Substack diary no.171: Tuesday, 2nd. June 2026

It is the beginning of summer, hence we are enjoying cooler temperatures and spring showers! I’m glad of it myself, as is my pond and the fish that call it home. Do they call it home? I am not entirely sure. In any event, my leaky pond is momentarily almost full thanks to the overnight rain. My garden is momentarily bathed in sunlight until the next shower. I am momentarily resting until I finish writing this or the washing machine beeps at me to suggest I remove my light coloureds. The beep seems a bit superfluous as the din of silence after the high-pitched drone of the hurricane-force spin should be enough to tell me that it is all over. I need to get off my ass and extract the washing and peg it on the clothes horse. But do I set the clothes horse up outside the kitchen door or inside? The weather suggests inside would be the safe bet. I like to play it safe. Who wants damp clothes when you have just washed them? And why is it a horse? I can’t see the resemblance myself.

On that series of daft notes I think I should perhaps re-acquaint myself with reality. Or is it mundanity? I get confused. In any event, my cappuccino cup is empty and that means only one thing: I cannot afford to make another, no matter how much I whine about being desirous of one. I will do what I always do since I initiated this particular policy in my budgetary statement last autumn: put a filter in the coffee machine and make a plain old drip coffee. It’s less expensive. And it means that, although growth is zero – or in the case of coffee negative (can you have negative growth?) – my borrowing requirement is also zero. In terms of economics, I am stagnant. That sounds about right.

On that note, together with the fact that the sky is now various ominous shades of grey and nature is now providing a free window-cleaning service, I shall venture into the kitchen – despite the absence of beeps.