2010 — 2 April: Friday
Next time I notice, somehow it's 00:40 and there's been some jolly fine music on "Late Junction". Ho hum. Better get some sleep, I suppose. Tomorrow is, as usual, another day. And the barometer's gone up, I notice, but it's still horribly cold outside.
G'night.
Fresh, wet drips...
... on both the skylight and the rear window of the study (though, thankfully, not from the radiators anywhere) suggest a moist day so far — it's 09:23 and the vital first cuppa is prising my eyelids apart as I hunt'n'peck at the keyboard. Three hours of sitting more or less motionless on Monsieur Blanc's cheap bench-style seat yesterday afternoon has not done my poor ol' back much good even though I took the precaution of almost immediate immersion in a hot bath on my return. This must, alas, be part of the infinitely undesirable "getting old" process that increasing numbers of my (decreasing numbers of) acquaintance mention with increasing frequency...
I'm reminded of note #5 on Day Zero of this new Life of mine :-) I've also been reminded (good morning, Mike!) that I'd left a "rabbits!" hanging over in my heading. It wasn't Easter bunnies; just one of my bleary mistooks.
This is excellent news, for once. I'm savouring it while catching the episode of HIGNFY that I overlooked yesterday. Why shift it from its accustomed Friday? Knockabout comedy throughout the election campaign, heh? Brilliant idea, wonder how long it will last. Next on the agenda? A couple of "Late Junctions" as fascinating background to some of my usual world-class pottering about. It's 10:40 and pouring with rain. Who cares?
Now and again...
... I vaguely wonder whether or not to offer some of my culled books for sale on Amazon. But reading their "pricing" terms and conditions is quite frankly enough to — as I believe young persons today might say — "do my head in". I have never (for random example) understood VAT1 and (gloriously) still don't feel the slightest need to.
Paling (one hopes) into insignificance
Who said the art of the political jibe is dead? Garry Trudeau's daily "mudline" (under the actual comic strip itself) always manages to crack me up with at least one of its one-liners. Today, for example, I see Rep. Alan Grayson on Sarah Palin: I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Sarah Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them. Magic. Must remember to watch the abominable J Woss tonight to catch Tina Fey (whose deadly impersonations of Ms Palin very likely derailed that fine lady's promising career ambition to become the next Leader of the Free World). Perhaps the BBC could inveigle her on to HIGNFY? (Fey or Palin or, better yet, both at once!) A chap can dream.
It's 12:50 and the rain is depressingly steady. Perhaps a meal will cheer me up? [Pause] First, some shopping, in the gap between rain showers. Check. Now (13:54) it really is time for some food.
That's better. Next a couple of observations in my continuing informal series of chunks of widower wisdom. The first two, as it happens, are both driving-related, and amassed (as it were) in the secular grounds of the Waitrose carpark. The third was formulated in my kitchen:
- You can always tell a Lexus driver — but not much
- Pedestrians tend to walk diagonally across your path, not facing you — how else to maximise their chance of injury?
- Cling film is jolly useful — except when the roll has a regular series of holes in it
When I set off for Roger and Eileen a while back bearing a chocolate chip cookie (each — there's no limit to my generous nature) and blagging a cuppa over there, there was a heron flying around overhead. At Roger's I spotted both a "lesser" spotted woodpecker and a goldfinch, and (staying on the Nature theme) I now just about have time to snip a few daffodils to present to Sophie as I admire young Eline and even younger Ruben while supping with she and Tall Tom before a blast of Frank Zappa. A thoroughly secular Easter, if you ask me, but none the worse for that. It's 17:45 and there are (finally) a few hints of blue sky up there. Mind you, not much sign of life from my decorative Japanese cherry tree yet. The two previous Aprils (2008 and 2009) it was a mass of pink by now.