louisa

3BT – next year, jokes, chilled

Felt awful again this morning but starting to feel more human again now. Just in time for Monday and work. Two weekends in a row lost to Team Peach illness now, boo.

1) After a day of health-promoting rest, I have a long soak in the bath. I find myself thinking about what herbs and vegetables I’d like to grow around the garden and house next year. We’ll still be limited by sunlight to some degree but not as much as before. The possibilities are exciting.

2) Carla stays at my side for most of my time in the bath and as I’m just about to get out, she moves from her safe, comfortable spot on the steps to the side of the bath itself. Her tail is looped around her side and starts aloft, but gradually drops down until it’s skimming the water – then suddenly, completely submerged. I don’t say anything because I think it will be funny for her to get a wet tail but the joke is on me – as soon as she notices, she flicks it upright – showering me in the face with all the absorbed water. I laugh and wonder if cats have enough planning capability for practical jokes.

3) Chilled by winter, water fresh from the tap is the perfect temperature for soothing a still raw throat.

3BT – surprises

12/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

Still ill. Boo. So just two again.

1) I unwrap the foil from around the takeaway-cafe sandwich and am pleasantly surprised by the quality of the bread. The tea is hot and sweet.

2) Hidden out of the way on the first floor, we spot a set of vintage Kilncraft Bacchus crockery. We already have most of the set – my mum started our collection with the set my family used when I was small – but we’d like more small plates and bowls. The man says it’s not for sale, they rent out things on the first floor to TV and film production companies, and we’re disappointed but relieved because we thought from there, from a salvage yard that calls itself an antique shop, it would be too expensive for our tastes. Afterwards, we find three saucers and two bowls in a super-cheap charity shop around the corner.

3BT – yellow, Leeds, ill

10/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. The vivid turmeric in the curry turns their lips yellow and we laugh.

2. A combination of a large lunch and a warm office make me feel incredibly sleepy by mid-afternoon so I decide to go for a walk around the playing field at the front of the office to wake myself up. After I complete the first side of the rectangle, I turn to find a view of Leeds I’ve never seen before, glorious in the dying light. The buildings on the hill to the north of the city centre – the university’s Parkinson building, the churches and the rust tower – are most prominent but the sea of new tower blocks to the east are visible too. As I become more distanced from Leeds, I can see how much it’s grown and transformed during my time there.

3. It turns out my mid-afternoon sleepiness is also because I’m getting ill – I started to feel rough in the office but during the journey home, it fully blooms. It’s John’s cold from last weekend so now it’s his turn to look after me. In the evening, we eat soup and watch cartoons. The momentary relief after a sneeze or sinus shift is heavenly.

3BT – a riddler, the magic hour, backstage

9/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. My feed reader empty for a change, I’m at a loss for something to read while I drink my post-lunch tea. I stumble upon an audio slideshow about a riddler on the Guardian’s website. The style of the narration grates at times but the pictures and process are fascinating. My tea goes cold as I watch.

2. Naked trees stand silhouetted against the still bright sky. Two plump-breasted birds converse.

3. I wait in the dark backstage for the girls to finish their piece. It’s only a rehearsal but I don’t have to be anywhere else so I wait. The light of distant illuminations dances on the obscured glass windows – red, blue, yellow and white sharp against the black night.

3BT – friction, memories, touch, fluffies

8/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. The pleasant pull of metal on skin as an earring hook slips through my lobe. A moment of consideration then a reverse tug and release. No earrings today.

2. I find something I wrote five years ago about something that happened fifteen years ago. It’s fun to re-read and reinforces my desire to (privately) document more of my memories before I forget them.

3. We walk to the supermarket hand in hand. John’s fingertips are surprisingly cold to the touch. I let go to tap the new strangely low roadsign as we walk underneath it. Our hands reconnect on the other side.

4. We’ve been at the office all day so the cats make up for lost time when we get home. Carla stretches out on my chest and I breathe through her fur while I catch-up on comics. Boron circles my legs as I cut green beans. Carbon hangs back until the blanket appears then bags a prime spot, the knee not occupied by the laptop.

3BT – wildlife and silliness

7/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. The squirrel returns for another nut-fest – and brings three of its friends. All four of them run wildly around the balcony, up & down the steps, over the fencing and into the elderberry tree, picking up nuts on fly-bys. We watch through the window, as intrigued as the cats.

2. In the time I’m in the post office, the horses who live next-door-but-one to us travel from one side of their soggy field to the other. They’re near the fence as I walk past, almost as if they know I have treats for them. They crunch the carrot and I stroke their damp noses. My sleeve is confused for more carrots and gets investigated by wet lips. It smells faintly of horses for the rest of the day.

3. In the evening, I go to Bingley Little Theatre to watch a play. It’s not something I would ordinarily choose to go to see but Rosemary, the director, offered me a free ticket for the first night. “It’s very silly,” she assured me every time it was mentioned and she was right: it is very silly but good-silly. The audience is a little shy at first but by the second half, they’re laughing raucously.

Search

Authorlouisa