Smell or No Smell (2)

Thanks to Richard G. and Mary C. for reminding me that some flowers are bred for appearance rather than fragrance. I knew this to be especially true of roses and other flowers, but this does not really explain the lack of fragrance in most flowers and flowering plants in my garden and in the area. We also have honeysuckle and I remember the fragrance of the honeysuckle we had in Cambridge, but nothing here! It’s the same with lavender, hyacinths and other plants we chose for fragrance.

This week, I bought narcissi from a flower stall in Berkeley and they smell beautifully. I commented to the flower seller that the rest of her selection had little or no fragrance. She agreed, for the same reasons others have given here. She showed me the book she was reading: “Flower Confidential” by Amy Stewart.  She told me that Amy discusses this very issue in the book.

But now I’m thinking there’s more to smell or lack of smell in this area.

It seems there are many people here who are chemically sensitive. By that, I mean they have developed reactions, sometimes severe, to various aromas and smells. Richard developed adverse reactions to any perfume I wore, certain laundry detergents and other things that ultimately had to be treated by a dermatologist.

Now we notice that we rarely meet any women wearing perfume, and men’s aftershave is practically unheard of. Everyone is discouraged from wearing perfumed products to public gatherings, the gym, etc., in consideration of those who are chemically sensitive or have respiratory problems.

So, it’s not only the flowers that don’t smell, WE don’t smell either!

To paraphrase Hylda Baker, “She NOSE you NO!”

Meme (from Susan Ito)

A meme is “an idea that gets propagated.” I got this one from Susan Ito.

1. Spell my name as it sounds. Margrit (If you watch ‘Little Britain’ on BBC America, this is usually followed by “Do we have any books?”
2. Am I a worrier? Yes. I’m probably also paranoid.
3. What’s my favorite CD? Any music composed by Handel or sung by Kathleen Ferrier.
4. Favorite colour(s)? Shades of red for clothes and Provencal blue, because I like it as a colour.
5. Does my home have an attic? Yes, but I am not tall enough to reach the trap door to open it. I’ve never been in the attic.
6. Have I ever been to Canada? Yes. Twice. Once to visit relatives in Toronto and Niagara Falls. Second visit was when R attended a conference in Montreal. I know that is in Quebec. If we had emigrated to Canada, I’d be a Canadian Scot, but I’m happy to be a Scot in America.
7. Have I ever gone fishing? Yes. In a cobbly, in Loch Buie, Mull, West coast of Scotland, fishing for mackerel, at night. I grew up in a Herring Fishing family, but never went on my Dad’s boat. Women on boats was taboo.
8. Have I ever seen a celebrity? Yes. I saw Tom Conti in a phone box in Cambridge, UK. (He was appearing in a play at the Cambridge Rep.)
9. Have I ever been on a motorcycle? Not really, but we had a Lambretta. It was turquoise and we had yellow helmets. We fell off once when we skidded on the ice.
10. How much money do I have on me right now? Probably $70. I’m not going to count it.
11. How many cars have I owned? I’ve never owned a car in my life, yet I get plagued by telephone solicitors who want to sell me car insurance.
12. How many jobs have I had? Prefer not to remember. The only one that was satisfactory was in the Churchill College Archives.
13. How tall am I? 5′ 2”, but I’m probably shrinking.
14. Last person to call me. Someone from Alta Imaging to remind me of my annual mammogram appointment.
15. Last thing I yelled out loud. “Oh My God! Sale pending.” On an overpriced grotty little house up the street.
16. Last person I was in a car with. R.
17. Last time I ate at McDonald’s. October 2007 and I wish I had not.
18. Last thing I bought. Groceries from Andronicos in North Berkeley.
19. Last person I saw. R.
20. Last time I cried. January 26, 2008, while listening to Andy Mack’s Burn’s show. Bluewater radio.
21. Last time I laughed. January 26, 2008, at something R said about Aesop’s Fables.
22. What is the temperature outside? It’s nae het.
23. What time of the day did I get married? 1pm.
24. What did I do two nights ago? Bosied wi Richard, who’d come home from a week in Washington, DC.
25. Who’s birthday is coming up next? My sister-in-law, in May.
26. What time did I go to bed last night? No idea.
27. What was the first thing I thought this morning? I’m going to the gym.
28. What are my plans for this weekend? Hurry up and catch up on last week.
29. Lemonade or iced tea? Limeade and Green Tea.
30. What do I dislike at this moment? The dreich weather we’ve had.
31. What did I dream about last night? Quarks.
32. What’s the last TV show I watched? Casino Royale on BBC America.
33. What is my favorite piece of jewelry? My collection of jet from Whitby, North Yorkshire.
34. Am I a dancer? Yes! I’m a fantastic dancer, in my head, tango, jigs, slow foxtrots, reels , scottishes. But with cerebtral palsy and arthritis, it’s all in the mind.
35. Have I ever cut my own hair? Yes. When I was four years old I took a scissors to my ringlets.
36. What is my favorite treat? The People’s Friend and sharing fish’n'chips with R.
37. How many piercings/tattoos do I have? 2 sets of holes in each ear which were done outdoors on Telegraph Ave, Berkeley.
38. Where’s my favorite place to be? In my house.
39. Is there someone I haven’t seen in a while and miss? All my relatives and friends in Scotland.
40. Who was the last text I sent to? I do not send texts.
41. Do I care what strangers think about me? No more than strangers care about what I think about them.
42. Last person I talked to on Instant Messenger. Don’t remember.
43. Last person to make me cry. John Cairney doing the ‘Immortal Memory’ to Robert Burns.
44. Who can I tell anything to? I have nothing to tell.
45. What am I doing tomorrow? Doing what I didn’t get done today.
46. Do I have alcohol in my home? Och yes! A bottle of aged single malt for special occasions. My aunt, in the Highlands, calls it, “The glorified yellow water.” Also chardonnay from Bevmo.
47. Do I like ketchup? Only on chips and I don’t eat so many chips.
48. Do I think I will be on a vacation this summer? I hope not! I have no reason to sleep in any bed other than my own.
49. What colour is my master bathroom? White. Towels are heather and white, but there are a few other colours that I bought on sale for the good value, so the colour scheme is a wee bit off.
50. Do I wear a bikini at the beach? Am I getting on for my Old Age Pension?
51. Have I ever been to the Grand Canyon? No. I don’t want to go, It’s too big and I’d get dizzy looking at it.
52. What is my favorite fruit? Raspberries, but only if they’re Scottish.
53. What did I really want to do today? Go to the gym, go to the Farmers’ Market, collect the watch I’d put for repair, buy new sandals. I only went to the gym.
54. Am I always cold? Not a lot. I wear socks and a jumper.
55. Does it annoy me when someone says they’ll call or text, but don’t? No, everyone is busy and I don’t notice.

