Yesterday was the first day I was able to relax in what seems like ages. For the past few weeks I've been manically editing an enormous encyclopedia of Australasian crime, which I'd fallen behind with during the bushfire situation. But I sent it back on time, phew.

And in what couldn't have been better timing, the Autumn and Winter copies of Folly arrived in yesterday's post. My subscription expired before last Autumn's edition, and I didn't renew then because of exchange rates. But I'm now re-subscribed and it was good to catch up with them. I particularly love the illustrations in Folly. And, also well timed, we now have a new free-to-air digital channel that's all sport. Something to watch at last!

I also made the most of beautiful autumn weather to go for a long walk.

So, what else? Well, Hawthorn lost their opening game last night, to Geelong (Gabe's team) who they beat in last year's Grand Final. I was expecting that (it's a fairly normal thing for reigning champions to lose their opening game, in most sports) and the winning margin was slim, so I remain optimistic about back-to-back Premierships. Hawthorn and Geelong will be the two teams to watch all year, I think.

And we are still watching Secret Army. We are near the end of Season 2 now. I cannot believe how good it is compared with today's TV. Each episode is an hour and the characterisation is superb. You see shades of grey in all the characters, and at times even feel some sympathy for the head of the Gestapo, Kessler. So much time and detail has gone into it, and the writing and acting is excellent. I shall really miss it when we've watched the final series, though apparently there's a spin-off, Kessler, which I'll try to get hold of. And maybe I'll get Wish Me Luck, about women agents in occupied France, which I never watched when it was on telly in the 1980s.

I haven't been reading much at all this year. I re-read To Kill a Mockingbird and am now wondering whether to read some of the unread books on my bookshelves or whether to go to the bookshop this weekend and find something new. After watching Secret Army, I've a hankering to read some non-fiction about the Second World War, so if anyone knows of any really good books, please recommend. I mean human-interest type books,  rather than military ones.