I often put the radio on when I'm in the kitchen. At lunchtime I caught the tail end of a discussion about (I think) spending our time well and coping during this next phase of the lockdown - which clearly still has quite a few weeks to run. The final speaker's suggestion was, 'read well' and suggested some good novels. I absolutely agreed, though maybe not with his choice of novel! I was reminded of an entry I put on this blog nearly a year ago about using our time well. Here is what I wrote...

I listened to the Prime Minister's statement to the House of Commons on Monday, which he said would be about the road map to reclaiming our freedoms. At one point I thought he must have been reading my recent posts on this blog! He said, when talking about the pace at which lockdown measures will be lifted, "I know there will be many people who will be worried that we are being too ambitious and that it is arrogant to impose any kind of plan upon a virus.

What was your first thought when you read 'apocalypse'? Calamity, disaster, even the end of the world? Literally, 'apocalypse' (which originally is an ancient Greek word) means an 'uncovering' or 'revelation'. Interestingly, it is the first word of the last book of the Bible and gives that book its name. In that book, the Lord Jesus Christ reveals information to the Apostle John by means of an angel. John then wrote it down in the book known in Greek as Apocalypse and, in English, as Revelation...

Many would say that the coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest catastrophe we have faced since the Second World War. It would be hard to argue with that. The impact is being felt globally, even if the degree varies between countries. The human and economic toll is enormous. However, there is also optimism that we will find the answer and get through it in the end, that better days are coming. I read an article in which the author wrote of why we should be optimistic and not fall for what she referred to as doom-mongering, that we shall never escape the pandemic. Her reasoning?

I have on occasion had the privilege of visiting some spectacularly beautiful places. It is absolutely the case that there are places and views that literally take your breath away. For me, that would tend to be in mountainous and wilderness areas, or when I look at the night sky. When we lived in rural East Anglia there were times when we would go outside on a very clear night and gasp at the spectacular sight of countless stars sparkling brightly against the dark sky...