A Last Night to remember

After a lie-in and our usual Saturday pancake breakfast, we decided on a picnic lunch by the sea. Clare made some sandwiches and then we drove to Barry. It was sunny and warm, and surprisingly the beach was not excessively crowded. The water was warm enough to swim in, though with the tide far out, more were paddling There were many small families with young children, and young couples, well spaced out, all behaving themselves. The town council has banned all alcoholic drinks, barbecues and fires from the beach and promenade, and what a difference this has made to the environment! 

The sand looks better, cleaner for being raked daily. Litter bins are up on the prom, though not, as far as I could see, on the beach. Regular bi-lingual loudspeaker announcements broadcast reminders of social distancing and ask visitors to take away their rubbish, either home or to a bin on the prom. A squad of half a dozen council beach wardens keep the prom tidy and patrol the beach to monitor compliance to the rules. The funfair, as well as building facades have had a makeover so the seafront has lost its shabby jaded appearance and looks bright and fresh. Several key scenes in the family comedy series 'Gavin and Stacey were shot here. Fans visit from all over the world, so the environmental uplift is a great means to of promote the resort.

We were lucky enough to find a free two hour parking space, just behind the beach, giving us time to eat our picnic and stroll on the beach and the Friars' Point headland above, before driving over to Cold Knap beach and a walk on the clifftop coastal path, as far as Porthkerry woods. A lovely outing.

When we got back I found an envelope had been delivered containing the eulogy for me to deliver at Tuesday's funeral. It was handwritten, so I set about transcribing and editing it for reading aloud after supper, listening to the start of the BBC Proms last night concert as I worked, then joined Clare in front of the telly for the second half. It was brilliantly devised, produced and executed, a credit to the BEEB, a great showcase for one of the few unique world class institutions we still have left. 

All the musical performances were outstanding. The presence on-line of a select audience at a distance was well integrated into the whole, not overdone. It wasn't just 'same old, same old' sentiment laden diet, but it was both contemporary, and the traditional with a spring in its step, charged with resurgent energy, Some of the pieces were taken at a breathtaking pace, impossible to sustain without risking a riot with a huge live audience. That was special, even if the emptiness of the Albert Hall was ominous and sobering, given the doubts surrounding its future finance. 

I wish I could be as optimistic about next year's Proms as the TV presenters. It's not going to be so slick and easy are we presume to return to normal, not even the 'new normal' whatever we wish for. Tragically, this crisis is too complex for that. Even more tragically, we brought it on ourselves.