'the plague is difficult to describe...'

'the plague is difficult to describe... it was a kind of thin-ness, a transparency. within it people aged quickly, or succumbed to debilitating illnesses... the very buildings fell apart and began to look unkempt, ill-kept. businesses failed. all projects dragged out indefinitely and in the end came to nothing.' 

- 'plague' john harrison in in viriconium.

horsemouth is back up in the cloud forest following an early morning mission of an ill-defined nature.

the disadvantage of it was he had to get up and travel in the morning.  (but surely this is useful practice mr. horsemouth for when one has to work and indeed travel in to work). 

they've been spoiling him with their furlough and every two weeks pay-cheques. now he has been reminded, by a delay in the redundo-date, of the paid-in-arears nature of his soon-to-be former employment. soon the money will stop coming in (and will start only going out).  

the advantage of it was he got to drink an espresso outside in the morning sun at a somewhat posh cafe in the village. 

the locals were bemoaning the pingdelic antics of the NHS covid app. one told a tale of attending a theatre performance at the globe where one role had to be played by the understudy until such time as the PCR test for the main actor had come through (at which point the main actor could rejoin the action and the understudy be returned to deserved obscurity). they were discussing holiday plans (one was off to sitges).

horsemouth sat (long after he'd finished his espresso). later he sat in the sun outside the school gate  waiting for his charge, the hand-over was achieved, horsemouth (it turned out) was not further needed. he retired happy..

he went home and attempted to upload this blogpost using his old and loyal netbook, but after being woken from its slumbers the poor wee beastie was not up to the job. 

saturday maybe another meet-up with howard. it may rain. horsemouth will have to work out a means of getting there.