A short local walk with Moira (Dame Emily Park circuit)… good
news was that Moira’s knee was recovering and her sciatica was bearable today.
Usual combination of Sunday paper and streamed church.
Pretty gentle day all in all… did another sketchbook scribble
(more lockdown words – relating to the government’s handling of the pandemic).
Read a little bit more of my ‘Running’ book (not my cup of
tea).
Roast pork supper!
Late afternoon/evening telly: Sheila Hancock programme on
watercolour painting (just an excuse for her to visit Venice and India!) and ‘Throw
Down’
Image: Yesterday’s snow moon had turned a bit red by early
evening today!
Another no-walk Saturday (apart from fetching the newspaper)…
Morning coffee over the paper.
Spent a little time scribbling out a collection of ‘positive
buzz words’ relating to lockdown in my sketchbook.
Definitely a day full of sport! Watched Italy v Ireland on
the telly (predictable Irish victory), followed by Wales v England (which was incredibly
frustrating to watch). Wales won… but a very disappointing display by England
and a shambolic performance by the referee!
Drinking a couple of bottles of Guinness helped to dull the
pain!
Fortunately, there was some sporting consolation – Bears beat
Leicester and Villa beat Leeds.
Evening telly: re-watched ‘Art Club’ (Moira hadn’t seen it
due to yesterday evening’s bookgroup).
Image: Walk in the woods (from my Friday walk).
I’d seen from the weather forecast that we were due to have a
pretty sunny day, so set out at about 7.15am and walked along the Avon, under
the suspension bridge, up though Leigh Woods to the ‘top’ road (North Road)
which led to the suspension bridge (at road level)… and then meandered down
through Leigh Woods and back home through Greville Smyth Park. Back home by
9.30am. A very lovely start to the day.
The only downside of my walk was a gradual sense (as I walked
along North Road, for instance) of so much privilege and prosperity (houses
gushing quality and expense, each with three expensive cars parked in their
driveways!). Probably desperately unfair… but that’s how I felt!
Before taking off my coat when I got home, I collected the
shopping bags and immediately went down to Hugo’s to buy some fruit+veg provisions
for the weekend.
I was determined to finish my Bryson book by the end of the
weekend and so spent much of the afternoon reading… and in fact managed to
finish it (very enjoyable… made me laugh!).
Moira had her bookgroup in the evening.
Evening telly: “Grayson’s Art Club” made a welcome return.
Image: Definite Signs of Spring.
Another grey dawn… and I took my usual early morning walk
around the harbour (this time via Metrobus Bridge/Marina/Gaol Ferry Bridge).
On my way home, I passed Andy Day (from CBeebies “Andy’s
Dinosaur’s Adventures”!), the brilliant Pete Judge (from “Three Cane Whale”)…
and was then almost run over by an absolute idiot on an e-scooter travelling
well in excess of 20mph along Coronation Road (6mph is the legal limit on cycle
lanes) while I and several other people were waited for the lights to change at
the Gaol Ferry Bridge crossing!
Moira and I had our usual morning coffee update session… and
then I spent the rest of the morning contacting Virgin Media about our missing
Catch-Up facility! In the end (after ‘hanging on’ and then talking though my
problems with two ‘operatives’ (actually they were both very helpful), after
75minutes, the problem was finally resolved (amazing/slightly frightening that
they can manipulate data/devices online remotely etc!).
Sadly, 75 minutes was about how long England’s second innings
lasted (all out 81!)… and they ended up losing to India by 10 wickets just
after tea/dinner (it was a day/night game) on the SECOND day of the Test Match.
What on earth has happened to the game of cricket I used to know?!
I spent a little time sketching a boat (sadly, only from a
photograph) from Cumberland Basin immediately after lunch… followed by watching
(via catch-up!) ‘Blitz Spirit With Lucy Worsley’ (90 minute documentary
focussing on the lives of six people who lived through the blitz in Britain) –
which was really very impressive (and quite illuminating).
Evening telly: ‘Landscape Artist’.
