TIME-OUT

Feels like I have a hangover today, and yes, I had one frozen Strawberry daiquiri last night, but it still would not account for the sort of 'floored' I feel today. So much so, that I've already turned down all my New Years Eve invitations and birthday parties, for the rest of this season.

All I want to do right now, is rest. 

Feels like I need enough rest so that I can be in the right frame of mind to set my house in order; physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, romantically, literally and figuratively.

Yet let me take a moment first and mention the thoughtful gifts I received, from the hosts of the Christmas Party I attended yesterday in Southwood.

Or perhaps I should start with the mementos I carried home afterwards - treasures from crackers.

The first was a little wooden Christmas tree ornament, to commemorate perhaps one of the finest Christmas parties I've ever been to. 

The second was right up my ally too - it was a little envelope, a mystery envelope, and I just love mysteries; peeped inside and found four raw wood golf tees. Everyone joked with me about finding a golfer. Personally, it's just little pieces of wood, but somehow they felt just a little more special than perhaps they should have.

The gift however was a particularly thoughtful gesture. 

Not so long ago, their daughter came over, and I was so intrigued watching her enthusiasm while painting, that I started painting again myself. 

Loved it, until I tripped and fell again into my illusion's arms, and I refused to just paint us too.

She is coming over on Monday again, and we have already discussed painting again when she does, this time side by side. 

Even so, at the time I had no idea what was under the pretty gift wrap yet.

As soon as I got home, I carefully opened it and found that they had gotten me two rather quirky and novel gifts from TYPO.

One, a pack of postcards with illustrations on their fronts, and the other, canvases with Mediterranean inspired illustrations, each with their own watercolour palates at the side.

At the back of each 'book' I found colouring in pencils and paintbrushes respectively.

Last night however I was too tired to even properly reply to my family and friends, let alone, write, draw, colour-in or paint. All I could do was browse, look and stare endlessly. 

Then this morning, I was still too tired, so I got back in bed and slept in until eleven. 

Got up and had Stollen and decaf coffee for breakfast, replied to all my friends, wrote a post about yesterday, and sort of sleep walked the rest of the day.

While having some tea just now, I took out the books and tried them out for the first time. 

I first tried the colouring in postcards. The subject matter was a little cynical for my liking, but the floral illustrations are beautiful. Also, I think they chose a strange selection of colours for the pencils, since they failed to include blue. 

I've never had an art kit of any sort that excluded one of the primary colours, so that was a little disappointing. I love the over all idea though, may just borrow it for the future, but with different themes and a better colour selection.

The second one was however a highly satisfying experience. The illustrations are quirky, yet beautiful. The watercolour palate works like a dream, even the colours they chose, and the brushes are of a good quality. 

I definitely like that one, a lot more, and I intend to paint up the other book instead, too.

So yea, I'm loving it, they somehow know where I'm at. Last year it was a bucket list book, when a bucket list was spot on. 

While this year it is watercolours of coastal living and good food. Yet between the Mediterranean food and the mysterious golfing tees, I'm just missing Southbroom, all over again. 

Right now, as things stand, well I'm too tired to be anything but incredibly blue about the distance that remains between us, still. 

So let me go to bed, hopefully get some good rest, before I do something stupid, again.

WORDS: rhodenel©26DEC2024 

PHOTOGRAPHY: rhoderuth©DEC2024