It is now six days since my last post. They slip by so, easily in my days spent sitting by fans sipping cold water and eating ice cream. That’s not my entire day, of course, Julia is rationing me to one ice cream a day. It is for the best. I’ve been out a few times but returned to shade and fans as soon as possible. We have had a builder in doing more jobs that should have been done years ago. We still have jobs that need doing too. It never ends . . .
Several notable people have died in this period, including a politician who seems to have been murdered and a TV presenter who was my age when he died. I could, I suppose, offer some commentary on the events but all I would be doing would be voicing an opinion based on what I have seen of them on TV. They both seemed OK and I’m sorry they died sooner than they, and their families would have wanted. These days I tend to think of people in relation to our ages – one was 11 years older than me, one was my age. Any sadness I may feel at their passing would be heavily intertwined with thoughts on my life expectancy.
I also try to avoid the modern curse of thinking I know people after reading Wikipedia, an obituary and a scattering of internet gossip.
I see one of our national football team has just referred to him and his team mates putting in a “hard shift”. Shifts tend to be eight hours long, depressing, tedious and poorly paid. It’s not how I would describe the life of a professional footballer.
I just checked up on my views to see if I was being fair and accurate. It seems they start their training days “early” and “often around 7:30 or 8am”. I can’t help feeling that this says as much about the life of a journalist as it does about the life of a footballer, as most of the working world doesn’t see this as early. Nor do we start the day with a light breakfast of low fat and high protein ingredients. Employers generally expect you to have eaten before you arrive.
However, like members of the Royal Family, footballers are easy targets, as they are so divorced from the realities of life. I will, therefore, desist, though I will link to the doings of the Royals. Prince Harry, in his campaign against the press, seems to have come unstuck this week and he and his celebrity mates failed to carry any of their points in the recent court case. Yes, I admit that it must be irritating to have the press pursuing you, but you can’t have press coverage when it suits you and turn it off when it doesn’t. Anyway, none of the people that joined him in the case were particulalrly interesting, so either way, it’s no interest to me, apart from a variety of public figures being told to grow up.
I’m very conflicted with this case. Yes, I’m glad the celebrities lost, but I don’t really like the press winning, and I certainly don’t like the idea of the lawyers making money from it. In the world of cosmic balance it feels like we all lost a little bit this week.
In poetry terms I have had either one (or two) acceptances (I’m not quite sure when I last reported on this) and a rejection. I’m about to start submitting, as there are some things I need to get in before the 15th. I meant to do them last week but I just ignored them and sat in front of a fan. That, I think, is where I began, so it’s now time to go.
oooh. a murdered politician. who dun it?
They arrested someone and released hum and they have now arrested someone else – watch this space.
after I read your post I got a news alert about it. just crazy
Yes, I do that thing of comparing ages these days when someone dies. I guess it’s something most people of a certain age do, or at least consider. Not sure who the celebrities were, but I think Harry got what he deserved. I did like the judge’s comments 😂
Sir Elton John and his husband, Baroness Lawrence, Liz Hurley, Simon Hughes (ex-Lib Dem MP) and Sadie Frost. Not exactly the cream of the celebrity crop. They are looking at a legal bill of £50 million.
There’s a lesson in there somewhere – like I wish I’d studied to become a lawyer.
The fans are having to sit in front of the footballers
🙂
I’m sitting at my desk with a heater on, the door closed to keep the heat in, and my dressing gown around my shoulders. The temp at midday is 10C or 50F – whichever you like – and I would prefer it a little warmer if that’s Okay with you.
There is so much sport on the TV at the moment. A friend we saw this morning said he watched TV all day yesterday. His wife was tutting and told me he actually turned on the TV at 6.00am. Richard and I were remarking that both the rugby and football matches are being played in such hot weather; for winter sports this must be very difficult.
We had a cool and cloudy day yesterday and a strong northerly wind today which has cheered Richard up; well – not quite so glum.
I like the sunflowers photo and artwork.
The sunflowers were grown, photographed and digitally altered by Julia, the artistic one of the household.
We consider rugby and football to be winter sports (though rugby league is mainly summer now) but in Australia, Africa and South America I’m sure even their winter is quite hot.
It’s a bit like vegetables – there are no seasons for sport these days.
😉
Almost everyone in the news who has died turns out to be younger than me these days so I have stopped worrying about that.
I always think that professional footballers and orchestral musicians have a lot in common. They have to do an immense amount of practice compared with the actual amount of time spent performing. The musicians are paid a pittance compared with the footballers, but at least they are spared the indignity of having to run round dressed as an advertising hoarding.
I’m sure it’s a phrase many of us go through.
I suppose poetry is like football too – an awfully big pile of discarded words with a tiny poem balanced on top.