Dazed and confused

I spent almost the whole week watching the littlest boy playing cricket, and I can honestly say I now see the attraction of it all. Sitting in a chair, on the grass, staring vacantly into middle distance for hours and hours every single day has a very emptying effect on the mind. The grass was bleached, everyone was wearing white, the sun was blazing and I went slightly snow blind. By Friday afternoon I had lost all concept of time and space. Life had narrowed itself down to small boys, cricket stumps and blue ice lollies. I had no idea how many runs we had, who was winning or even what day of the week it was. I propped my parasol over my head and pretended to be concentrating, but really my head was totally empty. Nothing in there at all! Of course, there are those who say that is the normal state of affairs, but while I may appear vacant, all sorts of things are usually swirling round in panicky circles in there. So the emptiness was strange and wonderful. If you are ever offered tickets for five days of cricket, take them. You don't need to know anything about the game at all, it's just a sort of meditative brain cleanse. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Sadly it all came to an end, and we are having to reenter normal life where things are expected of me and I am required to think and act. Sigh. I am already wondering if there will be another one next year.

Back in reality we took advantage of a cooler day and galloped the dog around a bit. The land is dry and pale here, as everywhere. Dare I say I'm loving the weather, despite that. I like not wearing loads of clothes and never being cold and sun every day. And the cricket, let's not forget the cricket.

Next week I think we will tackle some of the chores. Uniform, that sort of thing. Get it out of the way, so we don't have to think about it any more. Then we can slide on into the fun stuff. I have a completely unrealistic pile of books to read, a mental list of places to go and things to do and work to be done as well. It'll get done or it won't, and I shall not be stressed about it. See, still chilled. Cricket, people, you heard it here first.