These past couple of weeks I've been seized by a frenzy of autumn energy. Nothing has been safe. I've ripped through the allotment like a dose of salts. The garden is all ready for winter. The lawn has been reseeded after all those months of football, golf, tennis, cricket, rugby and everything else. People have been told not to go on it until April. I'm not sure they're taking me seriously.
Rooms have been tidied, shelves and bookcases decluttered. I'm on the home straight of two quilts that have been on the go for ever. Knitting has begun again. I need a blanket, fingerless mitts, leg warmers, a cardigan and a poncho. I am trying to be restrained and remember my limits, but on a chilly evening it's easy to get carried away. Ravelry is a wonderful place is it not?
I'm wondering if all this activity is prevarication. Oh, of course it is. I am avoiding the writing course. Not sure why. Fear of failure most likely. But tidy rooms give me a huge happy feeling of satisfaction. The children will tell you, I do so love to have things Neatly Put Away. Neatly! They will thank me one day when they grow up to be neat people themselves.
I found a light sabre on the top of a very tall bookcase during one of my tidying stints. In a careless moment I popped it into the toy box. You have no idea how thrilled the littlest boy was to discover it this evening. The reason why it was on the top of a very tall bookcase came screaming back to me.
We had a nice conversation as he got ready for bed. Something about the Stone Age, I wasn't really following at that point to be honest, you know how it is. He commented that we're now in the Modern Age, then asked me what the New Age was. This caught me out a little. Is there a New Age? Should I know about it? I said, "Perhaps you're thinking of New Age people, a bit like hippies." "What are hippies?" I gave a rough, late-in-the-day, vague definition. "People who care about the planet and don't like chemicals." I couldn't string together any more than that at the time. Really, where to start? He yelled out with glee, "That's us! Dad, we're hippies!" If anyone needs me I'll be casting on a poncho.
I had better get a poncho and join you! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteCJ you always manage to make me smile, I had better get a poncho made too.
ReplyDeleteOoh you do make me giggle. Wish I had some of your autumnal energy as the garden really needs some attention but I keep prevaricating with crochet and sock knitting.
ReplyDeleteA most enjoyable read on this damp and dull Sunday morning. Happy knitting. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteHi CJ, your post made me smile - can I have some of your energy? Thank you for sharing with us.
ReplyDeletesend some of your autumn energy this way please! I'm on a hat knitting roll, and Nothing else is getting done........... Nothing.........
ReplyDeleteHa ha, lovely post :-) When we were clearing out our old kitchen and packing up for moving here, I found two light sabres, a plastic sword and assorted poles on top of our tallest kitchen cupboard. Boys... Ponchos all round, I think! Have a good week. Sam x
ReplyDeleteI have been on a house tidying binge this week too. Maybe it is a getting the den ready for hibernation syndrome. As for the writing course, I'm sure you have nothing to fear.
ReplyDelete*gigglesnort* ponchos all around, then?
ReplyDeletei'm in awe of your autumnal frenzy. i'm still waiting for mine. although i did get the house cleaned yesterday and YES! i absolutely LOVE the feeling of Neat and Tidy and Clean. i like to wander through the rooms, basking in the glow of my accomplishment, quietly pondering sending everyone away so it'll stay like that. :)
i'm avoiding the writing too. no particular reason. other than getting started is the hardest part. it's a form of inertia. once i'm jostled from the not-in-motion position, i'll be away....theoretically. ;)
xoxo
I frequently describe myself as a bit of a hippy. I'm definitely getting more left wing with each passing year, if that counts?! Knit that poncho, and anything else that takes your fancy I applaud your industrious activity and wish I could do the same here. X
ReplyDeleteThis made me smile... I found a baseball bat on top of a wardrobe long after my boys had grown up. I don't remember it being used to play baseball!
ReplyDeleteWow you are so organised. I'm afraid I am one of those messy people, I find it really hard to stay on track with all the chores.
ReplyDeleteYay to being hippies! Perhaps you could make ponchos for all the family...
