Looking back with clarity.....

The joy of having this blog is that it gives one a chance at the end of the week to sit down and think through the past events. Not to let things slide by into a distant fog of time.

I used to keep a diary. Think it started around 17 or so years of age and went on till I was in my first year working as an actor. It’s in various volumes left stacked at my Mothers and I occasionally flick through it on visits home.

Many days end with – “good day today” or “went out, had pizza, bath and bed” which also seems like a good day. It’s not a document of vast psychological insight and yet reading through it, it does take me back to how I felt at the time.

Rich also keeps a blog (www.richardhowle.co.uk) and at some point each Sunday we will ask each other that question – ‘What are you putting in your blog?” Some weeks, such as following our recent return from holiday the answer is obvious, but on other weeks it takes time to contemplate the week past before one comes up with a subject.

This last week, I worked for one day doing a corporate at HSBC. We were dealing with a group of young traders who were making phone calls and being asked difficult questions by customers. One difficult question I anted to ask was “Why did you close the Sydenham Branch down?” but it was not a question that found its moment.

Wednesday saw me back under the knife. Mr Hunter and his fantastic team at Kings did my second cataract operation and I’m now recovering. My sight is great at distance vision and I have to wear reading glasses for reading. This allows me to do imperious peering over the top of them. As up until now whenever I have worn glasses it has been for distance vision, there have been some confusing blurred moments during the week as I lift the glasses to view the wrong object, but I’m sure I’ll get there.

I do need to wear them for typing my blog so I’ve gone for a rather retro black pair and of course as someone who has reached the age of not being able to remember where I put anything down in the flat, they are on a spec cord – though this is not foolproof.

We spent yesterday visiting an exhibition at the Tate modern about voyeuristic photography – well someone has to do it – and I spent the time juggling glasses on a chord round my neck with sunglasses perched artistically on the top of my t-shirt. More than once did I put on the sunglasses to view a photograph. Now I’m sure that among my fellow gallery visitors, this led to a few inner thoughts of – “My God, he certainly knows how to view a photograph” There may have been the odd dissenting voice commenting “Who is that poser in the Prada’s?” but we’ll never know.

I was just glad that with my new distance vision, I could find the exit sign!