MrsBrown's philosophy of life and stuff

This morning I snuck out of the house for some retail therapy on my own.  You can do that sort of thing at 10am on a public holiday when everybody else is still asleep or in bed.

As I drove home I heard a reading from a book.  It described the grief and then sense of freedom 6 months later the author felt when he didn't own any books anymore.  He described the book as something that sits on a shelf, decaying.  He also recounted an anecdote from an art dealer who had observed that serious art collectors didn't own significant book collections.  The author suggested this was because book collections are ugly.

I really identified with these observations.  I have spent a long time feeling overwhelmed by the stuff I own, not just books.  I know one of the reasons I enjoy holidays in rental houses is because of the peace that is available from a space that is clear of clutter.  I think my renovation needs to include library space and a major book and stuff cull. 

I should probably start on the book/stuff cull sooner, but I'm also overwhelmed by the thought of getting rid of stuff in a sustainable/unwasteful way.

When I got home, I looked up the book.  It's actually a "bibliomemoir" and describes this man's life through the books he's read.  That's sorta cool.  Although I worry about the spirals in my life with the books I re-read.  Am I still 8 years old when I re-read the "Little House" books each year or two?

Today's task?  Going through my fabric.  I'm going to measure all my fabric and cut samples so I know how much I have and where I can find particular things.  Its part of a facebook challenge that looks sort of fun.  The pinking shears I bought this morning will help I'm sure - I certainly couldn't start until I had them.

The other task is cutting and drying apples.

Including feeling stuffed, 'cos it's Friday night and I've been agonising about this stupid paper for daaays.

When I planted the squash seeds splodgenoodle gave me, I remembered something we used to do when I was a kid;  Our family friends, who I practically lived with on the weekends, had a huge vegetable garden and saved their seeds.  They always had too many pumpkin and watermelon seeds, so we used to roam the neighborhood pretending to be commandos and planting the seeds. I remember feeling very anarchic, or something, as I did it.  I was about seven at the time.  I'm feeling a bit inspired to use the salvo's unproductive soil in a similar way.  I've got all these seeds...


MsNotaGoth has a job.  She was interviewed by three people for a mail clerk position that will will only go for four weeks.  She also needs a police check.   Her aunt runs the HR department in the company.  There's something weird going on there.


I've dropped out of the principality discussion.  It was just making me all angsty and making it easy to avoid writing that technical paper.

The Gothic Bank is amazing!!!  I was particularly impressed by the former stock exchange building - the room looks and smells like a cathedral!

And this forum is really cool.  They encourage each other to post pictures of historic buildings in Melbourne.  There are so many that aren't there anymore.

I need to find out more about this organisation.  This looks interesting. From their site:

Home from Festival.

Everything's a bit damp and needs airing, including tents.

And it's just faintly rainy/showery so that washing feels like a waste of time, 'cos it won't dry anyway.

But we have to play magic square just to be able to sit down and use a laptop on the couch. And magic square so that the things I put away last year can go back and mr-bassman's crap will also have somewhere to be that's sensible and at the correct level of accessibility.

Although I'm not sure that 6 sets of PA system amps and speakers (like you have when a band plays) and only two  of which get used regularly, need a spot that needs to be accessed ever!

To be fair, I think I have a dome tent I haven't used in 10 years, and a treadle/electric sewing machine in the hallway that I haven't used for 3 years.

I know moving house would be more work, but today I'm really tempted.  I imagine having places to put all the things I own, and space to spread the tents out to dry and space for mr-bassman to put his music amplifier and speaker collection and the wood-full-of-potential collection and then space to just sit and enjoy a couch.

hmmm... mr-bassman better get here soon so I can have my morning cup of tea (no milk in the house when I got up) and a blood sugar fix, or I'm going to disappear up my own bum.


Hooray!!  a cup of tea!!