Where?

[Aurora Ariel]

Which places do you read in most, and why?

I was wondering about all of the peculiar places one might take a book, and decide to read, but then thought about favourite areas which are similar to the ones other forum members might also enjoy. Where do you like to read? Do you have a favourite place or secret haven which you escape to with your beloved books and poems? What is the exact spot where you enjoy reading books? In the house, a specific room? Or outside in the boundless surroundings of nature? By glittering streams, sunlit lakes, overflowing fountains, great mountains, and everything in between. Where do you like to go to sit and read? Personally, I love to go to a beautiful old tree, and sit underneath the lush canopy, in the shade, where I can relax, and reflect, and admire the stunning view. I also like sitting near ponds filled with little ducks and lovely swans which float by serenely. I enjoy nice parks, and botanical gardens especially- how about you?

[Stanislaw]

I like to read in bed as sleep overtakes my mind, I like to read while I sit in the washroom (who doesn't?) and I like to read in my livingroom, in this big comfortable chair, I'll settle for the couch If I am in a lazy mood.

I only really read outdoors when its raining and I have a tarp overhead (usually during camping trips) or when I am tending barbeque.

[emily655321]

I don't like to read outside. The sun is usually too bright on the page, and the noises and breeze distract me. Lately, I usually read at work, because I have to just sit there and watch the shop, and it gets very boring this time of year. (No one buys things in January, it seems.) And I spend the evenings with you fine people, :D and then get together with the boy to watch movies or make dinner, so not really much time after work. When I do read at home, I like to curl up in my nest (my big papasan chair), except that after last night's rainstorm, the roof leaked onto it and I think the cushion is ruined now. :(

[IrishCanadian]

Aw thats sad emily.
I like to read anywhere and everywhere. I usually get too distracted in parks though. Its funney because I read on the bus, in the various lounges on campus, in the caf, in the living room, in bed, while walking to class (i love to read while walking slowely) ... so people don't bother my reading but nature does. I don't know why. I just can't concentrate in parks.

[emily655321]

...people don't bother my reading but nature does.Yep, Irish, that's the same as me. :nod: I like to sit at the edge of a large crowd (in a dining hall or bus), and tune them out completely.

[Riesa]

while walking to class (i love to read while walking slowely) ...
This makes me think of The Trouble with Harry, One of my favorite movies.

I will read anywhere I can, but my favorite spot is in my hammock. Lots of shade from the oaks so the light doesn't bother me. It's so peaceful as the breeze slowly rocks the hammock. Alas, I usually end up reading in bed, after the kids are asleep.

[Stanislaw]

This makes me think of The Trouble with Harry, One of my favorite movies.

I will read anywhere I can, but my favorite spot is in my hammock. Lots of shade from the oaks so the light doesn't bother me. It's so peaceful as the breeze slowly rocks the hammock. Alas, I usually end up reading in bed, after the kids are asleep.

You have a Hammock? you are a very lucky person...I wish I had one, but alas, no place to set one up...I am thinking of getting one for my bedroom to replace my bed...more economical on space, and, I loved the gilligans island show! :D

[Pensive]

I can read book everywhere without MUCH noise. The places and conditions I prefer are:

*In my bed room, before sleeping.
*Outside in the sun light.
*I used to read in the small room at my grandpa's home. The small room was also
called library. It was the perfect place for reading - I think.
*In the train

[Koa]

I read on my bed, or sometimes on the bus.

And we had a very similar thread already:
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12535

[Stanislaw]

Its all been done before...

well mostly, alot o the newer folk haven't had the joy of beining here for such a longish time, :D there are about 10 room 101 threads in the orwell section.

[Nightshade]

I can read anywhere so long as the television is not on, it seesm the only thing that can distract me . Though I cant read in direct sunlight.

