Letters from Quotidia 2026 Outro

This is the outro to the Weekend Supplements and, indeed, the epitaph to the Letters from Quotidia as a whole. The enterprise kicked off in January of 2021 and kicked the bucket at the end of June 2026. In essence, the three hundred Letters comprised several hundred songs, several hundred thousand scripted words and approximately 85 hours of podcast time.

Its genesis was in a plague year, and it stuttered to an end about a year before the singularity predicted for mid-2027 when AI will deliver us to, what? Heaven, Hell, or just a continuing purgatory of disappointed dreams. Speaking of which, a remarkable man who knew all about disappointed dreams was Gerard Manley Hopkins who wrote one of the great poems on this theme: Thou art indeed just, Lord.

Written just months before his death in 1889, struck down by typhus aged just 44, this Petrarchan sonnet radiates anguish and has left us with several memorable quotations- Why do sinners’ ways prosper? Birds build- but not I build; Time’s eunuch and, not breed one work that wakes. Let’s hear it in full, Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend/With thee; but sir, so what I plead is just. / Why do sinners’ ways prosper? And why must/ Disappointment all I endeavour end? / Wert thou my enemy, O thou my friend, / How wouldst thou worse, I wonder, than thou dost/ Defeat, thwart me? Oh, the sots and thralls of lust/Do in spare hours more thrive than I that spend, / Sir, life upon thy cause. See, banks and brakes/ Now, leaved how thick! Laced they are again/ With fretty chervil, look, and fresh wind shakes/ Them; birds build- but not I build; no, but strain, / Time’s eunuch, and not breed one work that wakes.//

Hopkins found neither the fame nor the credit he deserved until decades after his death. But maybe he had some inkling that all was not lost in the slough of despond that accompanied his last days when we recall that his last words were, I am so happy. I am so happy. Which brings me to the first song of this post. Written by Johnny Nash in the aftermath of cataract surgery, it is a true hymn of thanksgiving. To have sight restored, either through the agency of a Biblical miracle or ophthalmic surgery is truly life-changing. I think of the impact on so many by the work of Fred Hollows and his foundation. Over thirty years, more than three million people have had their sight restored. This legacy beats the pants off the builders of golden ballrooms and other vanity projects. I Can See Clearly Now, is the song I’ll present now. [insert song]

There are no neat endings in life: that’s why we have songs and stories to supply these whenever we feel the need for them. Sharing a birthday drink with my brother-in-law, he told me about a mate he worked alongside with for many years who, learning he has terminal cancer, has arranged a neat end. He has approval for voluntary assisted dying and has said farewell to his family and friends as well as having ordered his affairs. He is not in pain, but he intends to bow out this weekend. Hearing this gave me pause. In a similar situation, I’m not sure I would be able to resist the temptation to drink the potion that puts you to sleep-everlasting.

In the Book of Wisdom, chapter four we read, he who was transported- snatched away lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul: for the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind. I’ve got to admit, that for more than fifty years I was beguiled with the witchery of paltry things. In my case, the extent to which right has been obscured and how much innocence is left of a mind steeped in consumerism for so long is moot.

Also, how much credit can you claim if your liver doesn’t allow you to roister quite as uproariously as hitherto? Slowing down is an inevitable accompaniment of age so you can’t really make a virtue out of being able to demonstrate a sedate and decorous pace through life. The much-vaunted claim of wisdom that age imbues one with is really just a struggle to find the right (or, indeed, any) word but which is sometimes interpreted as sagacious pondering of a deeper mystery by those who should know better.

