Sunday means one thing: an update for A Round of Words in 80 Days.

Well, my creative writing has gone the way of the Dodo, it seems, but my academic writing is increasing, so overall, I’m writing several thousand words per week.

First things first, though. There was a book market on in Solingen-Ohligs today. And if there’s one thing I can’t resist, it’s a book market!

The weather’s gorgeous, with blue skies and 16°C (61°F) and the open-air market was packed with people. I bought a total of 12 books (stylishly carrying them in my Sherlock Holmes tote). And what surprised me most was the amount of children’s books for sale.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the majority of books were thrillers, romances and fantasy for adults, but every other stall also had books ranging from picture books to YA fantasy novels.

And I found a lot of my childhood favourites there. I misplaced many of my original copies though I suspect that my parents got rid of them once they thought I had outgrown the phase. But I distinctly remember reading Momo by Michael Ende, and Pippi Longstockings by Astrid Lindgren. In general, the children’s literature in our house tended to be Swedish. Nils Holgersson by Selma Lagerlöf, for example, and pretty much everything by Astrid Lindgren (Karlsson-on-the-roof, Six Bullerby Children, Saltkrokan, Emil of Lönneberga – in German he was called Michel, for some reason, – Ronia the Robber’s Daughter and many more).

If I’d had the money to spare, I would have bought them all today. There were quite a few I’d forgotten about but that still brought back memories as soon as I saw them. Books by German author Erich Kästner, for example which included Emil and the detectives, as well as The Parent Trap (back then known as Lottie & Lisa). The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. The one notably absent today were The Chronicles of Narnia.

I am really glad that those were the stories I grew up with. Stories of unruly children, clever detectives, big adventures and a little bit of magic. They made me want to read more, to find out how the story continues, and I guess I owe a debt of gratitude to Astrid Lindgren especially. Now I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with the inhabitants of Villa Kunterbunt (engl.: Villa Villekulla)!

On Monday, I posted a To Do List for this week, and I got a lot of it done.

• (Write & Submit CCC502 Assignment #4 by 04/03)
• Write & Submit MA501 Assignment #4 by 07/03
• Complete Filmmaking Module #3
• Complete Filmmaking Module #4
• Complete Global Health & Humanitarianism Module #2
• Complete Theatre & Globalisation Module #3
• Complete Cultural Studies & Modern Languages Module #3
• Complete International Development Module #2
• Complete Australian Literature Module #1
• Complete Dutch Module #1
• Complete Modern Business & Organisations Module #1
• Update ROW80 Wednesday
• Update Weekend Coffee Share on Saturday
• Update ROW80 Sunday
• Schedule next week’s blog posts
• Finish reading The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss (3 chapters left)

I haven’t completed one university assignment, as I was advised not to submit anything on that course until further notice. They were overhauling the course. Now it’s back up to date and I can continue, so next week I will resume my normal schedule.

Spending a total of four hours this morning on the market and having coffee with my sister, I got behind a little bit. I just finished the university assignment (the deadlines are self-imposed, so one day late doesn’t incur a penalty), and now I’ve only got one more module to go today.

While I’ll be losing more time by going out for dinner tonight, I should be all caught up by the time I go to bed. Plus, I’ve only got the last 3 chapters of The Vesuvius Club to get through before I can start with Part II of the trilogy, The Devil in Amber.

It’s been a busy week, but I learned a lot. Two of the online courses finish next week already, so I’m getting through them really quickly. It’s a lot to take in, but also a lot of fun.

If you’re like me and wonder what the other ROWers are up to, you can check on them here.