audioknits: Two Shakespeares

We enjoyed unseasonably warm weather (60ish) the last few days. The chickens are laying 5-6 eggs daily on average despite the shorter days, and one day last week all 8 laid, and in the henhouse to boot. Last month the neighbors discovered a cache of 25 eggs in an abandoned windowbox in their backyard! I told them they would make great Halloween ammunition. Since then the neighbor blocked off access to their favorite spots on his property, (and I've been delivering a dozen eggs weekly to stay on their good side.) After which the girls seem to all realize now that the henhouse is the place to lay eggs.

I finished listening to 2 very different autobiographies of Shakespeare. The first was by, of all people, Bill Bryson, known for his humorous books on travel, language, and Nearly Everything. In this book he tells us a lot about the world during Shakespeare's times, and what little is truly known of Shakespeare. He sticks with the facts in his entertaining way in 5 CDs.

On the other end of the spectrum was the 16 disc biography by Peter Ackroyd. He goes into a great deal of detail about everyday Elizabethan life. Having read Bryson's book first I realized how much conjecture is in Ackroyd's book, with phrases like "it is probable; most likely; one may surmise; it may be conjectured," etc. He did nicely discuss the background of many of the plays.

The only time I really read Shakespeare was in a high school class which I enjoyed, especially as the teacher was from England and her accent gave the readings that authentic touch. The books we read from were annotated, which of course immensely aided our understanding. But that class was just the tip of the Shakespeare iceberg, and I want to learn more, so I'm making a goal to read all of Shakespeare (with annotated texts.) We'll see....

The wedding shawl is again off the needles and I'll try again this weekend. Meanwhile I've started something easy and fun on size 9's- Faded Ribbons.