Sunday 4 November 2012

The Importance Of Being Idle

There are two elections coming up in November, though you are likely to know more about the one across the pond that the one taking place closer to home.

On November 15th we are supposed to be voting for the new Police and Crime Commissioner. Now I was totally unaware of even the date of this election until very recently and still do not know who the candidates are or what they stand for. So far I haven't had one leaflet through the door let alone anyone turning up to chat.

I suspect there are ways to find out, the local papers would be a good place to start but here is another problem. My village is just outside the catchment area for the Bedford papers and also just outside the catchment for the Luton papers and as a result we don't get any papers. Normally this is not a problem as to be fair I would bin them anyway but when something important is happening I'd at least like to read up on it.

So will I be voting for anyone, well to be honest no because I don't believe in blind voting. And to be frank if the candidates can't be bothered to canvass me then I can't be bothered to vote for them.

My trip to the book fair didn't happen. After struggling to put my trike together I sat down to rest and have a cup of tea before venturing out only to wake up at half past four a full hour and a half after the fair closed. Drat! To be fair I must have been pretty tired to just keel over like that but it is depressing to feel you can't even rely on yourself anymore.

Still tired I hit the sack early last night and woke around eight wondering if it were still the middle of the night. It was so dark I could hardly see across the room and that was with the curtains drawn back. I got up to peer out of the window, took one look and headed back to bed. It was filthy out there, heavy rain and high wind, enough to make me want to stay in bed. So I did, well for an hour while reading the papers then it was across the corridor to lie back in warm scented water and listen to the rain beating against the window of the bathroom for another twenty minutes.

By then I had pretty much run out of excuses so dressed and staggered downstairs to scour the cupboards for something I could sling together for lunch. Having settled on creamy cheese and tomato pasta bake I headed for the kitchen slung all the ingredients together and slammed it into the oven.

As I waited for the bake to cook I watched the garden from the patio doors and was slightly alarmed to find the patio was filling up with water. We've never had a flood but there is always a first time and whenever I see water creeping towards the back doors I feel a little shiver of panic. The greenery has changed seemly overnight as most of the leaves are now a reddish yellow, while the Silver Birch is shedding like there is no tomorrow and carpeting the lawn in gold. It was only last week that I was looking at the tree in bright sunshine and marvelling at how late it had kept it's leaves this year. Obviously I spoke to soon.

I watched as another blast rained leaves down like snowflakes and I mentally made notes of all the jobs that need doing. Not by me unfortunately and certainly not in this weather. I made a note of how far up the water had come and then headed into the living room to continue my day of sloth while waiting for the Grand Prix to start.

I am not good at doing nothing, anyone who knows me will testify that I will shift heaven and earth to carry on as normal but there is a lot to be said for being idle sometimes, especially when you are ill. I've been idle, OK, idle for me, for two days now and have actually quite enjoyed the experience. Not only has it give me time to recharge physically but also mentally and emotionally too. I never realised how important down time can be but I think it is time to start appreciating being lazy from time to time. I'm sure I'm going to be healthier and happier for it.

I'm back at work tomorrow but I can't say I'm looking forward to it. After a period of sickness I usually cannot wait to get back into the swing of things but now my overwhelming feeling is 'why am I doing this?' I can only think that the weather, my impending trip to Papworth and my being ill again have all conspired
to send me into hermit mode and make me want to stay at home. Maybe I'm embracing this new desire to be lazy more fully than I thought or maybe it is because I've had another scare and work is no longer so important in the great scheme of things, who knows? However I think it is more to do with the six o'clock start. I can do this with no problem at all in the summer when the mornings are light and filled with birdsong. It is entirely different when it is cold, dark and wet. I'm sure humans were meant to hibernate.

Strictly Watch

Maybe it was because of the lack of gimmicks or just the weather but the show seemed to lack some of it's sparkle last night. 


Poor Richard forgot his steps, Fern was unconvincing in the Paso and Lisa managed to look constipated during the Tango. Even Louis and Colin were not as brilliant as they have been in recent weeks. Michael proved last week was not just a flash in the pan but he is doing Latin next week so if I were him I'd enjoy it while I can. In a very bland week no one really stood out for me unfortunately. Denise ended up top of the leader board but I though Kimberley was better.

Bottom two? Well unless he gets a huge sympathy vote I think Richard is a certainty, then either Fern or Nicky but what do I know, I've got it all totally wrong up to now.

By the time I next write America will have a new president and I will have had a birthday, next blog Friday.

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