Monday, September 12, 2011

So many staples, so little time

There's not much to be said for Mondays. Very few of us like them. 


This morning, as I stumbled from room to room wondering where I had left my coffee, I got to thinking about the little habits and rituals we all adapt to make our days bearable. The thinking didn't stop. All through the day I made mental notes of all the small procedures and staples that I use, week in and week out, to keep my life ticking over. 


There's so many. Here's a few. 


I reach for this every weekday morning. It's an old sweeties tin ....

...and it holds whatever makeup items I'm currently favouring, I'm especially fond of creamy things that I can dab on with my fingers. 

Magazines. I'm always thinking about buying magazines, stockpiling magazines for a magazine fest or working out when I can sit down and re-read a pile of magazines. A lot of magazines come out on Mondays and thank God for that, I say. 


Clean handkerchiefs. I never leave home without them. The last thing I do before I leave the house is tuck a hankie into my pocket and another into my bag. I have dozens, most of which came from op-shops. You generally find them on the counter at op-shops in a little basket. I always rifle through the hankie basket and when I get them home I'll wash them in wool wash and press them into nice triangles with an unforgiving iron. Bonus: sometimes you find embroidered ones. Other bonus: they cost pennies and are far more elegant than tissues. Specific bonus: how cute is that bird? 


That's the tip of my staples ice berg. Coming soon: the desk breakfast, Platform 1 and quinoa soup.