Off the Scale #75 - The Watermill by Ronald Binge

Welcome to the long-delayed return of my celebration of all things classical music.

I am so very sorry about the delay. A lot of circumstances have been beyond my control and, as a result, this was one of those unfortunate casualties that I could no longer maintain. I want to let you know from the off, though, that this might not be every week but I will at least try to make it every other week or every third week. We shall see.

Today is a piece I discovered some time last year as a long-time Classic FM listener entitled The Watermill by Ronald Binge...

Stuey's News: A Return to Regular Posting Imminent!

Hello everyone!

First of all, thank you so very much for your patience during this incredibly challenging time for all of us. I have been completely swamped with project work that there was no way around and certainly no way for me to prioritise blogging over until now.

I will be looking to return to a regular schedule in the coming weeks, starting very belatedly with the continuation of my Off the Scale series as well as some reviews that I have had in the pipelines since the start of the year, almost.

There is so much more that I could add at this point, but as this is just a quick update, you can expect to see far more action on this blog, again, than has been so far this quarter.

Peace!

===TLP===

Coronavirus

As you will no doubt be aware by now, the globe is currently under the throes of a health crisis known as Covid19. It has already claimed numerous lives as well as affected countless others, from workers to shoppers.

We all need to stand together in times like this.

The ransacking of shop shelves shows, sadly, that we are indeed living in the midst of a selfish generation, new decade or not. It is proof that many of us are looking no further than our noses as far as how we live our lives.

But it is not for me to decry, or to attack, as instead I want to ask us all to consider whether we really do need even a fraction of things we are bulk-buying. Surely there comes a time when we need to recognise that there is more than just us in existence in this world.

Next time you are shopping and you're tempted by bulk buying think: -

Is this really necessary?

Think twice and buy once. Not multiple times.

Stay safe everybody!

===TLP===

RV011 - The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt

For fans of intelligent science fiction, you should enjoy this one.

I couldn't put it down and it's honestly been quite a while since I could say that about a book I am reading. It might not be perfect, but then by whose standards would I compare this perfection?

Instead, it seeks to tell a story of mankind's first contact with aliens, only to usurp the trope, introduces a character midway through the telling of the story by introducing an encounter with a once stranded human being who claims to have been a witness to said first contact. In other words, the first contact that had already taken place was countermanded by an alternate claim to the same thing...

RV010 - Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Imagine, for yourself, if death wasn't the end. If losing consciousness for that final time was not the end of your life.

That's what this book asks you to buy into for its narrative and I must say it's quite an enjoyable ride, for the most part, though some parts will be not for those of a sensitive nature...

A Snapshot II - Snapback

Hello everyone!

I have been making extra effort to keep my blog updated this week as, admittedly, it has gone off the list of my priorities for a while, but it's okay because I have been taking plenty of time to think about the future of The Write Dimension 3.0.

As you can no doubt tell I have wiped the formatting of this blog's layout to make way for the long-delayed revamping I have been promising since last year. I like this approach because it gives me time to tinker with the other formats, find one that works with my vision for the future of this blog and eventually update it.

I am processing my latest "Off the Scale" posts so expect that to resume on a coming Monday as we return to business as usual. In addition, expect a review or two as I am putting together some content to restart them once again.

It's going to be a gradual phasing in of the content I have planned rather than an overwhelming upload and change around. That works better for my fluid, dynamic vision for where I want to take this blog now that we are in a new decade!

Hope to see you with me on this and, as always, any feedback in the comments below would be appreciated. If you like the content, as always, feel free to share it with others who might benefit accordingly.

===TLP===

A Snapshot

Hello everyone!

I have tried to conjure up content for you, dear readers, but the books I have been reading lately are just not up to scratch for my calibre to produce a review from.

I will, however, endeavour to keep you all in the loop with my progress because you have shown tremendous patience in giving me the space to work through my issues outside of the blogsphere. It has had to be scaled back on a permanent basis because there has just been too much demand upon my own personal resources that I have had to reprioritise everything and everyone in my life.

Thankfully, God has been my Rock throughout this period of my life where I have just wanted to journal my way through it and nothing more. I know that I would not have made it through without Him.

===TLP===

Back Once Again

Hi everyone!

It's been quite some time since I've been able to post on here as I've been going to through quite a rough time of it, what with losing my uncle before Christmas and a rather unexpected encounter with a friend.

But I'm back now, or at least I intend on being. I have read a fair few books since I last wrote on here and will be looking to resurrect my review series, yet without rushing into too much. I know my limits a lot better now and have been trying as hard as I can not to push them, merely to lean against them to increase personal capacity...

Stuey's News 2020 - Regular Posting will Return

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update to let you all know that I'm in a far better and more suitable place to be blogging again, so I expect to be updating this blog with more content in due course. Including the long-awaited redesign of all things format-related.

I have been through some really challenging times lately that has required my entire mental resources to focus upon it effectively. Consequently, it has taken my focus off my blog for a while, which cannot be helped. However, I shall be looking to resume my "Off the Scale" series celebrating all things classical music once again as I bid to make it to 100 and sign off on that series.

Thank you for your patience whilst I've worked through these issues as it has taken everything within me to keep things on course. I have to give all credit to God, for that, because I could not have persisted upon this course and sustained my progress without Him.

Thanks be to God "who always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (2 Cor 2:14) indeed!

===TLP===

Stuey's Awards 2019

Hello everyone!

It's that time of year again where I look back on this year's highlights in terms of films I have watched, games that I have bought and my TV highlight. As always, apart from the TV highlight, there will be some entries that haven't necessarily been released this year. But that is just how I roll in terms of these highlights.

It's nearly Christmas time, so let's get these awards underway...