Mike nodded. A sombre nod. The nod Napoleon might have given if somebody had met him in 1812 and said, "So, you're back from Moscow, eh?".

Having recently (as in the last few months) discovered the genius of P. G. Wodehouse, today I indulged and bought myself a 'Wooster and Jeeves' book. Anybody who hasn't yet succumbed to the pure, charming delight of Wodehouse ought to be forcibly made to sit down and read even a few chapters of his work. Particularly people in need of a pick-me-up. As I read I am filled with a satisfying, warming feeling that everything will be OK, because the inimitable Jeeves, no matter how fate conspires, always comes through. He always does. And so beautifully too. With calm and style.

Just imagine how thrilled I am to discover that Wodehouse wrote lyrics for musicals! Yes, indeedy! I have found a whole list of musicals hereto-unheard-of-by-me, with titles like:

Miss 1917

The Girl With The Gun

The Golden Moth

Sitting Pretty

I have also discovered two that I have heard of: 'Show Boat' (which had great songs but was a terrible bore) and 'Anything Goes' (which I haven't seen but am dying to because I love the songs so very much!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6vxeROJS3s

Percy continued to stare before him like a man who has drained the wine cup of life to its lees, only to discover a dead mouse at the bottom.

I turned to Aunt Agatha, whose demeanour was now rather like that of one who, picking daisies on the railway, has just caught the down express on the small of the back.

The Inimitable Jeeves (1923)

A while ago I read a biography of J. M. Barrie. It was disillusioning and disappointing, as just about all biographies are, but I learned this incredibly fabulous fact. The very clever author of 'Peter Pan' created a cricket club with a great many of the other clever and wonderful writers of his time! It included such luminaries as: H.G Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jerome K Jerome, G.K. Chesterton, A.A. Milne and P. G. Wodehouse. In a spectacular burst of self-indulgence I (quite accidentally, too) I bought books by Wodehouse, Chesterton and Jerome, all without remembering their singular connection! Now, I adore just about all of these writers, and I have decided that if ever a time machine were to come into my possession I would make my first stop a visit to one of these cricket matches, and I would watch in adoration as my heroes lost heroically, because they were reportedly the worst cricket players of their time...
Whilst I'm on the subject of good things, I have just remembered a diary entry of, let me see... there is no date, but I noted that it was a Wednesday, in August; in which I listed things that affected my mental health. I rather like the lists I made.

Things that are good for my sanity:
Genevieve
David Tennant
Tea
Oscar Wilde
Flight Of The Concords
Singing
Oranges
Kristen
P G Wodehouse


Things that dent my sanity:

Changing trains
Falling asleep on my bedroom floor (an unfortunately common occurrence)
Onions
Carelessness
Emo lyrics
And toddler tantrums



And now I must say 'Toodle pip, old crumpet!' until next time :)