Literature
After last month’s reading frenzy, my reading speed slowed waaaaay down this month! I completed only five books, and three of those were comfort rereads. Oh well, some months you have to take it easy.
Other things, like wrestling with my digestive health, have been taking up a lot of time and energy. That’s why I also took a blog break this month and didn’t post so often as usual. But things are looking up and I’m hopeful that I’ll have more time for my favorite activities: reading books and sharing them with you.
- Cotillion by Georgette Heyer – Reread
- World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
- Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis
- A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge – Reread
- The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis – Reread
Language
I’ve done something a little insane and decided to start learning Ancient Greek, even though I’m still on hiatus from French and German because actively studying those was too much for me. However, I’ve always wanted to learn Greek so I decided to try a couple of lessons on italki just to check it out. If nothing else, I’ve gotten some practice in transliterating the Greek alphabet, and some basics of vocabulary and grammar. If I can’t keep it up, it’s still been fun to put a toe into the waters. If I can keep going, I am excited to delve into some ancient literature when I’m a bit further.
Life
An exciting, if unpleasant thing happened — I went into a store, left my shopping trolley (my personal one that I roll around, not the store cart) unobserved for a few moments, and when I went back it was gone! I went around the store and asked staff but nobody saw it. So I had the pleasure of going to the police to report my stolen bag. Alas, I had foolishly stuck my entire purse with wallet, phone, etc. into the trolley, and that had disappeared as well.
The police were very kind and helpful, loaning me their phones to cancel my credit cards, talking to me in English to make things easier, and promising to check on the store cameras on Monday. (This was on Saturday afternoon when things close early in Switzerland). I rode home ticketless on the train, since I had no train passes, no credit cards, and no money, and luckily was not caught. Then I settled down the sad task of trying to replace my life.
But lo and behold, on Monday the police contacted me and said my bag was in the store lost and found! I do not know what happened, whether it got pushed aside and overlooked, or somebody dragged it along for a ways before realizing it wasn’t theirs, but I am very thankful to have it back. Everything was in the bag, including cash, so it really was a case of being lost, not stolen.
So many people today are not so lucky. Their possessions, their homes, their security, their very lives are being stolen from them by the greed, hatred, and indifference of others. But the helpers do also exist, the ones who are willing to share and give of their substance, and who find their joy in community, not in selfish isolation. In a small way, I experienced both the shock of being robbed and the grace of being helped this month. Next time that happens, I want to hold onto the latter and remember that nothing can be taken from me that really matters, if I hang onto my human connections.
Further to that theme, my One Word post this month was about connecting, disconnecting, and reconnecting — check it out if you’d like to know more.
What’s your story this month? I’d love to hear it, whatever it is.
Linked at The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, the Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, and the Monthly Wrap-up Round-up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Oh gosh! Sorry to hear about your miss fortune. But luckily it all worked out in the end and your got your bag back. Now it’s just all that schlep sorting out the cancelled cards and everything.
I remember loving Cotillion when I was much younger! I should re-read Georgette Heyer a bit as well.
Have a good week and month ahead!
Elza Reads
Cotillion is just so much fun! One of Heyer’s best IMO.
I am so glad that you got your belongings back. I know how hard it would have been if you had to replace everything. And these sheep are adorable!
Yes, they always make me smile.
So sorry to hear about your bag being lost, but thankfully everything was still there. I am sure it was a huge pain, especially having to wait for all your cards to be replaced. I have only heard of C.S. Lewis but went and looked at your other books too, they all look interesting! I hope you have a great week!
It was actually quite fast! I had only blocked some things and then I could unblock them when the bag was found. Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a good week too.
Finding all your possessions is incredibly lucky! That’s a really good story. Too bad you had to cancel the credit cards before it was found.
Best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thank you! I felt dumb for not finding the bag and making all that fuss, but it could have been much worse. At least I learned not to put my purse in the shopping cart any more!
I commiserate over the distress you had mislaying your trolley, Lory, such a simple thing to happen – whether it was moved or whatever – but the kind of occurrence that can leave one with a sudden yawning chasm opening up. All’s well and all that but what an inconvenience.
