TheBanyanTree: Too perishin' quiet

[John Bailey]

Thursday February 10, 2005

FAR TOO PERISHIN' QUIET

When I'm alone in the house I like to keep the dining room TV burbling 
quietly away, tuned to the BBC 24 hour news channel. Not really to keep up 
with the news, more to have a bit of noise and lots of moving images to 
liven the place up. I perk up my ears when the 'breaking news' phrase is 
offered, in most cases immediately to return to my task in hand as soon as 
I discover they're talking about the latest bit of scandal or salacious 
gossip concerning some member or other of the glitterati. This time I was 
set back on my heels when the flow of meaningless chatter was interrupted 
this morning with the news that Clarence House had announced that Prince 
Charles and Camilla Park'n'Ride are to be married. In April.

"Oh, Dolly," I said, glumly. "That means we'll have wall to wall Royal 
marriage chatter for well over a month."

Dolly gave the impression of an intense and all-pervading lack of interest.

"Yeah. You're right, Dolly. The only reaction has to be 'who cares'. But 
it's going to get awfully boring before it's done."

Oh, and it will. Get boring I mean. I sighed, turned the volume down, and 
returned to my drawing board where I was working on the umpteenth attempt 
to get my feelings for snowdrops down on paper. It might work, it might 
not. I'll need to consult my pillow a couple of times before I can see past 
this one. I may give it one more try, adopting a watery, soft-focus 
watercolour approach rather than my usual line and wash. I dunno. Who'd 
have thought such innocent little blooms would present such depths of 
difficulty.

So, anyway, I dried it off, and shall not work on this one any more. And 
then I went to consult my pillow. Dolly scrunched herself up at my side and 
the little house by the fens fell to a quiet, peaceful silence once more.

Late in the evening I spoke to Graham. "Still Monday, is it?" I asked, 
referring to his planned return.

"Oh, yes. Monday it is."

"Good. It's far too perishin' quiet round here without you."

"Thanks. I suppose."


--

John Bailey   Lincolnshire, England

journal of a writing man:
<http://www.oldgreypoet.com>