It's the summer hols at last. So I am writing this on my tiny PDA, from our luxury holiday yurt in the Maldives.Or not.
I'm trying to get a bunch of drawings finished, and generally trying to be more organised than has been my habit in the past. A few days ago, I applied myself to organising piles of paper into themes, and doing something about them. I even managed to write some Important Letters. Then I completed a drawing. It was now 9:45 pm. It had been a productive day, but something wasn't quite right. "Twenty third of June," I kept thinking. I knew it was something significant.
Then I remembered that it was Brendagh's birthday. And it was now too late to do anything about it.
I felt very annoyed with myself, and a bit worried about the state of my memory.
We were talking, the next day, about the difficulties of being self-motivated and about that sense of oppression you get when you've got a pile of work that needs to be done and you keep putting off, and the sense of relief you get when you have actually done at least some of it. Brendagh described it as like having live frogs around the place (she is a cat owner, which may account for the choice of metaphor). We agreed that first thing in the morning is a good time to clear away a few tasks. "Eat five live frogs before breakfast," as she put it.
So that can be the thought for the day.
What's a "yurt"?
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chrissie
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I'm into "eating that frog for breakfast". it slows me down though because I have to keep explaining what it means.
ReplyDeleteYou live in Wales and you don't know what a yurt is, Chrissie? -no, don't believe it!
ReplyDeleteAha, Anji. It turns out to have been a Mark Twainism. I still feel a bit nauseous at the thought of eating frogs though.
Your research went deeper than mine.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried frogs legs and most of my French friends find the idea disgusting. Rob has been known to order them in a restaurant.
I had the thought that a "yurt" could be an abbreviation of "yogurt-on-a-stick", which could be shorthand for "yurt". It's the Turkish word for the Mongolian "ger", a portable wooden frame covered with felt that is the traditional home for the nomadic Mongols. Yogurt, by another name, is one of the traditional foods of the same people, as well as the basis for one of their two main alcoholic beverages---horse's milk being used for the other.
ReplyDeleteIn parts of rural America, including Iowa, especially when folks are living on a shoestring, bullfrog-on-a-stick (or a "gig", several sharp tines on a pole) can still be a tasty meal. A diet limited to them has been known to cause the Bullfrog Blues, which thankfully I have never had to suffer.
I thought that about the yoghurt too, Larry; especially since the French word for it is 'yaourt'. It's hard to imagine binging happily in Mongolia. I feel a bit nauseous at the thought of bullfrog-on-a-stick...
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