On the downhill slope ...?

[Anne Brooke]

This morning started out well enough. If very early, with some damn bird starting the dawn chorus when it couldn’t have been much beyond 4am. Sigh. Still, at work I managed to get my conference notes typed up in reasonable order and printed out for the boss to look at next week. And I’ve also done some rejigging to the Manor Park Mentoring handbook. We’re now three months behind our deadline, but heck things keep changing. That’s universities for you. I’ve now done so many corrections that I’m sure it bears no resemblance whatsoever to our original efforts. Ah well.
Apart from that, the day really dragged and I got quite low, I’m afraid. The stuff I did I didn’t do very quickly. Just couldn’t be bothered. Spent a lot of time staring blankly at the computer screen or the Internet and thinking absolutely nothing. You know, sometime I wonder if I’m disappearing entirely and if people are actually aware I exist at all – this would explain the lack of any obvious email response from anyone I correspond with (the old university lot, or even the wretched church lot, come to mind again, sigh …). Maybe it’s time for a happiness pill? Again.

Mind you, I went for a walk at lunchtime and sat by the lake for a while, which was quite soothing. Saw two robins hopping about, which was strange as I didn’t think male robins liked other male robins as they were supposed to be quite territorial. Still, it didn’t seem to bother those two. Oh, and on my way there I caused something of a stir in the Lecture Hall foyer, which seemed to be home to some kind of Chinese delegation. On my shortcut through, I accidentally fell in through the doorway and nearly took the tea-cup of the girl standing nearest into the great hereafter. And I didn’t look so elegant either. They were all very sweet though, rushing to my aid and trying not to fuss. Perhaps they thought it was some quaint English custom – it’s hard to say.

Oh, and as I was leaving, Adriana from the UniSWriters came up and said she was intending to go to the Book Circle discussion of A Dangerous Man (http://www.flamebooks.com) on Monday 30th April – thank you so much, Adriana! That really lifted me. More than you can know. So at least there’ll be two of us there on the night. I just hope that there’ll be someone else there who’s actually read the book apart from me. Please God!...

This evening, I played golf after work with Marian, and attempted to look young and glamorous this time – but I suspect no-one was fooled. We had a brief discussion about church (she’s not a church-goer), during which she was astonished that nobody from St Peter’s had come round or phoned/emailed me to see what was going on. Well, join the club, Marian! Still, ’twas ever thus, and heck I should know – in my lifetime, I’ve left more churches than is strictly necessary. Honest follow-up for the disenfranchised isn’t their strong point. Though perhaps they're just pleased to be rid of me? Maybe I should learn from my own history, eh? Oh, but it’s Wednesday so it’s sherry night. Thank God! That'll ease the stretched thought processes.

Tonight, I’m planning a serious slump, with maybe some writing if I have any energy levels left (at all). And an early night. Let’s hope that damn bird from this morning doesn’t start its foghorn tweet while I’m still attempting to get some shut-eye this time. Hmm, some hope …

Today’s nice things:

1. Lunchtime walking
2. Two robins
3. Adriana’s Book Circle commitment – hurrah!

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk