A Queen departs

My back still wretched. Crept out of bed fairly early, after Lorraine brought up a cup of tea. Shuffled downstairs and had a meeting with Val and another colleague and took a small, but fairly unusual brief. 

This done, and a bit of thinking about it afterwards, and I crept downstairs to watch the Queen's coffin being conveyed into Westminster Abbey for it was a bank holiday for us all to mourn. Obviously I can't abide being told what to feel. But it was undeniably magnificent theatre, and you'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel moved by the swirl of the bagpipes as the gun carriage neared the Abbey. The UK has gone through such an epic bout of self harm lately, exemplified by the deeply unimpressive Truss who delivered a pulpit reading with all the emotional resonance of the speaking clock. Perhaps this is the post covid catharsis people are craving. 

Beth and James dropped by this afternoon to pick up some of Beth's bits that were still here. They were off to Harry Potter World tomorrow. I like seeing them so happy together.

Lorraine working steadily, and insisting I don't try to help her. I feel a bit miserable about being so useless, and also weirdly tired with the pain. It is very frustrating to be so debilitated at this precise moment, when I should be packing hard and cheerfully with our new life just weeks away. 

Nice chat with Mum and Mas. They had a look at our new place online and liked it. They had been to the pub at lunchtime, and watched a bit of the funeral. Neither of them much impressed with the wall to wall coverage. 

Spoke to Anton who has to have his knee operation this week and is not relishing it. Lorraine will collect him from the hospital. Escaped into fish pie and salad and Deep Space Nine tonight. 

Characters from DS9 which I am beginning to wonder may be the hidden gem in the Star Trek crown.