[rachel]

Which places do you read in most, and why? I was wondering about all of the peculiar places one might take a book, and decide to read, but then thought about favourite areas which are similar to the ones other forum members might also enjoy. Where do you like to read? Do you have a favourite place or secret haven which you escape to with your beloved books and poems? What is the exact spot where you enjoy reading books? In the house, a specific room? Or outside in the boundless surroundings of nature? By glittering streams, sunlit lakes, overflowing fountains, great mountains, and everything in between. Where do you like to go to sit and read? Personally, I love to go to a beautiful old tree, and sit underneath the lush canopy, in the shade, where I can relax, and reflect, and admire the stunning view. I also like sitting near ponds filled with little ducks and lovely swans which float by serenly. I enjoy nice parks, and botanical gardens especially- how about you?

Well beautiful girl,
I get the understanding you must have no children? Because when one has children, especially active children all lovely notions of where to snuggle up and read go out the window. When I get a minute of two I practically crawl over to the nearest sofa or bed or collapse on the floor with whatever book I am trying to read at the moment. Then if my eyes are not too bleary I read, speed read to take in as much as possible because any minute I will here "whaaaaa and then it's back onto the race track of life.
If I had a choice though I would read under an ancient graceful tree- and hope no scarey spiders or little green worms drop down on me. You have never heard a true scream until you have heard a former award winning cheerleader scream. It can split a human hair in two. :D

[Virgil]

It seems to have gotten more complicated with time. I used to love to read in bed before sleep, but my wife says she can't sleep with the light on. We used to comprimise and set a time limit, but that got irksome for both of us, especially since I wouldn't honor my committment. :D Now if I read in bed, I use a flashlight, so you see who wins the arguments at my house. Probably not the best thing for the eyes, but what can you do.

In my study, I have a leather recliner that I bought with my own hard earned money when I was around sixteen years old. It's still in perfect condition. I love that chair. I remember it being a tremendous expense for me at the time. Even at sixteen I imagined myself reclining back with a good book. I guess I was not your typical sixteen year old boy. I don't use it as much now because I've got books stacked on it, and I really should move them. But where do I put them?

I too bought a hammock this past summer, not the kind that you tie to a tree, the self standing kind. I used it a couple of times to read on the deck, and I liked it.

A lot of my reading is now on the couch, my wife reading on one and I on the other and Brandi (the dog) lying on the floor by one of us.

I used to have over an hour subway ride to college many years ago, and I would read on the way. And that's whether I got a seat or not. Sometimes you would have to twist into contortions to hold the book up to eye level. New york subways get packed at rush hour. Even today, if I use the subway, I bring along a book with me, usually a paperback that fits in a pocket. I do need absolute quiet when I read, but somehow I'm able to filter it out on the subway.

I get a lot of reading done when I travel, either for work or vacation. I have no problem reading on a plane or train or whatever. Unless there are unruley kids around.

[rachel]

wow Virgil
your whole life seems so romantic somehow. And your buying the chair reminds me of Frasier and Niles in the episode where they went one last time to dine at a restaurant they knew since childhood that was now going to be torn down. Frasier says that he has always wanted to own a restaurant and Niles answers "what growing boy hasn't"
I think it is beautiful when someone does a thing like that. It was a pretty good indication of how you would be one day.
Have you considered hiring some hippie lady that is good at macrame to make you about forty tasteful hanging glass and jute thingamajigs that will each hold two or three dozen books.It will be a space saver and a source of endless conversation when your dinner guests sit drinking their dry sherry staring up at all that gleaming glass, jute and rare books.

[faith]

In my own room in my own armchair (which used to be my grandma's and which I got when my grandpartents' apartment was sold)! That's where I sit most of the time I read, and I read a lot, several hours a day. I wonder what I did before I got that chair...

