Sunlight sneaks through an adjacent window, kissing the upper petals of the white orchid adorning the features dusty sill.
On a nearby kitchen table perches a middle-aged man, laptop afore him. Erratic of mood, he scans his immediate indoor landscape. Blue eyes darting between a full-size sculpture of a horse’s head, a three-dimensional hanging scooter clock, along with a vase of mauve tulips.
Outside recently leafed deciduous trees afford greater privacy from passers-by and vehicle bound for nearby Wakefield city centre and Barnsley.
This beguiling view of late spring sunshine, along with nature’s bounty returning, ordinarily lift the man’s erratic spirits. Today, though, his surrounds juxtapose the dark scenes emanating in his unkempt bonce.
Endeavouring to flatten down a severe case of bed hair, he returns his gaze back to the orchid; bereft of smile, he concludes he over-waters the plant. After all, the bloody thing is plastic… Fool!
Bereft of enthusiasm, even for his first love of writing, the bearded fella force himself to pen these observations. Unusually, creating prose proving a chore to the maverick wordsmith. Even endeavouring to freshen up the penning process by writing in the third person fails to unearth clandestine verve.
Sea swept faces of pop stars Kevin Godley and Lol Crème, adorning the reverse cover of a forty-year-old 10cc vinyl album Deceptive Bends, stare back at the dishevelled writer. Lol Crème appears to make eye contact with him. The musician sporting a concerned look, as if to say “Come on, Gary!… Things aren’t all that bad!”
The author, though, just looks at Crème’s first name, pondering over the irony of a guy called Lol not appearing to ‘laugh out loud’ very much. Although, in Lol’s defence, it is a photo of the 10cc band member, subsequently making GJ Strachan’s expectation of a chirpier face change somewhat misguided.
Footnote – For the uninitiated, not party to text speak, lol is an acronym for ‘laugh out loud’.
What triggered the writer’s low spirits? … Why is he currently so bereft of energy and interest in stuff?… And more importantly, why has a woman just walked past his apartment window with a placard exclaiming “Snap out of it, you miserable b*st*rd!”
Days like these should wash away the grime of depressive episodes, Gary. After all, Mother Nature is providing kaleidoscopic views both outdoor and indoor… Although, admittedly, the plastic orchid was most likely created by individuals in the Far East, not Ms Nature… And, when I say Far East I mean Asia; not Hull… Although then again!
Meteorological gods’ (Michael Fish and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen) bestowal of solar rays, affording a vitamin D boost and opportunity to tan milk bottle hued pins, should also enhance your mood, Strachan.
Further footnote – Yes, I know Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen isn’t a weather forecaster, but I used his moniker as I get my weather off a phone app these days. A result of not being party to the current TV meteorologist zeitgeist.
Anyhow, what was that I witnessed just now when you headed for the lavatory, Gary?… No, not you peeing yourself!… Did I detect a smile as you passed the bathroom mirror?
Could it be that eliciting a few observations from that capricious mind, in a fit of creative therapy, has dragged you from your temporary existential ditch? Was a rare chance (this week) to sit and write all you required to return a spring into those gangly legs?
Irrespective of was raised the mischievous grin in the mirror, it was a welcome sight. Don’t leave your time away from the keyboard too long next time… Oh, and before you get settled, I think it’s only right to tell you your fly is open!
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