Tuesday, 25 March 2014
from east living room window
This is the kind of day I like best these days, as I have a strong craving to just read while cold rain sluices down outside and the wind blows so intensely that there can be no idea of working. I even prefer such days to a day off in my own garden. I think winter staycation was not long enough.
east window
north window
I even had flowers inside; the Clivia that once was my mother’s had bloomed.
Clivia
I’m surprised because I did not think the northern exposure would give it enough light to bloom.
Instead of immediately returning to the reading of my novel, I accomplished the amazing task of cleaning off the dining table; the birthday mirror from friend J9 had inspired me to get a better reflection.
From my reading chair, the view is better than a mound of papers, newspapers and magazines. Will it last? Indoor tidiness is not in my nature.
a better view from the reading chair
My mood, even about reading, was procrastinatory. I had made myself a note, after reading a biography of Nick Drake, to listen to some songs of his that had faded from my memory. Somewhere I have a boxed vinyl set of all his records. So I listened to a few on Vimeo on my iPhone, leading to a melancholy mood, as was to be expected.
It’s “Black Eyed Dog”.
Pink, pink, pink, pink moon….
Mary slept….on the back of my reading chair.
Smokey and Frosty watched the rainy windows.
Finally I settled down to attempt to finish the very long novel Sing Them Home, whose author, Stephanie Kallos, had written one of my very favourite novels, Broken for You. The latter book was set in Seattle and I expected more of that setting, so was surprised to find myself in Nebraska and even more surprised as a “Wales-o-phile” to learn that small town Nebraska has a strong Welsh tradition, with residents speaking Welsh, singing Welsh hymns, replicating Welsh festivals and funerals. I was delighted.
While I read, Allan ran his own errands and also switched compost buckets at Olde Towne Café. There he found the local window washing crew being far more industrious than we were, working in the rain.
Café window cleaning
He also brought back some photos of our volunteer garden at the Ilwaco post office.
Meanwhile, I came across a charming passage about birdsong.
Allan returned and puttered in his shop. He later commented that he had built something for himself for a change instead of for me or J9. Hmm. Something to do with his little boat, I’ll wager. Meanwhile, I ran across a passage in Sing Them Home that deeply reminded me of my own experience with a former resident of our small town. I felt relieved that it was not an experience unique to me being a fashion misfit!
Moral: Be kind to people!
I read on till dinner time (ten-ish for us; we’re very European according to our well traveled friend Lisa) and still did not finish the novel, for which I blame the long session of procrastination in the morning and early afternoon. Perhaps the next day I would finally get to my new garden book, High and Dry.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 