under another sun

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 ...

Big things happened today in the Kenny household, and one national one. First was that Sam left. Lorraine drove him off in the rain to his dad's in London, in a car stuffed with his belongings. Gary will drive him up to Scotland tomorrow. Sam did very well as change is not his favourite thing and coped with the last minute packing and scrambling about very well. Lorraine was already turning the car around to face the right direction, and he gave me a manly hug, after saying a formal goodbye to Calliope and Brian, and then I watched Lorraine and Sam drive off in the rain. Although I feel it was time for him to start the next chapter of his life back in Scotland with Jade, I felt sad to see him go. In my empty home, I did a bit of tidying in my office, filing and so on, and went down to eat a Linda McCartney sausage sandwich and watch the Daily politics, and they covered the speaker saying that the Queen was unwell. A business meeting this afternoon, and Lorraine and I were driving t...

My best day for a while. Got up early, but not too early, had a chat with Keith about bid'ness and did some work for the Germans. Lorraine on half term today, and went off to help Beth tidy her old rented flat, now that she and James have moved.  Lorraine and I having proper discussions today about the next stage, with her retiring from Headteachering this year, and our house move. Writing lists about what needs to be done.  I went for a walk this afternoon, the first time in a while and felt I had energy too and this made me cheerful. A bright day. The photos look dark because I was shooting into the sun somewhat. The bottom one shows the curve of the Hillfort wall.  Tucked into cold nut roast and oven chips tonight. Curiously delicious. Spoke to Mum this evening. Lorraine phoned Maureen, whose Covid, like the Queen's, is manifesting as a cold. 

A good night's sleep and both Lorraine and I were feeling distinctly perkier. A quick breakfast with John then off in the car to Marks and Sparks to pick up a cake that Lorraine had had decorated there, and a cheeky bunch of flowers. Drove off towards Kent to join in the celebrations of Pat and Maureen's sixtieth wedding anniversary, which occurred while they were on holiday. At Ashford Station we picked up Beth and were soon at Pat and Maureen's house. It was already filling up with people, as Pete, Ken and Clare were there. Soon Lorraine's nieces Sarah and Louise, and Louise's partner Will had arrived, then Jason, and Maureen's sister Betty, and Betty's daughter (Lorraine's cousin) Janet and her husband... Then it was time to drive off to the Duke's Head, where we had a room, the same one we'd been in for Pat's Eightieth birthday.  We were joined there by several other family members including Maureen's sister Doris, Pat's brother...

So day two of a four day long weekend, all thanks to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. This being June, and England in drought, it rained steadily on the flotilla of boats drifting soggily down the Thames and it was unseasonally cold. The Queen, I felt, looked understandably glum, the flypast of historic planes had to be cancelled, and the BBC's coverage of the event and of the hordes waving their sodden Union Flags was poor. Watching singers, hair plastered to their heads, bobbing on a boat on the muddy grey water belting out Land of Hope and Glory did make me think that our true National treasure is comedy. Rather conflicted by this Jubilee stuff as I am not a royalist and loath the idea of inherited privilege, but I also have a curious admiration for the Queen. Though after she goes, what's left is shite and onions. Meanwhile my ankle which had been causing me a degree of gyp throughout the week, exacerbated by several lively gym sessions, felt fiery and tendon...