And everything is all right again

This is the last time that we're going to manipulate the space/time continuum because we were lazylazylazy in the holidays, we promise! This is Lol's party dress, last seen at our Dad's school's christmas disco. We really like it's vintage feel, and the fact that it is specially labelled 'Tall' by Topshop. It's like someone has realised that all those lovely skirts are way too short for the vertically blessed, at least for anyone who wants to maintain any dignity, and that those maxi dresses can only be worn by those with some pretty hefty panache along with the extra height, and don't worry about suitability for school. This dress is the ultimate dress, because it can be dressed up/down- the mark of a good dress for Lol is if she can wear it to sixth form. Plus, it makes her feel like a character from a book, she's not quite sure which one, there's just that general aura. So, now that we're all caught up we're off- Jim's going to see Gauguin at the Tate and Lol's going to read her book. It's One Day, by David Nicholls, which she got for her birthday and (sacrilegiously, we might add) interfered with the pile (the 50 or so books teetering beside her bed that she wants to read all at once) to read. It was a bit of a let down at first, especially because the idea seemed so brilliant- where will two people be on the same day every year?- but the prose is a bit clunky and so many bands and books are mentioned that it feels overdressed. This is starting to settle down now though as the characters do (we wonder if we have missed the point there!), and it must be pretty good, because Lol now feels like she knows all about what it's like to grow up and have to work in a Mexican restaurant and write endless opening chapters for books and put up with a failing comedian for a boyfriend in your tiny flat. Whilst we weren't quite sure why there's such a big buzz around it at the moment initially, we can now understand why so many people are reading it on the train- it's car crash reading, but its captivating car crash reading, you feel embarassed for them, but you can't stop reading, particularly if you can identify on some level with the characters. That's Nicholls' genius here, we think, creating these two main characters, Emma and Dexter, who can embody all the flaws any reader wishes to see reflected in them- they basically represent at least one generation, warts and all.

Meanwhile, Jim is belatedly reading the final Harry Potter, and would like to wish all you muggles out there a happy new-the-deathly-hallows-part-two-is-being-released year!