Lockdown Diary - Monday 16th November 2020

Great start to the day off with a Zoom-based guided meditation, though I was still a bit wary of the mindful movement that we started with.

I have come to terms with not doing yoga this morning - I will miss doing it but there is no doubt I shouldn't do it.  Actually, never mind about 'shouldn't do it', I don't think I could do it.  One of the carers suggested placing a hot water bottle against the affected area, so I'm going to try that.

I've decided to try and finish my Idler course 'The Idler Guide To Jazz' by watching the remaining five lessons which take me through the 1940s and the start of be-bop into the 1960s and beyond with the avant-garde/free jazz.  The course includes links to a tunes that illustrate the different styles and so I get to listen to those as 'homework' after each lesson. In the closing round-up session Sandy Burnett talks about the various jazz fusion styles he doesn't have time to cover, like jazz-rock, but tantalisingly suggests there may be a course on these areas in the future.

In between times I have been reading the previous issue of Idler magazine, especially Stewart Lee's music column, which has led me to some very leftfield sounds on Bandcamp.  

Having completed the jazz course, I need to pick another, this time I'm going for something completely different, Daisy Waugh's 'How To Read The Tarot'.

I'm still walking around like a 90-year old which is very frustrating as I don't like moving this slowly or gingerly, but have to keep moving to fight the tendency to seize up.

I was planning to listen to some music but discover that tonight's dinner, a pork joint, needs 75 minutes to cook, so son #2 and I are on the case fairly promptly.

Dinner made, we all sit down to watch episode 2 of 'The Queen's Gambit', which continues to fascinate.

The Idler jazz course has been the inspiration for today's music choice. I had considered going with Dave Brubeck's 'Take Five', but it's such an obvious choice I really couldn't go with it, much as I love it. Instead here's Herbie Hancock with 'Cantaloupe Island' from 'Empyrean Isles'


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