I continue to be moderately open to new ideas and things, although, as I’m writing this, the spring has severely retreated and took a very very bad turn. This setback manifests itself in the form of heavy snowing that’s been going on for several hours now with no signs of relenting. It effectively prevents me from practising one of the new things I picked up in a recent paroxysm of Opening Myself Up For Novel Ideas Because It’s Springtime. Actually it’s the only new thing I’ve picked up so far and might remain so for the time being, but most rewarding it is, and not entirely unhealthy too because it’s jogging. Or in my case, running , a bit too fast to keep it up for very long. I need to learn to control and tune down my speed to be able to still maintain my vital functions and keep my heart from bursting out of my ribcage after the first kilometre. But it’s fun and the ache in the muscles afterwards reminds me that too many years have passed since I lost interest in keeping myself in a decent shape. But now I’m back at it, with intent! And momentarily prevented from going at it because of the snow filling the outside world. And therefore halfway pissed off and grumpy and bored and will put this picture (by Delphine Durand) here because it aptly reflects my current mood and thoughts about springtime postponement.
It also reflects the agony of trying to fit together the timetables and make everyone magically appear at the same time at the Sinisthra rehearsals tomorrow. It’s a losing battle already, with a faint but fading hope of having at least five of the six people needed there. We have too many members in the band, with too many confilcting rotas and not enough babysitters with free time. Sometimes I long for the times when the average age of a band member was below 20 and everyone was single and unemployed. Or at least not married with children and/ or working in three shifts. But not very often.

And speaking of Delphine Durand. I leafed through his book Bob & Co at the gift shop of Tate Gallery London when I visited there and was quite fascinated by it and now regret I didn’t buy it. Watching the drawings and other things on his Flickr Photostream cheers me up a bit, but it doesn’t stop the snowing outside and it doesn’t take away the difficulties of arranging a Sinisthra rehearsal. Fortunately there’s a bottle of good albarino in the fridge, waiting for the evening.