The Meerkat Muse: 5th of November, 2025
It feels strangely magical that this Muse should fall upon one of the most spectacular non-events in British history – Guy Fawkes Night. Welcome back everyone.
A House of Plague
A couple of weeks ago, both my wife and daughter came down with an horrendous cold. In fact, at first the worry was my daughter – who was patient zero in this instance – might have caught covid. Testing proved negative, but she was still rough, and in her case not helped by the flu jab at school. It was inevitable that she should spread her germs, coughing and spluttering as she was, and my wife was the unlucky recipient of them. Cue both of them coughing and spluttering.
I resigned myself to catching it, deeming it more or less impossible to stay bug-free, though for the first few days I managed to avoid whatever it was. I kept a distance, and I made liberal use of multi-vitamins, in the hopes of fortifying my immune system. Would this prove a winning strategy?
The timing of all this could not have been worse. Whilst half-term began a couple of days early (teacher training days granted the kids some mercy), and whilst I had time off work, which meant no pesky alarms, there were activities planned. On the Saturday was a planned trip to a fantasy/sci-fi convention, booked and paid for, with costumes prepared, so ill or not, my wife and daughter were not keen on missing it. Personally, I can always do without the bustling nature of these events, but I was going along for the ride. More on that later on.
There’ll also be more from the trip to Southend on the Monday. It was supposed to be a coach trip to Margate, but the coach company didn’t take enough bookings.
Here, There be Dragons...
I certainly don’t mean that literally! I refer instead to a dream which involved me trying to stay under the radar of a very large, very aggressive dragon, as I traversed a broken city. What I remember most is the dragon perched on a building that looked like a town hall, snapping at me, whilst I tried to find cover. There was also a moment involving another survivor, who for whatever reason felt it was important to wash his hands before we ventured outside.
This was followed by another dream that was entirely more sedate, if also annoying at points. I was working for my current employers, but at a new location, funnily enough where an old employer used to be. I was working there on my own, so coordinating a lot of stuff via phone. I discovered that an order of mine had been stolen – whether by accident or design – by Grandpa Simpson, of all people, and what I remember was trying to contact him to sort it all out.
My dreams certainly continue to be weird, and some ways that’s great. They provide talking points, and have me wandering what my subconscious is up to. For example, what might have been the purpose of dreaming I was a gargoyle?
Storm Benjamin
The same night as the dragon dream was a storm that delivered strong winds and a not-inconsiderable amount of rain. It is strangely flattering that this was Storm Benjamin. I’ve never had a storm named after me before!
MCM October
As previously mentioned, there was a date with a comic-con, at the by-now usual venue of the ExCel Centre in London. There was initially a question mark over whether we’d actually go, given how ill my wife felt, but she forced herself to go along, so I went along, along with our daughter, and braved the typically busy, bustling scene. I referred to my disdain for this earlier on, and this latest experience did nothing to avail me of my opinions. I sometimes think I’d feel differently if I went on my own, and could therefore operate at my own pace, in my own way. That seems unlikely to happen, but you can never say never, depending on circumstances.
As it is, I am behooven to the schedules and whims of others. One could argue that’s the definition of parenthood!
Among my personal acquisitions from the event, we have:
We ended up leaving later than I’d hoped, though we were spared leaving even later, as my wife, daughter and I bowed out of an extended – and torturous – last-minute shopping spree. On our travels home, the question of food came up, with a coin toss between an Indian takeaway or a Chinese takeaway. Chinese won.
The Dreaded Lurgy
It was inevitable that sharing a house with two poorly people would take its toll on me. Alongside already-fitful nights owing to my wife and daughter both coughing non-stop (not their fault, but unavoidably impactful on me), I ended up coming home from MCM with a sense of lethargy, and that foretelling unpleasant tingle in the sinuses that promised further discomfort. The initial saving grace was a few pre-booked days off work, but I faced the prospect of returning whilst still feeling rough.
