AN EARLY MORNING LIAISON.

Grief, it's good to be back - I had an awful day yesterday - an upset tummy, a sore throat, hot one moment and cold the next.

You know for a while now I've asked myself if its possible to become addicted to blogging and, I guess, I know now the answer - its YES. As well as all my blogger buddies, I've missed 'Pooter' himself. "Pooter? Who or what is Pooter?" I hear you ask - go on admit it, your curious. Pooter is the other man in my life, the computer. (See, its not just plants I give names to.) Honestly, since I starting blogging (apart from Husband dearest having to prise me away from Pooter and finding holes in the newspaper if he doesn't get there before me), I've gradually found myself (A) Being unable to simply read a book, I have to review it. (B) Cutting articles out of newspapers thinking we can discuss this. (C) Writing down jokes, that's funny, we'll laugh at that. Oh I could go on. My addiction, however, was confirmed when at 2.41 am on Monday morning, unable to sleep and having read for the last hour or so, I found myself thinking about having an early morning liaison and visiting Pooter - thankfully a temptation I, somehow, managed not to give into.

Anyway, to today's post.

Many thanks to Sheila over at ONE PERSONS JOURNEY THROUGH A WORLD OF BOOKS who awarded me an Honest Scrap Award - part of the conditions being I tell you 10, yes ten, things about myself. "Could I retell the SEVEN I've already told them?" I briefly ask myself. "Go on, they'll never notice" said my inner devil sitting on one shoulder, "No, they deserve better" said my inner angel sitting on the other shoulder. Needless to say, me being me, my inner angel won - so here goes

1. As a child I always wanted but never got a MR FROSTY ice making machine.

2. I had my nose pierced when I was 29 and still wear a small diamond stud.

3. I'm such a disaster in the kitchen that I once set fire to a microwave oven.

4. I talk in my sleep and occasionally sleep-walk.

5. I love bubble-wrap.

6. I can't say 'statistic'.

7. I never wear make-up but have my eye-lashes tinted blue/black.

8. The first time I flew (in my late 20's/early 30's) I was sick on the person I was travelling with.

9. I love the Christmas Markets in Germany - I particularly enjoyed COLOGNE.

10. I find church GARGOYLES fascinating.

And so onto another ten items of interest.

THE Times 100 Best Books Of The Decade have been announced of which I've read a measly eight. Here are the top 10, though you can view them all by clicking HERE.

1. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (2006).

2. Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (2003).

3. Dreams From My Father: A Story Of Race And Inheritance - Barack Obama (2004).

4. Masterworks Of The Classical Halda Mythtellers - translated by Robert Bringhurst (2002).

5. Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky (2006).

6. The Tipping point: how Little Things Can Make A Big Difference - Malcolm Gladwell (2000).

7. Life Of Pi - Yann Martell (2002).

8. Payback: Debt And The Shadow Side Of Wealth - Margaret Atwood (2008).

9. Atonement - Ian McEwan (2001).

10. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (2003).

PLEASE NOTE: The books highlighted in read are the books I have read. Along with the books in the top 10, I have also read these which are in the top 100 list - position on the list in brackets.

(17) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling (2007).

(25) The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time - Mark Haddon (2003).

(30) The Kite Runer - Khaled Hosseini (2003).

(90) TWILIGHT - Stephenie Meyer (2008).

And, just in case you are wondering, the top five WORST books are

1. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (2003).

2. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne (2006).

3. Being Jordan - Katie Price (2004).

4. Vernon God Little - D.B.C. Pierre (2003).

5. Dylan's Visions Of Sin - Christopher Ricks.