My week in pictures

The solstice, storms and the slack of the tide

Hello,

I spent last week waiting for the Solstice to work its magic, all the time having no faith that it could actually do anything.

Two whole days of it were absorbed by driving between various pharmacies to track down one of H’s prescribed medications. Another half-day was taken by a visit to our local walk-in centre when one of H’s wounds didn’t look good (it’s okay; he now gets to go to a special clinic every few days so that they can manage it all). The rest was housework, or that’s how it felt. You can only surrender to times like these, but that doesn’t mean I’m good at it.

The dog, meanwhile, is very good at surrender. I wish I could learn this.

I was wary of the soltice. It seemed as though it might be another thing that stole my energy. I had invited some friends over to celebrate, but the day before I panicked and wondered if it would be a good idea. In the end, I compromised with myself and asked if they’d mind me feeding them fish and chips from the local takeaway. Of course, they did not mind at all.

I spent the early part of Saturday morning in the garden, watching the sun gradually climb into the sky. It was a little pool of peace. I read Tillie Olsen’s Silences while I sat out there, and thought about all the gaps in the creative record that spring from moments like this. Care diverts us, over and over again. Hard to believe this book is 60 years old.