Reading the Man Booker list

I read a lot, but always found walking into a bookshop a bewildering experience because there were just too many choices to make.

This situation changed while on a holiday in Italy. I had a few days to fill and with high heats outside, I needed a book to fill in the long afternoon siesta in the refuge of my air-conditioned room. Being Italy, there was only a limited choice of books in English. I found a selection of three interesting books, took them back to my room, and couldn't put them down.

I don't know whether it was happenstance that all three books were either winners of or shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, but my curiousity was aroused. Given that all three books I had just read were excellent, I had to be on to something.

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction started as the Booker McConnell Prize in 1968, set up by the company of the same name. It is a literary prize that is awarded once a year to the best original full-length novel, written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth, Ireland or Zimbabwe. In 2002 the Booker Prize Foundation took over, sponsored by the Man Group. Each year they select a longlist, which is then narrowed down to a shortlist of between four and seven novels, from which they select a winner.

I have now read thirteen winning or shortlisted novels of the Man Booker Prize, with the oldest so far being from the 2001 list. I have yet to strike a novel that hasn't been a good read, with some of them so gripping that all else in my life has been sidelined until the novel was finished. One or two left me a little undecided, and as I intend to review them as I finish them, you'll soon find out why.

Never again will I have to suffer indecision as I enter a bookshop (or shop for a book online). I have my list of Man Booker prizewinners handy, and my decision is made. With nearly 300 books in the list so far, it should keep me busy for a while.

Kayaking



IN the Nepean River learning to swim after failing to paddle!

My inauspicious introduction to kayaking was at a SPAN Outdoors Club training weekend in October 2011. I didn't stay in the kayak for long, tipping out within two minutes (see picture). As it turned out I was an unstable paddler in an unstable kayak.

I ventured into the same kayak at the beginning of January 2012, with 10kg inside the rear hull. I have since bought the same kayak second-hand, a Marauder by Elliott Kayaks, a medium recreational sea kayak.

I didn't waste any time and joined the Lane Cove River Kayakers, who do a 6 or 12 km time trial every Wednesday night and participate heavily in marathon events. It only took a few goes in the kayak to become more stable, allowing me to enter my first 6 km time trial in February. I quickly knocked 10 minutes off my time, became stable enough to reduce the weight in my boat, then sat on the same time for a few months.

In May I ventured out on the Parramatta River to paddle from Concord to Cockatoo Island. I'd only just taken the ballast out of my boat, so was not feeling particularly safe when a boat went past and created waves. I felt really unsafe when a RiverCat was heading straight for me and I wasn't convinced I could get out of its way in time. There may have been a few tears and a small amount of panic, and I didn't go near waves again for another month. I've been back out there since, and actually enjoyed the waves created by passing boats.

I love kayaking. There is something about being out on the water in a craft that has no motor, allowing you to enjoy the peace and quiet of a river that is usually surrounded by bushland. I very rarely get wet, apart from the occasional incident of mud sucking my feet down, causing me to fall over in the water when trying to get back in my boat. I occasionally get startled when a fish leaps out of the water right next to my boat, and ducks can be a hazard when they refuse to get out of the way. It's relaxing and good exercise and is something that can be done with others, especially if you've got access to a double kayak. Pick someone athletic so you can enjoy the ride!

Wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD, or better known as a flotation vest) and go with someone that knows what they're doing. Put lights on your kayak at dawn, dusk and at night.



Bobbin Head at dawn

 

Cockatoo Island in the morning

Lane Cove River at dawn

 

Hawkesbury River near Bar Point late morning



Training Bailey

Back in May I became the proud new owner of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Skyesong Kiss the Blarney, born on St Patricks Day and better known as Bailey. 

I spent a lot of time deciding what breed of dog I wanted to get, and settled on the Toller because of their aptitude for agility trials and obedience. I considered a Border Collie, but they tend to get destructive when alone in a yard all day, whereas a Toller is happy entertaining himself. So far Bailey hasn't destroyed anything (fingers crossed).

I've been working on various tricks since I got him. We started with sit, which was quite funny, because Bailey started shuffling around on his bum everywhere in the hope of scoring a treat.

He's also learnt to pay attention, which means that when I call his name he (mostly) looks at me straight away - also in the hope of scoring a treat.

We moved on to lying down, getting up again, stay, fetch and stand. To pass his first grade at training school he had to learn a new trick, so I taught him to shake my hand. After he stopped trying to eat my hand, he willingly started offering his paw up for a shake - once again in the hope of scoring a treat.

Fortunately for Bailey, he usually gets a treat when he does the right thing. He works for frankfurts (hot dogs, cheerios). He treats plain biscuits with disdain, unless they're provided in a large pile in his food bowl.

His latest trick is the first step towards something bigger. I've trained him to fetch and return his ball, which he then drops in a bucket. It was much easier when the bucket was at my feet because I could point in there. It became a bit more challenging when I moved the bucket away from me and asked him to deposit the ball there before coming to me for his treat. In the video Bailey returns the ball to the bucket at my feet, and then after a few false starts, successfully drops his ball in the bucket when it is away from me. 

I'm a little bit proud of him :)