Friday, March 19. WFH: DAY 58/LENT 27. 7.00 am: The morning mist was denser today. The ground squelched under foot; leaves and soil along the path were, now, indistinguishable — like the mud pies I used to make (and taste) as a toddler. Forensic: 8.00 am: A communion. 8.30 am: I set up the room and the PowerPoints for the…

WFH: DAY 57/LENT 26. Yesterday evening, I opened an unexpected package.  It contained an egg flute (which is rather like a Xun) made by the cellist and maker of sound objects, Ecka Mordecai. There’s just one hole, at the top of the egg, across which the egg-flautist blows in order to make a sound: 7.30 am: Outwards. The town was…

WFH: DAY 56/LENT 25. 7.30 am: ‘If you go down to the woods today …’. I was there in body, but my mind was elsewhere. (‘Be present, John!’, the voice scolded.) No one else was there. But I didn’t feel alone. Behind and underneath the surface complexity, thousand of creatures hid and went about their lives. One can believe without seeing.…

WFH: DAY 55/LENT 24. 7.30 am: Drizzledom: The daily amble would need to be postponed until later. 8.00 am: A communion. An impromptu staff meeting has been called for lunchtime tomorrow, in order to discuss arrangements for a return to blended teaching following the Easter vacation. The proposition is not straight forward. 8.30 am: Admin. 9.30 am: The first of…

WFH: DAY 54/LENT 23. 7.30 am: Communion and morning exercise. I headed for the woods. Wet leaves and mud were compounded beneath my feet. The wind blew in the tree tops, wood-pigeons cooed, and squirrels scampered across thin branches like seasoned tightrope walkers. 8.30 am Tea #2. I surveyed the week ahead. This was the last one for teaching, before the…

‘Count your blessings, name them one by one’ (Johnson Oatman (1856–1926), ‘When Upon Life’s Billows you are Tempest Tossed’). WFH: DAY 53/LENT 22. 8.00 am: Bloom: 8.30 am: The wind sucked and exhaled throughout the streets and roads. On the Avenue, runners braved, and walkers wrapped themselves about with padded coats and dogs, as they faced-down the forward draft. I…

WFH: DAY 52/LENT 21. 7.00 am: After the rain: 7.30 am: A communion. 8.00 am: I made final preparations for the Art/Sound lecture, at 10.00 am. I took up my script and read an alarming notification that I’d scrawled at the top of the first page, two years ago: ‘Why didn’t you try and locate them immediately, following the last time…

WFH: DAY 51/LENT 20. 7.45 am: A communion. I felt no better but, importantly, neither did I feel any worse. Paracetamol held the aches in check. Nevertheless, the mild nausea, profound drowsiness, and heaviness persisted. But, I’d got through yesterday’s duties, and I would today’s — at a sensible pace. A day of third-year painting tutorials. The line quality on…

WFH: DAY 50/LENT 19. 6.30 am: I lay in bed last night wrapped around a hot-water bottle, and on an electric blanket, trying to shake off a gathering chill. My early-morning dreams were noisy and delirious — something about me having to superimpose a different version of the CD compositions upon the ones that I’ve just completed. ‘This is madness!’,…

WFH: DAY 49/LENT 18. 7.30 am: Drizzle. Walk. I returned to the ‘old ways’: Llanbadarn Road, Parc Avenue, town, and the Promenade, returning via Llanbadarn Road. There were few others about at this time in the morning: 8.15 am: A communion. 8.30 pm: To work. First on the desk was a BA dissertation draft submission that required my comments. 9.30 am:…