Tuesday 2 June 2015

The year in books 2015 - June (and other stuff too)

It occured to me about ten minutes ago, as I put the honey away in the cupboard I tend to store the washing powder, that I may be a little distracted. The swimming pool is closed for a fortnight, and I am missing my ploughing of the lanes. The weather sucks. It's unlikely that I'll get out for a walk today. I have the house to myself until Sam returns from sitting his first A Level paper, and I need to hit the housework running. It is minging. Honestly. Think washing up mournfully sitting in a bowl of tepid water, various spills and thrills all over the floors from the past week, as yet unmade beds, stuff everywhere, Lego scattered liberally throughout the house and what I think are splatters of orange juice all up one wall (and the ceiling as it happens).

I shall gird my loins in just a while, and fly through the house as only a woman on a mission can. Once I get going, I find I enjoy the task of getting my home back into some semblance of order. I'll curse and moan under my breath all the while (honestly, do boys really have to be so bloody filthy?), but when order is restored from chaos I know I'll feel better about life in general. I'll feel that sense of accomplishment that a plump cushion and a washed floor can bring.

But a few things that have made me smile today; Olly came downstairs in full batman/zombie pirate regalia this morning. He wasn't going back to school, he said. He was off to fight crime. What kind of crime, asked Sam. Crime against snails, came the reply. Obviously, he still hasn't forgiven me for the teeny tiny amount of pellets that I have put around my precious cosmos seedlings. Anyway I did manage to get him to school, and as he went into class, I saw him sidle up to Miss Rae. He patted his coat pocket. She and he peered into it, and she took out a snail. They had a little chat, and then together took the snail outside and placed it on the grass outside the classroom. What am I going to do with him?!

My friend Liz and I have just had a lovely chat about our dear friend Roo. We have laughed and had a little tear too. Roo had a very naughty sense of humour, and I know that she'd appreciate that we could giggle in memory of her. It's made me think a lot about friendship, and what that means to me. It's something I think I'll explore further in a later blog post. Life often just doesn't make sense to me. The whys and the how could theys and the how could it happen to them. And I am very aware that I can easily get bogged down in the maudlin. I think I shall take a leaf from Roo's book, who basically just got on with living her life even as it was drawing to a close.

Live it. Live your life. No philosophy or soul searching is required. Just get on with it.



I've already started my choice for June, due to the fact that I have promised no more book purchasing until I've finished the back log on Kindle and shelf. I associate Ms Greer with the eunuch, but this is proving a fascinating read. The flora and fauna discussed in the book are unfamiliar, but I am enjoying it nonetheless.

Linking up with Laura.

Right I'm off to do battle, housewife style!

And hello to new followers. You are most welcome here.


Leanne xx





23 comments:

  1. Had a housework morning here too - now on to cup of tea, a biscuit (ok 2!) and some blog reading before the office. Let's hope the sun remembers to shine tomorrow. x

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  2. I need a housework morning a housework weekend would be more precise - slovenly creature that I am, I'm truly sorry to hear about your friend I'm very behind on blogging sending you a hug xx P.s Your tale about Olly made me giggle you have a super young chap there xx

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  3. I am sure that your philosophy about getting on and living is right! So, get on and get that lego cleared up, the orange juice removed and most importantly of all, you better get on and start building a snail sanctuary in the garden!!! Oh Olly, he is a bundle of love isn't he! You have to love someone who loves the mostly lowly snail don't you. I think that sums it up really! xx

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  4. I've been saying I'll wash the floor here for at least four days now....

    I LOVE Olly :o). I used to smuggled bright red plastic shoes to school and change into them once my mother had gone home and then change back again before home time. I rather think a snail is better though.

    Too much soul searching isn't something I do either- Roo had the right idea xx

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  5. Oh good Leanne, I read your previous post and I was lost for words. I'm a swimmer too and missed last week because of half term but I will go this Friday and after 30 minutes ploughing up and down followed by a shower and hair wash I am invincible again. I spilt a cup of coffee this morning multi-tasking (well that's my excuse) and thought I'd mopped it all up until I opened a cupboard. So I've now done a proper job and washed the kitchen floor to boot. Look after yourself and your lovely family and if I were you I'd put my waterproofs on and get out for a walk.

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  6. I'm so sorry to hear the sad news about your friend, sending you hugs at this sad time. I think you're right about getting on with life, it's what our loved ones would wish for us. Good luck to Sam for his exams, Eleanor's had her last AS level exam today, she doesn't know what to do with herself this afternoon now there's no revision to do.

