Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Flipping, Sarah Bennet, and Sleep Deprivation.

In order to escape the planned power outage today, I made a round trip to the two nearby towns to get things I needed. I spent more than I anticipated. In addition to the practical stuff, I also bought two coats, a fleece-style sweater, a pair of good quality wellies, and lunch.

Admittedly, the two coats and the sweater came from a charity shop and cost a little under £12.

... the wellies were in a clearance sale and cost a little over £4

... lunch consisted of a bag of chips and a bar of chocolate, which cost the staggering sum of £1.55.

But that isn’t the point. The point is that I’ve spent so much of my life scrimping along on so little money that I won’t usually buy a £1.50 ice cream because it seems such an unwarranted extravagance. So what the hell came over me today? Is this proof that my descent into ordinariness wasn’t a flash in the pan? Or is this a new version of madness to which I need to become accustomed? Maybe I just don’t care any more.

--------------------------------------

I took my usual walk along Mill Lane this evening wearing one of my new, second-hand coats. Sarah was seated by one of the windows of their sitting room, the window that faces the lane. I couldn't tell what she was doing; she might have been embroidering a sampler for all I knew. I waved to her and she waved demurely back. Demurely, note. (I don't think I've ever seen Sarah do anything in such a way that would incontrovertibly obviate the adjective 'demure.') She had her hair pulled back into a bunch. Not a pony tail, a bunch. That and the wave made her look like a Jane Austen heroine. Fortunately, I’m not into Jane Austen or her heroines, but it was pretty damn cute all the same.

--------------------------------------

The last two mornings I’ve woken up prematurely again; seems like the recent nine and half hours was just coming up for a gulp of air before being plunged back into the depths. It’s a bit like spending life on a ducking stool.

No comments: