FUNBURY

 HOW TO ENJOY THE EXQUISITLEY TRIVIAL.

Mr Bunbury knows that you have things to do, people to see and places to go. But he also knows that time must be found for the pointless things in life, for idling away a few hours, for enjoying the Exquisitely Trivial. He therefore craves your indulgence in allowing him to propose a small handful of ways in which this can be achieved.

Once you have perused his suggestions, he invites you to submit your own: write to him at isay@mrbunbury.co.uk, and should your suggestion be published here your reward

 1.the daydream

For this you will need a comfortable chair, indoor or outdoor according to the season, a small but sufficient supply of sweet things and a period of silence without distraction. You must then allow yourself to focus on the first meaningless thing to enter your head and – hey hop – before you know it, you’re daydreaming. Excellent stuff.

 2.the constitutional

This is to all intents and purposes a walk, but differs from other means of perambulation by dint of being entirely without purpose. A small suggestion of benefit to your health is acceptable – digestion, perhaps, or taking of a little air – but certainly no hint of competition or fitness must be entertained. The companionship of a dog, however, is to be roundly encouraged, as is the use of a stick. The procedure is simple: wander at will, up hill and down dale, until you find yourself restored to your point of departure. Bravo!

 3.sketching

This might have a few among you in a panic: “But I can’t draw!” I hear you cry. Well, it matters not a jot. This is not the Royal Academy, this is a means of satisfying the creative urges that lie hidden (often well hidden, I grant you) in the breast of every man, woman and child. Let them loose! All that is required is paper, an HB pencil and perhaps a piece of India rubber. To novices, I humbly suggest only that you avoid hands or faces, since they are devilishly tricky. Now carry on!