Lockdown Diary - Bloomsday (Wednesday 16th June 2021)

It is, as the title says, Bloomsday, the annual celebration of James Joyce's novel, 'Ulysses', the action of which (more or less) all takes place in Dublin on the 16th June (though originally in 1904).  Although I cannot be in Dublin (nor can others, excepting those who live there) this year, I am still trying to celebrate, despite the limitations that having to work on this day place on me.  Next year 'Ulysses' will be 100, so it would be the perfect year to go to Dublin for Bloomsday, though it's probably booked up already or won't happen due to COVID or one of my many imponderables will strike, preventing me from going. I shall investigate.

Early morning call with Talking Therapies and they agree with what I'd suggested last week, the only problem being there is an 8 week waiting list for counselling. All the usual safety and so forth questions answered as usual.

I manage to squeeze in a bit of the Bloomsday breakfast before work takes over, starting with preparation / exercises for today's training course which starts at 10:00.

Scattered throughout the day, I manage to find moments to read parts of 'Ulysses' at the times they occur in the novel, though some of the time I cannot due to work demands.

Sons 1 and 2 are out again tonight, round a friend's house ( I think that's right, though I'm not sure they told me their plans exactly!)

At 6 p.m. there's a 'Bloomsday Readings & Songs' that's streaming live over YouTube from Dublin.  Katherine Lynch, who introduces each reading from the book's chapters, is absolutely magnificent and exuberant. She brings life and humour (for 'Ulysses' is full of wit and humour - it is, after all, set in Dublin and populated by Dubliners) to each section, introducing the readers and setting the scene. The reading from 'Calypso' is by Maria Doyle Kennedy who is absolutely spellbinding: I am in love.

I have to leave early (I'll watch the rest tomorrow) as I'm doing yoga tonight from 7 until 8:15 p.m., to make up for the lesson I missed on Monday.  

Great yoga session with only 4 attendees, none of who I've met before (they aren't Monday regulars), though when it finished I was very hot and sweaty.

Son #3 started making dinner a little before yoga finished (this was pre-arranged) so once I'd got changed and tidied the yoga stuff away it was time to help dish up the dinner.

Ended up watching football again as we ate. This is becoming a habit, and a bad one at that.  It was pretty dull and even son #3 left before it finished, and he's far more interested than me, not that that is very difficult.

Bins, bed, sleep. 

Aquaserge / 'Un grand sommeil noir' / 'The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge' (Due to be released in October 2021)



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