A quote from my last entry on this goal:

I’m giving this up rather than make another attempt for 2007. I plan to continue keeping track of how many books I read, but I won’t set myself a goal. Maybe in 2008.

I was right on with that one. August 2008 is coming to a close and today I finished my 80th book for the year.

Having accomplished this, there are two things I wonder:

Can I do it again next year?

How many books will I be up to by the end of this year?

Seems to be a family-oriented day today. Mum had a day off today and dropped in for a cup of coffee this afternoon. She also brought me a new top and some afternoon tea yummies.

Then there was a phone call from my sister a little while later to say that she had gotten a new job. The company she’s with at the moment is going down the gurgler, so this is very good news. It’s also good to hear how excited she sounds about the whole thing.

Progress on my thesis continues to creep forward, which is always a good thing in my book.

I didn’t even have a trace of a sore throat today. Very grateful indeed for that one… and for the ginger tea I’ve been drinking since yesterday morning, which I’m sure is responsible for this sudden cessation.

Today I was grateful for a good night’s sleep. I stayed up way too late over the weekend and was feeling rather ill to boot. So I made sure I went to bed early last night and ended up sleeping for 10+ hours. I felt much better today.

Although some of that could also have been the gorgeous weather we had today. Blue skies, sunshine and signs of spring everywhere. The smell of wattle was strong when I went on my walk this morning. In my garden there are flowers popping up everywhere and the bees are making the most of it. I found a sparrow nest in my blossom bush (though it isn’t blossoming quite yet) and my tiny little daisy plant has a bud.

I felt like I was back on track today. Aside from a walk (which left me feeling pretty good), I also got some more progress on my thesis done and (even better) I’m feeling a bit more confident about how it’s going. It has been stressing me out quite a lot lately, which is no doubt the reason I haven’t been feeling very well.

I am also grateful for my sweetheart. A few months back he left some vegetarian burger patties in my freezer. It was nice to drag one out for lunch today since I’ve been so sick of salad sandwiches I’m actually having trouble eating them.

And a new book arrived today! It was recommended by LunacyBleeding and I was having trouble getting my hands on a copy. It’s been quite interesting so far.

I keep a list too because, as you said, I tend to forget otherwise. I really need to add a few more things to it though.

((((hugs)))) It’s nice seeing you around again. I hope everything is going well.