Life is returning to normal. Clinics, pills et al are receding into the distance. There was never anything remotely approaching a crisis, but at moments, life felt like one.

Before Christmas, for which I had other plans that did not include hospitalisation, a friend asked if I could do him a favour. ‘Of course.’ He had a couple of stray bottles and he felt that they ought to be drunk. The things one does for friends. Needless to say, I welcomed the offer – and then forgot all about it, until a few days ago. ‘Always thought that you would survive.’ ‘Kind of you.’ ‘I kept the two bottles just in case.’ ‘Kinder still.’

So we enjoyed a final libation for Christmas 2022. The first wine was a Kumeu River Hunting Hill Char-donnay 2016. I have praised it before and it is still improving. Anyone lucky enough to have bought some should keep a few bottles aside. I would like to taste it in ten years’ time, or more. We are dealing with a Burgundian premier cru, and grand cru may be in its sights. Even if Kiwi cricket is languishing, there are consolations.

We moved on to a Léoville–Barton 1995. Eheu fugaces. I only met Antony Barton once and he pressed me to visit him in Bordeaux. Now, alas, too late. The wine trade is full of attractive characters: none more so than this Anglophile oenophile gentleman. His wine is a second growth. There have been moments – but no: intellectual honesty must prevail. Antony himself did not believe that he was producing a first growth. But he was an excellent winemaker.

Normal life: one hopes that there will be one exception – the coronation. Yet it is not clear whether all those tasked with preparations have sufficient confidence in their mission. As the late Queen approached the end of her reign, a lot of lefties raised their hopes. They thought that this might be a significant advance in the Gramscian long march through the institutions. Elizabeth II had provided top cover for the established order. Surely that feat would be beyond her successors.

Not so. From his first moment, the new King resonated the power of monarchy, with the willing support of the vast majority of his subjects. Yes, everyone knows that there have been personnel problems – but most people do not want to know. Equally, anyone who knows anything about British constitutional history must be aware how embattled the monarchy has been in previous epochs. But anyone who has thought about that history and its ultimate ballast of stability must also recognise the crucial role of the monarchy in ensuring that stability.

Even if this is not the language of normal discourse, a lot of people understand that monarchy is a secular transcendence. Although it might seem excessive to believe that the throne is a divine ordination and a unique benefaction to the British people, real Christians should pour out their thanks in their prayers, while those of us who cannot believe cheer them on.

It follows, surely, that the coronation should embody joy and grandeur. At its core, the ceremonies ought to consist of holiness and homage. The King is anointed: humility before God. Some of his greatest subjects proclaim their humility: a humble obeisance. All combine in fealty to the crown and the nation. So there is no scope for an apologetic coronation. It ought to be the most glorious day since the previous coronation. Any officials who may have wondered about the appopriateness of all this should surrender to awe.