GRANDMA'S DRAWERS

I’ve been told recently that I have a tendency to dwell far too much in the past and that I should, perhaps, learn to get go, move on, and generally not brood upon the events of the long past, even though those same events are the ones that shaped me into the twisted and deformed creature I am nowadays, and that their effects are still resonating through me even now.

With that in mind, however, perhaps I do need to admit that it is at least possible that I’ve broken a few of my own rules recently; Simple, homespun fare like “Don’t blog angry” - stuff like that – and that the dark thoughts in my mind have been manifesting themselves in my words and twisting them in spiteful and virulent ways to make these pages a much more scary and downright hostile place to visit.

Well, it’s not for nothing that I call this a DARK corner of Lesser Blogfordshire, even though I sometimes forget the “dark” part and try to keep things light and frothy, but no-one could really ever say that they weren’t warned, and sometimes the strange mish-mash of ideas and events going on in my little world collide to produce the following smorgasbord of mixed thoughts, none of which mean much individually, but as a gestalt entity, possibly add up to slightly more…

Meanwhile, continuing with our loose recent theme of trying to let go of the past and embracing the future (what do you mean “you hadn’t noticed”…? Have you not been paying attention…?), here’s a picture of a set of drawers which I remember belonging to my grandmother back in the day. I vividly recall them sitting inside one of the fitted wardrobes in the second house my grandfather designed and built as if it was the only place they could think of putting them after they’d moved in.

The drawers used to smell of lavender and have old sheets of wrapping paper in the bottom of  each of them , presumably to protect something or other, and there’s a sheet of thickish glass cut to size that sits on the top of them to protect the surface, I suppose, although all I really remember is that they used to sandwich a doily between the two for no very good reason.

Anyway, it’s another piece of old furniture now on its way to charity as it has outlasted its usefulness in Blogfordshire Towers, but I thought that its passing needed noting.

Talking of drawers, I arrived at work the other day to find that the shutters were open, so I let myself in and busied myself with the most vital first task of the working day; boiling the kettle to make my coffee. By the time I had unpacked my stuff and was heading with my mug towards the kitchen, the shutters had been closed and I was shut inside the building, but by the time I had boiled the kettle, shoved the milk, the Instant and the hot water into my mug and was on my way back to my desk, someone else had arrived and opened them up again, none of these people having been remotely aware, I suspect, that I was busily brewing up inside.

Strangely enough, the first thought that popped into my mind after all this had been going on was “Those shutters are going up and down like a tart’s drawers this morning!” which might not be the most politically correct thought that I’ve ever had but perhaps merely proves that I watched far too much of “The Sweeney” when I was younger.

And finally, when we talk of things passing and “embracing the future”, it’s probably worth me adding the following comment which I posted in reply to someone else’s post-funeral blog after the final journey of the Baroness last Wednesday.

Whilst I was never a huge fan of Mrs T – my own thoughts upon her passing slipped almost unregarded into a particularly dark corner of Lesser Blogfordshire last week – I still think that it’s “right” and “proper” to respect the office of the Prime Minister, even if you didn’t particularly respect the person who once held that office.

After all, whilst there seem to be few who regard George W Bush as the finest President the United States ever had, you can be damned certain that, when the time comes, he’ll be seen off with all the due pomp and circumstance that that country gives to all of its former leaders, whatever their party, so why shouldn’t we do the same for ours?