Friday, April 25, 2008

FEAR IN THE SHED

I must think of something ordinary and reassuring.

I must weed.

I must re-pot my pumpkins.

I must do everything I can to take my mind from yesterday.

Perhaps I should sow beetroot?

* * * * *

It started alright.

(Yesterday.)

Slugs are irritating - but not alarming.

(Unless, as Linda comments, you get one stuck on the end of your finger!)

(But how, I ask, does a woman with the largest known collection of gardening gloves ever - manage to get a slug on the end of her finger?)

* * * * *
It's all the fault of the squash.

Ming wants to 'start off'' so many, I'm beginning to wonder whether the thought of returning to the M.O.D. (and dusting and polishing its nuclear weapons) is getting him down.

Is he thinking of farming instead?

But - he is my husband - 'for better or worse' - and the very 'worst' I was expecting yesterday was only that emptying the airing cupboard would be something of a trial.

But that was precisely where the trouble began.

* * * * *
I must think about knitting.

Or think about pressing some seeds into lichen on top of the garden wall.

(Or do it!)

Perhaps I should go for a long - very long - walk?

* * * * *
What could have possessed me?

A spirit of recklessness may have crept in.

The duvets for winter were heavy and awkward; I failed when I thought of the cupboard downstairs.

So I took all our clothes from the wardrobe, replaced them with bedding and towels; then I carried the shirts, and our knickers and socks, our vests and our trousers and jumpers and hankies and everything else to the shed.

The sensible part of me thought:-

"If the washing machines are needed, our clothes (which were now piled inside) - would be seen . And the person planning to use them (the machines) (Worthing or Ming) would remove them (the clothes) before turning them on (the machines)."

And the sensible part of me took great care to avoid the buttons and dials.

What I didn't consider was they (the machines) could possibly start on their own.

And another part of me thought:-

If something went wrong, our clothes (and the odd sock or two) would be swapped for some 'new' ones. It'd be fun to wear Martian attire for a change.

The wool shop. I think I'll go to the wool shop. I'll buy a pattern and knit.
Perhaps I should make lace. (Already I know how to tat.)
(Are there two 'T's at the end of 'tat' or just the one?)
If only I could dig something!
But - what I hadn't expected (the faint hearted should stop reading here) was a pile of flexible skins!
(For Martians to use.)
(When disguising themselves as humans.)
* * * * *
The parsley hasn't grown much.



For Tomorrow

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Parsley has to visit Hades seven times before it may germinate and flourish.
I have left an award thingey on my blog for you
Regards
Kren

tina said...

I think only one t in tat. Nice thoughts. What are beet roots?

tina said...

Esther, The bark post went into archives but I wanted to say hackberries are neat trees with all those warts. None in England? They are bottomland trees probably found near rivers but also do well in cities.

Trees in Europe are one thing I adored. Their age, beauty, grace and strength and how they are in all the parks. I have tried to emulate the effect of a European park in my yard. The trees need to be larger though. Someday.

chey said...

Esther, although I love the suspense, I also love how your posts make me smile.

Amy said...

Maybe you could knit some skin toned suits to replace those icky flexible skins? Just don't use wool - it might be too itchy!

garden girl said...

Esther, I do mostly wear gloves when I garden. Yet, when I go out with no intention of doing anything in the garden, it always manages to pull at me, and I can't help preening here, plucking there, and smoothing out the soil in every spot I find the squirrels have been digging. The garden is my obsession, either with or without gloves!

I crochet, but always wanted to learn to tat. It's becoming a lost art, and I think it's very cool that you know how. My mom tried to teach me to knit several times when I was a child. I seem to have a mental block with knitting, and just couldn't catch on.

I think spare skins would be even more alarming than slugs!

Philip Bewley said...

one "t" in tat, unless you are refering to the globe artichoke leaves in November which is most tatty. :)