Personal update

[johnny9fingers]

Since the end of last year I've been taking Poor Mad Felix to lunch on Wednesdays rather than Thursdays, as he gets his injection and other medication on Thursdays. As usual, we travelled (meaning I drove) to Botley Hill Farmhouse where the staff are helpful, understanding, and sympathetic.

He's not really on planet any more, poor love, but it's always good to see him enjoy himself, even if a small but obvious percentage of food ends up on his clothing.

Felix has decided that doctors are the cause of illness, smoking is good for you, all immigrants should be sent back to where they came from, and all lawbreakers should be executed, no matter the gravity of the crime.

I realise that whatever Felix believes is liable to be the opposite of what sane people would regard as the case, but I've rarely had such striking confirmation of the fact.

I did mention that way back when, in the Catholic school we attended, there were significant numbers of immigrants from (or residents of) Spain, France, Italy, Poland, and Ireland, and some of those folk were amongst our best friends: which gave him pause. Then I listed the nationalities of the Monarchs of England since the conquest.

Alas, he trumped me by declaring himself King of England since his birth, and the members of the house of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha mere usurpers.

There are some folk you just can't argue with: so I smiled and ate my lunch.

Well, you would, wouldn't you?

Comments

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

I'd like to meet this chap.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Felix (not his real name) is quite splendid in so many ways. Cleanliness and sanity, however, aren't his strongest points.

Next time you're over on this side of the pond, I'll arrange it. For some reason I fear he would have difficulty travelling outside of the UK's national borders.

[e4q.livejournal.com]

i love the whole saxe coburg gotha thing, i can't think why they don't reinstate it.

i have two lovely names in my recent family history - stenhouse ross and stephenson knight. i would use one of them if i had any reason to be posh. sadly, my poshness is more or less restrained to small time snobbery and a mason pearson hairbrush.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

i love the whole saxe coburg gotha thing, i can't think why they don't reinstate it.

Too Hunnish, I fear.

Pleased that the dorg has gotten used to chewing less expensive duvets and throws: but I'm sure you spoil it rotten anyway.

[e4q.livejournal.com]

i know. it's a shame about the huns.

well, she has the expensive antique throw in her bed now... perhaps it was all part of a cunning scheme to posh up her own nest.

[winterlion.livejournal.com]

He does sound like a delightful chap.

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

I like reading your reportages on Felix. You're quite lucky to have a regular injection of willful surrealism. It makes a tad surer of the little 'sanity' which remains to us.

[e4q.livejournal.com]

i do, too.

obvs, he is at a remove, but bless him. and bless you for your general fortitude seeing him regularly, a lot of mentals don't get visitors, so have no contact with 'reality'.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

I can't really have him to the house as he scares SWMBO, so I take him for lunch once a week.

I do wish sometimes that he wouldn't call me at 4.11am to check if his phone is working, as he did last night.

[e4q.livejournal.com]

i can see how that would be annoying. but it is lovely for him to have a proper friend. when my brother was sectioned my mum went in probably every day, and a lot of the other inmates would treat her as their visitor as well, since they had none. the professionals said to her that people who had visitors tended to get better in a way that the ones that didn't didn't, and although my brother had another episode the following year, he has never been hospitalised since. he was VERY lucky, as were we all.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Well, I've known him since I was ten or eleven or so. I'm not going to ignore or drop him because of strangeness: though I often prefer my surrealism to be slightly more um placid...or less...um...emotionally battering.

You know I never go on facebook, so what's the story there then?

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

I'm currently having big giggles on FB. Ive found an old chum from the record co days in London in the 80s, and we do a lot of very funny banter. We should be starting a new label if all goes well. How's your musical life ? Does married bliss leave room for it ?