Nine Feet Underground

More of the same today, so I'll probably not have much to say. Conversations with the carers and friends have been the high points of the day, though they have been scattered amongst the majority of the time spent on work. The lunchtime carers started a chat about the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery, the use of cosmetics and the male response to women who are either modified or heavily made up. It was suggested that males are always attracted to enhancements of a pneumatic nature, but both I and son #2 (who also became involved in the chat) rejected this suggestion. I welcome these conversations as they are a vital source of social interaction in these days of working from home and enrich life.    Once upon a time, back in the mists of time (no gorillas!), I had this wonderful idea that I would find time every working day to take 30 minutes out for the purpose of thinking: no agenda, no expectation, just time set aside to see what comes to mind and invigorate all aspects of ...

This is going to be an unusually short post for a non-working day, but as it's a non-stop day of activity (relatively speaking!) then it's a good thing, I guess. Various things to organise first thing before heading off to my yoga class, in real life again. Returned from yoga and now I need to change into a different 'uniform', this time for a pub lunch followed by a walk in the West Berkshire countryside. Not much time to muck about as I need to get ready and drive there as soon as possible to arrive at the pub in time. Just back from the lunch and walk in time for the final carer call of the day.  Four school friends and I had an enjoyable pub lunch followed by a walk around Aldworth and along part of the Ridgeway. Despite the forecast the entire walk was completed without a spot of rain landing on our heads. Change of 'uniform' again back into civvies in time for tonight's book club meeting to discuss 'An Artist Of The Floating World' - originally...

I had intended to start the day with an early morning walk, but, to be frank, I was tired, I couldn't be arsed, so I didn't. I enjoyed a lie-in, for a change. I got up before the first carer call, though, and started getting set up for work and breakfast. The carer arrived and we chatted whilst she went about the medication and PEG bits and pieces. After she left I went off and showered, did my exercises and got dressed. Breakfast next, and that all important cup of coffee, before settling down at the laptop to continue documenting the design. I had an early morning call with my friend in Berlin (not so early for him) and we discussed Trump, Johnson, Cummings and the lockdown differences between Germany and the UK. Having set the world right, or rather commiserated on just how bad things are and where they seem to be heading, we ended the call and I got on with work. Work took centre stage for the rest of the day, as it always does, Tuesday to Friday, punctuated today by...

[Sunday 11th November 2018] The day before...it is so hard to see reality fade in and out and memory become separated from personal experience. The fear in the eyes when facts are no longer certain and to ask is to dread the answer, not knowing things and risking exposure of how tenuous the grip on a life story has become. Oh, for the certainty..."Let's get out of this hopeless town"...if only it were possible [Blog title is a quote from the poem 'Second Opinion' by Douglas Dunn]

[Wednesday 10th October 2018] Getting up earlier and earlier for work as the reality of travel on the M4 hits home.  My getting up doesn't bear much resemblance to this ("much"!!!) but there is some allure in this approach, or at least given the right circumstances there could be 😈 [Quote is from 'Ode on Melancholy' by John Keats]