Lockdown Diary - Thursday 18th June 2020

Awoke to the sound of rain on my window, so got up in a leisurely fashion, just in time to be downstairs when the first carer of the day arrived.

Amongst the various indulgences of this week off, I've been slowly making progress through this month's book club book, 'The Binding'.  It is an odd book. It started off as one thing, which I liked for its gothic and occult leanings, then it changed and seemed to be heading in a Dickensian direction, before another change (all occult aspects gone) into a bucolic, rural romance, with a twist (though one rather strongly telegraphed), and I still have around 170 pages to go.  I must admit I've found the rural romance less interesting than the occult beginnings.  There is still a mystery to unravel, but it seems the answer may be rather prosaic, when it's revealed.  It needs to change soon, or it will lose my interest and finishing it will be a struggle. Especially as it is competing with 'Ulysses' for my attention.

Weaving in and out of my reading and tasks this morning I've been listening to last Sunday's 'Freak Zone' via the BBC Sounds app, something I want to do regularly again.  Not such a strong episode as some I've listened to lately, though some music to investigate from The Soft Moon, Trees, Sven Wunder, and an album I've already earmarked to buy, the latest album from Drab City, which is insinuating its way into my heart. 

This afternoon I was hoping to get a glimpse of the combined Red Arrows and Patrouille de France formation as it flew to the south of here en-route to a flypast over Central London to commemorate 80 years since an historic speech by Charles De Gaulle to the French people from London which marked the beginning of the French Resistance and also the visit of President Macron to London.  Sadly though i heard them on the radio, along with the distant sound of the jets passing to the South of here, they weren't visible.

This evening I'll be attending another Idler 'Drinks with...', this time it's the turn of the poet Murray Lachlan Young (poet's doing him an injustice, he's described as 'a British poet, stand-up performer, broadcaster, playwright, screenwriter and children’s author.')

Another fun 'Drinks with...' made especially enjoyable by discovering that Murray went to school with Phil Hartnoll of Orbital and they've been working together setting new, topical poems to the music and beats written by Phil.  There was a particularly enjoyable poem, titled 'I'm Going Shopping', about the nightmare that is shopping under lockdown. It can be found here.  An interesting discussion about anarchy, and what it really means, as opposed to what you probably think it means.

From 'Drinks with...' to dinner followed by another episode of 'Altered Carbon'.  I think we only have three episodes of the first series left.  Last night's was a false ending, in the sense that it tied up a story line (with a lie, so not really), whilst leaving lots of unanswered questions.  There are two series (not sure if more are planned) to watch currently and it's still failed to really land with me.  There are lots of potentially interesting story lines but they keep getting cast aside, I assume, because there's a bigger story unfolding? There are some good ideas, but it could be so much better if they stuck to one and explored it, in depth.

My unwanted finale to the day and an unwelcome early birthday present is that I have another damned urine infection.  They just get me down so much and the operation cannot come a day too soon, though if I can't clear the infection they won't let me have the operation, so it's a true Catch-22. The operation will stop the infections recurring, but I can't have the operation if I've got an infection. FFS.

I often return to this album because it is just so damn good.  The title track seems to fit nicely with both 'Altered Carbon' and the fact that I'm back to work next week. This is Janelle Monae with 'Dirty Computer' from the album of the same name. It's one of those rare songs that's way too short.  Could have done with another verse or two and repetitions of the chorus.  For those who need to know these things, the backing vocals are by Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame. He still has the voice.

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