Holiday Hospital Reading
Bring some reading material Jonathon said. This little stack should get me through 7 days in hospital . While everyone else is out Christmas shopping and partying I will be undergoing life saving surgery on 14th December. Last night we gathered a group of friends together and picnicked with wonderful food and wine at our local Carols by Candlelight. You must try my latest sandwich filling - softened blue cheese with chopped candied walnuts. Sensational.
The good news is I'll be home for Christmas, the liver regenerates and I can still drink wine, and combined with further chemo my future outlook is positive.
These are the books I've chosen and why.
1. God Calling. A collection of daily meditations given to me by my good friend Elaine.
2. Lonely Planet World Food - France. I can dip into this book and decide on my next foodie discovery when I visit France again.
3. The Passionate Epicure (Marcel Rouff). I love old literature from France and Proust was too heavy to pack.
4. Pilgrims Guide to the Roads through France to Santiago de Compostela (Alison Raju). This is the route I planned on walking in 2006 which will happen a bit later now, but will happen.
5. You Can Conquer Cancer (Ian Gawler) An inspirational book about surviving cancer.
6. The Olive Season (Carol Drinkwater) A light read for when I need to chill out.
7. The Troubadour's Testament (James Cowan) A more challenging read.
8. Prospero's Cell (Laurence Durrell) This man knew how to write. Every sentence is stunningly beautiful.
9. Long Ago in France (MFK Fisher) My favourite food writer.
10. The Pedant in the Kitchen (Julian Barnes) To dip into and reread favourite essays.
11. Buddhism for Busy People (David Michie) David is my cousin in law , meditation mentor and one of my all time favourite people.
12. The Cheese Room (Patricia Michelson) I restricted myself to one cookery book and this was a book I bought on a special outing in Sydney with Madame Shawshank. It will remind me there will be more good days to look forward to with foodie friends.