I remember the last one

Reading the papers this week has been a sobering experience, and I remember why I didn't read them during the last recession. Not only are they full of lengthy reports about financial situations that I barely understand, they're also thoroughly depressing. Page after page after page of bad news. I'm not avoiding it, there's no way to do that. All you have to do is listen to R4 for any length of time or switch on any news bulletin and there it is: we're in a recession. I'm not going to start ranting because frankly it's pointless.

We lost three houses in the last one and barely held on to what we had with our fingertips. Luckily I wasn't around for the third one, by that time I'd gone to University so had somewhere else to live. Mum had to do a midnight flit that time and left a rather classic Habitat table that I'd dearly love to have in my kitchen now. Funny what you remember.

Anyway, what I'm waiting for is the classic 'r' avoidance that kicked in the last time: daft fashion (shoulder pads, ra-ra skirts), silly music (take your pick, it was the 80s, but Jive Bunny takes some beating), ridiculously upbeat/fluffy films (anything with the brat pack in it, I had a serious Andre McCarthy crush) and so on. That's what I focussed on the last time. And while I'm older this time around, with the usual over-40 responsibilities, I really need those distractions and I'm betting you do too.

So here's a few to be going on with:

• Heat Radio on DAB - fluffy music and celebrity gossip instead of news bulletins. There is NO bad news unless you count hearing about celebrity handbags on a regular basis. I just don't get the handbag thing.


• James Bond books - I'm reading 'From Russia with Love'; not only does everyone get to smoke with impunity, there's sex, lots of fights against those pesky Russians, and of course, brooding Bond.


• Outlandish recipes - one of my favourite blogs is Just Bento. I will probably never, ever cook anything from here. But it all looks so lovely that I drift off into a day dream of kitschy Japanese lunch boxes packed with food I'll probably never get to taste but really fancy.

Naturally I'm not advocating ignoring what's happening - heavens, would I do that? No, I'm just suggesting we balance it out with a bit of daftness and fun. Let's not be dull. Let's fiddle while Rome burns....

Yours off to find her red patent stilletos c. 1983,
Lucy