Typical

Is there a typical day? We doubt it, although we do have routines, some of them changing, others occasional and almost random, dependent on how we feel about things. Is this unusual? There are some constants, brewing morning coffee for example, even then we innovate, recent discovery being Peruvian coffee, the order of breakfast, our love of walking. On the writing side, there is a wide spectrum of options, as I run four blogs, and besides continue to work on stories, as well as starting new ones. Photography is chaotic, with long periods when I do very little, and others when I feel manic about improving things.

Improvisation

We think it is still my “trial and error” side coming up: how about doing this? Not that I am particularly keen on improvisation either. I like things to be planned, even if the plan is a mere sketch. This is the right word: sketch. I like this definition:

“a short literary composition somewhat resembling the short story and the essay but intentionally slight in treatment, discursive in style, and familiar in tone.”

It has to do with the way we start projects, even serious ones like going away and staying in another city for four years! We pick up an idea one morning, discuss it, let it rest for a while, come back to it, consider its value, should we do that? Most of the times w forget about it, not enough “traction”, this sketch leads nowhere. But, form time to time, in untypical fashion, it sticks.

We talk about it more, we read about it, we start searching. This is may be the sign, the omen, that we are about to explore more seriously: there is a possibility there, be it travel, moving place, visiting an old friend who lives in China, or spending some time near a deserted coast line…

Untypical

So today, yesterday, were untypical like most of our days.

Is this to say we dislike routines? Not really, we just like changing, innovating is probably the right word: our “sketches” are ideas to innovate, in some way, cooking, our favourite walks, a different car (!), another brand (interesting that one, since it may also show we are not totally indifferent to advertising), a new mattress, other flowers to plant in the borders. Gardening is likewise never “typical”, as every year w have something different. The only constant there is the annual growth of the jungle, which prevents me to reach the recycling stack without a fight.

And then we have the foxes, a new batch every spring, different individuals, different habits, some cheeky, others shy. We have to learn, sketch (?) their profile to refine our deterrence. This year they ignore our ultrasound technology completely, which was somewhat frustrating. I just had a thought: the influence of the British weather, non-linear, more complex than merely random. A recurring surprise, like this Mediterranean weather we have at the moment. It reminds me of that French meteorologist who predicted the changes by observing a friendly frog on its little ladder: the signs were shown if the frog climbed up (good) or descending down (abysmal) the ladder.

Reading

Then there is reading , as there we are totally eclectic, and partly random, although we pick up our reading by a kind of association, some time historical, more often keywords, like rereading Le Vicomte de Bragelonne after watching an episode of “Versailles”. Quote:

“Association of ideas, also known as mental association, is a cognitive process where representations or concepts arise in consciousness, and are linked together based on certain principles. This concept has been studied extensively in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.”

In conclusion we would find it difficult to describe a “typical” day, as we may fear to fall into one of those!

Association of Ideas