2012 — 2 March: Friday

For some unknown reason this morning1 the noise from the ever-busy motorway is coming in loud and clear. But the 'Largo' from the New World (which was the first orchestral score I ever read) is battling it nicely.

Are Grauniad readers...

... really this dim?

If you can avoid social networks altogether, that should also increase your privacy.

Jack Schofield in the Grauniad


Know what? I don't want to know.

Not for the first time...

... in this still-strange, post-industrial, post-Christa, phase of my Life2 I find myself forced to throw out some excess food. It is difficult to buy fresh stuff in sufficiently small quantity for just me and avoid a daily trip to the shops at the same time. And I find I'm very much inclined toward the latter. Right. After a successful ankle-biter avoidance run and a carefree romp through a nearly-empty (when I arrived) and filling-rapidly (when I left) Waitrose, it's definitely time for breakfast and my second cuppa, methinks.

Set microwave to stew, Mr Sulu, and shovel in a couple of plums...

Thanks, Mr Postie

I now have dear Mama's latest tax code, an offer of 'free' home insulation from my local guvmint, and some entertainment options for tonight:

DVD and CD

I recently heard a couple of John Grant tracks and was quite 'took' with them. The film looked promising, too. [Pause] The CD is good.

Longer pause

And I'm now (15:34) just back from the care-home. Dear Mama continues to bob along on a sea of gentle mental confusion. I don't think there's a safe port in sight in any direction for her. Traffic was quite ghastly, too — I actually reversed my route to give Winchester a miss and hit a '50' limit on the motorway going south. It's relatively mild, poor visibility, and well past time for my next cuppa.

Mark Kermode was most amusingly untaken by the new McG film with Reese Witherspoon et al, "This means war". I shall be downloading his podcast rant soon to enjoy it again. I'm a man of simple pleasures. [Pause] Including my own special way of enhancing a mundane Waitrose 'king prawn and pilau rice' curry with judicious application of extra prawns, lemon juice, and (of course) a honey sandwich. Delicious.

Despite the unpromising weather, we're off for another walk tomorrow morning. Must be mad. Time (20:11) for some moving pixels. [Pause] Well, to my delight, "American cousins" can take its place alongside "Local Hero", "Comfort and Joy", and "Gregory's Girl". Lovely little film.

  

Footnotes

1  At just after 07:30 and an uncheery set of news soundbites on BBC Radio 3.
2  Second or third childhood, I guess.