South London Coffee Table#7
Kerry Sister and Surly Niece came to visit last weekend bringing the cold weather with them. We had the usual frantic round of markets, galleries, shopping, too much tea and the giving and receiving of unwanted advice.
On Sunday evening we had a little family gathering at Traybake’s flat. TB cooked dinner for the three ganching sisters, one ganching brother-in-law and the niece.
KS, SN and I were going there by public transport. Before leaving my flat I put on my green, ankle-length greatcoat with the sheepskin lining, wrapped a scarf round my throat and found my woolly hat from last year. I was adjusting the straps of my knapsack when KS says;
“Feck! Look at the cut of you. It’s south London we’re going to – not Passchendaele!”. (It was Remembrance Sunday.)
The thing about the Kerry branch of the family is that despite having lived in London in the far distant past they have no idea of the horror of its outer reaches and expect everywhere to be as delightful as north London.
After a pleasant evening KS and I set out to catch the train back to civilisation.
“Traybake’s flat is so tidy isn’t it? He has no rubbish lying about the place like you do! You should be more like TB. You need to de-junk!”
“Yeah, well I am going to get rid of some stuff. I’ve already thrown away a scarf and an old receipt today.”
“A scarf that was more holes than scarf and a1987 receipt for a camera that stopped working 10 years ago is hardly anything to be boasting about. You need to be like me. At the end of every September I take a whole load of clothes to the charity shop and come spring I do the same with my winter clothes”.
“Yeah and then come November you say to yourself – ‘where’s my good, warm winter coat – oh there it is, being worn by that woman in the queue behind me in the post office!’”
Yesterday I threw away two plastic folders with training material in them dating from 2001. I also took 3 books, a chipped Poole cup, an unwanted ornament, a pair of shorts purchased second hand in Brighton in 1989 at a carboot sale while in the company of anyresemblance and £5 in our English pennies to the charity shop on Upper Street. Small steps but a start.
Traybake has a heart like a lion. And you must tell him I said so.
Posted by: Nelly | November 16, 2007 at 07:00 PM
I still have the charming print I bought in Brighton of the small boy being attacked by magpies for stealing eggs from a nest. When the children annoy me, I look fondly at that print.
Posted by: anyresemblance | November 17, 2007 at 05:42 AM
I'm sorry! Can I just pull you up in paragraph one, there? Explain this concept of 'too much tea' to me? :).
Posted by: Ally | November 18, 2007 at 11:56 PM
I think you are surely headed down a dangerous path.
go back and retrieve those items, or next you know your entire home will be barren and empty.
Posted by: fifi | November 19, 2007 at 02:04 AM
Ally and fifi how right you both are - more tea and charity shop hunting is in order. anyresemblance I remember that print. Nelly I have passed on your message to TB although don't understand significance of it.
Posted by: ganching | November 19, 2007 at 05:59 PM