When Parade made the decision to begin reading the Colleen McCullough historical epic Morgan’s Run about five weeks ago, little did he realise how it would make his mornings just a bit more miserable.

Parade reads a few pages of the book (passed along by a member of his significant other’s family) over his breakfast each morning, enjoying the chance to escape from modern Bathurst into 18^th century England, if only for five minutes or so at a time.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is that if Parade was going to escape anywhere each morning during a Central Tablelands winter, he really should have ensured he was escaping somewhere warm.

A book set in Africa (in any time period) would have been nice. North Queensland would have been another good choice. A sweeping Civil War saga set amid the heat and humidity of America’s deep south would also have provided some brief respite from these relentlessly frosty Bathurst mornings.

Instead, Parade is wandering the streets of Bristol in southern England and feeling just as chilly and unhappy because of it.

Mr Morgan (of the book’s title) better get sent to Australia soon or Parade might have to put the book aside for a while – at least until he can’t see his breath anymore when he steps out of the house of a morning.

HOW soon is too soon to be papped (as in targeted by the paparazzi)?

When Parade’s youngest nephew sat down in his mum and dad’s lounge chair for a brief rest on the weekend and promptly fell asleep, he probably thought his cheeky, secret daytime nap would remain cheeky and secret.

Instead, one of his brothers took a photo of him on his iPad and sent it to Parade as a bit of a laugh.

It’s a tough old world these days.

Parade feels grateful that his childhood sleeps were conducted in the days of cameras with film.

If you wanted to be intrusive back then, it took a lot more effort and execution.