SELF INDULGENCE ....

 .... and a sense of privilege.

OK, I don't have the family connections, the money and the fame that the prat Harry Sussex has (see previous post) but hey, I can fancy myself occasionally (Robert, please note: this is not a reference to masturbation). See previous post.

Tonight, as The Old Girl had to go to Auckland, I indulged myself.

After doing all of the things that I'm supposed to do - tidying, cleaning, gardening and weeding and some that I'm not supposed to do (....) I sorted out my dinner and then opened a bottle of wine. I didn't need to open a bottle of wine as we had two opened bottles in the fridge already  - a Stoneleigh Wild Valley rose and a Black Cottage rose but I wanted to compare these with another rose I bought - Toi Toi Sara's rose. The Stoneleigh Wild Valley was by far better and I won't be buying any more of the other two.

OK? That wasn't the indulgence though.

As I had dinner sorted (more later maybe) I went to the snooker room and set up the table for a game. Now, remember that I'm on my own here but that doesn't stop me having a 'challenge'.  I use two cues, selecting one for 'myself' and the other for the 'challenger' (often The Old Girl or one of my mates - Gary or Rod).

The cue on the left is mine, an expensive and beautifully balanced cue that The Old Girl bought for me about 20 years ago. The one on the right is The Old Girl's cue, A 'Jimmy White' exclusive that we were given when we bought the snooker table 12 years ago. It's also beautifully balanced and has the added advantage of being red with a racing stripe.

I normally set up the table for either snooker or pool and play against myself using different cues for the opposing shots. It works well and, unsurprisingly, over a few games, the results balance out.

Anyway, this late afternoon/early evening it was magic. The bad weather had cleared and evening light was coming through the windows and lighting up the room. The snooker room is at the south-end of the house and the bay windows look out on the back 'garden' and the backdrop of the two mountains - Mount Manaia and Mount Aubrey.

While playing a frame of snooker, and sampling the rose, I listened to music on the old stereo system we have set up there.

I listened to the entire album of Bob Dylan's 'Time Out Of Mind' (excellent and enduring)  and selections from a David Bowie compilation album.

Both these musicians are masters and the songs are outstanding. They have the ability to connect to emotions and experiences of the listener. I particularly like these lines from Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes':

I never done good things (I never done good things)
I never done bad things (I never done bad things)
I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh

This resonates with me for some reason.

I love this room and after the game, I covered the table and continued to listen to the music.

I sat at the end of the table, sipping my wine and listening to the music,

OK - I admit that by then I was a bit squiffy but was really savouring the moment.

It was time to eat something so I reheated the very toothsome lamb and chilli sausages from New World that I'd cooked yesterday, along with some stuffed potatoes I knocked up and made a rich gravy. Result? So bloody good that I opened a Delta Marlborough Pinot Noir (I needed some red wine for the gravy) to go with it*.

Believe me it tasted much better than this image suggests.

* I only had one glass - the rest The Old Girl and I can drink over the next week.