It’s time I caught up with my reading.

I’ve been wrapping and addressing prezzies all evening and this will be a welcome respite before I go to bed. My presents are cheaper and flatter than they used to be, to allow for the high cost of mailing. I hate to spend more on the postage than on the gift.

Des anyone remember my enthusiasm over The Door? That was the novel I read last year, by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian, published by The New York Review of Books. I think that’s right and I can’t tell you who translated it because the person I lent it to hasn’t returned it yet. I will nag her because it’s a keeper. The New York Times named it one of the ten best books of the year.

Just recently I read a review of another (earlier,I think) book by Szabó, published by Vintage (Penguin). They had me at Szabó. Iza’s Ballad is very different, different setting, situation, characters, but fascinating. At first I didn’t like the translation as well (that’s why I think’t get to r it was someone else who did it), but the characters and the story drew me in. It’s very real and honest - no- frank - no - plain-spoken. If only the characters could have been that open with each other, but it happens. A daughter can be trying to do he best for her mother and spare her effort, all the while seeking refuge in her own work and attempts to relax, even while the mother is atrophying from boredom and longing for her past comforting belongings (not possessions - belongings). The characters are interesting for what they notice or overlook or prefer to to ignore.

I don’t get to read much outside my own language and culture, my fault, really, I don’t make the effort. But here, when I do, it confirms my belief that people are the same, not boring, but real, recognizable, the same.

It’s pulling on toward midnight and if I go past, Il will have missed the date on today’s blog. Leave it at that.

It did go past. Not my fault. I can no longer send a blog from my email to my blog. Oh dear.

Once upon a time a man went to a tailor to have a suit made for him - bespoke - as they say. He chose a very good fabric and left it with the tailor. Several weeks passed before the tailor called him to tell him his suit was ready. So he went and tried it on. It didn’t seem to fit too well.

“Look,” he said to the tailor. “I think the right sleeve is a little too long.”

“No problem,”said the tailor. “Just raise your right shoulder a little and then the sleeve will fit your arm. "

The man did so and the sleeve lifted off his wrist nicely. “Okay,” he said, what about the left leg. It’s too short.”

“That’s easily fixed,” said the tailor. “Just bend your knee slightly and pull your leg back. It’ll be fine.”

The man did as instructed and his left trouser leg fell into place where it should be. “What about the collar?” he said. “It’s lying low and loose at the back.”

“Stretch your neck above it,” the tailor said. The man stretched his neck and the collar laid flat across the back.

“I don’t know,” he said. “What do you think?"

"Walk around and let me take a look,” said the tailor and after a moment, he smiled in approval.

“But what will people say?"

“People will say,” said the tailor, "there goes a deformed man in a beautiful suit.”

I do have a point.

Yesterday I had my second interview with CLSA. The last one was five years ago.In case you didn’t know or remember, CLSA stands for Canadian Longtitudinal Studies in Ageing. It’s a long-term survey of older people, their health and habits.I have read of several such surveys in the United States but this is the only one I know of in Canada, so far.

I didn’t enjoy it as much this time round. It seemed to me to be more concerned with my physical health than with my mental acuity. As you may have surmised, I try to keep fit, to stay on top of my aches and pains, that is, to ignore them and/or to walk through or away from them.Of course, everyone (most people?) compensate for their shortcomings and keep going. I realised, as I answered the questions, how much I have compromised with my various problems, successfully, I might add. I do not take painkillers or other medication. That’s when I thought of the man and his custom-made suit.It was he who shifted his body to suit the suit. I guess I’ve done that, altered my behaviour to suit my body’s requirements.

I’ll be fascinated to see how I’m doing in five years.