Since Friday

Although we had a good number of visitors over the weekend at the historic building, I felt generally bored and lacking in motivation. Although we are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, I admitted a German family yesterday, and two Australians and a French family today. They all thoroughly enjoyed it. I do like to do my bit for the United Nations and for the European Union, despite what my compatriots voted for. I don't care what the new laws say. I will always feel myself to be European.
However there are certain European individuals I do not like one bit, and would gladly see them deported. I refer, of course, to my downstairs neighbours, the noisy cunts. Sunday was particularly awful. The opening of beer cans, ever louder and louder conversation at the open window, loud telly, loud music, little girl running round screaming out. I had all this from teatime until they had their dinner at about nine. Then I heard the man throw up violently. Then he threw up violently again. He must have chucked up five or six times by the time he reached (pardon the pun) his hallway door, and I found myself cheering quietly with each yack. Then it went all quiet. It was lovely. His wife should cook more often. The ensuing peace and quiet is such a tonic.
I steel feel very low, but not as anxious as I felt last week. I really must stop watching the news. It is all very depressing.

Generally...

I've been feeling increasingly down lately, and now realise I'm going through another period of depression. For a start the news leaves me feeling thoroughly miserable most days. Strangely though, depression does bring some benefits. For one thing my playing improves dramatically when I'm depressed. Today I practiced for about three hours, and am working simultaneously on seven sonatas by Scarlatti and seven more by Soler. Apart from the creativity brought by depression, the rest of it is a cunt.
I had a gruelling session of counselling at lunchtime, and I'm seeing my support worker a bit later on this afternoon. The weather has been very warm and stuffy today. However the storms the BBC expected this morning still haven't arrived. The BBC's weather forecasts are just about as reliable as their news broadcasts.

Yesterday

I spent some time cooking what as for me an extravagant meal. I didn't enjoy it and hardly ate any of it. Outside was very noisy all evening. The sound of static cars' engines played in counterpoint with the nomadic music from downstairs, punctuated every now and then by the little girl screaming and loud, unintelligible conversation. Downstairs quietened down by about 8.30pm, but the cars stayed noisy. I hate some bread once things had settled down, and did nothing in particular until I went to bed a couple of hours later. What a boring life I lead.

Hard times

Our country is short of money, we are told. Nothing for nurses. Nothing for teachers. Nothing for firemen or the police. The cupboard is bare. It is as if the country is waiting at the Workhouse gate.

Now just a minute. Tens of millions of pounds are being paid if transfer fees for individual footballers. Untold millions are paid out in sports' sponsorship. Tax loopholes for the wealthy are not being closed. The government gives MPs two huge pay rises per year. Brenda gets a huge pay rise, and is slipped a tidy packet to do up her main home. The national broadcaster pays its staff shockingly inflated wages. And the government has just outraged many by giving a billion-pound bung to a group of shady politicians, just so it can maintain its stranglehold on power.

You see we don't need any magic money trees. The supernatural doesn't even come into it. There is a huge amount of money that could be called upon, if the government were to get its priorities right. There is more than enough to go round.

Entertainment for the masses

The television in this country is dire. Daytime viewing consists largely of programmes on the following subjects: gardening, DIY, cookery, moving house, sport, auctions and bargain-hunting, talk shows and the occasional TV film. Around teatime the odd quiz show (full of the most uninspiring and pointless questions that the average three-year-old would not find too challenging) creeps in. Then we have evenings; soap operas, melodramas in installments, more cookery, news, slightly more serious (??) quizzes. There is the occasional film, usually of the most coma-inducing type. The TV is like some great cement mixer, churning round and round the same old drear ad infinitum.
Then there are the repeats, or as the broadcasters put it: 'another chance to see...'. I know some of the repeats word for word, where they have been shown so often. I often have to wait several days for something to be shown that I find even remotely engaging. Most evenings I find myself watching news channels, with the sound turned off, so I can occupy myself by improving my lip-reading skills. I wonder if the TV situation is the same in other countries. Or do we have a monopoly on it?

Over the weekend

I had a good Saturday at the historic building, but Sunday was mind-numbing. I was quite preoccupied yesterday, and my mood had deteriorated by teatime. After another restless night, my mood is pretty horrible today.
Earlier on I went and did a bit of planting in the garden that I'm working. I didn't feel like having people around me, so I sat there for a bit of peace and quiet and solitude. It was, however, not to be. I had quite a shock when I looked up and saw two of the people I least want to see; Last year, someone I worked with was sent to prison for murder. That was really awful. Well the two persons were his mother and her partner. I didn't know what to say, but I kept my cool and was civil as I was told all the latest, depressing updates. I'll tell the building's manager the next time I see him. I'm sure this has dome my mental health no end of good.
On the brighter side, I have two further concerts provisionally booked. One of them will be for the benefit of the local museum, and the other to raise funds for the local Labour Party. I couldn't handle the meetings and 'people stuff', but let's see if I can raise a few bob for them. I really want this government out. Cunts.

Since last time

I had a phenomenally busy day at the historic building. Yesterday morning before opening time, a group of 72 primary school children turned up unannounced. We let them in in four groups, so there were four music workshops and four tours. I was tired before we even opened!
Around lunchtime I was called over to the reception desk. The man behind the counter couldn't understand the woman who had come in. That was hardly surprising; she was Russian with hardly any English. So my very broken Russian came to the rescue again. I managed to sort out a visit for her twenty students and three colleagues for that afternoon. The visit went really well, and the kids gave me a loud cheer when I spoke to them in Russian. The tour was conducted in a mixture of broken English and broken Russian, but we managed to make ourselves understood.
Then it was home to dinner. I had been looking forward to it, but didn't enjoy the meal one bit. I think it was because I was so tired. I had a thoroughly miserable evening watching a news channel. Bed at half past ten.