Of course, one can find plenty of Middlemarch's, Mill on the Floss's or Daniel Deronda's but the others are less easily found. However, for two pounds, there was Volume 1 of the Shorter OED. I went on my way wondering where Volume 2 might be, later checked how much a complete such 2007 edition would be second hand and found them at something over 100 pounds. So, on my way back home this afternoon, returned to the shop to enquire if Volume 2 was somewhere in a storeroom in the back of the shop. No, it wasn't.
Now, there is a sad story. Vols 1 and 2 of this mighty work forever separated, like twins in a Shakespeare play. One can hardly have Vol. 1 standing forlornly on one's shelf and spend the rest of one's days fretting about any word from N onwards.
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But a trip to Cheltenham College for Glos v. Kent on Sunday provided exactly what one is promised in a 20 over match. Lots of action compacted into three hours, some enormous hitting, spectacular fielding and a generally better experience of T20 cricket than I was expecting. Yes, one is close to the rest of the spectators and one could manage without the public address system but that is the product one buys and it provided as much value as any professional sport is likely to these days and now I've been to one twenty over match, having played in perhaps nearly 100 of them before the format was adopted by the professional game, I probably won't have to go to another.--
And, as Monday night is restored to TV quiz night, congratulations to the great Vicky Coren. I couldn't think why else she would have given up drinking for seven months, which was the cryptic way she announced her expectancy, in keeping with the programme's format.
