Saturday

Up early - well, I did manage to go to bed at 8pm last night. I had tentatively arranged to go out, but changed my mind - it's going to be the same story tonight. Yesterday was bitterly cold with light, grainy snow for most of the morning. I went into town - fortunately missing the very bloody recreation of the Crucifixion in the Old Town - I'm not sure about things like that - are we supposed to join in? Is it OK to throw rocks at Jesus or beat him with sticks on his way up the hill to the church - isn't that the point? I shouldn't mock. One of my near neighbours is a retired chap who is a devout Roman Catholic and spends most of his time helping out at that church, keeping it clean and maintained ( It is a beautiful building with a lovely name 'The Church Of Mary, Star of The Sea' - very appropriate for a fishing village ) - he's a really decent chap and very smart - I bump into him on the early dog walks ( he has a Rhodesian Ridgeback ) and is very good company. One of the things I like most about him is his fruity language ( must have been a sailor ) - he received a police caution a couple of years ago for referring to someone who had sectioned off a field, closing the footpath as 'a cunt' - apparently, when the police came to talk to him about it - they clearly didn't want to proceed with the complaint and may have had some sympathy for him - but as he said to me "I'm a catholic, it would be unthinkable for me to lie". They had to fine him. I've not been a 'practicing' Catholic since school - and even then - I was only pretending.

It's pretty grim out there still, and for some reason feels like Sunday.

Very sad to hear that Richard Griffiths has died - but to be fair - he was grossly overweight and 65. Oddly - it's his physical presence that 'made' many of his roles - that and the odd feeling that he wasn't actually 'acting' but like that in real life. He shall forever be Uncle Monty. I was a big fan of 'Pie In The Sky' and enjoyed the on-screen play between him and Maggie Steed, who played his wife. I saw Maggie Steed on the street in London once when I was a student - she smiled at me for no reason. Last week, she was in the play I saw at the Donmar Warehouse - no indication she recognised me.

I need to clean the house today - it's in chaos. I have the urge to throw away all the dishes rather than wash them. I bought two small lamb shanks yesterday - this month's meat ration - primarily because they come on the bone and the dogs will get the benefit. Raw bones are the only thing between me and very expensive dog-dentist bills.