Deal or No Deal? Huh, some game this. Today, 13 December, we were supposed to have the final answer about a no-deal Brexit. Now, of course, as usual, the decision has been put off yet again. All we know is that we still don’t know. Seems incredible to be writing this four and a half years after the Referendum. Back then I wrote this… Ah, what an innocent I was on that day in June 2016. Then, I thought things were bad, but Jeez I had no idea. I was so enthusastic about shopping… then strolling through town for a leisurely lunch at the Turkish restaurant… What kind of charmed life was that?
An article just cropped up on Google about some long-forgotten emotional state called Acedia, which sounds pretty much what we are all experiencing now. Here is the link. The term originally described a state of ‘spiritual listlessness’. I’d prefer spiritual listlessness to this constant, gnawing, debilitating anger which just eats away at your mental health. Anyway, have a look.
I told myself that if they finally went for No Deal, I’d shut up and live with it. It’s like people interviewed on telly who have lost someone and the body has never been found. They go on about wanting ‘closure’. Well, sounds like what I want. I want to mourn my lost European citizenship and come to terms with being stuck for the remaining years of my life in this ‘sovereign state’ aka this nasty, small-minded, jingoistic Little Britain shit-hole.
I have actually been stock-piling some tins of beans, even though supermarket shopping has got a little difficult right now. All through LD1 and the summer we went to Sainsburys and Aldi, but in recent week I have given Sainsburys a miss. Sure, they counted people in at the door, but shoppers then crowd into popular aisles, and there are still some idiots with no masks. Aldi is actually better – traffic lights at the door, smaller and less crowding, so we have kept that, but also started to go for delivery shopping – mostly from Waitrose. Trouble is, it is still hard to get delivery slots booked.
Don’t know about you, Battleaxe readers, but over the past few weeks, Covid-wise, we have got more cautious. Possibly our mental health has got worse, but most likely it is the hope of the vaccine – don’t want to ruin everything in the last few months.
Look, do try and focus on the positive. We have got our Christmas lights up. Earlier than ever this year, in common with much of the rest of the population. Nine years ago we walked up here from our temporary house in Harold Road, and found the road in total, gloomy, darkness. Here’s what I wrote at the time. We started putting lights out, and year on year more and more neighbours have followed. Now, there are so many lighted houses we are nearly at the stage of getting a charity collection going!
Today we went to the garden centre and bought these foxes… just said to Philosopher it is now only a small step to 2 metre high illuminated reindeer plus Santa in his sleigh.
Have done a few low-key social things. Went on a socially-distanced WI ‘reindeer’ walk to raise funds for the Hospice, have had a couple of chilly hot-chocolate dates, and an outside lunch with some women friends.
Weather has been a bit dodgy, but we have had some nice days… these were taken on a trip to St Leonard’s TK Maxx. Now, what am I moaning about? How many people can pop down the road to TK Maxx, buy a lurex midi-skirt to razzle-dazzle on Christmas Day, and then catch views like this? Living by the sea, no two days are ever alike.
And look, our house is warm and cosy.
