Highlights and cuts

Suddenly it feels as if we're hibernating. We're so unused to being battered by the east wind for days on end that for the second day this week neither of us felt tempted to go out, and that is completely unusual for both of us when we're not actually ill. I'd planned that today I would do something conclusive about my hair, mind, and that takes quite a chunk of the morning, involving Mr PB (the back, with the clippers) and then me with the scissors followed by the colour, the flitting around with a dangerously wet head, and finally the shower ...

After that, there was just time for a coffee before a zoom call with my youngest grandchild, who has revealed a somewhat cavalier attitude to punctuation. I have to admit I'm a better secondary school teacher ...It's hard to stick to one's guns while being beguiled by the pupil.I had a phone call with my sister after lunch (another teacher: it runs in families) and then decided some work was in order - primarily on a couple of poems with a view to teaching them at next week's class.  By now, there was no chance of a letter about being vaccinated turning up, and I tried to ignore all the social media cheers from younger friends who had had theirs. I believe one of our 80 year old friends who attends our surgery was done today...

Meanwhile outside went from grey and dreary to dark and invisible, the study grew colder (there was no room to put a radiator in the study when we installed central heating: every wall is covered by bookcases, desks, keyboards, futon for visitors ...) and dinner beckoned. It was then that I realised that there are days when dinner seems the whole focus of existence, the moment when we light the candles, pour the wine, put on the music and forget that life is a mess. 

At 10.10pm I suddenly remembered I'd forgotten to make bread for breakfast. So for the first time ever I worked out what the instructions for the bread maker timer were actually saying, bunged in all the ingredients and set the clock. It seemed to be all right. An hour later, there was the briefest of power cuts, which I dozily didn't register until the telly went off. The internet went off. And it wasn't till I was coming to do this blip that I thought to check the bread machine - and it was off too. Let's hope there's not another cut. 

Blipping a composite of the day's highlights: the hair-cutting in the bathroom  and the spice-crusted salmon, baby potatoes and broccoli we had for dinner. Both were a complete success.

But I think I'd better get out tomorrow or I shall go mad...