Summer leisure is over!
It
has been difficult this week for me to find time to post. New courses
are starting up and my employers have inundated me with demands such as:
Placement tests,drafts of course syllabus,interview with College language dept Director,evaluation of course material and anything else the organisers of the courses can shove on to the teaching staff for us to do. The school year has commenced and I also have to help my daughter in the business as she is short staffed and run off her feet. Very little time to blog......GRR!!!!
I've also been
busy busy getting my Autumn swap bits finished which I cannot show you yet as its TOP SECRET for the moment but.....
GLORY BE!!!!
at last they are now winging their way to the USA as I sent them off to
Sharon on From my front porch over there in Tennessee, this morning.
Now the waiting begins until she receives them and I hear from her!
I would also like to give a couple of shout outs today.
First of all
Claire at Thriftwood who is celebrating 100 posts and has a fab giveaway on the go
and then
A load of old Tat who has posted about tea towels and the dreaded C which has inspired part of my post today.
Now I wish to share with you a few comments about obsession or obsessions. I have been inspired to comment on this from the interesting post that I read this morning at
A load of Old Tat which she has published on her obsession for tea towels. It instantly came to mind my obsession with napkins. Therefore I thought that you would really like to hear about it
or not !
I really hate paper napkins I must but MUST use a cotton or linen napkin...I love my napkins...I like to see them clean ,ironed and stored away in rolls...wacky eh? Now I imagine you are thinking napkins are not something you use too much over there in the UK except Sundays perhaps or at a party or dinner out. Am I wrong? What about elsewhere in the States or Australia?
We never used napkins at home when I was a child except as I mentioned for special occasions so you can imagine my surprise to find napkins on the table at every meal time here when I first came to live in Spain 30 odd years ago. At that time I didn't speak Spanish and we lived for a few months in my in-laws house until we got settled. At EVERY meal time there were these napkins on the table! I just kept thinking why is Mama (that was my mother- in- law) putting them on the table all the time....was it because I was there. I was getting quite fed up with these napkins, it was getting to be a problem so in the end I asked my husband to discretely say to his mother that it wasn't necessary to keep putting the napkins on the table just for me. He automatically turned to his mother and told her and although I didn't understand her reply it sounded quite sharp and she straight away strutted into the dining room to lay the table, banging down those napkins on the table quite forcibly as she murmured to herself. It was obvious she was irritated and I was wondering .......jeez!!!!!.... what did I say wrong!!! My husband then turned to me and said having napkins had nothing to do with me being there,that they always have napkins on the table in Spain and its considered if you cannot have napkins on your table here you are poorer than church mice. He explained that his mother was quite offended that I had thought she was only using her napkins because I was there that she could afford to have napkins to use everyday.
I then had a barney with Sr P because he could have been a bit more tactful and explained all this before speaking to his mother.
She was quite cold to me for a few days but I worked hard to erase that and admired all her napkins constantly and helped her lay the table everyday and then she showed me the drawer of napkins that she had , all in their sets, in rolls ...rolls of gold for her. I must admit I was impressed she had a lovely collection but since then I am not quite sure why but I adore napkins and have my own small collection too.
Oh! yes ......and I use napkins everyday so no one can say I'm down and out and cannot afford to have napkins he! he!
PS: However times have changed somewhat and there are two camps in my house, mine which is using linen or cotton napkins for myself and my husband's which is to use kitchen roll. This suits me fine as I get what I like and I also get less laundry.
and finally can I leave you with this philosophical observation from two of the wisest bods in the woods
I am a dedicated fan of Winnie the Pooh,may he live for ever!!!
Be good now and if you can't be good be kind!
Amanda :-)