I have not written a diary for a couple of days now because I feel lazy. I have actually been quite productive but in respect of summing up my feelings about the day, I find my motivation lacking. I have decided not to beat myself up about this since my energy goes in cycles and sometimes I’m inspired,sometimes I’m not.My examplar Samuel Pepys also went for some days without writing his famous diaries.

Today we went to an event in Timsbury which was part of the local Art Trail where artists display their work either in public places or in their own home. Timsbury is a very small village of about a thousand people but it definitely punches above its weight. Here you see adverts for the local natural history group, the Arts Trail show that is today, a Tina Turner look alike presentation in May, and a play running for three nights in late April.

The art on show was of a very high calibre. I did not feel that many sales were made but it was an opportunity for social and cultural augmentation. I met a photographer lady who has been to  Longleat  Safari Park twice a week for pretty much the last two years to make the perfect set of photographs. She introduced me to an internet site called PhotoBox where you can print works virtually

At this event I met a friend who had transformed her shed into a little art workplace. She was working on a large three meter by two meter piece and was looking forward to finishing it and getting rid of it since it disturbed the energy of the very limited space she had to work in.

I asked her how her husband who quit his job as headmaster 18 months ago was getting on. She said he was working in the garden and having a wonderful time. She said that they were going out to the theatre, and attending music concerts, and having time for themselves.  She said that they had taken breaks away. I said that I felt they had deserved this. I said that I myself had to learn to take time for myself so maybe I was not being lazy I was just refreshing myself, taking time out, taking a break, and I should not feel guilty about it.

I think laziness is a lack of willingness to do anything. The dictionary definition is ‘not easily aroused to action or work’ and that is definitely not me.  For more years than I can remember, I do gardening to supplement my income but this year I feel strangely dissociated from the desire to maintain people’s gardens. Financially I do not need to work but it has been nice to pay the monthly bills. As I have no rent or mortgage to pay I need to find about £500.

How to spend my time if I do not work? I have mountains of books that I’ve only half read and projects that I have abandoned before exploiting their full potential. I should spend more time out walking and exercising. I am already making plans for my 80th birthday which will take place in June. I had picked Sunday June the 9th though that is not my birthday and I’m inviting people from all over the place to come and make the journey. We are probably going to have to put up some people but we can only accommodate two people so if anyone else wants to stay over they must find hotels or airbnb.

The weather has shown some signs of being warm those is still windy. At the age of nearly 80 I think I’m entitled to ease up a little bit.  I do not know what drives me. Maybe it is guilt or perfectionism or feeling that I have to do things to justify my existence. I do set the bar quite high in the time maintained this diary site but also my covid site and also my 5G site.

One thing that will never stop is my quest for new knowledge. This applies particularly in the derivation of words. For example the word lazy. There are so many synonyms which are actually not that similar for example indolent, slothful, lethargic, apathetic, drowsy. All these are to be used within certain contexts and cannot be interchanged without compromise.