01 August 2007

Answers from yesterday's make-believe session

1. Where is your summer home? The seaside? The mountains? An inland lake? Is it in the country or some charmingly quirky small town?


My summer home is on the outskirts of a smallish seaside town -- near enough to the centre of things that I can walk to whatever shopping I need or want to do, but not too near.

I don't have a particular town in mind. Ideally, it's someplace with some history to it, and someplace where it wouldn't be too hot. Someplace I could get to by train would be especially good.

2. What sort of house is it? A Victorian farmhouse? A cottage? A condo?

The important things about my summer house is that it is old enough to have been finished with plaster, not drywall. I grew up in an older house with plaster walls, and have never really adapted to drywall.

It needs a porch with a view of the sea, and possibly a fireplace for cool evenings. A fenced yard, so that Boo Dog and any visiting hounds have a place to run around outside. The Viking would appreciate a hammock.

It also needs two floors, with living room, dining room, and kitchen downstairs, beds and bathroom upstairs. I have tried living all on one floor and don't like it.

3. How is it furnished?

I suspect if anyone in my family bought a second home, it would rapidly be filled up with all the extra furniture everyone else has. (We are all magpies, and descended from long lines of magpies). So the individual pieces would range from Victorian to IKEA, probably all slipcovered or reupholstered to keep them from being a complete blaring disaster.

4. Who's coming with you? Family, friends, pets? Are any of them staying the whole month, or are some just visiting for a week?

The Viking, Boo Dog, and the cats are obviously coming with me for the duration. It would be nice to have Maman, Sis & family, and some select friends come visit for a week or weekend, as they were able -- though not all the same week or weekend.

5. Which 5 books would you want to have to read? I know that's probably not enough for a whole month, but let's start with 5.

Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of Pointed Firs, which is set during a summer holiday in a seaside town. (Her Deephaven would also be a good choice, but I think that one's harder to come by).

P.G. Wodehouse, Love Among the Chickens, also set during a summer holiday in a seaside town.

H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon's Mines, in case there was any trouble on the trip. It's important to remember that there are worse things than flat tires or flight delays. Having your bearers trampled by elephants, for example.

Elizabeth David, French Provincial Cooking, out of which I cooked for over a year in graduate school, and which is at least as readable as a novel.

A book of knitting stitches, probably one of Barbara Walker's, for those occasions when I get a clever idea for a knitted object and need to work it out.

6. What craft project(s) would you bring with you?

I'd bring at least two projects, one mindless and one not. They might both be knitting projects, or I might bring one thing to knit and one thing to sew or embroider. I have some old stamped cross-stitch kits for coverlets that came from Grandmaman's hoard (two twins and a double, I think) which would be splendid fairly mindless handwork for lazy afternoons and evenings.

7. How would you spend your days? Would you fall into a routine? Would you deliberate avoid falling into a routine? Would you plan day-trips, parties or activities, or would you laze the time away?

I'd fall into a routine; I'm a terrible creature of habit. For me, a really lovely routine would be something like this: Up. Breakfast. To the beach for swimming. Back in, shower & dress. Do necessary errands; if none, read or knit on porch. Lunch. Nap. Take walk with dog. Wee drinkie followed by supper. After supper, more reading or knitting, and so to bed.

1 comment:

  1. My dream houses all have plural bathrooms. (In a two story house, I'd prefer up and downstairs, with a room douwnstairs that can be a bedroom for any visitor who can't handle stairs.)

    Actually, my real houses all have at least 1.5 baths, too, if I have any say in the matter.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...