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Highs and Lows, Ups and Downton

 I found a dead swallow on the floor of the laundry this morning. I cried. The smallest things seem to set me off these days.

Something else that set me off this week has been the commentary in certain sections of the media - newspapers and radio - regarding those of us who have chosen to decline the Covid vaccination. We have been called ‘refuseniks’, ‘conspiracy theorists’, ‘stupid’, ‘idiotic’, and ‘selfish’. We don’t care about protecting others, we are guilty of being disease spreaders and granny murderers. Through our self-centred choice we are preventing the return to ‘normal society’ which, as far as I can work out from the people spitting the bile, is being able to fly off on foreign holidays, go to concerts and visit the pub. Adding more pollution to our earth and poisoning their bodies, then...

Claude Bernard, a physiologist and contemporary of Pasteur, declared the importance of maintaining balance in one’s body (i.e terrain) in order to keep it effective in coping with ‘the germ’ ( i.e disease). Look after your mind, body and spirit with healthy habits and it will look after you - a sturdy and reliable vehicle for your soul whilst it traverses this earthly life. That’s why I’ve never smoked, drunk alcohol, taken illegal drugs or participated in reckless behaviour, save for one flight in a hot air balloon. Call me boring but to me, I am looking after my terrain. Eating a plant based diet, exercising, losing the excess weight that has bothered me all my life. Subscribing to the hobby of life-long learning to keep my mind active, practicing mindfulness and meditation for my spirit. I cry when swallows die. That’s my life. And as far as I know, I’m not causing harm to anyone by living this way. And I am happy for my life to be caring for my home and growing my garden. But perhaps the Angry of the Media are right. Maybe I have made it all about me. Or maybe it’s called showing Personal Responsibility?

Oh, hark at me being all grim and miserable! Good news, please! The Daddy Blackbird, of the pair that have been nesting in the hedge between us and the road, has been bringing two of his Blackbird Babies on perambulations of the courtyard, showing them how to bash a snail into submission for eating, and how to root through undergrowth for other tasty food stuff. They’ve been a delight to watch. Sometimes he takes them into the middle garden and perches on the back of one of the garden chairs to supervise whilst they scuttle around the lawn in their clumsy, squawky way. I never knew blackbirds made such good dads! 

Ten years too late, I have finally arrived at the Downton Abbey party. I never watched the series when it was first aired on TV in 2010, and I’ve no idea why because it is the sort of TV that is usually right up my street. Anyway, Andy bought me the complete boxed set for Christmas two years ago and it’s been sitting staring at me ever since until just over a week ago when I thought I’d finally give it a go, probably as I was on annual leave from work and needed entertaining because the rain it raineth every day (bit of Shakespeare for you there!) 

Well! I am hooked!! I’ve got one more episode to complete Series 4, then the Christmas Special, then I shall be on to Series 5. It’s been jolly good fun, and old Lady Grantham (see above) is a hoot! I shall feel slightly bereft when it’s over, but apparently the second Downton Abbey film is currently under production so that’ll be something to look forward to when it emerges on DVD. I shan’t be able to see it at the cinema, of course, because I am a social pariah. 

His Lordship Malarkey has completed the building of the new and enormous fruit cage by going out into the rain to attach the roof netting as soon as it was delivered at the end of last week. Not only did he get rained on from above, he got drenched from the feet up by having to wrestle his way through the raspberry cane undergrowth. It’s all part of his new ‘do jobs NOW and DON’T procrastinate’ approach to life. But the cage looks jolly good - it has a sort of Regency glasshouse feel about it. But without the glass. And more netting. 

Off to FaceTime Mum now. She has sent me a scarf/snood she has knitted, to keep me snuggly at work when I am outside battling the cold and wet and wind. I need to thank her.



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