The Afrika Reich

My CELTA course wasn't the only thing I finished this week. Although I've had very little time for such activities as reading, I did, in fact, finish a book too. Given how exhausted I've been and how busy, it's testament to how absolutely BRILLIANT this book is that I've been unable to put it down!

I don't really do book reviews, because I'm not that kind of person. And I certainly have a rule that I don't review books of friends or people I know. Guy Saville is a friend of mine on facebook, and he knows the Wonderspouse through writerly things, so this isn't a review!

However, in my exceedingly humble opinion, this book is AMAZING! I was hooked from start to finish, loved the characters (goodies and baddies), and the combination of historical counterfactual and imaginative storytelling was just FABULOUS! Yes, it IS the sort of book that's right up my street - I love action heroes, I love good pacey plots, and I'm fascinated by WWII (and linked) history. I'm also the sort of person who asks "What if...?" a lot, so it really was the book for me!

The only thing I will say, is that you probably shouldn't read it as a bedtime story to small children unless you're very keen for them to grow up and (a) be rather confused about 20th century history (b) become genocidal psychopaths or (c) need quite a lot of therapy to enable them ever to sleep again!

The Wonderspouse now has his paws on the book, but when he's finished it I might actually read it again because I enjoyed it so much! :-)

Now I'm feeling rather bereft! Might be time to treat myself to one of the Lee Child books I've been saving - although even Jack Reacher might seem like a big girl's blouse now I've spent some time with Burton Cole!

Oh, and if you're interested, the book has its own facebook page that you can "like"!

As to other news!

Well, it was a fabulous day all round today! Both the Wonderspouse and I began to feel the pressure easing after the end of the CELTA course. The Wonderspouse has only one day left at work, I have a couple of minor corrections to do to one assignment, and a Welsh assignment to complete, and then we're finally able to relax for a bit. MiL has finished her chemo and radio sessions and she and FiL can finally organize their days round something other than hospital appointments. The next stage is more scans, to see what the cancer is up to, but for the meantime she is having a bit of time to recover from the treatment.

And, this morning, I received VERY EXCITING NEWS!

As regular readers of this journal will know, my gorgeous rattie men, Charlie and Moses, recently had their 2nd birthdays. In rat terms, this means that they are probably equivalent to a human in their mid-70s, and are therefore retired and, I'm acutely aware (although realistic about) will not last for ever.

When I rehomed Chas and Mo at 18 months old, it was the first time I'd had rats, and despite wanting them for a decade and a half, I didn't actually know whether I would like living with them, so I didn't think further than just getting them, learning about them, and taking good care of them for whatever life they have left.

However, I discovered I don't "like" keeping rats. I LOVE it. I adore the little men, I love how they smell, how they feel, how their little feet patter around on my shoulders, and I even rather enjoy cleaning out their cage, since it's part of how I can show them how much I adore them. Furthermore, I've discovered that spending time with them relaxes me and makes me feel happy in a way that I can't even put into words - the Wonderspouse says it's because they're intelligent and I like being with intelligent beings! ;-)

So, it became obvious to me a few months ago, that when Charlie and Moses depart this world, there will be successors. I had semi-planned to wait until one of them was left alone and then get him a couple of companions. This is a bad plan for a couple of reasons (1) whoever is left will not only have to cope without his best friend, but also be completely alone and then have to meet strangers by himself (2) I don't know what I'll be doing at the time - I may be busy, and I may not be able to find a suitable cage mate at that time.

As you might guess, I have ratty friends on facebook, and I recently read a post about some newly-born ratties. I've been in contact with the lady who has them, and she sent me a form to fill in regarding my home circumstances, ratkeeping experiences and so on. This morning she e-mailed me to say that two little boys are reserved for me - one from one of her litters, and one from a litter born on the same day in another rattery.

Pictures of the litters can be found here and here.

It's the best news ever! They'll be ready to leave their mums on 29th December so I guess I'll get them sometime shortly after that! Looking forward to welcoming them into the family so much! That's made my Christmas! :-)

Sometimes life is sweet! Very sweet! :-)