Pandemic diary 82: When melancholia hits…

Gonna need a poignant Bunminster rabbit pic for this post…

When…

When your three-year-old great nephew says the phrase 'social distancing' as the reason you can't get close…

When you overhear an older lady talking about the speech she never gave because of lockdown and how she would rather wait to give it in person to a real audience…

When the neighbour's six-year-old kid runs down the garden and shouts your name in joy because he's so excited to see a different human…

When someone asks to be in someone else's bubble and they say no…

When you offer a visiting friend a drink and have to explain how you've washed your hands, and only touched their glass with a fresh tea towel…

When – post-George Floyd – you see people speaking up against racism and getting trashed for it while the racists become ever more entrenched in their position…

When you know someone is going through a really tough time and you can do f-all to change it for them…

When you hear that a gang of teenage bullyboy/chickens has been pushing women cyclists in the canal…

When you receive your Hillside Animal Sanctuary newsletter and see how someone left a group of horses to starve and die…

When there are other things you can't even say but are going on behind the scenes – not for me, but someone I care about.

… I can't even begin. I'm making myself cry. I just started with the first line and then all the other horrible stuff that's happened in the past few days came out. Sometimes, it's all a bit crap.

Then…

How do you feel thankful after that? How do you deal with a fan full of shit? How about now 10 nice things to rebalance the world just a little bit?

I bought some plants from my favourite shop York Road Supplies this morning. One, a plum red heuchera, I planted over Bunminster's grave this evening, along with a load of herbs he would have loved to munch on.

I made a tasty Green Roasting Tin dinner of spring greens, garlic and halloumi hash served on top of oven chips. Delicious and healthy. And, bonus, when you break it into two portions, it's like serving up plates of boobs.

Boob hash.

A Stirchley friend stopped by today to pick something up and stopped for a drink and chat in the garden. Normally we'd only ever bump into each other briefly in Artefact. I gave him a lady frog teapot, he offered me some spinach and strawberries.

I've been making new analogue collages after a bit of a block. I've gone back to basics of tearing up stuff. It's very satisfying. Here is a lone surfer entering turbulent blue-sky waves – probably because my current reading book is 'Barbarian Days' by William Finnegan (a Pulitzer prize-winning surf autobiography).

You should have been here yesterday…

After a beautifully warm summer day, thunder rolled, the sky turned purple and a triple rainbow appeared. Then the rain fed the new plants. I love thunder.

I indulged myself by drawing two fluorescent/neon bunnies. Drawing psychedelic bunnies is one of my favourite things, even if Zoom callers think a child lives here. As usual I took it too far.

The return of the psychedelic bunnies, which first appeared at a Felt Tip Bender night.

I told someone I like that I missed them. It's too easy not to say it. Yes, I miss you too. x

After the map project yesterday, a few more pins came in, including the 'entrance to hell', 'graffiti or a Virgin Mary sighting' and a 'mystery black box' that isn't the Stirchley Camera Obscura. I love the random adds.

I entered this diary to this Time Capsule of Collaborative and Integrative Practices in an Unprecedented Time. It will now be an official part of a historic record of this crazy time.

And number 10, today I found this video from Pete of my hair in slo-mo action last summer down in Devon. It's quite hypnotic. Sometimes it actually goes vertical. Meanwhile all around seem totally unaffected by this wind vortex! I think it needs a soundtrack though but what song? [Vimeo link]

Big hair day.

I hope all your worlds come back into balance soon.


Commission/hire me: fiona [at] fionacullinan.com


2 thoughts on “Pandemic diary 82: When melancholia hits…”

  1. at first i thought 'astronaut's weightless training' but then i settled on 'attack of the giant feathery octopus-jellyfish-type-monster-thingy' eh?

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