Sun and shade

After an absurdly glorious dawn where the bases of the clouds were illuminated by a numinously golden light, the reality of the day has confirmed that autumn has arrived.




A fire drill forced us all out into the cool air of the terrace looking down onto the playground and I, for one, was glad that I had put on my jacket to observe events.


This is virtually the first time since the end of the summer that the month has made itself felt in low-ish temperatures during the day. Yesterday was a little subdued, but it was quite pleasant wandering around in T-shirt and shorts, although I am not the one you should ask about feeling the cold as I am notorious for giving the “wrong” answer when ordinary mammals ask, “Is it cold outside?”


It has been decided that the re-arrangement of the living room should go ahead with the threat of an “accent” wall painted in red as the design equivalent of a slap in the face. The trip to IKEA has now been scheduled and the catalogue number of the piece of furniture has been noted.


In a sort of “end of era” way this new piece of Swedish chipboard will replace one of the remaining furniture memories of Maskrey’s of Cardiff when at last the swivelling television stand will be put out for collection.


A lost day.


Those who have been to IKEA; bought from IKEA; built from IKEA know how time becomes somewhat elastic as the diagrams are studied in preparation for construction.


I suppose that it was something of a triumph that the visit to IKEA immediately after school; the purchases; the return home and the construction of the furniture only took us until midnight.


Considering what we have gone through in the past this was relatively plain sailing.


Yes, trying to identify oddly shaped tiny screws; differentiating between screws of almost identical size; finding the pieces of chipboard with the five holes in the pattern of four and . . . well, anyone who has built anything from that store will know the petty annoyances and faint impatience that is engendered by their construction and which has the power to destroy families and break friendships!


I think that the final hitch that almost finished us off was discovering that the unit (which was supposed to be bright red) and was actually a depressing, dead looking russet brown with a long scratch on the top surface was actually that colour and in that condition because it was covered with a bluish protective adhesive plastic sheet. It was trying to get this off which nearly precipitated fatal hysteria.


Scrabbling at virtually invisible edges of transparent plastic coverings in the early hours is not my idea of fun – still, if I had wanted fun would I actually have gone to IKEA in the first place?


Anyway the unit is built and the room has been rearranged. Plus ça change!


Tomorrow I have to go to an exhibition of photographs in preparation for a visit by a media studies class. It is also a day on which the same year group is being given an examination which will have to be marked pretty soon. Just as well I have a free period last thing before I visit the exhibition.


Meanwhile I can sit and type in the light of the reflected gleam from the gloss surface of the recently created furniture!