be more dog

This is my favourite time of day, when D, Jess and I sit (or lie) on the rug in front of the Aga. Drinking coffee, a bit of knitting but not much else. Just enjoying the transition from sleep to whatever the rest of the day might bring...one of the luxuries of lockdown.

Yesterday I was reading about Shackleton’s “Endurance “ expedition and looking at the photographs by Frank Hurley. Two amazing men. Whenever I am tempted to complain about lockdown, I will remind myself of the 22 men left on Elephant Island for five months, living in an upturned lifeboat and not expecting ever to be rescued:

“ On most days, the men would rise at 9am, eat fried penguin steaks, retire to their bags to await a lunch of stewed penguin, retire to their bags until dinner (almost always stewed seal) and again retire to their bags..then, between 5pm and 6pm , Martin would read recipes from his small penny cookbook or they listened as Hussey tortured the banjo with what McNish had called his ‘six known tunes’.”