[Virgil]

wow Virgil
your whole life seems so romantic somehow. And your buying the chair reminds me of Frasier and Niles in the episode where they went one last time to dine at a restaurant they knew since childhood that was now going to be torn down. Frasier says that he has always wanted to own a restaurant and Niles answers "what growing boy hasn't"
I think it is beautiful when someone does a thing like that. It was a pretty good indication of how you would be one day.
Have you considered hiring some hippie lady that is good at macrame to make you about forty tasteful hanging glass and jute thingamajigs that will each hold two or three dozen books.It will be a space saver and a source of endless conversation when your dinner guests sit drinking their dry sherry staring up at all that gleaming glass, jute and rare books.
Oh, I've led a fairly boring life. We were poor growing up, an immigrant family. My father went blind too in his thirties and he and my mother had three children. I was delivering newspapers at thirteen and did it until I finished college. And I was also working other jobs through school. [Side point, when people tell me that because they were disadvantaged they wound up being unsuccessful or worst bad, well that just doesn't wash with me, at least for those in the United States.] I don't remember exactly what made me want to get this leather recliner. Something I think I read or saw on TV. It seemed so literary! It's over twenty-five years old and frankly it could pass for new. That's how I treasure it.

[rachel]

Oh, I've led a fairly boring life. We were poor growing up, an immigrant family. My father went blind too in his thirties and he and my mother had three children. I was delivering newspapers at thirteen and did it until I finished college. And I was also working other jobs through school. [Side point, when people tell me that because they were disadvantaged they wound up being unsuccessful or worst bad, well that just doesn't wash with me, at least for those in the United States.] I don't remember exactly what made me want to get this leather recliner. Something I think I read or saw on TV. It seemed so literary! It's over twenty-five years old and frankly it could pass for new. That's how I treasure it.


exactly my point dear Virgil. what story, what once upon a time could be more romantic and beautiful than such a life as yours. I am crying for your papa, what a terrible thing. He must be such a good man to have raised such a good son. You are an American tale and will inspire me forever in my writing.

[Weeping Willow]

Virg' is there a chance to get a glimpse on your marvelous chair?? "Blink Blink* :D

Oh almost forgot to answer the Thread hehe.... :blush:...
I'm almost not reading this days (to tierd from work :(...) anyhow i used to read every where!!!! at work, in my bad, in the living room, outside, everyday on the bus to the Army! While walking outside.. ( i love that as well :D)
But now days i work 5 days all day long so i kind of lost my boast for reading :(.. it seems i have things i prefer before sitting to read a book.. so the only place left is the Washroom.. (but sometimes it feels weird taking a book there.. :eek:..)

[Virgil]

Virg' is there a chance to get a glimpse on your marvelous chair?? "Blink Blink* :D

I'll try taking a picture. But give me some time, I need to clean up the room first.

[Weeping Willow]

Thenks.. :lol:.. i'll wait eagerly ..... I love the feeling of old times...

[Hazel-Ra]

I LOVE going to my local pub at lunch time, having lunch and reading whichever book I happen to be reading at the time. They think I'm a genious down there... I seem to be the only person who ever reads there, or reads at all who goes there, I think. Lol

[Anna Seis]

When I was married, I used to read in a rocking chair. Virgil, I'm sure you know why.( But I don`t believe you wife likes listen to the football in bed :lol: )Incompatibility of characters. Now I became a happy spinster who reads in bed, as I travel by bus or train, and sometimes -when I have a new book in my hands- as I walk in the city, dodging the people that looks at me in amazing. I have no much time, so I read in every favourable place I find.

[Virgil]

Now I became a happy spinster who reads in bed, as I travel by bus or train, and sometimes -when I have a new book in my hands- as I walk in the city, dodging the people that looks at me in amazing. I have no much time, so I read in every favourable place I find.
You seem like a charming person. But you don't seem like a spinster. You can't be that old.

[Anna Seis]

You seem like a charming person. But you don't seem like a spinster. You can't be that old.

Oh Virgil, you're so nice. But I feel vocation to be a spinster, and if I am not still entirely safe from marriage, time flies; in a couple of years it will be done. I'll be aunt Patty or Selma, if I don't give up smoking. I'll like Mac Giver and Faulkner to the end of my :p life.

[rachel]

Anna,
you are an exquisite oil painting of a noble beautiful woman who is confident and likes her own company. I see you in rich tones with gorgeous eyes, light and wisdom shining forth from them.

