘Swans’ by Janet Frame (1951)
Story #72: ‘Connie Bronson’ by Marilynne Robinson (1986)
Story #73: ‘The Rule of Jenny Pen’ by Owen Marshall (1992)
Story #74: ‘You Leave Them’ by Mona Simpson (1985)
Recently, on one of our many long drives, TM announced his intention to have his own show on BBC Radio Sheffield. We agreed that it should be called ‘Tom Time.’
PM: You could have phone-ins.
TM: I could have phone-ins and cut people off.
PM: You would be good at that.
TM: I could have a segment where I predict the lyrics of songs.
PM: You could have a segment called ‘Tom Knows Best.’
TM: That would be the whole show. And it would have to be an afternoon show, because I like to sleep late, and I get tired in the evenings.
Alas, that only water flows in Porter Brook.
Posted by: Barry Ahearn | March 19, 2013 at 01:40 AM