Good for you with all that tidying, even if it was keeping you from the writing course. Sometimes you just need to do something busy and active for a little bit. I love what he said about the hippies. I'm often surprised at what they remember and spit out later. I was complaining about a certain large chain of discount stores recently, saying how I didn't mind that they were slowly going out of business and how much I hated shopping there (which I only do as a last resort), and my daughter piped up to say, "Why, because there are too many hipsters there?" Um...I guess I must have been complaining about hipsters at some point too! Where's my cane, I need to wave it around.
ReplyDeleteLove it x
ReplyDeleteI think you left a lot out on defining what a hippie was/is. I was/is one and there was a lot more to it. :-) ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, there's nothing like a frenzied autumn clean (and sadly, there's been nothing like one here though there has been a fair bit of knitting). Our dog was a bit like your littlest when he came across a long lost string of plastic sausages in the garden the other day. Talk about being in seventh heaven. And yes to all the Flower Power!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some Autumn energy. I've still to tackle the builders' dust. But pointless really when He Who Sands Floorboards is still going strong..
ReplyDeleteGood for you and your boundless energy, it is always a good feeling when the house is clean and tidy and everything is in its place. You are teaching your boys good habits. I wish I could say the same about mine, we have lots of clutter since my youngest son moved back home. Your littlest boy is delightful, he says the sweetest things and it's true you are caring for the environment and the flowers.
ReplyDeleteHappy week dear Claire!
xoxoxo. ❤️
Hey CJ,
ReplyDeletePerhaps yhe Autumn is your New Year? It is mine. All that tidying away before I settle down into full hibernation mode after the clocks go back. I am in the process of decluttering the loft. I should be writing my personal statement for a job that I'm applying for. So yes, procrastination too. Isn't it the mother of invention? Or is that something else? Oh, and I know for a fact that there is a toy hatchet and some nerf guns on top of my tall cupboard. And a bag of party poppers....
Have a great week!
Leanne xxx
I think that was a pretty good explanation, given the lateness of the hour. Light sabers have joined nerf guns in the attic here. I found them last week but refrained from telling the boys. At 15 & 17 I think they would probably fall upon them with the same glee they had at 9 & 11! Your knitting has reminded me I set a shawl aside in the spring and could do with one now so is best get it out. The tidying sounds marvellous. Would you like to do mine for me too? Xx
ReplyDeleteI must be a Hippie, too, and last year I made a poncho just to do it. I might wear it once a year in Florida. Little boys are the best!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with being a hippie. Or ponchos. I've often referred to myself as the first. And one of the projects I have on my needles right now is the latter. And I think a good declutter and clean-up can also clear your mind and help your thoughts transform into words when you start writing. I also think procrastination is a great tool for getting jobs done that you would otherwise have continued to put off.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you need a writing course CJ. Just keep writing about the things you know and love. Brilliant work on the allotment, my manic muck spreading has come to a temporary halt due to a punctured wheelbarrow tyre but at least you encouraged me to repair and reseed my badger ravaged front lawn yesterday. Just the asparagus to cut back and bare-rooted raspberries, a quince tree and tulips to plant - I think I can cope with that before winter. Wishing you a hippy-happy half term week.
ReplyDeleteI suck at the tidy. I suck at the organization of my things. It makes me crazy b/c I really just want it to all go away. I do the opposite of you and immerse myself in other personal projects when I really should just be getting myself together. The New Age story is great. Let me know where you want me to send you and the husband your energy crystals, ha!
ReplyDeleteI love it tidy, too. It is comforting. And difficult to achieve with a house full of people. Ah yes, light sabres, we have related items on top of tall kitchen units I think. Must go and check before the units go and the swords reappear. Tired explanations of various things can lead to funny moments, can't it? I must be a hippie, too (although Sam thinks I am an old bore with a brain the size of a chickpea, if all). I remember that our definition included colourful non-matching clothes and wild hair, quite possibly more (unmentionable on this family blog). xx
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