Smell or no Smell?

I am enjoying the fragrance of a bunch of narcissi which I placed on the dining room table.

I like to have posies of flowers around the house and when the flowers in my own garden bloom, I will have a great selection of spring flowers to choose from. I’m especially looking forward to the freesias and their cheerful colors. But they have little to no fragrance.

Soon, the jasmine, which climbs along the north fence, will bloom and that is probably the only thing growing in the garden which has a distinctive fragrance. I remember, in my first spring in Berkeley (1979) smelling jasmine everywhere I went.

Eventually, I noticed that I didn’t smell any other flowers or plants in the area.

This was so different from my memories of gardens in Cambridge.

I remember, when we lived in Cambridge, walking home from the Churchill College Archives in the summer evenings. I walked past bungalows with well-tended gardens, with their displays of gnomes and prize-winning roses. The roses perfumed my walk.

Now, thirty years later, I walk around our small town, admiring the gardens. A few have rose bushes, but there is no fragrance, not even after a shower.

Is the climate really so arid here that the flowers have no fragrance?

Is it a Burns’ Supper if there’s nae Haggis?

We’ve been too busy to order our haggis from the Scottish Meat Pie Company in Dixon. We’ve also been too busy to organize a few friends for a Burns’ Supper.

Bit we canna let January 25th go uncelebrated. We’ll tak a dram for sure. There’s an unopened bottle of 12-year-old The Macallan waiting for the occasion. We’ll recite a poem, probably my favorite, “Tam o’ Shanter” and listen to a cd of Burns’ songs.

Happy 249th Birthday, Rabbie!

Slainthe Bha!

Marvin Windows

When we had kitchen remodelled 2 years ago, we had Marvin windows installed.

We didn’t focus on window covering and assumed we’d get curtains or some kind of shade. But it’s been frustrating. The window frames are not designed to have hooks drilled into them.

I’ve called the Marvin Company and was told they don’t provide window covering options. The Marvin windows shown in their advertising look onto beautiful, but private, vistas. Our kitchen windows overlook our neighbour and we want privacy for both us.

If anyone has experience of Marvin windows and installing binds or drapes, please share.

Robbie Shepherd and his Doric Column

Thanks to a fellow W.A.G. (Wee Annie’s Gang), who emailed me the information, I can listen to Robbie Shepherd’s Doric Column on an Internet podcast. I also listen to his 2 weekly shows, ‘Take the Floor,’ and ‘The Reel Blend,’ in which he presents the best in Scottish dance music.

‘Take the Floor’ airs on BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday evenings and opens with the  reel, ‘Kate Dalrymple.’ This reel opened the programme when I listened to it in Scotland, over 50 years ago. Obviously, Robbie wasn’t the presenter then!

So, between listening to Los Dos Andies, Mack‘n’Ross, and now Robbie, I get as much Scottish music as I want.

