Oh I've heard of these automatic vacuums, but they're
so little and where does all the dirt go? I actually hate
american vacuum cleaners, they're as loud as a helicoptor.
You go deaf on them.
Yeah, I'd like a self-cleaning house as well, or invite spendius to clean. He must be good by now.
Don't you think?
A phantom maid I suppose.
Is that it?
Definitely! I agree about the vacuum cleaners. Is there a foreign one that makes less noise?
Do you think he'd venture across the ocean for a cleaning spree?
I don't think anything Cal.I go where the winds blow me and it's been a breeze so far.
Would you like a butler?
devriesj, I have bought a German vacuum (Miele) and
it's very quiet and works well.
I'd love to have a butler spendius.
Know of any good ones?
(until then I need to go to the supermarket myself - see you later)
See ya, Jane! I'll have to check out the vacuum.
Were you saying you'd be a butler, Spendi-?
(I'd like to see that!)
I categorically deny ever having said anything of the sort.Me a butler?Goodness gracious!What will they think up next?
Anything to ease our workload spendius.
We women have many hats to wear, and are expected
to be perfect in every one of them. Besides, you
brought up the butler.
Chicken out?
I'd never chicken out of a challenge that I had confidence in, no matter how difficult it may be. Although listening to me talk about what things I would dare to do if only I had the chance or opportunity makes my grandma want to lock me up in chains in the house and superglue me to the house for life.
What is your favourite musical instrument?
Saxophone.
So, you're a bad girl, if not supervised properly?
Not so much bad...more just a tough, more carefree and really wanting to tell the world that I'm not just a innocent kiddie...which is the impression everyone seems to have of me when they meet me.
Do you think appearances can be decieving?
Oh yes, that's why people hang on to them like for dear
life. However, sooner or later they give themselves away.
What's wrong with innocence?
Nothing absolutely nothing. I guess I just have another side that I don't have the chance to show very often. I'm a gemini - we have two sides that no one can ever really see so one can never really know a gemini. Thats what the books say and I have to agree with it.
What zodiac sign are you?
I am cancer, but somehow I can't identify with the characteristics of that sign. Maybe my moon sign was/is
too dominant, who knows....
Do you believe in horoscopes?
Yes, I planned my sons according to sunsigns. Couldn't choose the moons but hell, they get on brilliantly anyway. I go on empirical evidence which is overwhelming.
Do you have any superstitions?
Not in the sense most people seem to do but I do think that the time of year one is conceived,gestated,born and raised affects one's psychology.
It is not so easy for modern westerners to appreciate such things because the effects of time of year are much weakened.(central heating,supermarkets etc).
200 years ago in Europe the weather impinged on people's lives much more than it does now.
If you took a conception on,say March 25,around Easter,and Freud was fascinated by Easter,spring was in the air and people were feeling better and thus "love children" were more common.The gestation would take place in a confident period and by the birth,Dec 25,the harvest would be in and the fire would be blazing and the breast feeding would take place in cosy circumstances.A happy start one might say.The infant would be crawling and then walking a little in warm weather.
Putting labels on these various times might easily be made to fit the sky patterns and become institutionalised as we now have it.And these patterns in the sky are only patterns from here.Some of the stars which look close together from here are many light years distance from each other.That side of it is shamanistic mumbo-jumbo which exploits gullibility.That is obvious from the change of birth sign sometimes being a matter of minutes.
So I think time of conception and birth is a significant factor due to climate etc but the link to patterns in the sky simple nonsense for simple folk.
My opinion,for what that's worth,is to say that Dec 25 might be the perfect time to be born in the northern hemisphere and the more so the further one moves north which might explain Father Christmas being based in Lapland and Jesus's birth being on that day and the Christmas tree being a tree species from the north and often depicted with frost imitations and close but on the optimistic side of the solstice.On Dec 17 the sun is still disappearing.
Even though that is a superficial discussion does it answer the question for you?
Sorry Clary.I was answering CJ whilst doing other things.
I don't have any superstitions except to avoid people who set any amount of store by them.I used to walk under ladders on purpose.
Do you ever face down a superstition.
I found that really interesting, Spendius. What about people who are born on or around Easter - conceived in say June? I am not a big follower of astrology - in fact I have no idea where or what place my moon is in - but I was born right at the cusp of Pisces/Aries and seem to have an equal number of traits from both signs. That always interested me - but then I have to ask myself - are people who are born on the exact same day all alike? Having met some born on or around my own birthday has made me skeptical. Do you think we adopt the traits we like from these sun-signs and then sort of act them out - like a self-fulfilling prophecy?
My son was a happy surprise - not planned at all but ecstatically received, and a Leo - but he and I are so much alike in looks and personality it is almost scary.
My daughter is a Taurus - supposed to be stubborn and headstrong - but she is so sweet and kind and compliant - I worry for her safety sometimes- in that I worry that if the wrong person told her to do something - she just would because that's the way she is.
What do you make of all that?
It has a certain sort of fascination.What a daffy,naive lady thinks is interesting because such ladies pick up the gist of what is in the air much better than a jaded scientist does who limits himself to what he thinks are facts.And one of those facts is what a daffy,naive lady thinks.
If you take the "cusp of Pisces/Aries" as 23.50 hrs on March 20 in New York that would be (?) 4.50 am on March 21 in London.So the first baby is a Pisces and the second an Aries.I couldn't see any way that this would affect personality outside of your self fulfilling prophecy idea.And then there is the small matter of induced births or other premature beginnings.
The whole subject is fraught with difficulties.My approach is trying to be scientific in order to iron out the worst distortions but there are a whole range of factors which I left out,such as class,diet,parental attitudes etc. which render the subject more or less incomprehensible.
If you took the horoscopes of people killed in accidents,say,you would probably find that one magazine or newspaper had said that a fair proportion of them were in for a good week or day.
On the whole I would forget all about the subject and concentrate on making your own luck which you must have done to have moved to one of the best parts of the best country in the world by miles.
PS.The first match of the 3 ODI series is tomorrow.I had it wrong the other night but that might be a good thing in that you had extra time to think about it.But these matches are a mere appetite whetter for the 5 5day (yes 5day) Test Matches which start at the end of the month.Watching them carefully will allow you to get to know the players and to begin to empathise with their families and friends who will all be glued to the screen.But listen to those expert commentators.They are all ex-Test Match players and a good few have been captains which is no joke.Get it by osmosis like everybody else does.
Story going pretty good eh?
I agree totally with your most scientific assessment of the futility of living your life by the stars. If one did so - would they not feel tossed on the waves by the fickle winds of fate? In my psychology courses - whenever I took the locus of control tests (are you familiar with those) - I always tested as being strongly aware that I was the controller of my own destiny. Outside influences were mere obstacles to be overcome or fortuitous events to be used to my best advantage. I don't know what it would be like to live as if someone or something else was in control of my life.
Anyhooo.... haven't looked at the story yet today - but I have some lovely ideas - songs, poems, etc to add in for interest. Talk to you later or maybe not .....Will you be entertaining all the ladies again tonight - you've become such a popular young man - do you know I find it hard to get a word in edgewise? Oh well - we still have our story right?
See ya!