Image: Swans carrying out pre-flight safety checks?
Bloke’s Prayer – so no early morning walk (pretty drab,
gloomy day). All present, including Johnny (I always like his contributions).
Robin put forward his suggestion of discussing ‘Death’ in one
or two separate evening sessions… and everyone readily agreed. He’s going to
email everyone with a suggested format.
Usual morning coffee+chat routine with Moira – general
catch-up and comparing each other’s day ahead.
Spent part of the morning preparing/altering various pages on
my Blurb book (still some gaps) and read a couple of chapters/articles of my
Carlo Rovelli book.
In the afternoon, we were going to watch ‘Blitz Spirit With
Lucy Worsley’ (90 minute documentary focussing on the lives of six people who
lived through the blitz in Britain)… BUT our ‘Catch-Up’ wasn’t working (the
usual ‘try again in a few minutes’ failed to work)(and still not working by the
end of the day… grrr!). Very frustrating! Watched some Channel4 cricket instead
(day/night match)… but it proved desperately depressing (England won the toss
and we bowled out for 112!).
Read a little bit more of my Bryson book (but spent far too
long checking to see if catch-up was back up and running!). Pretty depressing day!
Evening telly: ‘Repair Shop’.
Image: yet another sketch of ‘Bee’ next to the
M-Shed.
A lovely pre-dawn (dramatic pink sky) – but I failed to take
a decent photograph from the bathroom window (all very slightly blurred!)… hey
ho. Enjoyed my usual dawn harbourside walk – although, by the time I’d
completed it, it was just a normal bright day… no dramatic skies!
Spent the morning putting together some urban sketching
‘Event’ blurb (Norwich on 7 March) and then scribbling some ‘final’ thoughts on
my Blurb book file.
Sketched a little in the afternoon and also, fleetingly, saw
Ruth and Rosa as they popped to the house to collect a book (it was very lovely
to see them!).
Also read some more Bryson.
Had another zoom session with Alan and David in the evening…
good to chat (but feel for David after Sally’s death – and still not really
sure how he spends his time or about his friends etc etc). Talking about
getting Keith involved next time.
Image: Pre-dawn sky at the corner of Greville Road.
Harbourside dawn walk via Metrobus Bridge, Marina and Gaol
Ferry Steps. Rained all the way! Got back home to the sight of workmen putting
up scaffolding next door.
Spent most of the morning and the first part of the afternoon
putting together some images in connection with the prospective application to
“Grayson’s Art Club”. Think I’ve done as much as I can for the time being.
Had intended to watch a 1941 Cary Grant film (directed by
Hitchcock), but gave up after 5 minutes – couldn’t stand the macho male
representation!
Read more of my Bryson travel book for the rest of the
afternoon instead.
Mr Johnson duly made his Covid roadmap statement to MPs - setting out what’s been described as a “cautious approach to ensure this is the
last lockdown”. First stage of his four-part plan (thank goodness they haven’t
gone for ‘tiers’ again!):
1.
From 8 March: All
schools will open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed.
Recreation in a public space - such as a park - will be allowed between two
people, meaning they would be allowed to sit down for a coffee, drink or picnic.
2.
From 29 March: Outdoor
gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed. It is
understood this will include gatherings in private gardens. Outdoor sports
facilities such as tennis or basketball courts will reopen and organised adult and children's sport will also return.
3. No
earlier than 18 May: Most restrictions outdoors will be lifted, subject to a
limit of 30 people. This is the point where people will be allowed to see their
friends and family indoors subject to the meeting of two households. Pubs and
restaurants, plus cinemas, theatres, sports stadiums and some other venues will
re-open.
4. No
earlier than 21 June: Easing of restrictions will happen, when all legal limits
on social contact including weddings will be removed. Government hopes to lift
restrictions on large events and performances "potentially using testing
to reduce the risk of infection".
Evening
telly: same old ‘Only Connect’ and ‘University Challenge’.
Image: Marina collage (96 photographs taken over the course
of the past year from the same spot!).
