Five OS Pleasures in your day today

ampersand

Good morning all, didn't realise I've already been up since 4.11[said 7mins fast microwave], the day having begun with my going outside, knowing this was OS moment:
1. Dawn chorus, still world, small sounds as birds begin busying in -
2. Holly, forsythia, elder, privet and launching into wheat field at bottom of garden, turned to gold, suddenly, in 2-3 days. I am glad I put the latest pick of sweet peas into an old terracotta jug down there, on badly repainted table. They are lasting much longer and I still see them from kitchen window. Going to inhale them becomes a reward moment every so often.
3. Scent of unplanned marmalade cooking, after lucky HUGE reduction on organic oranges and free Bus Pass ride to Poundland for cheap sugar yesterday, with over 3 hours outdoors finely snipping peel while listening to England unimpressive at cricket. It's because neighbour, who will watch/water garden in my absence, opened up and waxed lyrical about a comfort food love: boiled egg, fresh bread, fresh marmalade, tea. I'd taken her some h/m bread, h/m butter and clementine marmalade, but this batch will be all for her. Seeing that late washing is drying as I do this and knowing others on this Thread prize similar moments. There is more zap, bristling and chess manoeuvring between commentators, esp. Boycott and Christopher M-J[he is discomfited by many of Boycott's non p-c remarks]than on field.
4. Chance hearing of a programme on Alfred Wallis, R4. His work has long been a love of mine - another reason for being in Kettle's Yard.
5. Bees are everywhere noisy, in the lavender, the privet[pretty and scented in flower], the beans, the raspberries and yesterday, 2 large peacock butterflies, different species, basked on a slab of stone I brought back years ago in Easyjet early days, from a dig at La Tour de St Tropez. [Said late blvd R, with bemused affection, 'You'll never get that back!' It weighed 11k in my bag.] I bedded it as Stone One into my path the other week.
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And I'll make this an extension of no. 1. The 1hour bell rang for marmalade just now, so popped out to check on it and saw many birds expectant on grass. I can't afford more seed atm, will be lucky to reach X over Channel next Thurs with wings and prayers replacing petrol[nothing new:rolleyes::D]and little birds have been on cheapo bread rations. Cut slices into little cubes, gives them all a chance and refilled two large shallow dishes with water. Over 30 of them came down at once last night and they splashed and drank with abandon. It's good.
Shazza - I think you would like the poetry of Marge Piercy. She's a wonderful writer of novels, poetry, plays across a vast subject/style range. Your piece is very much at one with 'Putting the Good Things Away', a polemic of brilliance written after her Mother's death. If I can find it, I'll add it here.
Yet again, what I promised myself would be the 5 tightly honed simple sentences that others achieve here, are not........:o
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........so I'll add another. Roasted duck from freezer, with marmalade and black pepper glaze, for self alone. Ate it with homegrown salad leaves[with fingers], ate fattening crispy skin, gorgeous, and have rich duck stock simmering, duck fat for future roast veg. and duck with leek and hoisin sauce mix frozen for future pancakes. Yumyum.

ampersand

This merits its own post: Marge Piercy's

"Putting the good things away"

In the drawer were folded fine
batiste slips embroidered with scrolls
and posies, edged with handmade
lace too good for her to wear.

Daily she put on schmatehs
fit only to wash the car
or the windows, rags
that had never been pretty

even when new: somewhere
such dresses are sold only
to women without money to waste
on themselves, on pleasure,

to women who hate their bodies,
to women whose lives close on them.
Such dresses come bleached by tears,
packed in salt like herring.

Yet she put the good things away
for the good day that must surely
come, when promises would open
like tulips their satin cups

for her to drink the sweet
sacramental wine of fulfillment.
The story shone in her as through
tinted glass, how the mother

gave up and did without
and was in the end crowned
with what? scallions? crowned
queen of the dead place

in the heart where old dreams
whistle on bone flutes,
where run-over pets are forgotten,
where lost stockings go?

In the coffin she was beautiful
not because of the undertaker's
garish cosmetics but because
that face at eighty was still

her face at eighteen peering
over the drab long dress
of poverty, clutching a book.
Where did you read your dreams, Mother?

Because her expression softened
from the pucker of disappointment,
the grimace of swallowed rage,
she looked a white-haired girl.

The anger turned inward, the anger
turned inward, where
could it go except to make pain?
It flowed into me with her milk.

Her anger annealed me.
I was dipped into the cauldron
of boiling rage and rose
a warrior and a witch

but still vulnerable
there where she held me.
She could always wound me
for she knew the secret places.

She could always touch me
for she knew the pressure
points of pleasure and pain.
Our minds were woven together.

I gave her presents and she hid
them away, wrapped in plastic.
Too good, she said, too good.
I'm saving them. So after her death

I sort them, the ugly things
that were sufficient for every
day and the pretty things for which
no day of hers was ever good enough.

Kittikins

Top of the morning to you all......as expected DD's friend didn't last the night The girls were fine when I put them to bed, but after less than half an hour, chum wanted to go home.......poor DD was inconsolable, even an hour later she kept on bursting into tears and saying "I just want XXX here", poor little love, I felt so bad for her. Hopefully the thought of having further sleepovers at said chum's house (she has no qualms about leaving me.....which is a good thing, right?!) will sink in.

