Tuesday 9 June 2009

Daze of the week

I woke up this morning and I just knew it was Sunday. It took about 10 minutes for reality to dawn. But in those 10 minutes I was suddenly, intensely, completely in touch with the awfulness of Sundays when I was growing up. The dullness, the dreariness, the extra-long church services (twice!), the sheer boring length of the day.... worst of all was the compulsory television hour of my joyless boarding school, everyone squashed on hard benches in the assembly hall, watching a flickering black and white tv in the dark. I could still feel ill with hatred at the thought of Captain Pugwash.

I suppose it gave the Sisters some time off (apart from the old killjoy who was in charge to make sure no one enjoyed themselves too much, or, indeed, moved). I wonder what they did while we were imprisoned in the echoing gloom? Danced sedately to old Glenn Miller records? ("You be the male lead, Sr. St John of the Cross - your feet are big enough to be a man's.") Traded holy pictures? ("I'll give you two Saint Bernadettes for that St Maria Goretti!") or sat in corners and gossiped about Reverend Mother? ("She seems awfully keen on talking to that new priest, Father Fiery-Pitts. He's a bit too Vatican II, if you ask me, with that little dog collar and a cricket jersey.")

So, today, being Tuesday, has been wonderful, just wonderful, mostly for not being a Sunday.





6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Rachel, those imaginary conversations are so witty and hilarious!

Brenda Pruitt said...

I too hated Sundays as a youngster in the sixties. Hated to go to church. To this day I won't hardly step into a church. I made up a lot of my own crossword puzzles sitting there twitching in the pew, though...
Brenda

Linda said...

At least three-times-a-Sunday-church-going taught me to sit still for long periods - useful when I decide to back-read someone's blog, fall in love with their cute pets, feel for them with that cold, northern weather (but not drool over the cakes - I have coeliac), love their colour choices in the hallway and generally learn about their life.

You do seem to notice the weather a great deal. If you move house, I would do so based on rainfall and prevailing winds. (I live in wet West Wales. My husband is a Londoner. There is an amazing difference in the weather!) Also, as a rural town dweller/ex-country girl, I so envy those in cities! You seem to have lots of green space within walking distance and shops as well! Our little town is going to get a well-known high-street retailer soon, but the store will be on the outskirts of town, and a car will be needed, as it is to get anywhere. It can be much more expensive to live somewhere like this - and, of course, the tourists drive us ........! Food prices tend to be quite high, with not so much choice. And as for the time it takes to actually go anywhere, and the speed/scarcity of trains, I keep telling my husband that I want a Tardis, so that when I feel like going to a museum, or to do some decent shopping, there is not a long journey first.
Must go and put the kettle on now - I need a cup of tea so I can get on with whatever else I was supposed to do today!

rachel said...

Yes, Linda, I'm afraid weather, availability of a decent supermarket, GP and dentist will feature high up on my list of Must Have criteria! And a garden big enough to grow my own vegetables, enough community not to be isolated, and enough quiet not to be bothered by neighbour noise, and of course, no student life......

judy in ky said...

Hi Rachel,
Susan just told me you have tagged me. I am working on it now. I've never done it before, so I hope I'm doing it right.
Thank you... now I feel like part of the in-crowd!
Judy

Veronica said...

Thank GOD for Tuesdays.

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