Wrapping Up (2020 #2)

Not much has changed. Gin and Rix wanted to take us with them to the beach-front family home in Aldeburgh, but it would still be in violation of the lockdown rules and hence illegal, so we decided the risk would be too great to jeopardise the closeness we are at present to Richard’s naturalisation. Regretfully we cancelled. We did have Rix, Gin and Sylvester come three weeks ago to us for a Saturday evening dinner which, with negroni, was our first social event in about two months. It was great fun. And the following Wednesday, our dear Woody cooked just for the three of us chez nous a delicious five course seafood dinner. He insisted it was his treat and would not permit us to reimburse him.

The Sunday that followed, it was another superb meal and lovely gathering at the Rixies with Gin, Rix, Sylvester, James and Eamonn – reminiscent of our Brexit ‘wake’ dinner on the last day of January. For the rest, it has been the occasional Zoom moot and blót such as last night for which I gave a talk entitled “The Semmelweis Reflex: Challenges to the Throne of Heaven.” When I last spoke on this theme about thirty years ago for the London Earth Mysteries, I was challenged by Freya Aswynn who wanted to put a spear through me. We settled on a public debate for which I proposed that “Odin is a demon who has usurped the throne of the gods.” I could find no one who was willing to second for me. Judith agreed, and as she is not pagan, I had to write for her what I wished for her to say. At the conclusion, it was only Judith and myself who voted for the proposal, but as the number of abstentions was greater than the number of people present who voted against, moderator Steve Wilson declared that according Oxford-Cambridge debating rules, the proposition still stood. Admittedly, it felt like a hollow victory. But last night, the group seemed more receptive, and the general theme of the feedback was the welcome to have one’s comfort zone challenged.

During the quarantine that has been pleasantly uninterrupted by the distractions of theatre, concerts, museums and cinema, I have been pre-occupied with (1) attempting to extend the lease on the London flat, with (2) redoing my will, and with (3) writing my ‘life-story’ after several have suggested that I do. This last has me now reading through 40+ years of journal records, and the emotional effect of (1), (2) & (3) is the feeling that I am now ‘wrapping things’ up. What amazes me in recollecting my past with Richard if not beyond has been the amount of travelling and moving between residences we did, the amount of things we were involved with and did virtually each day (exhausting to conceive of now), and the amount of friends and loved ones with whom we were regularly engaged but who are no longer with us. If there is a post-mortem gathering, it cannot be other than joyful.

We did have a great stretch of sunny weather during the month of May, and we took as much advantage of this by descending to our apartment building’s relatively small garden to eke out some space and fill up on vitamin D. We have also recently done the covid-19 antibody test, and for both of us, surprisingly, the result was ‘negative’. But in all, I can say that I am content, we both are content, we are both busy with our respective projects, and mentally we are both prepared. I think, in fact, that I have never been happier.