Francofinn and I are working on a reading guide to African fiction. She came down from London yesterday and we spent the afternoon trying to identify what we do and don't like about other reading guides on the market (and therefore the style of our own). Although there are several literature guides to African fiction, there are none in a popular style that don't have the feel of reference works. We are writing something that should (we hope) make you want to go out and read everything you can get your hands on. That's the optimistic idea anyway...There's so much great stuff out there.

Just next to the station is a wonderful farmers' market - the first in the UK to open six days a week, and hugely successful it has proved to be too. We love it there. The giri and I do our veggie shopping there every week - the perfect way to make sure we're cooking seasonally, and supporting local organic farmers into the bargain. We hope by next year to be growing most of our own, of course, but the garden was well and truly trashed while the builders were here, so it will be a while before we get it up to speed again. The local birds don't seem to mind, though, we have loads visiting every day - maybe because the garden has run rather wild - and I've seen a fox twice this past week on the bridle path behind the house.

Anyway, getting sidetracked, back to the farmers' market. It is located in the old railway goods shed and, raised on a balcony overlooking the market itself, there is a super duper restaurant serving food made from whatever's fresh in the market that day. We have found this to be slightly hit & miss, ranging between excellent and good (ie. nothing will be terrible, but it won't consistently be fantastic), especially for us poor vegetarians. Francofinn arrived in time for a late lunch (does one need an excuse?!) in the farmers' market. Yumm. A bramble kir later and all seems right with the world...

I have been sent the perfect quotation by another editing buddy: "Those who know they are profound strive for clarity. Those who would like to seem profound strive for obscurity" Nietzsche (it would be - the arch nemesis of my undergrad Moral Reasoning class. Funny how then I couldn't stand his work, and now I think he makes so much sense!) Perhaps I should send it to my writer, or would that be cruel?