Older, but no wiser
Andy Borrows' musings on life and all its confusion, contradictions, richness and opportunities
Monday, November 06, 2006
Breathing space
Almost finished. Walls papered, woodwork painted, carpet laid, cupboards fitted – and one comfortable chair in the corner. Just one vital thing missing – the bed.
Every last scrap of my spare time this last couple of weeks has been spent redecorating our bedroom - that’s the main reason I’ve been so quiet here. We took the opportunity whilst one of our sons is away to move down into his room, giving me a clear run without the inconvenience of having to make the room semi-habitable every night.
I said we moved down – our bedroom is in the loft (okay, attic for you speakers of American English). Surrounded on three side by bungalows, we have clear views over the town from our eyrie; the main window faces the dawn, the shower room window faces the sunset – views from both have featured many times both here and on Flickr. Bright, airy, and feeling a little apart from the rest of the house, it’d make an ideal studio.
I moved the chair up there early on – a cream leather covered swivel chair, courtesy of Ikea's "casualty" stock and perfect for relaxed reading – so as to be sure I’d got the layout right. Sinking back in it for a moment’s rest, I appreciated the spacious, uncluttered feel the room has at the moment – freshly decorated, minimal furniture, no junk, an open expanse of carpet where the bed will go; unimpeded access to the window bringing outside and inside closer together, the room’s colours echoing the freshness of a spring day.
But all too soon it’ll be filled with all the paraphernalia of daily life; the clothes yet to be put away, piles of half-read books, abandoned shoes, every horizontal surface bearing its share of the detritus of a too-busy life.
I could appreciate a minimalist approach to living. Not only in terms of the living space but applied to the very acts of living themselves. Life gets as cluttered as I know that bedroom will. It’d be good to clear it all out once in a while; to have a clean sweep and only allow back in those things which really matter.
Manageable with a bedroom; trickier though with life.
Every last scrap of my spare time this last couple of weeks has been spent redecorating our bedroom - that’s the main reason I’ve been so quiet here. We took the opportunity whilst one of our sons is away to move down into his room, giving me a clear run without the inconvenience of having to make the room semi-habitable every night.
I said we moved down – our bedroom is in the loft (okay, attic for you speakers of American English). Surrounded on three side by bungalows, we have clear views over the town from our eyrie; the main window faces the dawn, the shower room window faces the sunset – views from both have featured many times both here and on Flickr. Bright, airy, and feeling a little apart from the rest of the house, it’d make an ideal studio.
I moved the chair up there early on – a cream leather covered swivel chair, courtesy of Ikea's "casualty" stock and perfect for relaxed reading – so as to be sure I’d got the layout right. Sinking back in it for a moment’s rest, I appreciated the spacious, uncluttered feel the room has at the moment – freshly decorated, minimal furniture, no junk, an open expanse of carpet where the bed will go; unimpeded access to the window bringing outside and inside closer together, the room’s colours echoing the freshness of a spring day.
But all too soon it’ll be filled with all the paraphernalia of daily life; the clothes yet to be put away, piles of half-read books, abandoned shoes, every horizontal surface bearing its share of the detritus of a too-busy life.
I could appreciate a minimalist approach to living. Not only in terms of the living space but applied to the very acts of living themselves. Life gets as cluttered as I know that bedroom will. It’d be good to clear it all out once in a while; to have a clean sweep and only allow back in those things which really matter.
Manageable with a bedroom; trickier though with life.
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