Lockdown Diary - Sunday 19th July 2020

After yesterday's sunshine, this morning I awoke to a post-rain scene: it's no longer raining, but has obviously been raining.  Some sun would be nice, but it doesn't look like that's on the cards for today.

Sunday breakfast: coffee and almond croissant. Good start to the day, though Waitrose's almond croissants are not a patch on the ones from the bread stall in the market. Still, beggars can't be choosers. Hopefully next weekend I'll be able to go shopping again. And when I say hopefully, I don't entirely mean it: I really can't say that I've missed going shopping. At all. Not one bit.

Breakfast polished off, and I feel the urge for a second cup of coffee - 'why on earth not?' (or words to that effect) and go for it. I savour my second coffee whilst creating the basic Wednesday shopping delivery - more to be done on that on Monday and Tuesday, but at least it's partially there. I can now forget about it.

Finished the coffee as I read the review section and other select bits of today's Observer.  I've read two reviews of the new book by Chris Frantz on Talking Heads (the band, not the Alan Bennett monologues) and it sounds like an unmissable read.  Gonna have to wait until it comes out in paperback though: not to mention that right now, I have way too much to read.

[I think what I need is two brains, with shared memory, plus two sets of eyes. One brain can be reading, absorbing and storing, whilst the other is doing fun stuff with the rest of my body. (I'm imagining my body would be vital for the fun stuff I'll be doing, though this may be blind optimism) There is a challenge as to where the other eyes are located.  Maybe I'd need arms and hands to hold the book and turn the pages too. This is getting mighty complicated. I know! Unless the other brain works whilst I'm asleep: then it can share my arms and hands, plus I guess the eyes, provided there were two separate optical paths, one to each brain. That way I could sleep with my eyes open. Freaky!] 

I thought I had all the washing done yesterday, but I've ended up doing three loads, which is mucho boring.

Apart from finishing the Observer, I've also read more of 'Ulysses' (the end of 'Hades' is in sight), 'The Code of The Woosters' and 'Hawkwind: Days of the Underground'.

The boys and I had lunch whilst watching an episode of 'South Park' and I've found time to cut my hair (final tidying by son #1) and trim my beard.  I am like a Tasmanian Devil.  Never stop. Even when I'm taking it easy.

I think I hear music calling to me. Be back in a while.

Tonight's music consisted of: finishing off listening to the Bananagun album; listening to the whole pf the recent Tony Allen & Hugh Masakela album 'Rejoice'; and starting listening to Once & Future Band's album 'Deleted Scenes'. Quite a contrasting bunch.

Saturday night's curry was postponed until this evening and was lovingly prepared by son #2 after I'd soaked the rice for 30 minutes or more. Then we had a second film night, coincidentally watching another Coen brothers film, again starring George Clooney - the film being 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'  It's suitably darkly funny and incorporates a version the apocryphal (or is it?) tale of Robert Johnson arranging to meet the devil at a crossroads and selling his soul in exchange for guitar-playing skills. Names had been slightly changed, naturally.

Another album from these guys is long overdue: Kikagaku Moyo with 'Nazo Nazo' from the album 'Masana Temples'.

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