Susannah has had laryngitis – a barking cough and complete listlessness, a pathetic change from her usual full-of-bean-ish self – Maxie has had a “fluey cold” and E. has flu. Dr Covington ordered her to bed this afternoon. I hope she’ll feel fit by Monday morning as I want to keep my no-absence (apart from Jewish festivals) record unblemished. I know I make a fetish of this, but well…
Half-term on Thursday and Friday. Nothing done, except draft exams. Ever since Pirates [of Penzance, school production] was over have felt cold-y myself, weak on pins.
Had pious resolutions of making long, introspective entry & reading some edifying work, but will probably watch TV., many of the programmes on which are certainly no worse than the muck I read.
Shirley Williams said she was conscious of fact one had only one life to live, so if one had a coronary at fifty (she’s 35), it was just too bad. What boot it to repeat – it is slipping underneath my feet, and I can’t do anything about it. Tages Arbeit, Abends Gäste,
Saure Wochen, frohe Feste – yes, but Goethe didn’t have to pacify the kids, wash up, do shopping or contend with far-from-captive audiences of school kids. And if Tages Arbeit, Abends Gäste, when time for study, to write letters (was this part of G’s “Arbeit” ?) and do voluntary (municipal shool/church) work?
If I could only sleep soundly – 7 ¼ hrs. should be enough – bed at 12.30, up at 7.45, if the intervening 7 ¼ hrs. were hours of sleep (after all, I am lucky in not having to leave home before 8.30 a.m.).[unclear Hebrew words]pretty shocking; still after all these years והנה יש לי אישה ושלושה ילדים נחמדים [And here I have a wife and three lovely children]. What do you make of all that H-L [Baudelaire’s hypocrite lecteur]?
Joseph Witriol's Writings 