[Scone of Ark]

I read in bed, I often wake up with a crease in my cheek from falling asleep while reading. And they tell us its perfectly safe to read.

Unlike most of you I cannot read in a calm peaceful setting like outside at the beach under a tree. I am distracted by the deficiency of noise and activity. I am often overwhelmed by my urge to fill it.

I once read in jail, (for protesting), and I had the feeling I was the first person to have ever requested the book cart. I read Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. (There was not that much to choose from)

I can read in a moving vehicle provided I am not the one driving.


I can also read minds.

[rachel]

I read in bed, I often wake up with a crease in my cheek from falling asleep while reading. And they tell us its perfectly safe to read.

Unlike most of you I cannot read in a calm peaceful setting like outside at the beach under a tree. I am distracted by the deficiency of noise and activity. I am often overwhelmed by my urge to fill it.

I once read in jail, (for protesting), and I had the feeling I was the first person to have ever requested the book cart. I read Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. (There was not that much to choose from)

I can read in a moving vehicle provided I am not the one driving.


I can also read minds.

well hullow, I am pleased to see you post.
all I can say to respond to your words is "WOW"

[Anna Seis]

Anna,
you are an exquisite oil painting of a noble beautiful woman who is confident and likes her own company. I see you in rich tones with gorgeous eyes, light and wisdom shining forth from them.
Rachel, I really apreciate your kindness ¡and your wonderful imagination! Is really a huge praiseworthy work, you always try to find the best of us. ;)

[Anna Seis]

I once read in jail, (for protesting), and I had the feeling I was the first person to have ever requested the book cart. I read Fahrenheit 451, and 1984. (There was not that much to choose from)

It's really interesting that being in jail for protesting the prisonner only can choose these.I hope they didn't lodged you at 101 room.
Could you say
Even I
regained my freedom with a sight
as the Prisonner of Chillon? :lol:

[Idril]

I was curious as to where people do most of their reading. I do the majority of my reading in bed before I go to sleep, I go to bed freakishly early just so I can have that time to myself and whatever book I'm reading at the moment. I also read in the tub a lot and I think I've only destroyed one book in the water so far, which is pretty good considering how often I read in there. Another favorite place is outside on my deck and if it's my turn to 'man' the naproom at work, I usually get a good hour of reading in before the kids start waking up. Do you have to have it quiet or can you stand a little music or tv noise in the background?

[kathycf]

I like to read in bed, too. But I tend to fall into the "just one more chapter" trap and before I know it, 3 hours have passed. I like to sit in my comfy chair and read too and when the weather is nice, I sit outside on the patio. I prefer it quiet when I am reading, but I can tolerate a little noise.

[Idril]

I like to read in bed, too. But I tend to fall into the "just one more chapter" trap and before I know it, 3 hours have passed.

I know!!! That's why I started going to bed so ridiculously early so that if that happens, it's not 1:00am by the time I fall asleep. Of course it makes people look at me funny when I refer to 9:00pm as way past my bedtime but one must have priorities. ;)

I generally have no problem reading with the tv on or the radio although I do find that I retain things better when it's quiet and I tend to have a slightly better understanding of things when I'm not distracted so if I'm reading something light and fun, then reading on the couch while my family is watching something on the tv is perfectly fine but if I'm reading something heavy, I'm better off shutting myself in my room or in the tub.

[ShoutGrace]

I can be comfortable reading most anywhere, though noise can be a distraction. I read in bed, at my desk, on the floor, in my car (not driving :D ), at work, at school. When reading lying down, I exhaust my arms from holding the book certain ways and need to constantly move around into different positions, as the hours pass. I like laying on a bed during a worry-free afternoon and reading a piece of fiction for as long as I want. As far back as middle school I can remember spending entire weekends doing nothing but reading and eating.

I sometimes think how crazy it is that I can be so addicted to what I'm reading. What a wonder that I would deprive myself of sleep and mental health, for the simple sake of indulging my reading necessity deep into the night. In high school I used to sometimes stay up all night reading and go to school the next day without having slept . . .

