Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 10 degrees, cold, overcast and drizzly.
Three days before Christmas Day and two days before Christmas Eve in Brazil, everything is in order.
I was up early and worked out downstairs in the living room. I got a tea and prepared myself to go out for a walk, then headed down to the canal to feed the ducks and swans, as I always do. Today, there seemed to be more swans than ducks, but they were still hungry and happy to see me.
Now, when they see me from afar, they come flying over at warp speed, skimming over the water, and it is so beautiful. Sometimes we think we’re helping animals, but in reality, they’re helping us.
For us to have contact with nature and such beautiful animals in such a lovely and pure way is truly good. Now they’re coming up close to me, in touching distance. I’m going to try to have them feed straight out of the container in the future, and maybe eventually out of my hand.
The swan is quite a big bird; when it is so close to you, you can feel its size and intimidation. When I was a child, I had heard of many cases of swan attacks where they broke a person’s arm with the power of their wings. They are amazingly elegant and powerful at the same time, so elegant; no wonder ‘Swan Lake’, the opera, exists.
Today’s cold and greyer than usual.
It is as if somebody is using a dimmer switch, and the light is only half on or even less. As I am on holiday, I’m free to do whatever I want. I had to visit the local library on the green to print and then reprint a letter that I need to deliver to my uncle’s stepson regarding my uncle’s will and inheritance.
Later, I went to Kingswinford for lunch with my mother. The cafe, which she likes, is in the middle of the village, in front of the semi-circular square, and is run by Romanians. They seem to be very hospitable, funny, and well-organised, and the food, for simple comfort food, is very good.
After lunch, I left my mother. She went back by car, and I decided to walk back, which is about two miles from where my mother lives. Although it’s Christmas and I’m in a relaxed mode, I managed to do some exercise to keep myself in shape.
My brother called me later in the afternoon, asking what I drank. I told him that I’m drinking wine now, and he called me ‘a pussy’ and told me to bring two bottles of wine up to Sheffield with me. I’m not sure if there will be any stress when going up. Perhaps the first couple of days will be okay, and then, on the last couple, something will happen and kick in, related to our mother, past family troubles, and so on.
Let’s see.
In the evening, I watched a new film that had just been launched on Netflix. There was a lot of hype leading up to the film’s launch, but for me, it was very disappointing. ‘Rebel Moon’ has a mixed plot, blending elements of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Magnificent Seven’, and is directed by Zack Snyder, whose unmistakable style is very much the same across all his recent films, making the whole movie feel somewhat predictable and weak. But now I have seen it; it’s done, so I don’t have to see it again.
To kick in the Christmas holiday spirit, I cracked open a bottle of wine, a red cabernet sauvignon, and finished it off before going to bed.
A nice, simple, cold grey day, running up to Christmas in England.
How good is that???
In bed by 10.30 p.m.
Thank you.
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Richard
