Lockdown Diary - Thursday 15th October 2020

Early start for the usual Thursday reason, but today I've also got to post a couple of things and queue for my prescription at Boots, so I need to be outside their doors by 8:30 a.m. if I'm to get back and start work by 9 at the latest.

Back from Boots: 2nd in the queue so I got the meds and set up the repeats early enough to grab a coffee to drink as I start working.

Work dominates the day, with another brief interlude to plumb the depths of the HMRC probate service.  Each day I get one step closer to completing my mission!

As the working day heads towards the end I realise I haven't kept up my walking promise today either, and shortly it will be time for Idler drinks with David Goodhart and Lola Shoneyin. 

David Goodhart talked about recent book, 'Head Hand Heart', 'which seeks to return higher status to the manual and caring professions' and led to an interesting discussion about the changing future of work and the value, or otherwise, of higher education.  Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian poet and author who was speaking from Lagos: she is the founder of the biggest book festival in Africa, the Ake festival, which takes place, virtually, next week. As always an interesting mix of discussion, questions, ideas and poetry. For years Idler magazine has promoted the ukulele as an instrument and has classes teaching it and Hawaiian ukulele songs were chosen to close the Zoom session.  I have to confess that much as I enjoy being a member of the Idler, I draw the line at the ukulele. I don't care how easy it is to learn, I don't like the sound of it and every time I hear it I think of George Formby, which, lets face it, is too much for anyone to bear. He's not going to clean my bloody windows!

Shortly after the Idler session ended my older sister called and we had a brief catch up on life, the universe and everything. The call had to be terminated as it was time to make dinner and, for my sins, I'd agreed to make a fish pie with son #2.

As we were starting from scratch with the fish pie, it dawned on us that we'd left it rather late: potatoes to peel, boil and mash. Fish to poach. Sauce to make.  Even though there were two of us, it took quite a while to get to the point where the fish pie was in the dish and ready for the oven.  The end result was really good (IMHO) but we didn't start eating until almost 9. I think we both learnt some lessons for fish pie 2.0, the upgrade.

'Lovecraft Country' had more shocks in store, some of which weren't ideal for dinner time, though at least it was fish rather than something based upon red meat.

To sleep, perchance to go off on a tangent, never to return.

Roxy Music have turned up twice in the last couple of days: on Lauren Laverne's BBC6 Music breakfast show today and my random mega-playlist earlier in the week. I've gone with my playlist choice, which I prefer, 'All I Want Is You' from the album 'The Thrill Of It All'.  UMG seem to have gone for a more politically correct version of the album cover!

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