Today I've been in procrastination mode and it's only just after breakfast. I have a list of things to do but can't decide which ones to pick. So I know that by the end of the afternoon I will have done "half of b****r all" as is commonly said here.
Why am I in such a mood?
That is why. The wind is nearly gale force and coming from the North East so is bitterly cold. Not cold enough for snow though - the road between Ullapool and Inverness is closed by snow though so if you get to the Mainland on the ferry from Stornoway you ain't goin' nowhere.
My home is usually toastie. In the kitchen where I spend much of my time at my breakfast bar the toastiness is helped by a sizeable radiator which is almost too hot to touch but the cold wind is sucking the heat out of the very walls.
I will probably spend time in Blogland. I will have a look at how things were at this time last year. I will review my 'to do' list. I will not be going out!I remember in the early stages of the pandemic I posted about what it might be like in lockdown. I remember it well because Jill left one of the nicest comments I've ever had on this blog and also said that she was a world class procrastinator.
Who could ever have known what would have happened and that I'd be writing about it almost a year later still in lockdown.
If I get through the day I shall watch the second half of yesterday's Death in Paradise.
Well, the day turned out pretty much as I expected having done remarkably little other than write and pootle. I didn't even venture into the cold of the conservatory to do a bit of jigsaw. I did pop over the valley to give a friend his birthday card and a wee drinkable minding. I couldn't even stay for coffee. XXXX lockdown!
Time for a wee dram of a pleasant single malt.
!0.30 pm ish
It was a very enjoyable Death in Paradise.
The news of positive Covid cases on Lewis is not so good. However the vaccination news is excellent for us. The WIHealth Board have been vaccinating all week and another 1400 people will be vaccinated in the Western Isles on Sunday.
You have given me another new word, pootle, and I like it. I say I'm puttering when I'm not doing anything constructive which is most of my time. Don't know if I've told you, but I'm a world class jigsaw puzzler. My puzzles have given me great comfort during this everlasting isolation. Love your rainy day photo.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you, Jill, as always. My parents 'pottered' which is the more usual term over this side of the pond. I'm not sure when I started to pootle instead. I did a lot of jigsaws during the first lockdown but since then we've been a bit freer until last week.
DeleteThis sounds like a day you should have put your head under the covers and stayed there.
ReplyDeleteThat might have been a good idea, Red.
DeleteI'm very sad to announce that last night I finished my annual winter bottle of Single Malt (Singleton). I shall now wait till next Christmas before buying another.
ReplyDeleteCro, I was never a whisky drinker until September 2017. I'm still not a big consumer but I am now appreciating the collection I'd built up (from gifts) over the years. I now enjoy one occasionally - particularly a peaty one.
DeleteVery fond of the peaty ones myself.
DeleteVolvos and peaty whisky - good common likes, Jill.
DeleteIndeed.
DeleteA rather odd post if I may say so. You clearly started writing it at breakfast time but did not publish it until later. (That made me think why didn't I spot that you had posted during the day and totally threw me). And then you spoke of watching Death in Paradise which threw me again because I associate it with evening although I don't watch it. Then it really did get much later and a wee dram of whisky. My posts get written and published all in the space of about 15 minutes!
ReplyDeleteRachel, I rarely start and finish a post in one go. I've probably never written one in 15 minutes in recent years. When I started yesterday morning I had no idea where the post was going or even if it would make the blog. I just wanted to use the photo of the rain. The rest just sort of grew until I decided to post it before I went to bed. It really was rather a nothing post anyway.
DeleteHello Graham,
ReplyDeleteWell, whether one is pootling,pottering, puttering or procrastinating, they all seem perfectly fine to us. Some days are just meant for this, especially in winter when perhaps we really all should be hibernating and not coming out again until Spring.
We went to read your previous post. How the strangeness has become the usual in the months that have elapsed. But, what has remained is the warmth of connecting with friends and acquaintances all round the world. Physical distancing may be the order of the day, but it never has and never will be social distancing as humans thrive on the interactions whether they are virtual or real.
Our parents always told us that it was rude to comment about other people's possessions, but we have to say that we love your radiator. Stylish and chic and clearly 'toastie'. Fabulous! Stay warm.
Thank you Jane and Lance. My house is usually very toasty because I dislike the cold very much. However when the 'beast from the East' winds come they seem to chill this corner of my house where the full force hits. I'll never get used to physical distancing but it has definitely become my norm for the time being.
