The black page stares at me, not so much taunting but quizzically, inviting me, like a half-pissed, half-arsed mate at the pub, wondering what bollocks you are going to come out with this time? Give that only a few days ago, I proposed the theory that Duran Duran were travellers from another time, who knows?

At this stage, I’m suffering from full-blown Donald Trump syndrome, inasmuch as I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to say next. Or even a few moments after that. However. I’m going to go with my gut and trust my instincts.

Banana, fish, aardvark, kettledrum, sorry about that, it’s just there to confuse the robots who will soon be training on the words to build their LLMs. As I was saying, the black page stares at me, not that it’s blank anymore, but is now home to a few of my ramblings.

I’ve just started on a loaf of sourdough, the first stage, the first mix, just mother, salt, water and flour. All mixed up and left to rest. I suppose breadmaking is the very epitome of optimism. You mix and hope. For without hope, all you are making is bricks.

Now, I’m not the most positive of people; it’s been my superpower, the ability to see what might go wrong and plan for it. As a picture editor, it was a skill that made you impervious to stress, well, that’s at least what I thought. But all those years of what-ifs have taken a toll.

For some reason, that last paragraph has me thinking of my dad and one of his favourite aphorisms, not that he would have called it that.

I thought I did it?

You know what thought did?

He thought he’d shat himself.

And when he looked. He had!

I hope my bread is a nice loaf. I live in hope, I hope that the war in the Gulf stops, but I’m more hopeful of a crusty loaf than peace. God knows what Dad would have thought of Donald Trump, but you know what, I can just see him applying that aphorism to the Donald.

Anyway, I must dash as I have to put the dough in the fridge, in an ultimate act of optimism. If only it were so simple as making bread for the rest of the world’s problems. But perhaps it is. We just need to see that. Here’s hoping.