Home, Home Again

Grasmere

Hello,

I am back home with incredibly dodgy Wi-fi (just attaching the above photo was nightmarish). I’m told we’re finally getting proper speed broadband soon, due to some long-delayed levelling up scheme, at which point I will be able to move back forever and do podcasts about the latest migrant stabbing from the shores of Grasmere.

But until then, please have a look at the videos I posted before I left on ‘Nick Reads’. My entire C.S. Lewis series is now up there. I’m sure you’ve seen the Narnia one, but I have one on The Abolition of Man, plus three on the Ransom trilogy.

I didn’t want to spam you every day, so I’m putting them all together in this post.

Abolition of Man is here.

Out of the Silent Planet is here.

Perelandra is here.

That Hideous Strength is here.

I’m always surprised how many people are interested in That Hideous Strength. It always does much better than the other two, but people should ideally read them all (and of course watch all the videos!).

I have a couple of new videos coming on ‘Nick Reads’ next week, including my top postwar American novels.

And if you’re lucky, and the Wi-Fi allows, I may release a discussion with Simon Evans about Michel Houellebecq on the main channel.

Geese on Rydal Water

So far it has been a good trip. Less strange than last time, because I hadn’t been back for many years then. This time it’s only a year. In fact it turns out it was one day off exactly one year since I last came back. I even got the train at the exact same time. No one can ever doubt my autism (it wasn’t even deliberate, which is arguably more disturbing).

It’s good to not leave it so long. But then, as the song goes:

Don’t cry for me, Rydal Water
The truth is I never left you

Of course, there are many unfortunate changes here. Various rude foreigners who never used to come. Today I even saw four Japanese girls dressed as Elves. Fake ears included. At least, I assume they were fake. They were nice, but still, this should not happen.

It has been a merciful ten degrees cooler than London, which will apparently hit 36 next week. In my flat that would mean spontaneous combustion. Another reason I chose to come home.

Now I have to go for dinner. More soon.

Best,
Nick