Haunted by habits
06/04/2021 10:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaToday I spent most of the day at the Fremantle Cemetery. It was on Easter Tuesday 2018 that Petunia’s funeral was there. So I figured it would be the perfect way to spend the day.
The weather this time was just as gorgeous but unlike then, I had no Grinch or Dudley Dursley hanging around like a bad smell and today I wore my daggy green Crocs instead of the black shoes that were so ill fitting I had blisters just from walking to Privet Drive to the Dursleymobile.
I did not get up early like I did then because the mourners were expected to be at the entrance at 10am and the service began at 10.30 am
I did not turn up until 12.30. I sat under the fragrant frangipanis and walked along the road lined with dozens of gum trees.
I peeked in the windows of the East Chapel. A service had recently finished but the loud speakers were still playing “By the Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M
There was still a projected image of the deceased. I cannot remember her name only that she was born in October 1936 and died 29th March. So she made it to 94 and a half years. I must admit that I felt a bit jealous. Not that I resented those 90 plus years, more that I wish that Petunia could have had 10 more of them. Since her mother died at 84, I had always expected her to reach that goal post and to easily pass it on account of her being so healthy for so much of her life. But she made one very bad career move. Marrying a walking talking toxic pot of Polonium tea.
As well as visiting the postage stamp sized spot where her ashes are buried, I also paid a visit to the cafe where I spent lots of time squiggling, plotting and planning.
My most recent book for 5 year plans ran out of space at the end of last year and I decided that instead of starting a new one, I would use the dedicated sections of my Goal Digger diary since it would be a shame to leave them blank.
While doing the usual 3 months, 1 year and 5 year plans last April, I noticed that once again I had listed ’shading the east and west facing windows” without doing anything about it. Since the grand European adventure planned 5 years ago for last September was looking increasingly unlikely, I figured that there was no longer an excuse for not ticking this item off the list.
Luckily I knew a reliable supplier of roller shutters since there are so many shonky dodgy sellers out there.
It must have been a world record for me getting shit done because on Monday 29th June the installers turned up and got the job done in about 3 hours.
The purpose of getting the shutters was to keep the Lair shaded in summer. I want to try all the possible alternatives before resorting to air conditioning. Because air con without shading is like trying to fill a bath tub with the plug pulled out.
The shutters work perfectly for the odd day or 2 of 40 degrees but after 3 or more then I can just stand in front of the shutters which is not hot but it’s the bricks that are radiating all the heat.
It also occurred to me today that it was Monday 6th April 1998 that I spent my first night sleeping in the Lair. I moved from a single room flat to a 3 bedroomed house. At first I almost felt lost in the place with all that space.
I guess I better start planning some Lair stuff to get done by the deadline of Thursday 6th April 2023. The garden is the cheapest place to start
I am still upset that so many of my trees got nuked when a big branch of the neighbour’s gum tree came crashing down in January. If I had been in the garden at the time, it could have easily killed me. I certainly would have been seriously squished.
I also finally got started on a bit of Camp Nano squiggling. It was very tempting not to bother but it would be crazy to break an 8 year streak. On Easter Saturday I still had not registered a new project let alone actually written anything. Since these days my trips upstairs to the Big Mac with its proper keyboard are few and far between
It's the same sort of reverse inertia that has gotten me to a 1,400 day streak on Duolingo.
There is a lot to be said about the power of habit.
The weather this time was just as gorgeous but unlike then, I had no Grinch or Dudley Dursley hanging around like a bad smell and today I wore my daggy green Crocs instead of the black shoes that were so ill fitting I had blisters just from walking to Privet Drive to the Dursleymobile.
I did not get up early like I did then because the mourners were expected to be at the entrance at 10am and the service began at 10.30 am
I did not turn up until 12.30. I sat under the fragrant frangipanis and walked along the road lined with dozens of gum trees.
I peeked in the windows of the East Chapel. A service had recently finished but the loud speakers were still playing “By the Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M
There was still a projected image of the deceased. I cannot remember her name only that she was born in October 1936 and died 29th March. So she made it to 94 and a half years. I must admit that I felt a bit jealous. Not that I resented those 90 plus years, more that I wish that Petunia could have had 10 more of them. Since her mother died at 84, I had always expected her to reach that goal post and to easily pass it on account of her being so healthy for so much of her life. But she made one very bad career move. Marrying a walking talking toxic pot of Polonium tea.
As well as visiting the postage stamp sized spot where her ashes are buried, I also paid a visit to the cafe where I spent lots of time squiggling, plotting and planning.
My most recent book for 5 year plans ran out of space at the end of last year and I decided that instead of starting a new one, I would use the dedicated sections of my Goal Digger diary since it would be a shame to leave them blank.
While doing the usual 3 months, 1 year and 5 year plans last April, I noticed that once again I had listed ’shading the east and west facing windows” without doing anything about it. Since the grand European adventure planned 5 years ago for last September was looking increasingly unlikely, I figured that there was no longer an excuse for not ticking this item off the list.
Luckily I knew a reliable supplier of roller shutters since there are so many shonky dodgy sellers out there.
It must have been a world record for me getting shit done because on Monday 29th June the installers turned up and got the job done in about 3 hours.
The purpose of getting the shutters was to keep the Lair shaded in summer. I want to try all the possible alternatives before resorting to air conditioning. Because air con without shading is like trying to fill a bath tub with the plug pulled out.
The shutters work perfectly for the odd day or 2 of 40 degrees but after 3 or more then I can just stand in front of the shutters which is not hot but it’s the bricks that are radiating all the heat.
It also occurred to me today that it was Monday 6th April 1998 that I spent my first night sleeping in the Lair. I moved from a single room flat to a 3 bedroomed house. At first I almost felt lost in the place with all that space.
I guess I better start planning some Lair stuff to get done by the deadline of Thursday 6th April 2023. The garden is the cheapest place to start
I am still upset that so many of my trees got nuked when a big branch of the neighbour’s gum tree came crashing down in January. If I had been in the garden at the time, it could have easily killed me. I certainly would have been seriously squished.
I also finally got started on a bit of Camp Nano squiggling. It was very tempting not to bother but it would be crazy to break an 8 year streak. On Easter Saturday I still had not registered a new project let alone actually written anything. Since these days my trips upstairs to the Big Mac with its proper keyboard are few and far between
It's the same sort of reverse inertia that has gotten me to a 1,400 day streak on Duolingo.
There is a lot to be said about the power of habit.
