Reading with dog

It's morning, and the day is wide and empty of obligations. Downstairs, my French bulldog and five cats await me, along with a huge pile of books – Sylvia Plath’s letters and journals, books on creolised folklore from Mexico and Celtic language-speaking lands, and some cookbooks. After my bulldog and I have sniffed one another carefully, it's time for coffee, and after that, the only sound is pages turning until it's time to take her for a walk around the silent village. She is immensely happy; the whole family is at home, and so are the cats. In the afternoon, there's bread baking and another walk around the garden to admire the new roses that have opened during the day. Birdsong is loud and sweet. Then back to more reading. Honestly, this is paradise.

Why don't we do less economic growing and pressuring, and more gentle quiet peaceful silent living? This disease and its horrifying death rate came in part from the brutal drive for more and more growth. Yet that growth has benefited very few. Why don't we focus on making sure that everybody in the world has what they need – clean drinking water, somewhere to live, enough to eat, a decent health service, and an education free for all? Let's stop the constant push for more and more and more.

2020-05 See all items with this value

Vale of the White horse

Diane Purkiss