Trivial Pursuits

On a news item recently I see that author Hilary Mantel has courted controversy by insulting the Duchess of Cambridge. I'm not certain if her comments have been taken out of context but she has been heavily criticised in the media. It doesn't seem to have done her career much harm though. I understand that sales of her books have risen since the article was published. On that thought I wonder if I should publicly vilify a well-loved national icon to raise my profile. Sir Steve Redgrave maybe? Dame Vera Lynn? Perhaps not.

In the same news programme I heard that the pub quiz is enjoying a surge in popularity. Maybe it's because the British public are tired of sitting at home staring at computer screens. Or perhaps they're bored with banal TV programmes. Does this mean people are going to start socialising properly again instead of collecting virtual friends? Hopefully, the knock-on effect will be that reading becomes a popular pastime again. Good news for us authors.

If people are looking for more stimulating ways of occupying their spare time it's possible that families may start spending more time together. Wouldn't it be great to see our parks full of parents playing games with their kids? It's healthy and it costs nothing. That would be the real Olympic legacy that the government is always talking about. You don't have to join a club to get fit.

I remember our Sunday afternoons down the local rec with bats and balls. Some games could get quite competitive though. I remember one afternoon mum got concussed while playing cricket. We had to move her from first slip to square leg. Dad was really upset. Next weekend was our football tournament and she was his best goalkeeper. Happy days.