Sometimes you don’t actually need a mirror to see yourself. Over lunch (ham and tomato sandwich, cup of tea) catching up on last weekend’s papers (tomatoes being very time consuming), I stop mid bite. Munching nonchalantly gets difficult when you come face to face with yourself on the page and what you’re seeing isn’t altogether pleasing.
‘Middle Yeared’.
OK, numerically I can’t disagree.
‘Wanting to wear a fleece’.
OK, numerically I am actually wearing 2. But it’s cold and apart from a few freaky days I can’t remember the last time it wasn’t. I prefer to think of fleece as climatic rather than lifestyle in choice.
And then….…
‘Owing up to a sudden and slightly fierce interest in growing tomatoes…’
OK, numerically I am surrounded by at least as many tomato plants as define me number wise as being middle aged. The exact number (of tomato plants but could also be age) is something I can’t yet quite own up to but if fierce were to be quantified this is what it might look like (tomatoes and age) !
So whilst still debating how I like being pinned down in print and how many degrees of separation going to see Elton John at the O² (guilty) is from seeing (AC/DC) at the O² (not guilty) is (see article for details) , I trap my finger in a Lock and Lock container and it starts bleeding! (My Lock and Lock collection being slightly less extensive than my tomato collection and slightly more extensive than my fleece collection.)
OK so I give in. I knew the day would come when I would have to face up to being middle aged! I just didn’t expect to have to do it without warning whilst nursing a 21st Century Tupperware injury.
The quoted words belong to Kathryn Flett. In return for her mirror holding upness I wish her many happy rock stadium events and lighter waving RSI inducing nights to come! ( See her article, the one that took the edge off my nice sandwich, for further illumination !)
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One has to assume that you are referring to horticultural fleece, which will be very handy when you get an untimely cold night, just as you have planted out the f***y-something tomato plants in their final positions. Tender young plants are just as vulnerable to the chill at open-air concerts as tougher older ones, but the latter have both experience and a tendency to fruitiness on their side. To pick up on an earlier theme: “Maturity can always be depended upon. Ripeness can be trusted. Young plants are green. I spoke horticulturally. My metaphor was drawn from fruits.” Yes, a slight misquotation from Miss Prism, but she knew what she was about…. Anyway, I hope that you’re not going to start playing Elton John to your plants to make them more flamboyant than expected. Revel in your fleece – it has more vibrations than AC/DC.