It rained all today today, but despite weather we walked into town to shop at the Migros, to buy some ingredients for Clare to make her own mincemeat, ahead of making mice pies for Sunday's Epiphany lunchtime party. Before heading back to CHurch House in between showers, we stopped for a drink in the Migros small cafe. Later, Clare discovered that she had lost an earring of sentimental value, and after searching through the house, concluded the most likely place and time was when taking off her scarf and hat while sitting in the cafe. Most unfortunate, but we can return and ask if anyone had picked up tomorrow.
In the evening we prepared the mincemeat together, before putting it in the oven to cook, and then watched a biographical documentary on BBC Four about Walt Disney and the business empire he created. This was followed by another documentary on the life and work of the author Sue Townsend, creator of the Adrian Mole character and the series of books she wrote about him from adolescence into adulthood. Like Walt Disney, she didn't have much formal education after secondary school. Both were driven by creative talent in their different ways to have remarkable success against great odds and adversity. Both died in their sixties from cancer, and yes, both were smokers. It's curious, this toxic linkage between smoking and creativity, not to mention drugs and alcohol abuse.