You all are familiar with those before and after photographs, illustrations and testimonials of how your- paltry?- life can be immeasurably improved if only you can stir yourself to whip out your credit card and take out a subscription (money-back-guaranteed, of course!) to the latest miracle cure, panacea or answer to your most fervent prayers for self-transcendence. I must admit that I’ve fallen for the occasional boondoggle in my time but mostly have avoided such scams- more through timidity and luck than good judgement, it must be said! So, I now crave your indulgence while I present to you the final song of this post and, indeed, the whole series. Have you guessed the name of the song? Here is Before and After. [insert song]

Thanks to that small, intrepid band accompanying me through Quotidia over the past months and years. Knowing you were there has enabled me to continue with the project when ennui or writers block or imposter syndrome threatened to scupper the Letters long before this final harbour and anchorage.  And a final word to any in my familial line who has come across the testimony in these letters: you don’t need to pore through them forensically to get a pretty clear sense of who I was. A handful of the Letters will reflect, hologrammatically, the themes and preoccupations of my Quotidian life. Adieu.

I Can See Clearly Now (Words and Music Johnny Nash)

D, G, D/D,G, A/D, G, D,/C, G D/C,G, D/-2 F, C/F, A, C#m, G, C#m, G, C, Bm, A, A

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin’ for

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day

Look all around, there’s nothin’ but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin’ but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day

Gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day
Oh, what a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day…

Before and After (words and music by Quentin Bega)

Intro: C2, A7+, Dm7, G13b9

Stanza A: C, G, C, C x2/F, F, C, C/C, G, C, C/

Stanza B: Am, Am, Em, Em,x2/F, F, C, C,/C, G, C, C/

Beforehand I came trailing clouds of glory

Placed here in this world to sing my story

Like everyone set down here before me

I tried so hard to build my territory

And so it goes and everyone knows

There is pain and there is pleasure in abundant measure

And as you search for something worth believing

Avoid the traps laid at your feet deceiving

Meanwhile watch life wax and watch life flicker

Stand aside and let the others bicker

Don’t be sucked in it’ll make you sicker

Let love be your watchword- that’s the kicker

And if you find you’re lost and blind

And stumbling through a fog that hides all that is true

Summon that light that shall restore your sight

My sons and daughters cast your bread upon the waters

(8-bar interlude: C2, A7+, Dm7, G13b9 x2)

Afterwards will any one remember

Either in fair June or cold December

Will judging angels preserve my name or it dismember

Will I be a living flame or dying ember

 Mmm, a living flame or a dying ember

Oh Lord will I be a living flame or just a dying ember

Letters from Quotidia (various forms of nomenclature)

In essence, the three hundred Letters comprise several hundred songs, several hundred thousand scripted words and approximately 85 hours of podcast time.

A listing of the Letters as they rolled out under various names.

120 Letters from Quotidia

30 Postcards from Quotidia

20 Extra Letters from Quotidia

04 Making the Living Poetry

10 And Leave Him There

16 Additional Letters from Quotidia

20 Postscripts from Quotidia

10 Footnotes from Quotidia comprising:

                Sword of Damocles 1-4

                Covers for Castaways 1-4

                Slainte 1

                Slainte 2

01 Trailer for Podcasts 2023

20 Podcasts from Quotidia

01 ANZAC Special

15 Radio Quotidia Letters comprising:

                The Blues 1-5

                Last Things 1-5

                Lost and Found 1-5

01 New Years Eve 2023 Letter

16 Letters from Quotidia 2024

01 Letters from Quotidia 2025 Episode Zero

01 Introduction to Letters from Quotidia Weekend Supplements

16 Weekend Supplements

01 Outro to Weekend Supplements

Credits: All written text, song lyrics andmusic (including background music) written and composed by Quentin Bega unless otherwise specified in the credits section after individual posts. Illustrative excerpts from other texts identified clearly within each podcast. I donate to and use Wikipedia frequently as one of the saner sources of information on the web.

Technical Stuff: Microphone-songs Shure SM58; (for the podcast spoken content) Audio Technica AT 2020 front-facing with pop filter); Apogee 76K also used for songs and spoken text. For recording and mixing down: 64-bit N-Track Studio 10 Extended used; Rubix 22 also used for mixing of microphone(s) and instruments. I use the Band in a Box/RealBand 2023 combo for music composition.