ismo

Mood: worried about my sister. Queenie got her pre-op covid test today, and it came back positive. So apparently she's still infected. What does this mean?? She won't know until her doctor calls her back next week. She's longing to visit Michigan, but now her surgery will be put off even farther. Mostly I'm just concerned that the virus isn't going away.

And now I will distract myself with a disquisition on "The Big Six," by Arthur Ransome.

Our bedtime story is not very soothing, because we're now doing "The Big Six" by Arthur Ransome. We're back on the Norfolk Broads, and the three youngest members of the Coot Club, a trio of mini-pirates named Joe, Bill, and Pete, are being blamed for the fact that someone is casting boats off their moorings in the middle of the night. For reasons based on the action in "Coot Club," this is made to seem plausible, even though our young heroes are completely innocent. This is the same kind of crime that running someone's horses off would be if this were a Western--perhaps even worse. It's not only dangerous, but socially execrable. Whatever they do, they can't escape accusations that are impossible to disprove. Even the sympathetic adults suspect them. It certainly brings back that awful feeling of being a kid and not being able to make anyone believe you, even when you knew you were telling the truth. The Death-and-Glories, as they call themselves, have fixed up their old boat a treat, and were looking forward to a summer of living aboard and exploring the river, but this is not a light-hearted adventure.

Fortunately, Dick and Dorothea have now turned up for their holidays, so things will probably take a turn for the better. Dick is the quintessential nerd character. The Sparrowhawk is quite fond of him. He wears spectacles (of course), carries a notebook with him everywhere so he can make note of interesting and important information, and likes technology--in this case, a camera. Dorothea is still only halfway through the novel she was writing in the last book (oh how well I know the feeling) and has read many detective novels, so she knows how to set up an amateur Scotland Yard. I think between the two of them they'll rescue the Coots from their ostracized ignominy. It can't happen soon enough as far as I'm concerned, but this is a thick book.