Cloudy Saturday.

 It’s Saturday, that used to mean something, pre-Corona. 

It’s 5 pm on a Saturday afternoon that meant even more pre-Corona. 

Saturdays, 5 pm , pre-Corona that meant getting ready for the Saturday crowd at whatever venue I was performing that evening, while listening to the football results on the BBC . 

Saturday crowds are different to Friday Crowds, Saturday crowds have had time to get over the workweek, they’ve had more time to get dressed up. Comedy would be just part of the evening ahead, food and drinks before the comedy  then maybe afterwards out till late, no commitments on Sundays except for those who fear hell. 

Saturdays were always special, pre-corona. Now it’s just another day. Another day to sit around, worry about the virus, about work, about the future about- well anything (nowadays we worry a lot). 

It’s Autumn, dark days ahead, the days I love (I’m not a summer person the heat sucks my energy) Autumn born and bred that’s me. Rainy days inspire me, there’s nothing better than putting on the waterproofs and walking in the rain, with promise of a warm drink and sugary treat when I get home.

Autumn, the warning sign of what is to come. Autumn isn’t for the faint hearted or for those on the edge of dark thoughts, in Autumn you need to keep it together, close ranks, increase the positive. 

I look forward to the walks, to the days where I have no need to explain why I  wear the same clothes days on end. The cosiness of sitting here just writing for the sake of it. 

I’m starting to see Covid19 as the speed bump that made us all pay attention, to slow down, to take care. 

Covid19 has taught us so much already about ourselves, most of which will only become apparent when we wake up after the plague has passed. 

I took charge of my new bicycle today, it felt good, I felt like a child again, I took it for a spin, freedom on two wheels, feeling good about myself, my old bike had turned 20 so it deserves a rest, still in good condition but needs to rest. I might restore it and give it to someone looking for a bike, Autumn weather or not, a bike still beats the trams and busses in these Corona infested times. 

It’s Saturday in Corona times, no gig tonight, but so many things still to do. Books to read, a podcast to make, jokes to write, food to prepare, friends to phone, messages to send, silence and thoughts to look forward to. 

Autumn is usually the start of a soft shutdown, now it’s just part of the new dystopian reality show we’re stuck in. 

Autumn reminds us to take charge of our thoughts, not to get sucked in to the dark negativity of what’s coming. Autumn forces defiance on us, turn on the lights, play the happy music, it’s the swim or drown season. 

So make your choices, strap yourselves in, it could be a bumpy ride these next few months, the good news is that we get to tell our mind what to think and how to react . The good news is we still have most things under controle. 

We get to listen to the music that turns us on, we get to eat the food that cheers us up, we get to choose a way to try and ride out the Corona/autumn storm. 

So bring it on Corona/ Covid19 or whatever you call yourself, challenge accepted. Lights, music applause.