As a treat for us both, she's asleep in my bed, cue me not sleeping very well, have got too used to being on my own, so I've been up since 4, grrr. Feeling tired now so will nip back up for a cuddle in a tic.

Molly41

A beautiful poem - made me cry as if reflects my life at the moment. I know things have to change my poor health has ensured that this will happen. Im always waiting for things to get better - all my life since a kid. I love this thread and have been reading it religiously.I know i need to change my perspective. Let me start to try now...
1. Listening to the tweeting of my nest of house martins and swallows who always nest above my DS1 bedroom window. The window cleaner says we are the only family with a nest on his round. They always come back to us after their long migration. I am blessed.
2. My darling dogs snuggling up to me when I got up so early this morning. Their companionship and loyalty knows no bounds.
3. Getting on better with DS1 (18) who I have had a horrible year with as he struggled with A levels at a school he hated.
4. Marley and me on DVD. I wanted to see it at cinema but my health has been so bad i couldn't get out.

Ok cant think of anymore at the moment but am going to do it everyday!
Thanks for posting that poem

Molly

ampersand

Kittikins wrote: »

have got too used to being on my own, so I've been up since 4, grrr......

Please excuse the selective quote K- had I known, I'd have put kettle on for 2 and sat you outside with sweet peas to wait for tea,toast, fresh-made butter, marmalade:D
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Yes Molly, it reads powerfully and my eyes respond on more than one level....you already have changes under your belt, life-affirming ones, by being with us all here, you know. It really is that simple.

Just one step... then another.

Must go, marmalade calls.

SunnyGirl

Ampersand :A Thank you for posting the poem it's very beautiful & poignant. It also sums up this thread for me - being happy & contented with what we have. I also note that you're another Radio 4 addict I have listened to it for most of my life as my parents wouldn't have anything else on the Radio & only classical music in their collection It is on now & I enjoy starting my day listening to it.

honey

Hello :wave:

I've just read and really enjoyed the last page of this thread. It's inspiring and very thought provoking. I'm going to try and catch up with the rest of the thread over time.

Shazzadouglas thank you for posting that article, it really does put things in to perspective.

So for the first time here are my 5 OS pleasures for yesterday.

1. Getting 3 loads of washing dry on the line (including one of cloth nappies - hello newnie pig, fellow cloth nappy user!)

2. Reading the lovely comments on school reports for our two older children and feeling very proud of them.

3.Catching up with Masterchef while DD2 had her morning nap.

4.Enjoying the sunshine.

5.DD2 sleeping through until 4am!

honey x

ginnyknit

My 5 O/S pleasures today

1. Eating homemade butter on my toast - cheap cream at Tesco's

2. Watching duaghter get ready for work - first decent job in years

3. Hubby in bit less pain today took me to market for baby wool so I can sit and knit baby blanket for friend while he goes to watch cricket

4. Seeing homegrown salad potaoes boiling whilst making rice crispie cakes for stepgrandson.

5. Using my 12p rake to get soil ready for more veg

not a bad day all in all

Claire_Bear

One of mine from last night is making soup from two 19p whoopsied broccoli from MrT, two stock cubes and a little swirl of cream I had in the fridge. Cost 38p and made loads, got the rest in the freezer to have another day

ceridwen

SunnyGirl wrote: »

Ampersand :A Thank you for posting the poem it's very beautiful & poignant. It also sums up this thread for me - being happy & contented with what we have. I also note that you're another Radio 4 addict I have listened to it for most of my life as my parents wouldn't have anything else on the Radio & only classical music in their collection It is on now & I enjoy starting my day listening to it.

I'm so promising myself that when I retire - coming nearer on the horizon - that I am going to do things like investigating whats on Radio 4. I'm daydreaming of simple little pleasures like listening to something interesting on Radio 4 - whilst making my own bread and some soup to go with it for lunch :T I'm thinking that it sounds like quite a nice way to spend some time actually - a bit of Radio 4 on/make own bread/make own soft cheese to go with it/make own bread spread/pick a bit of salad from the garden....

I nip back into this thread at intervals for a read and a reminder.

I was out in my tiny little garden just now picking some food for dinner - thinking "I quite like this idea" - so I guess the 5 for my day are:

- picking some food for dinner from my garden (knowing it will be organic and very fresh and "local")

- listening to the sound of gentle rain whilst I'm picking my vegetables (I actually quite like the idea of having to put my raincoat on specifically whilst getting my dinner ingredients....)

- fresher air to breathe than I normally get where I live (mega-urban as it is :eek:)

- the thought of maybe another country walk tomorrow and wondering where I'll go this time

- I've found a large patch of brambles near me unexpectedly today - yay!:T - fingers crossed that not too many other people have as well - as I've now got visions of blackberry picking for something to put with my breakfast porridge later this year:D

- a somewhat "mixed" thing: but I'm trying to ringfence some time in my life to do EXACTLY what I want and finding that that often means studying the type of things I am interested in. Its "mixed" feelings - because, for some reason, I feel a bit guilty about spending time "studying" - I dont know why - but I am telling myself that theres "nowt wrong with studying something just because I feel like it.....". Visions of me coming to mind as typical absentminded academic barely remembering to do the housework etc....but whats wrong with that ...in all honesty....?

REVERBE - I'm pleased to see you coming on here at intervals - I still wonder a bit at intervals how you're getting on and hope things are working out for you...