Night, night. Sweet dreams. by Cathy Ace

Q: Where do you normally read? In bed? A favorite chair? Listen to audio when commuting?

It might be easier to tell you where I don’t read; not in bed, before sleeping. That’s about it, really. Anywhere and everywhere else is fair game. 

The view from the lower deck to the upper deck

I like to sit outdoors whenever I can, so the upper and lower decks at the back of the house are favourite spots. The upstairs deck has an awning which means the ultimate indulgence of reading “under canvas in the rain” is possible; the sound of the rain takes me back to my youth when I spent a fair amount of time camping (in a tent!), either with my dad or with the Girl Guides/Ranger Guides/Venture Scouts. 

View across the side-lawn from the lower deck

When I read indoors I like to be comfy, with my feet up, but not lying down. This is my chaise with a good reading light – as you can see, it might not always be available for human use (this was the only piece of furniture in the entire house our dearly-missed Gabby was NOT allowed to sit on, thus it was, of course, her favourite place...I miss her a great deal, and always think of her when I sit here). 

Gabby's no longer with us, but I think of her whenever I sit here

When I have to leave the house (frankly, not something I like to do!) I always have my phone with me (because the one time you don't have it is the very time you'll need it, so if I forget to pick it up initially I have to go back into the house, give Poppy another "Sorry I'm leaving you...here's a treat so I don't feel so guilty about it" marrowbone treat...yes, we still have Poppy, and she's doing well despite being over thirteen, very arthritic and possibly a bit annoyed she gets cuddled so much) and my phone has a Kindle app on it. This is extremely useful because - even if I've had to go back indoors to fetch my phone - I can be relied upon to sometimes forget to pop my actual Kindle into my handbag!

If I’m off on a trip, I always take my Kindle (I check at least three times that I have it with me before I set out to the airport). In a hotel room I sit ON the bed to read, but I don’t read IN bed before I go to sleep. This is true whether the bed in question is my own, or one in a hotel room.

Why this aversion to reading IN bed, before I go to sleep? I don’t find that reading is a good segue to sleeping – it makes my mind whirl rather than relax. That’s possibly just me. When I want to sleep, then the semi-vegetative state induced by watching TV is – for me – the perfect precursor to a good nap/night’s kip.

I don’t listen to audio books. Not yet. If I need a secondary activity to accompany gardening, driving or anything else that means I can’t read, I’ll either enjoy the peace and quiet and allow my mind to romp through my Work In Progress, or I’ll listen to music and indulge in singing along. 

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