Lockdown Diary - Saturday 28th November 2020

The usual start to a Saturday: son #2 accompanied me shopping today, which was unusually busy - had to queue for about 5 minutes before getting in. A few extra stops as I was picking up son #1's prescription from Boots and I wanted to pick up a music mag year end review from the newsagents, otherwise conversations with the usual people and then back home to unpack and eat breakfast.  

The coffee shop is no longer getting lacto-free milk (not clear whether this is permanent or not, but they think it might be that way) so I decided to try oat milk for a change.  Disappointingly, as for coconut milk and almond milk, they quite clearly add sugar to it, which makes it way too sweet.  It's a toss up between oat or almond milk, because, much as I love coconut, the taste combined with the sweetness completely overpowers the coffee flavour, which takes some doing in a flat white. I know the staff at the coffee shop pretty well and they have offered to let me bring in my own milk, as I used to, but in the dark days of covid I reckon it's safer for both parties if I don't, and will make do with the lesser of three evils (tbc which that is). {Side note: Soya milk also destroys my digestion so that's not an option either}

Household chores dominate the day and I don't manage to find time to read any of the papers, or much else, if it comes to that. 

Late afternoon son #2 decides he will join me on my walk which has two benefits: having company makes sure I do it; it also means we  get to chat about stuff with no other distractions. We walk a circular route, with some doubling back, that takes about 30 minutes - a reasonable distance if you can do it daily.

I'm slightly troubled by my wife's condition, she seems a little warm (though that may be a combination of the heating/bedding as the back of her neck is not that hot) and she is breathing quite noisily, though that could be just because her nose is blocked.  It's always so difficult as I'm constantly worried that something is going badly wrong and I'm not spotting it or doing anything about it in time.  I repeatedly check on her and she seems to be cooling back down now I've pulled back the covers a bit.  Her breathing is noisy though I think it's her nose not her chest, so I am less worried but keeping an eye an her. 

Today's been one of those days where every time I look at the clock it turns out to be an hour or more later than I'm expecting, which is a little odd as I was up just after 6 a.m., so I'd probably expect the reverse. For this reason, when son #2 starts the dinner, he catches me by surprise: it's also his choice of film tonight which turns out to be 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'.

'When shall we three meet again, in Thunder, Lightning, or in Rain?' It turns out the three of us sit down to watch the film whilst eating curry. 

I have never watched the film before though I have read the book at least twice, and - full disclosure - I am a huge fan of Hunter S. Thomson's writing, and, though 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' is probably his most well-known book, made even more memorable by Ralph Steadman's fantastic drawings, and it's certainly a book I love, there are other equally good, if not better, works.

'Fear and Loathing...' turns out both to be as weird and as compelling as it could and should be.  It is both funny and edgy, perhaps a little too edgy in today's prevailing societal mores. Terry Gilliam directed the film, which contributes to the weirdness of the drug-fuelled action.  I was trying to recall to what extent it's faithful to the book - certainly there is narration (by Johnny Depp playing Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson) which directly quotes from the book - and much of what happens is familiar. There is also a brief cameo from the man himself. I should probably read the book again. Along with the other 300 books I have to read!

Everyone enjoyed the film so much that we watched some of the extras including Terry Gilliam's commentary on the making of the film.

After the film, time to tidy up and get organised for bed.  Before going to bed I check up on my wife - her breathing is quieter and she doesn't seem so warm now, a good sign.  If she feels hot in the morning I'll check her temperature and oxygen saturation level to reassure myself.

As an extra precaution I ask the boys to check up on her in the night - since I know at least one won't go to bed before 3 or 4 a.m. - and, if necessary, to wake me up.

There have been suggestions that, despite me signing up for Whamageddon!, I should choose THAT song.  It's not going to happen. It gets more than enough air play and for that reason alone won't appear here.  Now that's out of the way, what am I choosing today? In the face of such populism, I'm tempted to go for something wilfully obscure, for example from the legendary 'Nurse With Wound List', but I've pulled back from the brink.  Instead something a little less obscure from my collection: Blue Daisy's 'Psyche Inquiry' from the album 'The Sunday Gift' (should have saved it for tomorrow!) 

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