Directly after reading ‘Jude the Obscure’. I should know by now that Thomas Hardy does not brighten my day! However I have to say that the doom and gloom I felt when I first read ‘Jude’, which hung around for days, wasn’t present this time round. I haven’t read this particular Hardy tome for some 15-20 years, [remembering the experience no doubt] but something compelled me to pick it up and polish it off in a couple of evenings. I probably stubbed my toe or something and picked it up in a fit of masochism. This time, instead of catching the gloom and despair, I got more than faintly irritated with both Jude and Ms. Bridehead and thought they probably got what just what they deserved..

That’s not to say I don’t like Hardy…I do, I own and have read and re-read many of his books, but for a confirmed optimist like myself, he isn’t easy company. [Apologies for those who absolutely love Hardy and don’t find him in the least gloomy!] But this is all I can offer in the way of saying that perhaps the tone of my last post could have been a bit more cheerful and not like a bear with a sore head, which wasn’t how I was feeling at all. I hadn’t realised how grumpy I sounded until I read it again just now. So let me hasten to say that I don’t think there is anything at all wrong in looking back over the year and remembering whatever means the most to you, that wasn’t at all was I was thinking about when writing the post, it was the very predictable TV programmes that comprised of re-hashed clips I was moaning about…..but these too will pass….and it will soon be Spring! Hurray. [see!-the eternal optimist].