Uncategorized

‘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 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 49/LENT 18. 7.30 am: Drizzle. Walk. I returned to the ‘old ways’: Llanbadarn Road, Plas Grug 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…

For the sharp-edged air, milky sunlight, frosted soil beneath my feet, bracken’s crackle, and felled trees (for one day I shall lay down too) — thanksgiving. WFH: DAY 48/LENT 17. 7.30 am: I returned to Parc Natur Penglais (as I had, yesterday) to exercise and commune. I swear — each time I return home, the world has changed just a…

WFH: DAY 47/LENT 16. 6.15 am: Ablutions and breakfast. 7.15 am: ‘Go to Parc Natur Penglais, John!’ I heeded the inner voice. (Communion in motion.) The air was icy; and that felt as it should be, on this occasion. There were few vehicles passing along Penglais Road, below. In the far distance, the 7.30 pm train to Birmingham International drawled…

WFH: DAY 45/LENT 14. 7.00 am: 7.45 am: A communion. 8.15 am: A review of the day. It’s now an established tradition that, from Wednesday night until the time of their tutorial today, some of my third-year painters post to the Teams page images of work that they’d undertaken since the last we time we engaged. I prepared for the week…

WFH: DAY 44/LENT 13. In the early hours of the morning, I dreamt of being on a (mercifully) slow train to London sat next to Miles Davis — who was uncharacteristically chatty on this occasion. When I awoke, Radio 3 were playing Rodrigo’s Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez (1939), which Davis had covered on his Sketches of Spain (1960) album. Thus…