under another sun

Spent Good Friday at home, along with most others. Fabulously lucky to have a garden to sit in, and the weather, unlike most bank holidays was glorious. I got up early and painted the front door. It had needed a second coat for about two years, and I finally got around to it. It is a sign of the times that I found this of burning urgency today. Also did laundry and a few other things in a morning frenzy of activity. A leisurely afternoon. I even had an afternoon nap. Beth busy making hot cross buns, and I sat in the back garden as Beth and Lorraine commenced a large jigsaw reading with a plastic orange bowl, the top closed with clingfilm watching the dough prove and expand like a living thing. The hot cross buns were great, and the first time I had ever eaten home made ones. I am reading The Happiness Trap , which Sarah Barnsley bought me. I have been reading it slowly and thoughtfully. It really is the most sensible book about taking care of your mental health I have read I thin...

So a cool and sunny Saturday. Lorraine absolutely exhausted by managing the events of the week. Next week she will have only a skeleton school with a handful of children in it. But new rotas and responsibilities have to be worked out. The children have been sent home with work to do, but there will be no examinations this year. We however got up fairly early for us, on a Saturday. Had breakfast with Beth and then Lorraine spent much of the afternoon dozing. She and I went out for a walk in Preston Park this afternoon. Quite busy, although we kept as far apart from people as was possible. Lots of messaging today. This connected world comes into its own, at times like this. Heard from Richard in Guernsey, with a poem saying that weirdness was normality now. I hate the idea of Guernsey becoming infected, as it now is, as to me it was a place of safety in my imagination. I can't wait to get back there when all this has passed. Richard sent me a pdf of Shakespeare's Sonnets Ab...

Lorraine and I eased ourselves gently into the new year. I was happy just to be spending quality time with my wife. Calliope seems somewhat improved today too, which is good. We went into town, in the rain and saw Star Wars The Next Jedi , just after noon. It was a good brainless hokum, with lots of spectacular zooming about in space and on distant planets, and various bits of Jedi malarky with light sabres. Of its kind, an excellent film. And it did manage to borrow a bit emotion too with the bits associated with Carrie Fisher, whose last role this was. I had an outburst of eccentricity before the show, was in the loo having a strategic pre film wee, and suddenly had a poem idea. Trying to record it on iPhone just outside the gents, muttering some guff about rotten fruit into my phone, gained me at least one funny look. As I was doing this, Lorraine bought teas. Tea the perfect drink for a film starting at 12:30. This done we emerged into the rain and decided to 5b it back home ...

Called Mum to wish her a happy birthday, just as our card to her was being shoved through the door.  Otherwise a day getting a grip on things in preparation for the new year. Lorraine and I went off to see the latest Star Wars film for a spot of facemasky, spaceshippy fun.  The Force Awakens at the Duke of York's picture house. A perfectly enjoyable movie that ticked all the Star Wars boxes without bringing much new to the franchise, but was directed with brio and pacing, which I suspect was what most Star Wars fans wanted.