What day is this?

I watched Springwatch at 3.05am this morning, when a bout of cramp-induced insomnia swept upon my person like a seagull sweeping upon a discarded chip. There was something quite mystical about absorbing myself in a programme about nature as the sun began creeping its light through our living room. Mathew chose to join me at 3.37, greeting the morning with his own version of the dawn chorus – a wailing cry for attention that turned out to be wind, rather than hunger.

So – Springwatch 2020, Episode 1. Without trying to pull it apart like an orca pulls apart a seal, I have to say IT WORKED. It was strange, it was different, it was quiet, it was minimalist, but it worked! Thank goodness. I can look forward to the next 3 weeks of programmes without worrying that it’ll descend into something that looks like a poorly managed Zoom meeting.

I’m glad they’re going to be talking about beavers a lot, and I hope they don’t keep labouring the point about how good nature is for your mental health, and how good the lockdown is for wildlife. I think we all need a break from the constant Covid coverage, and showing us the wonder of the world outside without referring it back to the current situation might appeal to people more than ramming a message down our throats, the way the BBC seem obsessed with doing with all their programming these days.

But what do I know? I’m a messed-up, middle-aged manager who has already been awake for 8 hours, and it’s not even lunchtime….

RC 27-5-20