If you’ve never heard a Doric Column before, go to the Press and Journal website for a list of podcasts and download the latest Robbie Shepherd offering.

Dining Etiquette

I found this article, entitled “Pupils learn which cutlery to use,” on the BBC News website. It brought back unpleasant memories and feelings of failure and inadequacy for me. But it’s not about me, because I doubt I’ll ever be in an interview/dining test situation. It seems a step backwards and excludes those who, physically, cannot meet the standards.

I actually do KNOW how to use a forknknife, but I’m physically unable to do so. This does not make me ill mannered or badly brought up.

I used to dread professional dining situations, because, if these standards of etiquette were to be rigorously applied, I was done for. None of the rules applied to me and exceptions to the rules were never mentioned. But I was often in professional dining situations and I just had to make up my own rules and ignore being ‘judged,’ by those who were forknknife sticklers. I would ask that the kitchen staff cut up my food before bringing it to me and that all utensils I wouldn’t be using be removed, so that I wasn’t cluttered.

I don’t know why so much emphasis is put on the test of dining etiquette. A hearty appetite and the curiosity to experiment with unfamiliar cuisines are surely more cheerful, as long you don’t hold a conversation with your mouth full.

Last week I had lunch with a dear friend at a Thai restaurant and she saw that I was having difficulty cutting my fishcakes. I was happy to accept her offer to help and we enjoyed our meal with no more fuss.

Don’t judge me on ‘how’ I eat, but on how heartily and gratefully I clean my plate – with a wee bit of help.

As for the waltz, I’ll leave that to the Beatles’ “Henry the Horse.”

Bon Appetit! 

Repair Men

The automatic gas lighting ‘thing’ on our Viking stove failed over the Holidays and a repairman came, this week, to fix it.

Repairmen, in general, make me nervous.  I don’t like them touching and fichering with my stuff. I dread that they’ll take something apart, realise they need a special part and leave the thing in bits forever.

Generally, when they arrive at the door, I turn into Hyacinth Bucket of Keeping Up Appearances.  I keep a wee chair in the lobby so they can sit and remove their shoes. I want to remind them, “DON’T BRUSH UP AGAINST MY WALLS! ARE YOUR HANDS CLEAN?”

Most repairmen are professional, efficient and are familiar with the equipment they have come to repair. But a few have claimed they have never worked on that particular appliance in their WHOLE LIVES!

Five technicians came to repair our brand new fridge last year before we eventually got a replacement fridge.

One of the technicians came several times, but after the first visit, we refused to let him in!           

He thought I was the maid – yes I do wear an apron when I’m cooking.

But when he saw Richard, he shouted that he was in the wrong house, because we weren’t Chinese! 

Those who know our surname will understand.

All this for extended warranty.

A Hogmanay Tragedy

On December 31, 2007, Richard and I were driving to North Berkeley to buy Dungeness crabs from Andronico’s.

As we drove east on Marin Ave, a police officer diverted us away from the area. There were a lot of police cars.  We could tell it was a serious situation and the police cars and diversions were still there when we drove home.

A neighbour told us traffic was still being diverted that evening, but nobody knew why.

I forgot about it until January 4, 2008 when I picked up a copy of our local free newspaper, the Berkeley Daily Planet.

A report of the incident was on the front page. According to the reported time of the incident, we had just missed witnessing a horrific traffic accident.

Marin Ave is not really pedestrian friendly, and although there are crosswalks, traffic usually goes faster than it should.

A woman, on her regular morning walk was in the crosswalk, and was struck and killed by an elderly driver, who was turning right onto Marin Ave. The driver claimed that the sun was in her eyes and she did not see the victim.

This tragedy was made even worse by the fact that the victim was carrying only her house and car keys and had no identification.

Police officers knocked on doors and tried to activate cars, hoping for an identity clue, but were unsuccessful.

The newspaper report said that the victim’s husband called police at 5:30pm that evening to report her missing.

I don’t know what to say.

She went for a walk, as she always did.

The sun was in the driver’s eyes. The victim has now been identified as a well-known, local, psychiatrist.

The driver, age given as 79, will have forever the burden of the sun in her eyes.

What a tragedy.

“I was in Scotland, once …”

Said the checker at the supermarket on New Year’s Eve.

In all the years I’ve been shopping at this store, this particular checker has never said a word to me and I wonder how he knows I’m a Scot? He told me he has Celtic genes and that both his parents have Scottish ancestry.

“ Oh Aye?” I said, “And where did their families come from in Scotland?”  Well, he used to know, but he’d forgotten. But! he does have the family crest! He’d bought it on his one and only trip to Scotland.

“Where in Scotland did you visit,” I had to ask.

“Dublin,” he responded and said he’d had a great time at the Guiness brewery.

Spot the obvious mistake and win a major prize!