Lord John and the Private Matter...

Long ago when Outlander was published - I read it because a lot of people recommended it to me, and though I found it readable, I didn't much like Diana Gabaldon's writing style. Worse, I liked the villain better than the hero, which is unfortunate in a love story. I thought the hero was a dead loss.

I didn't read any more of the series.

In more recent years several people have recommended Gabaldon's Lord John and the Private Matter, so I decided to give it a try. I was under the impression Lord John would be bisexual, but it turns out he's not, he's homosexual, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. Not that it really mattered. ( He was a personable hero... )

A traffic accident..

On Thursday, I was in a car accident, for the first time in my life.

It wasn't a big one. No one was hurt. maaseru was driving. She drives a little like Bodie, which I admire a great deal: she's very skilled. We crashed into the car in front of us, buckling the hood of the car and leaving the road littered with its innards. I was in the front passenger seat, with a seat belt. My sunglasses landed on the dashboard. That was about the extent of it.

The car is named Grace. She's a wonderful vehicle; it was terrible to see her damaged. Here, for you to admire, is a picture of the damage. She could still be driven, though bits kept falling off and out and the side panel over the left wheel tended to flap in the wind at speeds over about 20 mph.

The car in front of us was driven by a woman named Pam. It was her birthday and her first day in Ottawa - she was from Alberta. What a way to be welcomed to Ottawa!

The van in front of her had even less damage, thank goodness.

Since we were unhurt, the combination of alarm at the impact and relief at being okay made me a little euphoric.