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  7. Olly is so cute. I think he's going to feel forever protective of snails. :) I hope the cleaning went well. I had a similar burst of energy on Sunday night, cleaning two bathrooms in record time because I just couldn't take it anymore.

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  8. it's a good philosphy. Hope the exam went well x

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  9. Move over Batman, Superman, and Spiderman. Snailman is making his presence known. :-)

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  10. Dear Olly and his snails, how sweet he is. Maybe he'll take a snail to school every day. Although I've heard they come back. You could dab a bit of nail varnish on the shell and see if it's true, unless this constitutes a snail crime, which I fear it might. I'm with you on not introspecting too much. I devote a lot of energy to not thinking about things deeply at the moment. I'm getting to be a master at it. Life is for the living indeed. We have batman/zombie/pirate moments here too, a lot of accessorising involving anything to hand, including things like swimming goggles and woolly hats. They have a lot to teach us about living every day to the max I think. CJ xx

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  11. Olly is such a Sweetheart. Your orange juice tale made me smile - I still have a tomato puree stain on my kitchen ceiling from the last time R cooked. I've still no idea how he managed it. Hope Sam's exam went well. xx

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  12. You are awesome! Seriously!! I so enjoy your writing and am so glad I have come to know you in this space. How very true about getting on with life....I absolutely love that! And how adorable is your sweet little guy dressed to fight crime one snail at a time! Just too stinking cute for words! Like you the household chores are well...they are hard to get done and my home is in desperate need of a cleaning. Good luck with that and thank you for passing on the beauty of your friend to us all! Your post really uplifted me today! Nicole xo

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  13. House work, an evil necessity in a house full of boys! I did mine today, out of the way for the week and 2 days late, hey ho. Your wee story about Olly taking the snail really made me chuckle, what a boy :) It is easy to be maudlin, I am good at it too, but having lost people lately and with my sister dealing with cancer at the moment and the stuff I had to deal with over the past 6 years, it puts things into perspective and we really should and can live it to the full if we let ourselves, take care xx

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  14. Hi Leanne. I hope you got a good workout whilst doing your housework. I count housework as exercise! Go Olly go, save those snails! My brother used to do that, too. Sweet memory. I have yet to discover Germaine Greer, maybe after my Atwood marathon. I am not a big fan of Barbara Kingsolver (the reply to your comment on my post), not sure why actually, just can't get into her books. Yes, lets live our lives! Christina xx

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  15. Olly reminds me so much of my youngest, asked to write a story about anything they wanted at school, he wrote a story about a magic slug. Germaine Greers book looks really interesting. I went to one of her talks a few years ago and she spoke briefly about the land she had bought. Yes and to me she will be always associated with the eunoch and womens studies at Uni, happy days :) Take care, not too much housework hey x

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  16. Hi Leanne, trust me it's not only boys that can make a mess in an empty room. There is definitely a sense of achievement when all chores are completed. D gets cross with me on Saturday morning as I insist on getting stuck in and getting everything done by lunchtime so that I at least get a good day and half of my weekend before I start the hurly burly of the working week once more. I loved your story about Olly and his snail priceless.

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  17. Hey sweet lady. So sad when one loses a friend, but what a beautiful tribute you've written, here and in your last post. Friendship ... there's a line in Toni Morrison's 'Beloved', do you know it ... "She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order." Says it all methinks.

    And Olly, what a darling (snail-saving) chap!

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    1. You've just reminded me how I love that book and that it's time to re-read it. x

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  18. At least you didn't put Honey the dog in the cupboard. :-)

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  19. Ahh I have missed popping in here! Gorgeous post, loved the story about Olly. Honestly, I had no idea Germaine Greer wrote anything other than feminist stories, I must investigate. And I am so sorry to hear you have lost a friend xxx

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  20. Joe lobbed a snail in the kitchen bin the other day. I didn't fish it out. It was hanging around our broad beans so it got what it deserved - hopefully it hasn't slithered out and hidden somewhere.
    I'm glad you're able to remember fun things about your friend. It's hard to lose someone but if you can think about them and smile sometimes, that's good.
    Hope you got the cleaning done.
    S x

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  21. LittleR loves a snail (and a slug) - I do my best not to be disgusted when she brandishes them at me! They are carefully deposited in our garden waste bin. I hope you have many good memories of your friend - hopefully, with time the laughs become more and the tears lessen. x

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  22. I think that is the challenge: to live your life, to just get on with it, while living it very fully and appreciating the small things and not being on automatic pilot. My mother was intensely good at it so I suppose I grew up with her pattern and thought it was the norm. The older I get the more I realise that the balance is rare. Lovely blog. Sounds like you have the balance.

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