The rain came back with a vengeance in the middle of the night. Granddaughter Number One is complaining that it woke her in her attic bedroom, hammering on the skylight window. Personally, I quite like the sound of rain on the skylights. And Granddaughter Number Two plays a recording of rain falling to help her fall asleep at night. I must be very lucky; apart from times of great stress I have never really had problems falling asleep. Waking up in the morning is a different matter. Or rather, not so much the actual waking up, but rather persuading myself to leave the cosy nest.
I didn’t get up and run this morning. However, I did spend some time on the rowing machine. By the end of the morning the rain seems to have stopped and the sky has brightened considerably. Maybe I’ll take myself out for a walk before my Italian zoom conversation class.
According to this article, it is scientifically proven that getting our and about in nature is really good for your brain. So it’s not just a personal obsession of mine. It’s not just the exercise either; walking in an urban environment is nowhere near as good for the brain. It’s all a throwback to our hunter-gatherer past. Our brains are hot-wired to respond better to fractals (as seen in snowflakes, ferns, frost patterns) and curves (hills and meandering streams) than to straight lines and geometrical shapes (buildings). We are still in touch with our primitive selves, even if we are unaware of it.
In the section of the article subtitle “How to make the most of nature”, I was interested to find this:
“Forgo the tech. “If you’re focusing on your watch or phone, or wearing headphones, you aren’t engaging with your environment.”
I have long and often expressed my scorn for those people who seem unable to walk along the local bridle paths without listening to a podcast or their personal playlist. Go with the flow! Let nature in! Let your thoughts ramble! Or just don’t think at all!
I do, however, like to listen to music while I cook. I expect that dancing in the kitchen is also good for a body. Here’s an article about someone who went to play piano for elephant, rescued elephants in Thailand, and found that these large animals enjoyed classical music and in some cases even had preferences. Interesting creatures, elephants!
We get a lot of encouragement these days to re-use and recycle, especially clothing. Pre-loved and vintage sounds so much better than second-hand. But some preloved and vintage are more expensive than anything I would buy new. It seems that the blouse worn by Lady Diana Spencer for her engagement portrait is up for auction, with an estimated price of $80,000 to $100,000. (It must be a royal family thing, having your portrait done to celebrate your engagement.) The blouse was previously on display at Kensington Palace in London as part of the exhibition Diana: Her Fashion Story in 2019. All those fancy clothes! Such extravagance! And how strange that they go to such lengths to present Diana, Kate, and Letitia in Spain, as “ordinary mums”, looking after their children and out and about with them, and yet they make displays of the clothes they wear.
Hollywood stars’ clothes up for auction at the same time include a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1963 comedy Charade, a sleeveless gown worn by Gloria Swanson in 1950 noir film Sunset Boulevard and Barbra Streisand’s sailor dress from a 1960s special called My Name Is Barbra.
A range of prices, between $1,000 and $450,000, have been estimated for these items.
These clothes are mostly not for wearing but just for possessing - unless it’s a Marilyn Monroe dress. Its not unlike the old habit of collecting holy relics. Apparently it’s even possible to bid for the laptop used onscreen by Sarah Jessica Parker in her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the hit TV series Sex and the City. The world is crazy! And some people clearly have more money than sense.
Incidentally, the other day I took some shoes I no longer wear to leave them in a used-shoe collecting point in the village, only to discover that the collecting bin had disappeared! Most annoying! I had to carry them home again and need to try to remember them next time I go to Tesco as I know they collect them there. Or maybe I should organise an auction!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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