Saturday softness
A week spent on social media looking up close at the political landscape and general grimness of the world is probably enough to drain even the most resilient of souls and so, on a sunny Saturday in lateish summer, I find it helpful to switch off, tone it down and seek hahalala moments of softness. My mind turns to the possibility of a little wander around the Wood Green market hall....there may be something special being cooked by Kevin at the Mauritious Paradise...sometimes I get there in time for the chicken biryani but it’s usually all gone by about two.
Over at Eliza’s Kitchen, I’m hoping Violet has made some carrot cake....far better than anything from PRET but not always available because she has so many other dishes and delights on the go. Violet caters for events as well as feeding those of us in need of a good veg pattie on a Saturday afternoon which can mean disappointment on the cake front. Yet, I swallow my disappointment because I’m ever admiring that she can cook for 300 people easily and has apparently cooked for up to 800......I don’t think I’ve made that many meals across my lifetime, never mind in one go. It keeps me humble when there’s no cake.
As always, there’s the consideration of which fruit to buy from the stalls .....I’ve recently learned of the delights of peaches cooked in the oven with cinnamon. Best if they are a bit overripe really and that’s not always guaranteed of course. There’s further contemplation about whether I’m yet ready to try cooking fish....there’s been a change of personnel at the fishmongers recently and the new chaps seem a little more inclined to answer recipe questions. Previously there was a gentleman who stood at the front of the stall and said very little...for 30 whole years.
Some of my petites have headed off for their week away and though I’ll miss them, I am aware that there is creation of time and space away from familial needs and space for doing absolutely nothing. Which is not to say that in a day or so I’ll not be missing them terribly and wandering about finding things to do but in the meantime, there’s the simplicity of life in the summer before school starts.
What are the important things to do when one has time and space to do nothing? Well, there’s always the satisfaction of washing the whites and ironing the bed linen....hardly rock and roll stuff but definitely of a meditative nature. Friends have said I have too much time on my hands if I’m ironing sheets. Or ironing at all really. Perhaps. But there’s nothing sweeter than soft clean sheets. Feels like a hotel at home.
There’s the chance to read a book that has long been laying by the bed, asking to be read but always further down the list of priorities. Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon. Recommended by a friend who said it might resonate. Maybe the clue is in the title. Maybe a little madness goes a long way. Maybe it’s a really good book. Maybe I’ll read it. Maybe not.
If I have the energy, there’s a lake to sit beside later in the day, a perfect spot to watch the sun go down. In my school days, I had to run cross-country style over Ally Pally, occasionally stopping behind a tree to catch my breath out of the sight of the teachers. Mr McCluskey and Mr Richards. Hardcore. Now, in my middle age, running is not even remotely a possibility, regardless of how many trees I might stand against panting. Rather, it’s a place to sit and watch the ducks on a quiet evening before the autum chill arrives. The softness of age. I think the teachers have retired. Be funny if I met them on a bench one day.
Living in Wood Green all of my life, I’m rarely at a loss as to what to do when I have time on my hands. There’s always someone to talk to, something to buy, somewhere to eat, somewhere to find a tree or a seat. Usually it’s all very busy and a bit loud, amplified by the vociferous believers at the Free Speech area in front of the Library. It’s wonderful. Yet because I am committed to growing my peace and have to be conscious that there are times when the Hahalala comes in the quietest of ways, I have to just take the time out after I’ve been out.
Today the Hahalala came by sitting without the screens and instead, by sitting with the softness of home cooked food and sunny spots. The Mall provided chicken soup, carrot cake, some apples to bake and a chat with a neighbour about nothing very much.
No politics. No outrage. Just the softness of my home town on a Saturday afternoon. Perfect Hahalala 💖💫