Here we go again. Another lockdown. Yippee.
Still, it gives me the excuse to start up my weekly musings once more, as I warned you I would if the short summer break turned out to be nothing more than a chance for people to ignore the virus and reinfect the nation. But - and apologies for the cliche - we are where we are, so let’s try to make the best of things. And with that in mind I suggested to members of my family that they should supply me, every seven days, with something that has given them pleasure that week. It could be something they’ve created, painted, made, cooked, drawn, written, thought, photographed, seen…in short anything I can incorporate in my weekly musing.
Rosie was the first to respond: she said it was such a lovely surprise to see Bash and Gemma for only the second time this year when they popped here for the night after coming all the way from Somerset to install one of Bash’s masterpieces for a client in Surrey.
Sophie was next: her highlight was getting ready for halloween, cooking with daughter Bay, making Bay’s bat costume and tricking and treating with Bay’s pals.
Bash’s most pleasurable moment of the week was the successful installation of his wardrobe for his Dorking client. He said: ‘pleasurable because it went in exactly how it should have, looked good, nothing went wrong, sun shone, went in in half the time we thought, then we got to hang out for a day in sunny Sussex with the parents’.
As for Gemma, who is not only Bash’s wife, employee, illustrator extraordinaire, lino cutter and print maker of undiscovered genius, her moment was ‘I processed these last night - they're my reason to be cheerful because, well GOLD INK. I've been meaning to print a black on gold version of this for ages and I can't believe it's taken me this long!’
And for me, up until this evening my most pleasurable moment was a simple one: kicking autumn leaves as I walked along with the dogs keeping me company. But the confirmation tonight of Joe Biden’s triumph over that vain, narcissistic, arrogant, misogynistic, bullying, self important, pathetic little man has won my vote. But to clear the nasty taste in my mouth here’s a few views of Friston Forest anyway.
Now it’s your turn. For the next few weeks I’m relying on all my loyal readers to supply me with the most pleasurable moment of your last seven days. It’ll give you something to think about each week and perhaps become a sort of discipline that might help pass the time and keep a sense of sanity and fun in a chaotic world. Please do.