Lockdown Diary - Wednesday 26th August 2020

First day of annual leave this week, but still up at 6:25 a.m. in order to be ready for pranayama yoga session at 7.  I missed it last week owing to the training course I was on for work: I really notice the difference when I've not done it (and when I have!)

After breakfast I got myself organised to visit the shopping precinct to post a letter and visit the bank: son #3 has a couple of cheques to pay in, so I invited him to join me, which he did. Whilst there I grabbed a flat white from Costa and a copy of the latest issue of 'Wire' magazine. Such is the excitement of life at the moment.

Strange facts: son #2 informed me the sieve had broken when he was separating the dust from the last of the Rice Krispies he was having for breakfast. Initially I wondered how large a portion he was having, but, on looking at the handle and how it was fixed to the rim of the sieve, I wondered how it lasted so long. At least it hadn't broken when I'd been rinsing rice. I have ordered a 'professional' sieve as a replacement: I'm assuming it will automatically seek out things to sieve in advance of you needing to? If not, I wonder what the prefix 'professional' means? Perhaps there are some arcane secrets about sieving that are passed on from professional to professional, and whose circle I will soon join? I will, of course, let you know of the wonders of the new sieve, assuming I'm not sworn to secrecy before being allowed to take possession of it.

Son #3's university plans are becoming a reality now: we spent a little while sorting out his accommodation - booking a room, paying a deposit and me committing myself to be his guarantor for the cost of his en-suite room, to the tune of £8000! I don't think my accommodation for 3 years in Leeds amounted to that much - including a year in private rented accommodation. Aye, 'you were lucky! When I were a lad I used to live in...' etc. At least it is now sorted.  Looks like he'll be moving in on our (27th) Wedding Anniversary - another thing I need to organise.

After the excitement of online form filling, I read a couple of pages of 'Ulysses' and more of 'Kindred'.  I really need to put some effort in to 'Kindred' if i'm to finish it with time to spare - shouldn't be a problem as it's both an easy read and compelling.

We decided to start watching 'The Bridge' last night - an old Scandi-noir murder story.  Quite an opening episode, what with the body, the associated revelation and the characters of the two detectives. There's one image that'll stick in my mind for a while.

All but one of his has just finished putting the bins out, so that horror is over for another week: praise the lord! 

Yesterday's music choice was way too upbeat. Shan't be doing that again today! Although this is not the version I was looking for, it is still damn fine: this is Japan with 'Ghosts' from the album 'Tin Drum'.  It has just the most exquisite silences and pace. 


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