The papers are full of Lockdown Diaries at the moment which vary wildly from the totally self absorbed (usually Slebs who cannot bear not to be in the limelight) to those who have such high minded ideas of what they are going to read (Tolstoy, Joyce, Proust etc) that I have given up on them.
They are as bad as the ones you see in papers during the summer asking What Books will you Read on the Beach and instead of just admitting Dan Brown or Lee Childs, all the high faluting writers trot out a long list which usually includes one of the authors I have already mentioned.
Well, dear readers, you and I know this is total bollocks but we allow them to be pretentious and precious if it makes them feel better.
I am finding it hard to settle down to any serious reading at the moment and I know from comments here and elsewhere that many others feel the same. I have a huge TBR pile which is ever present and lots of lovely books to read, but I have been re-reading and turn to the old favourites such as Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and of course my beloved Georgette Heyer. When you can laugh at the absurdities of Friday’s Child or languish after Damerel in Venetia the world does not seem such an awful place. Which it is at the moment.
I live on my own and spend a great deal of time on my own and I like that, always have done so staying at home with just me does not bother me too much. Of course, in about a month I might be feeling differently and am not smug enough to think I have all this licked because I haven’t.
I have jigsaws coming out of my ears, I always have a good stock in the cupboards and over the last few weeks I have purchased more, from Amazon and on ebay and glad I am I did as the bidding on ebay has now gone through the roof and many of the puzzles on Amazon are now ‘temporarily out of stock’. Sitting down with a 1,000 piece puzzle of a sunset over a Cornish harbour is totally soothing and engrossing and makes it easy to forget what is going on elsewhere.
I have been going out once a week to what I have named The Elderly Hour at our Waitrose just five minutes drive away. The first time I went when I had not been out for two weeks I found nerve wracking. Getting in the car felt strange and I was most apprehensive - it is so easy to become institutionalised. An orderly queue spaced apart, no hassle no fuss. We were let in a few at a time and handed a trolley sanitised and ready. Everyone was SO polite...Excuse me may I just get at the milk? Oh I am so sorry of course....would you mind if I went past you...yes I will get out of your way....so frightfully British. I rather liked it.
Of course being at home would be a wonderful time to sit and watch tennis and cricket but of course there is none. It gives you that feeling when you are ill that you will take the opportunity of lolling in bed and reading, but you don’t because you feel naff and can’t be arsed. It is the perfect example of the Law of Sod. Fortunately, Sky have set up a link and you click on it to pause your sub for Sports until it is back up and running so well done them.
The worst thing of course about this lockdown is not seeing the family. When I said goodbye to my grandchildren a few weeks ago I just burst into tears and when Beatrice said but grandma when are we going to see you again I fled the house. But thank goodness for Facetime and Skype and all those other apps that allow you to chat. Not sure I could manage without them.
It is very cold today so I am happy to be indoors. I am about to start another jigsaw, I finished this one last night, I have a cup of coffee to hand and after lunch I will probably have a nap and then listen to a concert on the radio.
I am listening a lot right now as I cannot cope with the television and the constant haranguing from the news rooms by various reporters which the BBC still insist on sending out to far flung places such as Nether Bottom or Little Piddlington in the Marsh when they should be inside in the studio and not poncing around the countryside.
I shall be posting about the books I have actually managed to read in the last few weeks in a day or two. The British Library Classic Crime feature heavily.....
Stay well and safe everyone and I would love to hear from you all how you are coping.
