Sunday 2 March 2008

Beginning at the beginning


On January 12th 2008, I received the following for my birthday:

1 chintz apron
1 set of salad tongs
3 cookery books
1 set of red vintage scales
1 vintage tea tin
1 set of size four knitting needles
2 50g balls of wool
1 knitting pattern book
1 drill
5 packets of herb seeds

The things I didn't receive maybe say more than the gifts that did find there way to me that day: nothing to do with my job, degree, or anything that has much to do with who I am outside my home (although my boyfriend did very generously and sweetly pay for me to be reblonded at Toni and Guy)
I moved into a new flat in Brixton with a teeny tiny balcony at the start of September and some kind of nesting instinct kicked in. The day before moving, I found an unloved mini greenhouse which I took as a sign to clear the rubbish from the new balcony and refurnish it with flowers, vegetables and herbs. The kitchen is only small and dark, but we vowed to fill in with homely baking smells, so we would feel we were stepping into a country home rather than an inner city high rise.
That was six months ago, and the cover of the greenhouse blew away in a particularly violent storm (another sign, I fear) but it is now functioning as a passable shelf, so all is not lost.

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