For some of us at least the long-awaited leisure society seems to have arrived at last. But time moves slowly when we have nothing to do, and the threat of boredom is always just around the corner. The highlights of our week may be a visit from the UPS van, a Skype call, or a plumbing emergency when there are no plumbers. Small animal events outside the window – a herd of deer, a hawk, or an acrobatic squirrel – have become incredibly interesting. There’s nothing new to talk about except the one subject we want to avoid. We are tired of our own books and DVDs, television is nothing but violence and perpetual Antiques Road Shows, while the streaming services are apparently designed for creatures from another planet. Life has become nothing but reruns and repetitions. Our problem is that we have lost the gift of idleness, and it may be time to claim it back. People have been wondering how to deal with idleness for a long time, probably since the beginning of time. A wet Sunday afternoon