It was good to wake up to a blue sky and sunshine. I learned from local news that the noisy rain I heard along with thunder last night was a shower of hail, a sign of colder currents of air from another weather system arriving, as storm Bert moves south.
After breakfast, the first of this year's Reith lectures on Radio Four, called 'Four Questions about Violence' by forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead who has worked with murderers and other violent offenders in mental hospitals and prisons helping them to come to terms with their crimes. She dispelled the notion that violent people are monsters - ordinary people who take leave of their senses for a particular reason, often shocked by their own extreme behaviour when they stop denying or trying to justify their actions, and face the seriousness of what they've done.
People who resort to extreme violence do so in different circumstances and for a different and complex set of reasons. What triggers the violent response in each individual is a set of factors as unique as the code which releases a combination lock. It can take years in therapy to figure out all the elements involved. There's a lot more to it than this. Her disciplined thoughtful discourse made for compelling listening.
After that, I spent the morning writing a response to a reflection about mission from my friend Rufus. Clare cooked batches of mince pies for Christmas and I cooked lunch, fish for her, pork chops for me, done in the oven alongside the mince pies.
We ate early enough to allow me to walk for three quarters of an hour while Clare was having a rest. Then I drove her to UHW for an eye appointment, and on returning, continued my walk in the park until just after sunset. She returned home after me, with the surprising news that she'd been diagnosed with viral conjunctivitis. The painful condition of her eye in the past two weeks isn't a consequence of the tear duct operation he had, but an acquired infection. Where she picked that up is anybody's guess. It could give her trouble for many weeks, but at least the pain isn't due to the operation - less worse? I'm not sure.
Apart from a break for supper, I spent the rest of the day binge watching episodes of 'Judge Marianne', sad tales, crazy tales and even a couple of happy tales, and a lots of humorous dialogue making it entertaining to watch, light relief for a change.
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