After getting to the end of the Flannery O Connor letters I embarked eagerly on the first of her short stories (the name of which escapes me). It is magical writing - it kind of drags you along at a fast pace with no 'boring' bits in it at all. There are nasty bits (well, it's just real life I suppose) and one wonders what kind of criteria 'the Index' has because I thought this sort of thing ought to be on it. Obviously it isn't and 'the church' - at least some bits of it - approved. There's even some comment about the Archbish. of Cant. saying something favourable about her stuff. Ploughing on through to the end of the first one I came up for air and decided against continuing in to the next. Instead I embarked upon Dr Thorne by Anthony Trollope - v. pleasant and easy reading though you can already see whose going to marry whom in the first chapter (or maybe the second) - mostly because he's the heir to a title but there's no money so he has to marry money - and there is the Doctors sweet neice who has a shady origin (for which no-one counts her responsible) and, more significantly, NO money. The aunts FORBID his even thinking about marrying Mary.

Which leads me on to the thought which prompted me blogging just now.....
'keep off the grass' I once heard a sermon in which the preacher stated that when he sees that, he is sorely tempted to to step on the grass - the sign MAKES him want to do it. (as for me, I so hate the thought of being 'ticked off' by an officious N.T. employee, I wouldn't dream of it). In connection with Romans what the preacher said seems 'reasonable' . Most other prohibitons don't give me the urge to go and transgress either. I thougth hard for about 10 minutes (max.) and couldnt' think of a single instance of a 'thou shalt not' being the catalyst to sin. I'm puzzled, it's not that I think I am in any way a 'good' woman - just that I dont' see this tendancy in myself. Then again, maybe I WOULDN'T !!!