I started writing this blog just over three years ago. It began as a way for a few friends and relatives back in South Africa to keep up with what we were doing - like an email newsletter, but without the relentless upbeatness that seems to go with that territory. These days, it seems to be a place where I ramble on about whatever's on my mind at the moment when I sit down at the computer. Nothing I wouldn't say to anyone who was with me in the livingroom right then, generally. Well, unless the person in the livingroom was, say, one of my in-laws. Some of my cousins and out-of-country friends read the blog regularly, as do some women who I know from my parenting email list. I also use it as a kind of diary; it's been very useful, on occasion, to be able to look back and see what we were doing on x date.

So why, when Bobby casually mentioned to a group of our friends that I had a blog, did I feel, quite strongly, that I didn't want them to read it? Those of you who have blogs, do you tell your friends about them? Why, or why not?

On an unrelated note, Bobby is absolutely infuriating me right now. We have our book group meeting tonight - the last meeting that's dealing with War and Peace. Thank God it's the last one for this book. They chose it while I was in England last year, it's dragged on forever, and I can't wait to be shot of it. Anyhow, Bobby got the audio version (which is something like 60 hours long) from audible.com, and, for the last few days, has been desperately trying to finish it up. He has it on his iPod, and has been listening every second he gets. And I do mean every second. In the car. At the dinner table. In bed. I go to sleep with a faint tinny Russian-accented voice muttering on the pillow next to me. I do not think I can adequately describe how unbearably annoying I find this. Bobby is here, but not here. Just a glassy stare and a set of headphones. Frankly, I'd rather he just went out. And he feels no compunction about ignoring everyone either. I both envy and resent this single-mindedness he has. When he wants to get something done, he seems able to put aside all other constraints, and focus entirely on his goal. Gah. It would be wrong to strangle him with the wires from his earphones, I know. Wrong. Very wrong. It would be easy, though. After all, he wouldn't hear me coming.