Nine Feet Underground

Another working day, with the added excitement of the first meeting of the 'Ulysses For All 2023' reading group online tonight. During the day, in moments between working sprints, I have to organise a few things for E (deliveries etc), but otherwise it's all work and no play. How dull am I? The appointed hour arrives and I join 'UFA 2023' a little ahead of 6 p.m. and there are already people strapped in for 2 hours of fun. As today is the first meeting, the focus is primarily upon introductions and providing an overview of the upcoming weeks.  One good bit of news is that the format of subsequent sessions will be built around breakout sessions discussing what we've read, our thoughts on it, challenges and difficulties and soon.  Each breakout group presents their findings back to the main group and so it goes.  In addition, each week an external presenter (an expert on one aspect or another) will provide their thoughts on what we've just read before we break...

Another week begins, with big changes in the offing. It marks the start of the first week of Q being away in Australia, the first of four. It's going to be hard (restraint) but we can at least keep in contact - we had our first video call this morning.  On top of that, today marks the culmination of a few days of soul-searching and discussion about where E should go when discharged from the hospital. This has been very difficult, weighing up what's best for E, the boys, and me. Initially, we had thought about a nursing home, primarily for reasons of close medical care when needed.  Since then I have been reassured by several sources (including the NHS) that this shouldn't be a problem in the community. Most important of all is what's best for E even if it might come with emotional challenges for us in the future. We have all agreed that E would be happiest and most comfortable receiving palliative care at home when the time comes. That way she would be in familiar surro...

Today's a day off in lieu of Monday last week, but sadly there's no lie-in. The cleaner will be ringing the door bell at 10 to 7, so I might as well be up and ready by then, which, of course, I am. There's a whole bunch of things I want to get done today: washing for son #3 ahead of going to uni tomorrow; remove a bunch of books and magazines from my bedroom to reduce the chance of me being crushed in my sleep by a mountain of books; walk for 30 minutes or so; get cards and present written and wrapped for our anniversary tomorrow; read the weekend paper backlog; change my bed; and, if there's any time left (!) read more of 'The Hunting Party' and start 'The Time Machine'.  Ambitious? I suspect so. By the time the lunch carers arrived one wash was done, another was under way and the book mountain was re-homed whilst the magazine backlog was mostly in the waste bins outside (not all of them - stuff from before 2020 - give or take articles I removed to read...

For the first time in I don't know how long, I've not read The Observer today. In the old world I used to go and pick up the paper, along with coffee and fresh food items on a Sunday morning, and maybe say Aloha to a few of those I'm on 'How the devil are you?' terms with.  In the new world, apart from the coffee shop being shut, I can't really justify going out to buy a newspaper.  Even if one of us weren't highly vulnerable to Covid-19, the risk of going out where there are other people, is too great for them and for us. I had attempted to rectify the newspaper catastrophe (yeah, I know it's not even on the scale, but everything is so over the top now, everything's a fucking catastrophe), however I left it too late: we do get some papers delivered but when I called to amend my order they told me they'd been overwhelmed with requests - 150 new accounts opened in the last week (I'm guessing a lot of people are ordering The Sun, Mail and...

This has been a long time in the making, but finally, almost a month into 2019, I've almost listened to all the albums I have from 2018.  If I don't complete this look back soon it'll be overtaken by the new albums from 2019 - and there already are some great albums from January and even more promised in February. (I should also add that albums I missed in 2018 are still being brought to my attention, this includes albums by Jonathan Wilson ('Rare Birds'), Steve Gunn ('The Unseen In Between') and Rezzett ('Rezzett LP')). Before I get into the top ten list I ought to say something about the albums that haven't made the list.  That's the subject of this post. Honourable mentions I guess you'd call these.  There were a lot of good albums in 2018, many of which contain 4 or 5 great songs or tunes, often including a smattering of other good tracks but, ultimately not enough to make the top 10. (Many of those songs do appear on my...

[Saturday 13th October 2018] A day of contrasts: occupied by many tasks and activities and escaping through eating out in the company of my sisters. Internally the brain travels locally and finds cause for discomfort, sadness and loss.  That which, seemingly, cannot be regained, O cruel tormentor. The end of the end, indeed. 😧 [Post title is from "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allan-Poe]