Gout flying upwards

Well my last issue of GWW has come, and contrary to the usual run of life, it's not actually one to make me regret letting the sub go. Such a shame when I know the contributors are just as good as they always were - well most of them, anyway. Not sure about that chap in Dorset... ;~) I'm also wondering if it's worth the effort to cancel the F&C sub too; I dunno, it just doesn't grab me at all these days, and to be honest it was borderline as to whether I'd re-subscribe at the time. I don't think it's partly because internet access has eclipsed them; I must have renewed the subs half a dozen times during my time online, after all. And it certainly isn't because I know it all! I suppose I just don't find myself at all inspired by them; no desire to rush out to the workshop and try it for myself. That and about 90% of the articles I'm not even reading once, never mind re-reading. Shockin', ain't it? Meanwhile Popular Woodworking still fails to show and no news of a sub to their sister publication Woodworking becoming available. Terrible situation for a word- and wood-obsessed person to find themselves in. :~( I may find myself trawling Bookfinder for old Woodworker annuals again... Who am I kidding? "May"? Hah!

Meanwhile I'm left to muse on Dickens instead (does anyone every take any notice of the "currently reading/listening etc" stuff in the side bar over to the right there? Or do I delude myself you care? ;~) Unfortunately it never does the modernity of my language any good at all. However, who can fail to be tickled by Flora Finching's explanation of the demise of her husband?

"ere we had yet fully detected the housemaid in selling the feathers out of the spare bed Gout flying upwards soared with Mr F. to another sphere"

Oh okay, so probably you can resist all too well, but it amuses me greatly for some reason. Plus quoting it here has given me an excuse for a really surreal post title... The film of Little Dorrit is recommended BTW; fabulous cast and very atmospheric, no woodworking in it, but you can't expect perfection... Unfortunately it's in two parts, totalling six hours long, so it doesn't get shown much. (Surprise) I suggest an interval for luncheon or a light supper between parts, if you can get hold of it at all. I looked on Amazon and secondhand copies of the videos are going for £25 and £35 each part! Yikes. I won't devulge how I come to have it on video tape, but I'm now in mortal fear of them disintergrating with age and leaving me bereft. Of course it needn't have been so long a film, if only Dickens hadn't been paid by the word in the first place. :~) Talking of which, you'd think I was too from all this whittering, so I must stop.

One last thing; if the lack of cricket is getting you down and you want to hammer the Aussies all over again - or even salvage some pride if you're of antipodean persuasion - can I recommend this? Although if you want to get anything else done at all, best avoid it on the whole... The original is here, including a welcome practice mode. Good thing I didn't know about it earlier in the summer or I might never have finished those tables in time.