Procrastination

 

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

A statement attributed to Benjamin Franklin, and one of my dad’s favourite sayings. I’m not sure if he lived by it, but he was a busy man for most of his life and was always doing something. He made lists, meticulously handwritten on plain paper folded into three. He never used lined paper and it was always folded that way. Items were crossed off with one neat line upon completion. Unfinished tasks would be carried on to the list for the next day. This was likely to be, ‘Write to Alan’. I don’t think the delay was procrastination as much as it was waiting for the right moment. Alan was his brother and at this time would be living in Virginia, USA. The letter, when it happened, took time and lots of thought until it was perfectly paragraphed on to a couple of sheets of thin, pale blue, airmail stationery. These days, they would be emailing across the Atlantic, but my dad missed out on such communication. Anyway, letter written and crossed off. I don’t remember him ever losing his list. No, of course he wouldn’t. Not pedantic, but certainly a perfectionist.

Maybe I should take after him more and keep a list. I’d be less likely to put things off until I genuinely forget. Like the room upstairs, the attic and the shed. Oh, I think I’ve just listed everything. Thank goodness it’s not written down.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned our damp-proofing before. It happened in the summer and lots of things got packed up and stored upstairs. Those things were added to when more remedial work was needed. The original plan to paint walls and put the house on the market was and still is delayed. We can’t possibly need everything. I haven’t taken one thing out of a box since they were put away in June. Downstairs is quite spartan – I put a few books back on shelves, a priority – but we are preparing to move. I decided to sort the boxes out before Christmas and make the spare room look less like hoarding.

A much better idea was to shut the door on everything, go and spend some quality time in Dumfries & Galloway and enjoy a pre-Christmas break. That’s exactly what we did.

We came back in December, in time to put the Christmas tree up and a few festive bits in the front room. From the loft I called down to my husband, who was on the landing, that I would get round to sorting the ‘jumble sale’ out in the New Year and that it’s ridiculous, as is the spare room and the shed. I’m married to a wise man who wouldn’t see the need to remind me of how many times I’ve previously mentioned it.

Procrastination. That must be me. We’re in the New Year now, so I’ll see how I get on.

My Haiku,

I’m making a list
And it’s quickly grown too long.
My ‘need to do’ jobs.

More space is needed,
I must sort out the loft room.
I’ll do it next week.

And empty the shed
Of the accumulated
Packaging mountain.

PMW 2026

Happy New Year to all. Thanks for reading, Pam x

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Cushion - Creature Comforts

My recent travels have included some out of the way places and destinations I may not have the opportunity to revisit. It has been important to me to collect meaningful souvenirs, so as well as buying a touristy tea-towel from the Isle of Barra’s airport on the beach I have some beautiful sea-shells from many Hebridean shores and it was my mission to buy authentic knitting yarn and Harris Tweed cloth at source. I obtained plenty of both and I have enjoyed knitting memory cushion covers from wool that I watched being spun.

Most of my cushions are special. There’s the one making an embroidered statement of ‘Love is all you need…’, a treasured gift from my husband, and a comfy, soft fabric L.S.Lowry print of ‘Going to Work’, a treasured gift from a close friend. When I couldn’t bring myself to discard some old balls of wool from a sweater that my late mother had made, didn’t like and unravelled, I knitted a cushion cover with it. Something of my mum’s recycled into a useful and loved item. She would be proud. I’m in the process of fashioning a cushion cover using a piece of my late aunt’s unfinished knitting combined with my own. It’s working out very well. If you’ve read my previous blogs and I’ve left you thinking that my house is a museum of relics from dear, departed relatives and I can’t be separated, well no, it’s nothing like that, I’m just saving significant memories.

There’s a cushion in a box upstairs waiting to be rehomed. It’s part of a birthday present for my eldest granddaughter and as she adores Minnie Mouse, I know she will love this big cushion of Minnie’s head, made by Disney.

Here’s a new poem from me,

    Red Cushion
    How lovely to see you! What a surprise!
    A flying visit?  That’s just fine, my dear.
    Yes, I’ve really been under the weather,
    But I’m fine and it’s great to have you here.

    It started with leg pain and weariness,
    And my blood count is too low on the scale.
    Just thinking saps all of my energy
    So I remain in repose, ill and pale.
 
    Pass me a cushion, that red one will do,
    Just the knitted one, not the crimson plush,
    And before you go, please close the curtains
    If you don’t mind, unless you need to rush.

   Of course it’s red, what else would you call it?
    An orangey coral? Don’t be so daft!
    It’s a red cushion, if ever there was.
    Made by Mum and me, a joint handicraft.

    Pillar-box or cardinal, let me see.
    Scarlet it isn’t, nor vermillion.
    Nowhere near ruby or blood-red maroon,
    Oh can we just call it the red cushion?

    I’ll draw the curtains if you need to dash.
    Thank you for calling, it’s nice to see you.
    The flowers are lovely, you’ve made me smile,
    I’ll be much better next time you come through.

PMW 2019

 

Thanks for reading, Pam x

 

 

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