Lugubrious

Lugubrious, a rather beautiful word don’t you think? But am I Lugubrious? Do I have a mournful demeanour? If you take the time to read my blog then you can see that this is probably true?

My favourite season has always been Autumn, and I used to watch the leaves fall from the London Plane trees dotted around where I lived, and see them burn in bonfires as the park keepers struggled to deal with this autumnal deluge. Nowadays I doubt if bonfires are allowed in London parks, but in my day they were, and it was a sign that winter would soon be upon us, and it was time to dig out the jumpers and the winter overcoats.

It is often said that English people have a fixation with the weather, and this is very true. I, for instance, have about five weather apps on my phone, and I often consult my barometer daily. Living by the sea you tend to get very changeable weather, and in Salcombe we are surrounded by the sea in three directions. So it makes for a veritable meteorological smorgasbord of cloud based shenanigans. And these ‘clouds’ are not virtual. They are there if you take the time to look. I have also noticed that people seem to be preparing for the ‘apocalypse’ by owning bigger and bigger vehicles. Some are as big as a small tank, and they struggle to manoeuvre through Salcombe’s narrow streets. These vehicles look as if they should be on Salisbury Plain carrying out more militaristic manoeuvres. They look a bit over the top, protecting you from what? The zombie apocalypse? In so many ways Greta would not approve at all.

As I sit here writing this blog post the Promenade concert is on the gogglebox. They are an indication that the summer is slowly ebbing away, and soon the last night of the proms will be upon us, in this year where the Royal Albert Hall celebrates its 150th anniversary. When I was a kid I planted a tree in ‘73 near the Royal Albert Hall, in Kensington Gardens. I wonder how my tree is doing? Well I hope…