I don't like to read around family members, due to the fact that they interrupt constantly. I need to concentrate on what I'm reading, and not have the concentration broken too often. That is why reading around stangers in public is fine for me, because for the most part people will leave you alone.

[ElizabethSewall]

Oh, David, you expressed it better than I could even think about doing myself.
I do the exact same things and feel relieved to find other strange persons around! :p
I must add that I neither sleep nor eat, while lost in my reading. I can also read while walking. My friends keep mocking me... :blush:
I prefer silence as well, but it is only fair to confess I can't hear anything once I am overwhelmed by the words. I have plenty of anecdotes about people talking to me when I could truly hear nothing at all. :rolleyes:

[Virgil]

You know, we already had a thread on this. I thought it was familiar. Some of us have already answered this question. Here's a link to it.
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15479&highlight=read

[Idril]

You know, we already had a thread on this. I thought it was familiar. Some of us have already answered this question. Here's a link to it.
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15479&highlight=read

Sorry, I keep doing that, I really do need to learn how to use that 'search button'. :rolleyes: :blush:

[mono]

I seldom read at home, feeling quite distracted from somewhat noisy, but pleasant, roommates.
Very frequently, I visit a few different coffeehouses and teahouses (very common here in Portland), including one called Java Vivacé, a coffeehouse/teahouse I have frequented for years now - a two-story house, allegedly 'haunted,' though it provokes much of my skepticism. On days of nice weather, I also go out-and-about to a very large park in the middle of the city called Washington Park (which one could find some pictures through a simple google search of Washington Park in Portland, Oregon); I have one specific place there - a small concrete bench underneath the largest willow tree I have encountered.
Both of these places, I do an extensive amount of reading and writing, treasuring them much! :nod:

[grace86]

Every free moment I get I am reading. I try to read while I am eating, but I tend to let my food get cold. I don't like to read outside because the beautiful day will be somewhat distracting. I can read between and in class (during my fifteen minute break of course) but it tends to be a problem because I get so absorbed in my book I don't even see the words anymore...and if I am that into a book, I don't usually hear my professor starting class again! Reading in bed is always a favorite though, you gotta love those late hours with a good book.

[Idril]

Well beautiful girl,
I get the understanding you must have no children? Because when one has children, especially active children all lovely notions of where to snuggle up and read go out the window.

That is very true. I don't think I read for about a 6 year period when my kids were little and it was like rediscovering an old friend when they started getting a little more independant and didn't need to be watched every second of the day and I could finally carve out some time for reading again. The only reading I did for a long time was The Hungry Caterpillar and the like but now it's wonderful because they've inherited mine and my husband's love of reading and you'll often find all of us on the couch, noses deep in a book. Of course, my kids are often reading mangas and I haven't decided whether those count as real books yet but my kids insist they do. ;)

It is hard to read outside when it's too sunny but my parents have this wonderful swing, it's like a full length couch with a canopy and I can sit on that, swinging away with the canopy hanging over me, shielding the sun and it's like my own personnal heaven. :D

[IrishCanadian]

It depends for me on what 'm reading. I like the read plays on a couch or something comphy that I wont fall asleep in. My bed is set aside for pros. I'll read poetry anywhere, but my favorite place for that is a sunney park.

[WhimsySA]

I read in my bed, It's nice to be warm while you read!

[Virgil]

Virg' is there a chance to get a glimpse on your marvelous chair?? "Blink Blink* :D




I'll try taking a picture. But give me some time, I need to clean up the room first.

Well, it took me four and a half months to clean my study. Here's the chair I that I mentioned and promised a photo. Unfortunately I had to crop it a bit to fit on lit net. For those new to this thread, read back a page or so and you will find out what this was about.

