a bridport like prague

'set out very early in the morning. the alarm clock I’d found ticked so treacherously loud in the house I left behind that I climbed back inside, retrieved it, and threw it a bit further away into some undergrowth. right after fouday the most awful downpour began, rain mixed with hail, the black clouds threatening evil. I took shelter under a tree in the lingering morning gloom. below me the road, and beyond the brook some railway tracks. it’s so dismal. a little further it really gets serious. I crouched above the road beneath the fir trees, my poncho drawn...'

- werner herzog, on walking in ice, 5th december 1974. 

herzog has made it into france (possibly the day before) but he's still about a week away from paris and his goal. 

it is also the day of kafka's manic episode (in 1915) -  there may be other manic episodes but this one makes it into the diary. the proximate cause of this one is war bonds and whether or not kafka should buy them. 

horsemouth has a headache. he had a headache yesterday too. his mum has retired back to bed with the shivers after a busy day yesterday. (horsemouth is contemplating having to cook.) it's cold and flu season and there's a lot of it about. 

what he thinks he will do is wander into the village to pick up the newspaper and a few tins of soup, a few more loaves of bread and such like.  he did it. they are up one loaf of bread and one tin of soup because he did the shopping in a bad mood having quarreled with his mum about the shopping list. he bought some kindling wood and the hereford times also but failed to remember to get some teabags (because he was in a bad mood). 

he got soap and toothpaste (not that he's convinced they actually need them). 

in horsemouth's valley it is in the shade. up on the common there is golden sunshine. the walk to the village and back cheered horsemouth up a bit (and did good things for his headache). 

horsemouth's mobile is still on the fritz

this makes the bell-ringing problematic. horsemouth will see how he feels in a bit. 

ok he's going. 

his mum has two things booked before her granddaughter's graduation ceremony. all these should be possible.  the first thing is not until tuesday, the second not until friday. in a way horsemouth is looking forward to it (it is activity). 

it will entail either an early am start or a walk to pontrilas on the wednesday (horsemouth suspects).  unless it is pissing it down the walk may be the better option. the day of the journey up looks unpleasant and the day of the journey back also. (hopefully the weather won't be so bad that it all gets cancelled or everyone gets stranded).

after all of this there's a post-christmas visit coming (which horsemouth is looking forward to) by his brother's family (he's not sure how extensive that will be).  

horsemouth is happier than he was earlier but he's still wrestling with the difficulties of being in the wilds.  possibly saturday zoom beers with howard. 

it's the morning. horsemouth dreamt of bridport (a bridport like prague). later he was at a dinner party with some younger people. they were going to climb out of a window to perform but there was a dinner party in the back garden next door who started playing records.