But despite the many occasions I experienced the unpopularity of
being single, the altered tempo of life exposed me to new
satisfactions. Feminists would be appalled, I am sure, at the very idea
that housework could be either interesting, fulfilling, therapeutic or
something to look forward to. I found it all these things and more.
The pleasures of ironing, for instance are immense. The smoothing
iron should I think be known as the ‘soothing iron’. Ironing restores
more tranquillity to the soul in half an hour than any tranquilizers.
Listening to a play on Radio 4, whilst watching piles of fresh laundry
grow on the kitchen table is, to me, a perfect way to spend the
afternoon. Then there is furniture polishing, hoovering, dusting,
sewing and hanging up the washing all to enjoy. I feel like Mrs
Tiggywinkle (and much the same shape) proudly bustling around my
house.
Finally, satisfaction of the garden. I had always thought garden
enthusiasts even more tedious than Royal Family enthusiasts, squash
or golf enthusiasts, car enthusiasts or people belonging to the
Ecology Party. But I was wrong. The small patch outside my kitchen
that is the garden had become an imaginable delight. Although
gardens are something of a mystery for beginners, and all the things
to learn are not a little daunting, the results are worth the struggle. I
get easily confused about compost heaps, fertilizers, annuals,
evergreens, bulbs, seeds, cutting back and pruning, but gardens are
forgiving and anxious to please. Perhaps the aura of mystery and
necessary esoteric knowledge is perpetuated by proud garden
owners showing off their ability to know and remember the plants
and shrubs by their Latin names, and then telling frightening tales of
6 o’clock risings to put in the three- or four-hours necessary work
each day to keep the garden pristine. I simply bought various seeds
in Tesco that looked pleasing and scattered them about. The pansies
did not appear, but everything else came up. Which proves that
arbitrary scattering with little or no skill involved will produce
flowers. And, as my attempts at teaching myself to propagate new
life advanced a little each week, so did the growth of my own
renaissance.
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