Cold comfort

I hope at least someone who reads this has read Stella Gibbons' wonderful Cold Comfort Farm and will share with me the underlying drift of the title of this post on the day when the travesty that is the UK government got their whopping majority and passed the bill that they claim is a triumph as we drop out of Europe. The Blonde Buffoon could well be a character in that satire, and I approved of Laura Kuenssberg's sceptical questioning of him on the news tonight. I also noticed how of all the speeches made in Parliament, his was the least convincing - and why, pray, is the new Baroness Ruth still opining rather vulgarly in Holyrood? 

Stop. I'm getting mad again. Of course there was good stuff in today - another lovely day of frost and sunshine; the continuing news about the Oxford vaccine - although I was daft enough to take issue with a total stranger posting anti-vaxxer questions on Facebook. And I felt I had another fully occupied day, which in itself if probably just as well.

Mr PB having departed after breakfast to practice and record a closing organ piece for the online service on Sunday, I managed to get a washing out (no, it didn't really dry, but ...), sweep the kitchen floor, tidy and polish the sideboard and six chairs - all before coffee. Then off to the church with himself to record two hymns and practice an anthem - and have a chat with the crucifer, who was tidying up the candles. (I shut him in the tower while we were recording; he didn't seem to mind.)

Later we had a grandstand view of the sunset as we walked over the Ardyne farm road, covering 5 miles in total and feeling ready for our dinner. I heard a discussion on Woman's Hour this morning about the importance of exercise as one grew older - nothing new, but gosh, are they hammering it now. According to the gerontologist who was one of their guests, "sitting is the new smoking" as a threat to the immune system of the elderly. I've signed up to the wellbeing group being started by our Pilates teacher - the challenge being to walk 100 miles in January. Pity my FitBit does kilometers - I can't really think metric despite years of trying.

The evening ended with the final episode of Tin Star - I used to watch it on a Tuesday afternoon before choir practice, but I've binge-watched this in all its anarchic, violent seductiveness. I've been a fan of Tim Roth for ages, and I have a feeling the violence was cathartic in our current situation. I'll have to go back to Line of Duty now - I think I have one series to catch up on.

Blipping the chilly beauty of the sunset over a muddy field in the Ardyne area, where sometimes there are cows. I love the secret nature of this field with its surrounding trees - and besides, you've all seen enough of my Arran sunsets to do you for a bit...