[Petrarch's Love]

Oh, what a lovely reading chair Virg. You must have had to save quite awhile to get that when you were only sixteen. When I was a kid I always thought of chairs like that as "professor" chairs. I've often thought that a nice comfy leather reading chair needs to be my first purchase with my first paycheck as a prof. (that is provided I survive the epic journey to attain the fabled PhD :lol:).

As for the subject of this thread, I think it's hard to imagine the place where I don't read. :lol: I read in bed, in the bath, while cooking, while eating (I have a bookstand on my table near where I eat), on public transport...I've even been known on occasion to read while swimming (though that's not usually very practical). I suppose I read most on my comfy little loveseat where I have good light and it's easy to knit at the same time.

[mono]

Ironically, Virgil, I happened to take photos of two of my favorite places to lounge for reading and/or writing. The first place shows a picture of my favorite coffeehouse, teahouse, and crêperie (called Java Vivacé), if you follow this link (http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j237/0zymandias/?action=view&current=vivace.jpg), and the second place I mentioned, remains under a very large willow tree in a place called Washington Park, both in Portland, Oregon, my home city, if you follow this link (http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j237/0zymandias/?action=view&current=wapark03.jpg) (in the very bottom right, you will see a small, concrete bench, where I sit frequently).
One last place I sometimes visit, you can find pictures here (http://www.bella-espresso.com/), a place called Bella Espresso.

[Virgil]

Really cool mono. I would love to sit there and read, especially at the coffee house. I think I'll make myself espresso later today. ;) Fabulous. I've never been to Oregon, but it looks beautiful. :thumbs_up

[Chava]

Cliche as it may sound, i have found a niche cown by the harbour, ironically it's actually the memorial of a danish poet... it's beautifull, i might go and take a picture to post. It's nice to read there, since it's isollated witha view of the sea, and in the distance sweden. no one goes there, except for the random curious turist.
And boy do i wish there were nice coffee houses here... Everything here is so mainstream, or unoriginally expensive.

[Manfred]

I share a smallish apartment with my girlfriend of 5 years, Kimberly, so reading can become problematic.
I don't enjoy reading outside much; the wind tends to interrupt my concentration.
My usual spots are on the couch after work and in bed before falling asleep. I, too, go to bed early in order to read--usually 9:00 -10:00 in the evening. Reading in bed, however, has been a habit since I was about 10 years old. I used to get some reading in at work too, but not since the new boss took over.

[Idril]

I have a new favorite place to read! I'm currently visiting my parents who live in a house by a lake and my Dad has built this amazing seating area. He had a hammock chair and no place to put it so he built a structure to house it. It's in a secluded, sheltered area of their yard and it's so insanely peaceful and relaxing, even the constant bird songs didn't bother me (I have a bit of a bird phobia :rolleyes: ). I took Eugene Onegin by Pushkin up there and after finishing the book, I curled up and took a little snooze, only the call of supper roused me out of my spot. I think I'm going to spend the rest of our visit in that chair. :thumbs_up

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/IdrilCelebrindal/P1010543.jpg

[Virgil]

I have a new favorite place to read! I'm currently visiting my parents who live in a house by a lake and my Dad has built this amazing seating area. He had a hammock chair and no place to put it so he built a structure to house it. It's in a secluded, sheltered area of their yard and it's so insanely peaceful and relaxing, even the constant bird songs didn't bother me (I have a bit of a bird phobia :rolleyes: ). I took Eugene Onegin by Pushkin up there and after finishing the book, I curled up and took a little snooze, only the call of supper roused me out of my spot. I think I'm going to spend the rest of our visit in that chair. :thumbs_up

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/IdrilCelebrindal/P1010543.jpg
Oh Idril, I am soooo jealous. That looks unbelievably gorgeous.

Side question: bird phobia? Why?

[amanda_isabel]

generally i can read anywhere so long as i like what i'm reading. but if it's a textbook on algebra... i can never have the patience to read more then required. (sometimes i can't even stand reading what is required.) of course my top spots are: my room, in any chair (i read while waiting in the classroom for our teachers, or sometimes i read while they're in front of me!). or sometimes intead of the usual i-go-to-a-coffee-chop-to-read thing, i go to McDonalds, sometimes also for writing purposes. it's easy to forget about the noise if you're engrossed in the book anyway.

