Mermaiding anyone?

A new year is under way… no major plans for it other than to eat more mushrooms and call-out those that undermine my (or someone else’s) confidence.

Happy New Year to all of you reading this blog.  

I must share with you the Reith Lectures on BBC Radio Four. I look forward to these every year. You can listen to these via your preferred podcast provider. This year’s lectures are given by Dr Gwen Adshead, a forensic psychiatrist focusing on the treatment of violent offenders. In her lectures, she addresses four questions about violence, including for example if violence is normal. The lectures are a rare opportunity to listen to a nuanced and non-sensational discussion of violence. I must admit to becoming tearful a few times during this year’s lectures. 

Did you know the verb “to mermaid” existed? Me neither. I recently read about it in the Guardian culture section. Professional mermaiding, as I read in this article, is a thing. I live under a rock, this has passed me by. The cynic in me is wondering if the world needs professional mermaids, why and what for. My repressed princess persona is wondering if I should book a mermaid for my next birthday party. Seriously though, what is going on??

I asked the boys (including Richard) to take the Christmas tree down and tidy away the decorations. So far, this has fallen onto deaf ears. I am done with it. It is not dropping needles much but I worry a long hard stare will cause them all to drop at once. The robot hoover in the meantime has correctly identified the area where the tree stands and has mapped it as “holiday tree cleaning zone”. It is a bit spooky. But it was nice to press the start button on my phone this morning and set it free to hoover and mop the downstairs. Meanwhile I cleaned the bathroom, drank coffee and read the newspaper. Jack and the robot are very suspicious of each other. Today they were sitting opposite each other for five minutes, not moving, just watching. The robot lost its nerve first and opted for a different route back to base, choosing not to pass Jack. As I said, spooky. 

Curry for dinner. Chicken and lentils for me, lamb for the boys. Thanks for visiting 😊