Thursday, September 24, 2020

On the brink

Did you ever see the 1980s Anne of Green Gables adaptation with Megan Follows in the title role? I loved it so much I haven't been able to warm to the Netflix Anne with an E. Anyway...there's a scene near the end, where Gil and Anne meet near a bridge in the late afternoon and Gil (I think) asks Anne if she'd like to go for a walk, saying it could be the last sunny evening there is. I love that scene. It's so evocative of a lovely September evening.

Here on Wednesday, the weather was forecast to change, so Tuesday afternoon felt like the last warm sunny day we'd have until 2021. It also coincided with the official recognition of a second wave of Covid, so the last day of summer felt even sadder than usual, bearing in mind the lack of socialising there'll be in the coming months.

I felt I needed to do something to mark the occasion, so I made myself a large margarita and got Dave (a non-drinker) to come and sit in the garden with me for company. And I have to tell you that margaritas are so magical that even if you have a teetotaller companion, you can still have fun. 

I asked Dave to take a photo with my phone to mark the occasion, though he has still not mastered the art of taking photos on a phone. No matter how many times I explain to him that the lightest, shortest touch is required, he keeps his finger on the 'button' so long it sounds as if the paparazzi are there, and we get a burst of eighteen photos instead of one. I explain again, but he never gets it and it always creases me up. 







The man has a brain the size of a planet, and skills to match, so his photo-taking-disability is a mystery. (Even with a camera he's a doofus. And I'm not being cruel: he would agree with me.)

But as I said, his skills are legion, and he is still carving mottos and injunctions and scattering them around the house. I showed you the first ones, didn't I?



and yet more:



Although they are lovely carvings, they drive me nuts because I already try to squeeze as much into my days as I can, and Dave's mottoes just add to my self-imposed pressure. 

I told him this, but it hasn't stopped him.

Here are the latest two to arrive on the dresser.

First this one:



and then the baldest:




Aaaargh! The pressure, the pressure!

I complained about it to my sax teacher, a woman who is ridiculously fond of Dave, and she said: "You should make your own sign - 'Eff off!' "

He laughed.

We were chatting in the garden about how lucky we are in the current situation (pensions, house, etc) - how there are so many people with jobs and homes at risk, and people under all kinds of other pressures. 

So on the brink of six months of short days, dark nights, and long periods between seeing loved ones, I've decided my remit is to stay healthy and cheerful and to try to be kind. 

(I could add 'not become an alcoholic' to that, but as I only have one glass of wine a day and a margarita, on average, once every two months, I don't think I need to worry.)

I am also working on an art project with which I'm hoping to raise money for the charity Help Refugees.

This is the work in progress:



I'll tell you more about it when I am past the next stage.

In the meantime, here's something to think about - a video I've lifted from the charity's website:



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only just catching up - (I got stuck on the 20th - which I kept coming back to - it takes my breath away, I think what you and Lux and Isaac did is magnificent. ) I LOVE your drawing. Looking forward to more. Jenetta

Sue Hepworth said...

Thank you, Jenetta. I just found this comment in spam which is why it is late being posted.