What I perhaps should have sat out of was a trip to Southend. Originally this had been down as a coach trip to Margate, but that got cancelled. If the coach trip had still been a prospect I suspect I’d have bowed out, on the grounds that I probably wouldn’t handle a lengthy coach trip very well in my addled state. As it was, a train trip to Southend was easier to manage, but as I said, perhaps not the best idea. Still, it’s not like there’s a lot of time for family time, and my father-in-law wanted to do something, so I felt I couldn’t say no. A trip to the Sealife Centre and fish and chips on the beach made the trip worthwhile; the trip to Primark afterwards led to us missing a train home by a matter of seconds.
What I also wound up doing was spending a couple of nights on the sofa, on the grounds that I would spare my wife my inevitable snoring (hey, I’m bunged up so I can’t help it). However, a trio of such nights was not an option, as I would be back to work, and I would need a good night’s sleep ahead of my return.
Life is Precious
I can’t go into specifics, but a friend of mine recently lost her partner of many years, and it happened very suddenly. It has served as a poignant reminder to cherish those we love, and to tell them we love them, every single day.
Back into the Fray
Last Wednesday saw me return to work, though I didn’t feel particularly ready for it, either physically or mentally. I learned of an impending phone call from a disgruntled relative of a customer, who had called the previous day to seemingly do nothing but vent. Since her complaints were not something we could resolve at store level, why was she phoning back? What could possibly have changed overnight? Some people do seem to want to rant for the sake of it, and in my experience that rarely accomplishes a damn thing.
Whilst I stewed over how this call might play out, I had to do my best simply to stay awake. I had to contemplate how to stay focused, which wasn’t easy when my body was insisting that I have a nap.
Come Thursday evening I felt a little bit better, but still far from an ideal state. I think the early starts whilst feeling ill were taking a heavy toll. Still, I was having some more of my typically outlandish dreams, including one where I travelled through a gigantic stargate, to another galaxy (or possibly another universe), whereupon I met up with a lot of relatives for a wedding. One of the guests for this occasion was none other than my boyhood hero Nigel Mansell, who I can safely say was not actually invited to any of my family weddings.
Halloween 2025
This year’s Halloween was a low-key affair, borne at least in part out of still feeling rough by the time it rolled around. I felt better, but far from perfect, so I didn’t wind up getting into costume, and instead guided my daughter around the local estate, ensuring she at least got to indulge in one of her favourite pastimes. I was also a bit distracted anyway, dear ‘kats, with the prospect of some frustrating days at work. Fortunately, my fears were allayed by some changes of plan. I then got to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes, eating Halloween sweets.
The 5th of November
This isn’t going to be the easiest of dates for some people I know, and my heart goes out to them. I wish them love, and I wish them peace, if that is possible.
Guy Fawkes Night won’t be particularly pleasant for pets either. My cat has taken to hiding behind the sofa as fireworks go off, and they’ve been going off since Halloween. Whilst I do understand the spectacle of the night (and I love watching fireworks), my appreciation of them has certainly changed since becoming a fur parent. A lot of animals, and especially cats and dogs, are unable to process what’s going on, and it distresses them to the point of pure terror. There is a drive for silent fireworks, though they don’t seem to be growing in popularity.
Onward and Upward
As we reach the end of this Muse, I cannot help but reflect on how we are also nearing the end of the year. There’s still a bit of time to go in 2025, but we are certainly in the final stretch. November – like October beforehand – will see the nights close in, and in theory it will see the temperature fall. It won’t be long before Christmas lights are on display, and everyone’s thoughts will turn to the festive season in earnest. Mind you, November is a busy month for me, what with it being my birthday month, so there’s that to get out of the way first.
As for what I will get up to… well, quite frankly I have no idea. I should be free of this lingering cold by then (if not, I will be seriously grumpy), and if the Christmas Market has appeared in the town centre, I might have availed myself of its rather gorgeous food selection. I might even share pictures, though I should caution that it could be considered food porn.
Anyway, that’s all for another Muse. Until then, I wish you all love, I wish you all peace, and I shall see you on the other side!