Ancient Greek – hmm, I have mild regrets that this didn’t click with me at school (I got 33% at O-level, an exam taken when I was 15 going on 16, a failure to add to my 36% in Chemistry) because I’m sure I’d get a lot more out of it now. As I’m sure you will!
May for me was largely fantasy – Tolkien and Lewis of course, but also Emma Carroll, Pullman, and DWJ – and now I see I neglected fantasy authors outside Brexit Island… Hmm.
The disadvantage of learning as an adult is less time and energy, the advantage is total freedom of choice over what you want to learn (unlike in secondary school, ugh). And there are so many online and other resources now. The sky’s the limit!
That was definitely lady luck looking after you! Hope June is better to you!
What a relief to recover everything!
Ancient Greek sounds like quite the challenge.
Wishing you a great reading week
Thanks Shellyrae, you too.
My uncle owns a sheep farm and a few weeks ago the sheep give birth. I wanted to go and help but, had work and school. Hopefully next year I will.
Have a great week.
These sheep had a baby lamb that was incredibly cute but alas, it didn’t want to be photographed. Maybe next time.
Oh my gosh, what a scary thing with your purse! Glad it ended up not being as bad as it could have been though. And that was nice of the police to help you like that. Hope this week is better for you!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2022/06/05/weekly-wrap-up-70-june-5th-2022/
Thanks, I am also so grateful that it was not worse.
So glad you got your bag back!
Me too, yay!
What a marvelous story! I bet you were completely astonished to find that your possessions had been found and returned. I’ve found myself being much less relaxed when I am around strangers since I had my phone pickpocketed in Paris. I know that I will start trusting people again soon, but for now…
I’m very glad to hear that your health issues are getting resolved. That’s wonderful news.
And, wow, Ancient Greek. During the pandemic, I bought a lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone. Since life has gotten (a bit) back to normal, I’ve set it aside, but I think I need to bring it back out and work on my French again. Or Spanish. Or even Italian.
I have to remember to be careful, even in Switzerland. There is a lot of pickpocketing in the city, only not me this time.
Hope you enjoy any language learning you do. I’m going to announce my Summer in Other Languages challenge soon. Including a readalong of Le Grand Meaulnes, in case you want to join in!
Ancient Greek at this time in life sounds fun. I saw an ad for a Latin course and I was really tempted. I am so glad you got your belongings back, intact! Sounds like someone just turned it in. Yay for honest people in this weary world <3
I’d like to learn Latin too, but one ancient language at a time! And yes there are honest people, so grateful for them.
What a lucky break getting all your stuff back (even the trolley???)
What kind of sheep are those???? Oh how I want one!!! So cute!
Yes, not a thing was missing. What a relief.
I don’t know what kind of sheep those are! I wish I did.
Actually, I tried doing a search and I believe they may be Valais Blacknose sheep, native to Switzerland. Makes sense.
What a relief that your bag was found and nothing was missing! The police where you are seem very kind indeed. Those sheep are adorable!
Yes, they were very nice to spend an hour of their Saturday afternoon helping me. I guess nothing more urgent was going on. 🙂
“So many people today are not so lucky” I like what you said there, and about holding on to being helped. Really important in these difficult times.
As I was walking around the city with nothing other than the clothes I wore, I realized how many people are in that situation much more permanently and how fortunate I am. Not to be taken for granted.
What a relief on your bag – phew! And good luck with the Greek. I’m still ploughing on with my Spanish … A fun Greek story – my husband was a scientist and I’m the one who’s good at languages, so in Greece on holiday, he could work out what things said from knowing the Greek alphabet, then I could work out what they meant!
What great teamwork, I love it!
Phew, so glad you recovered everything!
Congrats with Greek, though you know koine Greek is much easier than Ancient Greek
At the moment I think I just want to get a taste of both, be able to transliterate words, and a basic idea of the grammar. Not aiming too high! If only I had used my time in college more wisely. But we do what we can in middle age.