Back to Proust

I really enjoyed reading the first volume of "In Search of Lost Time" last year, or "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu" as Proust would have put it! I have been meaning to download the next volume, "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower", and yesterday I did so, and have just started reading it. I find myself quite excited to return to the world of Charles Swann as seen through the eyes of the young narrator; I find Swann to be an engaging and somewhat vulnerable character and I feel genuinely interested in what happens to him next. James and I popped into town today to sort out David's phone (lost, luckily insured, will be replaced) and we had a pleasant lunch for two in Zizzi's in Princes' Square. I must say that the food there is consistently very good, it is one of our favourite Italian restaurants. We had a great table in the open area overlooking the courtyard and we had a good chat about a short walking holiday that James has planned for us in July. Later Grandma came for dinner and we watched a new programme "Planet Earth Live" on BBC1. It was presented by a rather agitated Richard Hammond who claimed to be in Africa but since it was dark and raining it could have been anywhere! He linked up with Julia Bradbury who was in Minnesota watching black bears, and someone else was watching really cute wee monkeys which I think were in Sri Lanka. Richard Hammond helpfully span a globe to show us where the broadcast were coming from, but although it was all very watchable the broadcasts were all recorded so the "live" bit seemed a bit pointless; it was just the presenters talking to each other. If a lion had appeared out of the darkness and Hammond had fought it off I would have found it more exciting.