Bits and Bobs

Over the past three (three !?!) years of maintaining Bedside Table Books, I have collected an assortment of images, quotes, and whatnot that seem to defy categorization and yet at the same time, seem destined to be shared with thee. So today, we have Bits and Bobs  – a wee assortment of Booky things.

“She drinks pints of coffee and writes little observations and ideas for stories with her best fountain pen on the linen-white pages of expensive notebooks. Sometimes, when it’s going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a fetish for stationery.”

—   David Nicholls (One Day)

Daffodils

I just planted some baby daffodils and it put a spring in my step. Spring! Get it? Happy spring break to you … Here’s an oldie but a goodie:

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o’er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: —
A poet could not but be gay
In such a laughing company:
I gaz’d–and gaz’d–but little thought
What wealth the shew to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

William Wordsworth Poems in Two Volumes: Moods of my Mind 7 (1807)

 

 

Extra-terrestrial Fun with Hadfield, Fallis, and Roach

I am an enthusiastic fan of  our Canadian Astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield, as he communicates creatively from the International Space Station. Be sure to visit:  https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield  (For the record you don’t need a twitter account to play along but he may inspire you to get one!) Hadfield just happens to be about to command the rig itself yet seems to find ample time to engage in lively conversation with Earthlings and to share absolutely stunning photographs. He really does seem to be enjoying his celebrity chats, his guitar concerts with school children, his cooking lessons and more, all from space. Hadfield’s twittering/blogging is some of the best reading around at the moment and I really encourage you to tune in.

Timely as it is, I have just completed another hilarious journey with Terry Fallis, this time to the world of PR, the wilds of Northern BC, NASA, and Space. I so enjoyed his Best Laid Plans that I was hesitant to read this new book in the event that it fall short of my expectations. It was such fun and I encourage you to settle down with it and enjoy the characters, poignancy, and humour Mr. Fallis so masterfully orchestrates once again.

Another book I’ve happened to have on my list to read for some time is Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. Mary Roach has made a name for herself researching all the oddities, icky and otherwise, that pique our curiosity in the world at large. This time she investigates Space with her inquisitive mind and great humour.

A little beyond the realm this week with the recommendations but they are fun ones and you’ll feel so savvy when you tweet with the Commander!