[Idril]

Oh Idril, I am soooo jealous. That looks unbelievably gorgeous.

Side question: bird phobia? Why?

You have every reason to be jealous because it is an absolutely beautiful place and ideal for reading. ;)

The bird phobia actually has it's roots in the same place as the chair...well...the same general place, at the cabin. My dad started building the place when I was 2 and now that he's retired, he and my mom live there full time but during my childhood it was a place where we spent a good portion of our summers, however, it wasn't set up for winter use. At the end of each fall, my dad would close the cabin up and we wouldn't see it again until spring and the first thing that he would do when we came down there was to open the flue of the fireplace and inevitably there would be birds that had flown into the chimney and were trapped and died so he would open the flue and we would hear these 'plops' and dad would pick them up and take them outside and dispose of them...but one time, when I was about 5 or 6...the birds weren't dead. :eek2: We heard a couple plops and dad bent down to pick them up and they just took off. They were completely panicked and were banging into the windows and walls, swooping and there was no place that was safe from those poor birds, all we could realistically do was wait until they knocked themselves out smashing their heads against the windows. And to add to the confusion, we had a cat and a dog who were trying desperately to catch and kill the birds. It was a very traumatic situation for a young kid and it has never left me. I don't do too badly if I'm outside and there is a generous amount of space between me and the birds but I don't do well when there are birds inside houses in cages and I don't do well if I'm outside and the birds are within a few feet of me and my parents are bird lovers, there's a feeder or house or birdbath about every 2 feet in their yard so they are very hard to escape here.

[Virgil]

That's a great story Idril. Reminds me of Hitchcock's The Birds. ;)

If you put your mind to it, I bet you can get over that fear. I had a similar experience with dogs. When I was seven or eight, I remember going for an afternoon walk with my parents around the neighborhood. I had run up the block ahead of them and came up alone against three very large German Shepherds who were on the sidewalk just out of their owner's driveway. I got scared, but I talked myself into bravely going forward. When the dogs noticed me, they jumped me and I fell to the ground and all I can remember seeing is fur above me as the dogs jumped and circled above me. In all fairness, they must have been just playing. I was not bitten or harmed, even though one dog had my forearm in his mouth. But he didn't bite down. The dog's owner ran out and my parents came up and they pulled me out and sat me down and gave me something to drink. Well for the longest time after I was scared of dogs. I would not go near any of them. I would cross the street when I was headed for someone with a dog. Ultimately I fought my fear through and now I love dogs. I've had a few and understand them quite well.

[SleepyWitch]

* in bed
* on the train/bus/tram... trains and trams are some of the places were I can concentrate best... dunno why... maybe coz there's people around so there's no depressing silence, but they're not talking about anything i need to listen to, so it's just meaningless background noise that doesn't destract me

[Idril]

... Well for the longest time after I was scared of dogs. I would not go near any of them. I would cross the street when I was headed for someone with a dog. Ultimately I fought my fear through and now I love dogs. I've had a few and understand them quite well.

I have a story about dogs to and that also took place at the cabin, that place is the source of a lot of wonderful memories for me but I got my fair share of scars there too, physical and emotional :lol: ...anyway...my dog story just involved a black lab so my fear of dogs has always been limited to that particular breed. I have a couple dogs myself...but no black labs. I'm quite sure I'll never be comfortable with birds, I'm absolutely convinced they are minions of the devil. ;)

[grace86]

Idril, I too am jealous of your chair!! But I have found it difficult to read outside, because when I do read outside it is usually a beautiful day so I get distracted. But your chair looks lovely! Hopefully it compensates for your horrible bird experience...yuck.

But I have recently discovered that I will read anywhere. Perhaps it comes out of desperation of trying to find time to read, but I have brought my book with me everywhere. Poor thing is looking a little beaten now.