A lesson in equanimitie

30 June, in the year of our Lord 2022

Up, and after breakfast to the gardens where I voluntear, having not gone these three weeks since, there to consider the state of the plants that are my charge, and find all well, and all nuisances controlled, and the bollackworts as green and thriving as I ever saw, and it seems that in my absence people with mere professional qualifickations have unaccountably done as good a job as I. After supper, the evening being fine but the weather not hot, so that I fear we shall again have a poor, cold summer, admired at his showing me of it the work done to Mr. Jones’s coach, which was brought back to his house, repaired; and he very much contented with it, which it pleased me to see, though I say that I was not sure I would have had the work done, for it was very minor and I believe we must acknowledge the lack of the world’s perfection, and accept with equanimitie the little injuries and blemishes suffered by our personal effects. Though I confess I am much joyed to see my new coach still sound and as yet flawless in its appearance, its body work as perfect in the evening light as the day I drove it home for the very first time, and I purpose to take extra special care to maintain matters thus, that all might notice the enduring perfection of it, more than any coach I ever had.

 

1 July, in the year of our Lord 2022

Disaster and fury! This morning after my lesson with Iñigo el Vasco, began to take my coach backwards out of my coach house with the intention of visiting the Exchange. Then Lord! come a great squeal in the movement of it, so slammed on its brakes, bringing it to an emergencie halt, and out in a cold sweat, all afeared for what I might find, for naught to explain it in the mirrors and magick lens that look behind. Confounded to find severalle white scratches in parralel all along the beautiful metallick blue roof of it, as if by the nails of a beast with a great claw, where the coach house door had scraped all along it. Let forth a ripe Expletife, and, my affectation of a sudden in a great despond, sat in my kitchen where I pondered upon the stupidity of my inattention; and all I can think is that either the coach house door had in some unfathomable manner gone up but not over, or that perchance it was already up, and in my abstraction I had started it moving a second time, thus bringing it down. Presently purposed to rub away at the roof with a spunge and some champu, which, thanks be to God, was to good effect; only later looked with a more suspiciose eye and found a handful of tiny, shallow dints to one side of the roof, visible at a low angle for the little distortion they made in the reflecktions on the roof and with the light in the right direction. In a great funk.

 

2 July, in the year of our Lord 2022

Still in a great gloom, I demonstrate to Mr. M. Jones the extent of the damage to my coach, which has so despaired me that I no longer wish to go abroad in it, for the nature of its new and profound imperfecktions has tainted it for ever in my eyes.
  ‘I can’t really see anything,’ says he, frowning.
  ‘Here!’ cry I. ‘If you stand where I am stood, and bend your knees a little and position your eyes a-squint thus, with the incident light just so, you will see the measure of the damage done!’
  ‘Well, it is there,’ admits he, ‘but I would never have noticed it had you not pointed it out.’
  ‘Well, I know it is there,’ say I, hotly.
  ‘And you purpose, no doubt, to seek an estimate for its repair?’
  ‘Do you think I should?’ counter I, fabricating a degree of innocence to conceal the affirmative decision to which I had already come in my mind, lest I appear overly neurotick.
  ‘Well,’ says he, affabubblie, ‘I am not sure I would do it, for I believe we must acknowledge the lack of the world’s perfection, and accept with equanimitie the little injuries and blemishes suffered by our personal effects.’ At which I glare in his direcktion. ‘But it’s up to you.’

 

7 July, in the year of our Lord 2022

Finally today come something to cheer my spirit. The First Lord of the Treasurey hath resigned.