I went to a lecture today about the Bloomsbury Group. At the start, we were shown a 'family tree' that linked, not only those who were married to each other, but those who had affairs with each other, colour-coded for heterosexual and homosexual. Very useful. I thought I knew a bit about the BG people but I ended up a bit overwhelmed by detail. Interesting, as a friend said to me afterwards, that such talented artists didn't have many original ideas, their paintings were quite derivative. I agreed (look, I can keep my end up in a three-minute conversation about Art), saying that their styles didn't so much develop over the decades as change completely according to whom they admired at the time.
Afterwards, I mooched about in J@rrolds for a bit (a large department store, still family-owned, in Norwich). I'm keeping my eye out for a new winter coat, but I didn't see anything I was tempted by. I liked the colour of one, but it was too short and the style far too young. Most of them - black, camel, maroon, red, the occasional bright blue, brown or grey - were a bit 'same old,' I thought, but I'm not the keenest shopper and didn't examine the racks carefully. I bought some books instead - nothing special, just what took my fancy - and made mental notes of others to have up my sleeve in case anyone asks me what I'd like for...no, we don't talk about that in October.
I was meeting a friend after lunch, so had an hour or so spare and wasn't at all in the mood for more shopping. So I just bought quite a lot of coffee beans and went to Waitrose to buy some groceries that I can't get in Yagnub (including Lapsang Souchong. Why on earth can't one buy Lapsang in Yagnub? No idea) and have some lunch too.
My purchases included tomato and grape juices (not from concentrate. I rather like the thought of the grapes being individually squeezed, but I suspect I'm being fanciful) and ginger beer. Yes, I'm still not drinking alcohol. There isn't any particular reason for this, just that I was starting to look forward to gin or wine o'clock and you know how I resist both habit and need. Although there's also the thought that it will be interesting to see if, over the course of a few days (this will not last longer than that, I'm quite sure), anything is different. So, a bit of a diary...
Sunday evening. Drank slimline tonic water. Didn't miss the gin. Slept quite well, though I do usually manage a couple of reasonable nights' sleep each week out of sheer exhaustion. Probably slept the best part of six hours in total, waking only two or three times.
Monday. Felt fine, energetic...ish, it's Z we're talking about here. I had lots to get done but every email and phone call gave me more to do and we had several callers, the Sage needed a lift, I managed to leave my phone in a local shop and had to go back to retrieve it, so it took far longer than I planned so I decided to work on after dinner.
Monday evening. Drank tonic again. I took the computer into the drawing room so that the Sage and I could tap away side by side - well, not quite, we like our elbow room. If I'd had a couple of glasses of wine, it would have been very unlikely that I'd have been able to concentrate on the work. On the other hand, I would have written a blog post. I was tired when I went to bed (I'd had a good break after finishing work, I don't think it was that) but couldn't sleep for at least two hours and was awake quite a lot in the night too. Usually, I sleep soundly for the first hour and rather rely on that.
Tuesday - as I've already said. I started to get a headache as I drove home from Norwich. I don't often get headaches, though I used to in my younger days - hang on, I didn't drink much in my younger days. Hmm. Maybe it's just because I'm tired though.
Tuesday, 5.30 pm. I don't have to wait for gin o'clock, I can have a drink Right Now. Tomato juice, though. Thank god for Worcestershire Sauce.
Afterwards, I mooched about in J@rrolds for a bit (a large department store, still family-owned, in Norwich). I'm keeping my eye out for a new winter coat, but I didn't see anything I was tempted by. I liked the colour of one, but it was too short and the style far too young. Most of them - black, camel, maroon, red, the occasional bright blue, brown or grey - were a bit 'same old,' I thought, but I'm not the keenest shopper and didn't examine the racks carefully. I bought some books instead - nothing special, just what took my fancy - and made mental notes of others to have up my sleeve in case anyone asks me what I'd like for...no, we don't talk about that in October.
I was meeting a friend after lunch, so had an hour or so spare and wasn't at all in the mood for more shopping. So I just bought quite a lot of coffee beans and went to Waitrose to buy some groceries that I can't get in Yagnub (including Lapsang Souchong. Why on earth can't one buy Lapsang in Yagnub? No idea) and have some lunch too.
My purchases included tomato and grape juices (not from concentrate. I rather like the thought of the grapes being individually squeezed, but I suspect I'm being fanciful) and ginger beer. Yes, I'm still not drinking alcohol. There isn't any particular reason for this, just that I was starting to look forward to gin or wine o'clock and you know how I resist both habit and need. Although there's also the thought that it will be interesting to see if, over the course of a few days (this will not last longer than that, I'm quite sure), anything is different. So, a bit of a diary...
Sunday evening. Drank slimline tonic water. Didn't miss the gin. Slept quite well, though I do usually manage a couple of reasonable nights' sleep each week out of sheer exhaustion. Probably slept the best part of six hours in total, waking only two or three times.
Monday. Felt fine, energetic...ish, it's Z we're talking about here. I had lots to get done but every email and phone call gave me more to do and we had several callers, the Sage needed a lift, I managed to leave my phone in a local shop and had to go back to retrieve it, so it took far longer than I planned so I decided to work on after dinner.
Monday evening. Drank tonic again. I took the computer into the drawing room so that the Sage and I could tap away side by side - well, not quite, we like our elbow room. If I'd had a couple of glasses of wine, it would have been very unlikely that I'd have been able to concentrate on the work. On the other hand, I would have written a blog post. I was tired when I went to bed (I'd had a good break after finishing work, I don't think it was that) but couldn't sleep for at least two hours and was awake quite a lot in the night too. Usually, I sleep soundly for the first hour and rather rely on that.
Tuesday - as I've already said. I started to get a headache as I drove home from Norwich. I don't often get headaches, though I used to in my younger days - hang on, I didn't drink much in my younger days. Hmm. Maybe it's just because I'm tired though.
Tuesday, 5.30 pm. I don't have to wait for gin o'clock, I can have a drink Right Now. Tomato juice, though. Thank god for Worcestershire Sauce.
7 comments:
No vodka!
The Bloomsbury Group are fascinating. Not sure I agree with your summation of them though!
Good luck with the wagon riding. Why?
No John, not tonight either.
There were some marvellous paintings, but they seemed always to be influenced by someone else's style.
No particular reason. Just to see if I felt any better or worse for it, I suppose. I don't.
Cheers!
Oh, thank you very much, Rog.
I'm hugely impressed with your self control. On those rare occasions when I try and control my drinking I get Bottle Green ginger and lemongrass - the ready made fizzy stuff, not the cordial. At least it has a flavour other than sweet! But it's not cheap I'm afraid.
I'll try it, Mig. It'll be less than wine, I daresay.
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