16 December 2014

So we buried the old year yesterday and then had lattes before going to Stephan and Koen’s for an utterly delightful evening and dinner. Tomorrow is the feast of Saturn, the Saturnalia, and the commencement of the epagomenae or time between time – essentially the extra five days of the calendar year that are different than the 360 days of the ‘normal’ year that coincides with the number of degrees in a circle. The 16th of December, today, is therefore a kind of non-time between epagomenal time and regular time. It is also the birthday of Gin, the mother of my daughter. We will have dinner tonight with Hans and Solveig and their daughters Lotta and Emilie. We will go to Pasta e Basta. Earlier today, I went with Artur to Gamma to get tiles for the kitchen floor.

My news black out has been interesting. I am finding that I am not missing the news at all – even turning it off when it comes on on France-Musique. It has not been as difficult as I had thought it might be. I know that it is undoubtedly all the same, though I have noticed in particular that the stock exchanges all seem to be in a fairly rapid decline – for some reason? The prosperity of The Netherlands though continues to amaze. The country appears to go on working – as a country should but this one actually does. It seems sad and unnecessary that most other countries could be doing the same but are not. Fighting looks to be the preferred way of settling disputes and frustration rather than any attempt at serious negotiation and problem solving or the applied effort of physical work toward reconstructing things as one would wish them to be. Finding oneself beyond the capability of toil and labour due to age requires a psychological adjustment as well as a distancing from the wasted efforts seen all about us. That adjustment is not an easy one to accomplish, and the occasion is still one of melancholy and disappointment. I realise that others younger than we are now are the ones to carry the torch. And those old farts who are to be found as so-called ‘political leaders’ need to be retired and set aside for younger minds with genuinely innovative ideas and the chutzpah daring to implement them.

We have had an enchanting dinner with Ilonka one night as her guest. The absence of Nick was felt, but as Ilonka demonstrates, life goes one – and we go on with it. And we have had drinks with the beautiful Saskia at Freddie’s another night. John slips in and out between connections with his daughter, and Richard and I fasted for last Saturday and Sunday but nevertheless had a perfect Ides of December evening before the hearth fire sipping negronis and enjoying a morsel of cod roe. But for us, our real celebrations begin tomorrow with the Saturnalia. For us, it becomes a heightened time to commune with the gods – whoever and whatever they be. We now await the rebirth of the sun and the new year to supersede the old one. Blissed be, one and all!