Back in the Old Routine

Before we go anywhere else, I feel that I have to say a word or two in defence of self-styled celebrity chef and Tory supporter Anthony Worral Thomson, who has received a police caution for shoplifting cheese and wine from his local Tesco. Whilst, obviously, I would never condone such criminal activity, to be fair to Worral Thomson he was only following the example set by the Conservative Party's paymasters in the City by blatantly taking other people's property with no intention of paying them for it. Indeed, I think we should all be lenient with the beardy gnome bastard, after all what are a couple of packets of economy cheddar-type cheese and a few bottles of low-end fortified wine stuffed down the front of your track suit bottoms compared to the billions of taxpayers money bankers and their ilk have trousered?

As you might have gathered, I've recovered somewhat from my post-Christmas torpor of last week. Spending the weekend mainly in bed, only getting up to imbibe various generic energy drinks, seems to have, at least partially, restored my energy levels and banished the worst of the vestiges of my cold. I'm still not feeling one hundred per cent fit, but I'm getting there. I think the fact that I only worked three days last week didn't help - the sudden switch back to work routines after two weeks off was, on top of everything else, extremely disruptive, both physically and mentally. Mixing work and non-work routines is never a good idea. Hopefully, this week will be easier as it represents a full return to 'normal' routines. That's the sad thing, though. No matter how much we rail against 'routine' and seek to break free of it, the truth is that we need routines. They're comfortable and reassuring. Not only do they give a rhythm to our lives, but they give meaning to our leisure time - we know that we're enjoying ourselves because we are no longer conforming to a routine. In truth, of course, what happens when we are released from our work routines is that we rapidly settle into another, non-work, routine. Just as I'm doing now: writing this post is part of my Monday night leisure routine, after this I'll go to the pub, then come back home, eat low fat cheese on toast before going to bed. It makes a real change after a couple of weeks of Christmas routines.