Our umpteenth preparatory trip to REI. I came away with a fabulous day pack – the Jansport Penelope. I also snagged a rain hat made of breathable nylon, so it will double as a sun hat – and it’s called the Booney Hat! We threw in a few miscellaneous items – straps & hi-tech moleskin. Found some rainpants but at $75 I decided to take my chances with the nylon walking pants I already have. If it’s not raining hard I’ll be fine and if it is raining hard we’ll find a pub.
I also finished the book Hadrian’s Wall today – Janet found this somewhere for me. It’s a novel set not long before the Roman empire fell with a brave Roman heroine who comes to appreciate the freedom enjoyed by the Celtic natives – as well as the handsome leader of the war band. Actually it was a good read. In the author’s notes about the history (which I so appreciate in a historical novel) he points out that the time between the death of Julius Caesar and the sacking of Rome is the amount of time between the settling of Jamestown and the present day. Even accounting for the slower pace of change in those times, it still shows how much difference one should expect between the time of say, Spartacus or Christ, and the late Empire.
Now I’m starting the book Roman Woman that Rava lent me. It’s about a native Briton woman who married a retired Roman legionnaire at the time of Hadrian. Rava said it’s full of great every day living details.
This post was written by
Nadya – who has written 117 posts on UniBrain Trust.
Nadya is the resident food giver and trip planner. She likes to make things, and occasionally finishes them. Look! Shiny thing! You can often find her fixing JIm's spelling errors.