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| Floor length flowers |
Hanging curtains at my flat has changed my
world. A big statement I know. The curtains are a triumph of beauty over
function. The flowery blossoms add warmth, light and love to the rooms. The
blinds work fine, but they just aren’t that pretty. More than this, the
curtains have provided me with a greater sense of privacy. I can close them
against the sights and sounds of the world. Retreating to a quiet corner and
keeping company with my books and craft projects.
For a short time the curtains also created
chaos. I had to move the sofa from under the window. I shifted one bookcase
into the hall and then had to tackle the piles of books which had accumulated
nearby. This also meant looking through the stack by my bed. The coffee table
has acquired some of the overflow and there has been a minor cull. A small
corner is playing host to books which are on their way to being donated.
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| More piles |
The consequence of this series of
rearrangements means that I am now writing at the dining room table. The screen
is perched on top of some books and my writing boxes are balanced on a chair. I
have some new stationary to help me get organised, blue manilla folders, dark
turquoise post it notes and green paper for ideas sketching. Do I need to admit
that I chose these items to complement the curtains? I certainly didn’t want them
to clash.
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| Cleansing time |
I like my new writing space. It feels more
defined. This is the place where I write. It will need to double as a dining
room when friends and family come over. But the reality is that most of the
time it can be my writing place. I can spread my stuff out. Put material that
belongs to the same project together in a pile. There is something quite
powerful in this – think on the salutary advice and inspiration of Virginia
Woolf. It is all part of the enabling mechanisms. I need some constancy for my
writing – a sprinkle of good habits, some solid commitment and a good dose of
organisation. This all feels like very familiar territory, so what is different
now? Perhaps it is simply a well-timed internal prompt to accompany the movement
of scenery.
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| Toe dipping in waves |
The ripples of change are even reaching as
far as the kitchen. I sorted the tea towel collection. Some have been allocated
to bathroom duties, some are on top of the fridge for taking my lunch to work, a
couple were donated, and I have reserved my favourites for display and use. It
seems that things are finding their homes. This week I even got my knives
professionally sharpened. This has been on my list of things to do for so long.
It is a simple recipe - wrap knives in several tea towels, deposit at local
store and then remember to collect. Thinly sliced tomato
anyone?
