… time in ages, and it must really be a long, long time, I’ve actually had a decent, unbroken sleep, and you’ve no idea how much better I’m feeling.
And it might not have been like that either, because once more, I was really late going to bed. I’ve no idea what time, but the last file that was updated on my computer from yesterday was timed at 23:30, so it was certainly after that.
Once in bed, I fell asleep quite quickly. There were no interruptions, no dreams, no phantom alarm calls, no anything, and when the alarm went off and woke me, I was still in the same position as I was when I’d gone to sleep. Nothing had changed at all.
Be that as it may, it still took a good ten minutes or more for me to find the energy and enthusiasm to stand up and head into the living room to unlock the door for Isabelle the Nurse. Having done that, I went into the bathroom to organise myself for the day.
Back in here, there was nothing on the dictaphone, as I said just now, so I found plenty of things for me to do. And it’s just as well, because Isabelle the Nurse was late coming today.
While she was dealing with my legs and feet, she told me about her week off. We’ve had some beautiful weather just now … "although today is cold, grey and wet" – ed … so she spent a day or two relaxing on a sunbed in the garden. And who can blame her?
After she left, I made my usual breakfast, and while I was eating, I was reading some more of THE REPORT OF THE WOOLHOPE NATURALISTS CLUB 1870.
We’re beginning the summing-up now, with all kinds of papers being read to the members at the 1870 AGM. Every subject is being discussed. And our author here talks about the American Meadow Lark and announces with absolutely no sense of irony whatever, that "This interesting bird was killed by a man when snipe shooting close to the town of Cheltenham, about the year 1840, when it rose from a boggy place. According to the Editor of The Field it is one of only three instances in which this bird is known to have appeared in England, and the first—for the others are recorded by Mr. P. L. Sclater in The Ibis for 1861, one being killed at Thrandeston, in Suffolk, and the other at Walsham, in Norfolk."
Can you imagine today, shooting a bird that rare?
And thanks to Seàn, who saw my note yesterday and sent me some info about the sinking of “Foxhunter” on 6th December 1770 during the great storm –
Wooden sailing vessel newly built in 1770 for the Liverpool-Dublin packet service.
Captain Butler, Liverpool to Dublin
Wrecked near mouth of Mersey on 6-7 Dec 1770; wreckage driven ashore.
All 21 passengers and 6 crew lost.
On 6 December 1770, a storm from the Southwest struck and continued with violence, with the wind veering Northwest over the next days. Shipping near Liverpool was heavily disrupted with many vessels driven ashore and lost.
Advert 31 July 1770:
The FOX-HUNTER PACKET, A Vessel built on purpose to ply between the Ports of Liverpool and Dublin only, and calculated to accommodate Passengers with the most genteel Conveniences suitable to their Ranks and Qualities, has 11 in the Cabin, besides several in the Steerage, with other Conveniences for taking the Carriages, Horses, and Baggage of any large Family, will sail from Liverpool for Dublin.
Thanks again.
Back in here, I had a few things to do, such as to download some more music that I needed for my radio programme, and then to reformat it all and then re-edit and then remix it. Having done that, I chose the tracks that I needed and then paired and segued them.
That stop was perfect for a disgusting drink break with my midday medication, and also because a friend of mine with whom I’d been talking told me at that very moment, he was off out to the shops.
After lunch, I began to write the notes for the radio programme, and in a mad fit of energy, they are all now written. Just one or two things remain to be done, and then after that, the programme will be finished. That’s a new record time.
After that, I had another good chat online with someone, and then it was time for tea.
Tonight, I had rice with veg and a taco roll filled with a spicy tomato and kidney bean whatever that I found in the freezer, and it might have been a leftover of something that my friend cooked when he was here. Whatever it was, though, it was really nice, and there’s another helping in the freezer for another time.
Back in here, would you believe, I was giving some virtual guitar lessons on the computer. It’s more complicated than you might think, trying to explain something visual and audible to someone by using just a text medium, but in the end, after about an hour and a half, I had her playing an A chord and a D chord.
Next time, we’ll do C, E and G if we have time (which I doubt), but with just those five chords, you can play a great many popular rock songs.
But that’s for another time. Right now, I’ve finished my notes, and when I’ve finished the backing up and the stats, I’m going to go to bed and hope that I’ll have just as good a sleep as I had last night. We shall see.
But before I go, seeing as we have been talking about guitar lessons … "well, one of us has" – ed … one day, someone ‘phoned me about guitar lessons, so I told him to come round.
When he turned up later, I saw that he had no hands.
"This is crazy" I said. "How on earth can you play guitar with no hnds?"
"It’s not a problem" he replied. "I can play the piano and the violin with no problems."
"How do you manage that?" I asked.
"Well, I’ve always played music by ear."