DeleteI think that if one's reward is a shot of single malt whisky, a day of pootling is something to look forward to - a cold house not so much - but perhaps that calls for another sip of the Scottish antibiotic! A friend of mine, who passed away just after Christmas at the age of 97 was very fond of Canadian rye whisky and she always used to say that the only cure for a common cold was "a full volley of Canadian Club!" I suspect that Glen Fiddich would have served as well!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, David, by the time the evening comes even with this galeforce cold wind my kitchen is warm. My cure for a common cold was, even before I drank whisky, a whisky mac (whisky and green ginger wine). If I wanted one I knew I had a cold coming on.
DeleteA good friend of mine uses the word "pootling". And he is only in his fifties. He also mentions "ennui" every so often - befitting his jaded mind.
ReplyDeleteIf it's of any comfort, I find pootling aka doing not much of consequence often rather inspiring. The mind roams free (if you let it) and, what do you know, inspiration, enlightenment is all yours. How much more productive can one be? Reminds me of those idle times of early childhood when we live in the moment, nothing expected of us. I remember watching clover growing (the four leaved variety - the one that brings you luck). Wondered at the intricacies and meanderings of a ladybird. I even kept a few snails. Amanda was my favourite. Though do not be deceived. Snails have the reputation of being slow. No sooner did I turn my back they made a dash for freedom. Choice salad leaves offered from my grandmother's kitchen or not.
Cold winds notwithstanding, stay toasty, Graham,
U
Thank you for the evening smile, Ursula. My living room (where I am now) is really toasty. Does your friend ablute? It's a word my family used and I still use. However most people seem to think me odd for using it. If you drop a snail into a wheelie bin a metre deep the next time you open the bin the snail will be on the lid regardless of how long the lid has been closed.
DeleteDespite it being a thoroughly miserable looking day, Graham, I did like the first photo from your window, kitchen? There is nothing wrong with procrastinating as I myself have been doing that quite often. THen, other days I will get a burst of energy and accomplish in one day what I've put off in the previous 2 or 3. Murder in Paradise was one of my favorite shows and I have seen all the episodes to date and gone through many leads in the process.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the photo Beatrice, it was my original reason for starting the post. There is something gentle and undemanding about Death in Paradise that I really enjoy.
DeleteI was going to read this post yesterday, but put it off until now! Not only that, there was a lot of things I was going to do yesterday that I put off until today. However, now that today has arrived, I've decided to put them off until tomorrow...or perhaps the day after...or.... Life gets teejus, don't it? :)
ReplyDeleteThe fist episode of the latest season of "Death in Paradise" was on TV here last night...I recorded it...and will watch it later today....(that's not procrastinating, is it? I have always had intentions of watching it today...that's why I recorded it last night!)
Take good care of yourself, Graham...chin up...you're not alone. We'll all join hands and do everything tomorrow! :)
I can always count on you, Lee, to find humour and make me smile when it's needed. As Aaron Burr said 'Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done.' The justification for every procrastinator.
DeleteLooking at that cold rain on your window, I don't think I would want to venture outdoors. Much more sensible to curl up by a warm fire and read a good book while sipping a nice hot toddy. To Do lists can wait for another day!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, for some completely unfathomable reason, I have almost stopped reading books during lockdown. However I'm not short of things to occupy my time however unproductively.
DeleteEvery now and then, a day spent the way you describe is very welcome and so good for recharging the batteries. I wish I had more of them, but for the next 15 years or so, they will remain a rarity. And that‘s ok, too.
ReplyDeleteMeike, fortunately the number of days when I feel like that are few and far between. Unlike you, though, I don't have an 'enforced' structure to any of my life.
DeleteIt seems as though I've been procrastinating since the beginning of the year. I can't quite get myself motivated to accomplish anything during January and only now I'm beginning to feel my mood lift, which often coincides with the days getting lighter. I don't blame you for hunkering down when it's so wild outdoors.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to hear how successfully the vaccination is being rolled out and definitely worth being toasted with a single malt. X
Thank you, Jules. In a strange sort of way I think it is a lot easier for me as an 'oldie' to motivate myself because this life now is not as disrupted as is a life involving the routine of a job or care for someone.
