Pillowbook of Prudence…
Inspired by The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon.
Things that I hate:
Living in the city. Traffic lights and lines of traffic. Tarmac paths. Crowds. Being away from the city in a quiet village and finding that some selfish little 20-something has decided to have a party with boom-boom music which he feels obliged to have at full volume. No doubt he is from the city and is returning to the city on Sunday. I wanted so much to have the peace of wind, waves and nightbirds this evening. (Perhaps it will rain, driving the Spoilers and Soilers inside.) Realising its getting a little chilly to wear red shorts. The smell of garlic the next day. Autumn leaves. Missing my husband. Having no daylight saving. Having to go back to the city tomorrow and leaving House. Black clothing.
Things I don’t hate:
Wine. Finefood shops in the city. Office-supply shops in the city. My city garden. My city friends. Tennis, the Dog’s Home and social stitching. The view from home. Autumn leaves. Gardening. Riding my $10 bike (Circa 1950’s). Chocolate. The crispness of an autumn morning. Daylight saving. Jeans. Neutral colours that are not black. The Little Black Dress. (Now there’s a contradiction) Blue.
On this eighth day of April, I contemplate how people can be so blindly selfish as to not wonder what effect their actions (music, driving, litter…) might have. Is it the way they plan to live the rest of their lives? Or how they plan to raise their own children? I wonder if I am becoming too parochial, too ‘old’ in my thinking. And suddenly, with the ease of someone rapidly approaching their ‘old age’, I think so what? A friend and myself commented recently that we were becoming grumpy old women and we decided who cares? Obviously the little 20-something down the road doesn’t.
On a more positive note, I think how lucky I am to live in a place where the city is barely an hour from the country, coast or wild bush. Places that will rarely have a soul walking where I want to walk or boating where I want to boat and where I can truly be at peace. And where if I choose, I don’t have to wear black in order to feel that I fit in.
*Those who have read the Pillowbook before will know that black and I have an antipathy and I see black as truly what it is – the absence of colour!*
I happen to love black, but yesterday I must’ve been channeling you. I tried to shop yesterday (for a dress — something I almost never wear anymore). It turned into a rather depressing endeavor as I’ve put on so much weight that nothing looks good. On my way home, I happened upon a shop I would not normally be attracted to. Inside, I was transformed into a “child in a candy store” with all the brilliant colors and textures of clothing … and item after item made me feel Good! My practical side said, “buy the black dress.” Another voice said, “You’re old enough NOT to buy the black.” I bought the red, and it put me in a very good mood!
I’m always happy to read Pillowbook of Prudence! Thank you.
Yay for red!!! It will suit you.
Living in a big city …. I would hate to live in Rome for the constant chaos, the pollluted air, the traffic. Though I love to go there from time to time and meet my friends and play the tourist. I love the theatres, the museums,the cinemas, the landmarks there. I live at an-hour’s drive and that’s enough for me. Among the mountains, in my quiet small town, we can often avoid using our cars and we can live less frantically.
Wine? Not an expert and I can do without. But never refuse to taste some when with friends or family.
Enjoy your weekend, Prue 🙂
You and I have always been kindred spirits, MG.
A quiet, small town…
Living less frantically…
Wine… I’m no expert either, but I do love the flavour and the way it can harmonise with food of different sorts.
Weekend…I have enjoyed it thank you and hope yours is as good (despite that Sunday basket of ironing i know you will tackle). The 20-something with the music and his friends disappeared with much gunning of car-engines and squealing of wheels mid-evening, so I’m guessing they drove back to town.
See? There is a Spirit of Good Weekends watching over me!
lovely blog post and truly beautiful pictures, especially the last one.
It is strange to read of you approaching of autumn as we finally progress through long awaited Spring.
Truly lovely post.
Thanks Ann Marie. The last pic is one of my five favourites from this last summer. We went out in the boat for the day to Maria Island a while ago and the water was just like that for the whole day. A rare and special moment. I’m saving the image to place on the desktop as a screensaver for when the winter seems overly long and cold.
The thing I really love about having a circle of friends and readers that I care about in the northern hemisphere, is that I get to live vicariously through THEIR seasons, which in effect makes for a wonderful year of the best from both parts of the world.
Lovely to have you on Mesmered again.
I’m always there, just sometimes, I have nothing to say (unbelievable I know!).
Ah yes, but when you do have something to say, it’s usually highly articulate and meaningful.
I agree with you 🙂 I hate when someone next door or across the street has a party and they think the rest of the street wants to hear their music :(, seriously you can’t have a party with music playing at a reasonable level.
Hi Krysta,
A party for us is talking with our friends and laughing. How can you honestly hear what your friends are saying if the music is shaking the ground? It’s downright rude, is what it is!
Glad you agree.
Lovely thoughts, as always 🙂 You know, there are times I enjoy a raucous party…but it usually involves fiddles and guitars and jumping in to sing along with the chorus, not heavy bass. Escaping from the city–and the job and the demands and all its stresses–to the wilds is good for the soul. So is eschewing black whenever possible.
Now fiddles and guitars I could cope with. OH and I have just been to two amazing concerts: one with fiddle and guitar, one with fiddle and harp. Wonderful.
It’s funny, Rowenna, I thought you may agree with the black issue. In historic times, black was only ever a colour of mourning, wasn’t it? And required a whole lifestyle change for a given period. With your re-enactment life you’d be so aware of that. But also as a costume maker, you are aware of the breadth of colour and fabric available to the astute clothing aficionado.
Yesterday I went to the city to buy knitwear for winter and came home with storm-grey and the most subtle eggplant. And beautifully shaded long scarves to tone with them. No black required. I also inherited two superb fur scarves from my aunt: a deep chocolate brown mink (with matching hat) and a nutmeg brown squirrel. But wearing the furs requires somE moralising on my part and needs to be thought about. but my, they do look nice!
I used to wear black all the time and then thought “Why?” I guess tastes change! As for loud parties – HATE them! It still amazes me how people can be so inconsiderate. Don’t like daylight saving though. We don’t have it in WA, for which I am glad. LOVE autumn. We’ve finally come out of our long, dry, hot summer with every day over 30°. It was too long. I am loving the cool nights and mornings, and we actually had RAIN over the weekend! “What WAS that wet stuff coming from the sky?!”
Imagine black in the horrendous summer you have had! So glad you’ve had a bit of rain. it’s bucketing down here.
I’m afraid we’ll have to agree to disagree re Daylight Saving though. But it does fit the far southern and northern climes better.