Harry Blog site: zaydasrandomreflections.blogspot.com
I was walking down the passage from my living-room where I`d been lounging in my favourite chair enjoying the diversity and range of the Age - a habit of my early Saturday afternoons. The thought suddenly entered my head that I must tidy and clean up my study/studio. I had just finished painting the antique seachest (apart from the name) for my new Norwegian great-grandchild , number 7.
The room was in a hell of a mess......paint-brushes, tubes of paint, containers of water, coloured penculs, reference books...even clothes strewn everywhere..........it`s a curious quirk of my nature that I can`t start another project if the room is untidy (my accountancy training I think). During the week I`d visited Clancy, great-grandchild number 6, and his mother Yuki had given me a delightful antique tiny box and coincidentally that night I was advised by a very dear cousin of her daughter`s engagement. That box, adorned by an old windjammeer sailing-ship painting would be ideal for a present as I`d already given her older bother one for a similar reason.
As I passed the diningroom and charged with "tidyness bug" I noticed some washing draped over the chairs and I decided to sort it out, fold etc. and put away. Returning to the kitchen I put some tea-towels in a drawer, I was then distracted by the phone for about 15-20 minutes, after which I noticed it was time for my regular 3pm coffee so I switched on the 1/2 full kettle and walked up the passage intending to put away the clthes. However the front door-bell tingled, and opening it I welcomed home a neighbour who`d just returned from an overseas trip of a few months. We sat in the lounge after she`d refused my offer of a cuppa saying she had no time and then at least a half an hour later she left saying she had no time etc.
I then passed bedroom 1 on my way back to the study/studio and wondered if my portable radio which I`d mislaid was in there where I`m using that room for storage since my wife passed on. I`ve developed a habit of popping the little Sanyo in my pocket after listening to news bulletins or current affairs programmes.
The double-bed was almost fully-covered, with a trolley bag, t-shirts, underpants, handkies, sox etc. as I`d been experimenting to see howmuch the bag would take -preparing for an overseas-trip lateer that year....yes I eventually found the portable radio hiding under some clothes - I must have removed it from my person when putting a hanky in my pocket.
I resuned walking up the passage and finally cleaned up the room, also coming across my reading-glasses that had disappeared that morning! Taking a deep breath and feeling somewhat thirsty I suddenly remembered the kettle and raced down to the kitchen & switched it off - just in time - it was almost empty.....
Reflecting, while enjoying my coffee break, that this behaviour....this DAD, or Distracted Action Disorder as I`ve named it, should not be of great concern, as it affects my contemporaries as well of youngsters of 40 or 50 too.....
I wholeheartedly agree with the saying...."Growing older is mandatory - growing-up is optional.........laughing at yourself is therapeutic" ................
I also like this quote from an 1864 magazine The Chameleon ........."The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything "
`till next time - in about a fortnight
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