DeleteI find time behaving very oddly these days and I'm not sure I can blame neither the pandemic nor the weather. I'm still trying to figure out whether it's time running faster, or me getting slower, or maybe just all the distractions that pop up as soon as one turns on one of all the magic devices that we surround ourselves with nowadays (TV, computer, smartphone etc). I'm sure that you (like me) probably do lots of things - even if not the same things that you had put down on your list...
ReplyDeleteMonica, it's certainly true that our time is used far more that it used to be. My phone is never far away and it notifies me of something or other frequently and I communicate far more across the world. My list includes none of those things.
DeleteYou are too hard on yourself, Graham. Is not braving the elements to take birthday greetings to a friend an achievement in itself? Taking joy to another surely is enough on a day like that. Sometimes you need a day of pootling to recharge and attack that To Do List another day. (I bet even on a day like that you did heaps of stuff that weren't on the list but needed doing.)
ReplyDeletePauline, it did indeed feel like a journey into the unknown just going across the valley! I did get more done that I admitted to if I'm honest but then it wouldn't have given me anything to write about.
DeleteLooks like a hibernation day to me Graham, days like that are good to get things done.
ReplyDeleteYes, Amy, they do have their uses. Today is beautiful but bitterly cold wind and sun. I shall srite letters and clear out my writing desk and hopefully get a sketch or two done whilst I'm in the mood.
DeleteSrite away laddie!
DeleteOh dear, YP, yout eye for detail and errors puts me to shame.
Delete"Yout?" You are forgiven because the "R" and "T" keys on your keyboard are next to each other. They are chums just like "Z" and "X".
DeleteOh dear YP. It's a shame my eyes and fingers aren't connected to my brain properly. Alternative answer "I was wondering if you would notice the deliberate mistake." Whatever you have certainly demonstrated that my attempted statement was correct.
DeleteI hope that you managed to get to the lavatory before having that pootle. And may I say - what a magnificent radiator you have in your kitchen!
ReplyDeleteYP, what can I say? A magnificent radiator. I had a small horizontal space and needed a lot of heat. An effective solution was a tall radiator.
DeleteI love "Death in Paradise" but I have now seen every episode and have none to look forward to :(
ReplyDeleteA pootling day is medicinal, once in a while
Kylie, I thought the current series got off to a bad start but last week's double length episode was good.
DeleteHow did I miss this, sorry Graham. There is nothing wrong with a "procrastinate and pootle" day, I think we all need one of them occasionally, especially during lockdown (maybe b****r all and bimble?)
ReplyDeleteI am sure many of us have gone back to look at your March 2020 post - it was an interesting read. I was particularly taken with the comment conversation between yourself, Jill and Marcheline.
Like Jill, there are a few blogs which I adore and have found a them a valuable & wonderful link back to the real world where I am not so isolated. For whatever reason, a few of those bloggers have stopped writing over the past few months and I miss their posts. But one lady who has maintained her blog posted something yesterday which helped lift me out of a horrible “slump”. She seems such a nice woman and occasionally we exchange emails, so I wrote privately to tell her thanks and had the loveliest reply.
You are another blogger who never fails to make me feel better for having read your words, and I am going to make far more effort in future to say ’thank you’ to yourself, and everyone else. I get lots more visitors to my little blog than those who leave comments and I sometimes wonder if I sometimes cheer up a total stranger? It would be nice to think so.
Jayne, missing a post is very easy particularly when people like me post erratically. It's always good to know that someone has been lifted by a post occasionally. I'm sorry to hear that you were in a 'slump'. I do hope that you are out of it now. And, yes, I'm sure you blog happifies people. I'm very fortunate in having made some very strong friendships outside Blogland but through blogging. Indeed some of my most memorable adventures when I lived in New Zealand were with friends made as a result of blogging.
ReplyDeleteThank you Graham, I am feeling far less stressed and it was a blog post from a favourite writer which helped 're-boot' my head and my attitude.
DeleteLike you, I have also made some very strong friendships through blogging, and I hope one day I will be able to meet the lovely lady whose words helped me this week.
Maybe, at some time in the future when my campervan and I can go on our travels again, I might be able to share a coffee with you at Woodlands?
Well, Jayne, I sincerely hope that you do manage to get to the Islands. I'm sure we can share the hospitality of The Woodlands and I would love to be your guide on this beautiful Island.
DeleteI have never seen such a tall radiator! I love it.
ReplyDelete