under another sun

Sunday, glorying in a bit of a lie in, till the necessity for us to get up and eat kippers grew too strong. Lorraine and I drove to a Bolney garden centre (briefly playing Royal Consort as Lorraine chatted to the owner who had donated a Christmas Tree to the school). We bought a Christmas tree, a long time since I've had a real one. Reminded forcibly of why its leaves are called needles when I carried the blighter in from the car. Otherwise moving chairs about, and thinking about Christmas a bit. A very frustrating day. L and I decided that we would sort some house stuff out. Assembling a free standing towel cupboard for the bathroom. After an hour of assembly,  the last bit was the hinge lid. The lid was cut too big to fit, and one of the hinges was missing a vital part. We have a dodgy connection from the TV arial outside to our TV. It has worked for ages, and the coax became intermittent. Took it all apart and reassembled it. Went to the hardware store and bought a new bit and...

A relaxed, slow start to the day. Lots of talking that we hadn't had energy to do over the week.  Then an organisational day, doing things like drilling holes above the window in the front room so we could hang the curtains again, and then hanging curtains. I like doing things like this with Lorraine, as I have little confidence as a DIY person without her. A visit to the carpet shop nearby too, to discuss carpets. The colour of a carpet is a fiendishly difficult decision sometimes. Also went to get the car washed (by dour hooded men under the viaduct) and visit Miss Mole's Flower Emporium (the owner kissing Lorraine hello) where I bought a terrarium for Lorraine to have in her new office. If Lorraine had her life again I think she might work with Miss Mole in her flower emporium. It is a fragrant place. Then Lorraine cooked a gorgeous fish pie, and we watched a little TV before she conked out. I stayed up and watched some episodes of Nathan Barley a cult comedy of which only...

Lorraine and I finally repaired the kitchen island which had been propped up on a collection of art books for some time. One of the solid steel wheely wheel things (technical term) had snapped off completely unprovoked, and our job was to replace this. Some hefting, drilling, and manful screwing. Always feel rather amazed when DIY works. Lorraine and I are a good team. Lorraine is brain I am brawn. Otherwise heavy rain on Saturday and small chores. Lorraine and Beth both not feeling very well. Lorraine and I had an interlude in the park on Sunday night, in a rainless sky. Beginning to feel stir crazy, stale and negative and generally not a great pleasure to be around. A condition which floating about in the transparent Aegean sea looking at fishes for a while can only help. Will take my watercolours too, for the full therapeutic experience. Rediscovered my favourite straw hat today,  having lain dormant in the unabated rain, and Lorraine sifted through sarongs...

Sorry son, change of plan Up fairly early, and working on The Sick Day , I only have this week and next week to complete the first draft, so I'm just going hell for leather for it. For various reasons it made me read the bit in Genesis about Abraham being prepared to sacrifice Isaac as a test of his obedience to God. This strange story is the starting point for Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling , which I once sped read, and have almost no recollection of. Kierkegaard often has good titles. I am going to read it again this week, simply because I can. I always felt sorry for Isaac in the Bible, being told that God would provide an animal for the sacrifice, and then at the last moment his dad Abraham saying, "Er. Sorry son, change of plan". And then "Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son". Luckily an angel appears, but it must have been a nasty moment for the lad. When not thinking about hypochondria and black comedy and the Book ...