Lingering

Lingering. It's a word that has such a sweet ring to it, don't you think? It is derived from lenger which means to reside or dwell. It's a word that really  resonated with me one day last week. I had the afternoon off, I didn't need to cook for several hours and I had some 'me' time. Which meant that I could take my time not just enjoying the photos on Instagram but actually reading all the captions. Even the long ones. Yes, I was lingering and it felt good.

You see, my character is very much a mixture of the polar opposites that are my mum and dad in this regard. HE takes things easy, does everything at this own pace and won't be hurried to save his life. SHE will finish a task as soon as she is aware of it, even if she has another 10 to do, as  long as it's done and out of the way. And I am a curious mixture of procrastination and hyperactivity that drives me partially insane because it's so difficult for these two extremes to live in one body. During weekdays I take the hyperactive approach and, by Friday evening, I'm ready to pass out from exhaustion - some of which is brought on by this constant battling for precedence between my yin and yang. So it felt very good to linger unexpectedly, on a Thursday afternoon, and not think about anything. I felt quite like some society lady from ages past, not only sitting and doing nothing but actually not thinking about what I needed to do. And what a lovely feeling it was.

Which is why I sometimes I get these strange yearnings for things to be the way they used to be. When I was a child I spent many summer days with my Nanna Rose or by great aunt Winnie (or Rosina and Wistina, in Maltese). One-stop shops didn't exist in those days, at least not in our town, so we would make the daily rounds: the grocery store, the vegetable seller, the bakery and, if something needed fixing or an new outfit was being made, a stop at the haberdashery for a spool of thread or maybe a zipper and buttons. And at each stop, we would stop to say a few words to the other women from the neighbourhood doings their own rounds. It was an unhurried process, the latest family news would be exchanged, maybe a little bit of gossip too. They lingered, these ladies of my childhood. There was no rush. I hadn't realized just how much things have changed. Now trips to the grocery store are a mad rush to get in and out as fast as possible; and I never meet anyone who I can linger with. Even if I did, we probably wouldn't have the time for more than a 'hello', 'how are you?' and 'goodbye'. How sad it has all become. I vote we all do our bit to bring lingering back in style.

In the spirit of taking some time for ourselves and actually enjoy doing it without thinking of the one hundred other things that still need to be done, today I am sharing a few links that I hope you will have time to linger over.

• Do read Kim Wheelers interview with our favourite Contessa: Style Maven Elizabeth Kirkpatrick  for her Californians At Home Series. Elizabeth's home and her beautiful garden feel like a throwback to another era. It's definitely a home where one can easily linger and relax.
• Another beautiful abode is Prince Charles's sixteenth century house in Cornwall. It is the epitome of British country living and I absolutely loved it. Designer Annabel Elliott managed to create an eclectic mix of British brands, market finds, country antiques and the odd armchair upholstered in vintage Moroccan fabric. Next time we visit Cornwall I hope I'll be invited to tea.
• I really enjoyed reading Vicki Archer's tips for sleeping well in her article Sleeping Beauty: The Best Night's Sleep. We can all do with a better night of sleep.
• I've already reviewed The Enchanted April but I have to mention it again because it's perfect for doing a spot of lingering (indeed, it's all the four protagonists of this book seem to do).
• I am truly entranced by the series The Time in Between. It is in Spanish with English subtitles. The story takes place in the years before WW2 and starts in Spain but moves to Morocco at a time when it was a melting pot of cultures. For some reason, I've always thought of Morocco during that era as an exotic and fascinating place and this series is just further enhancing this image. To be honest, Morocco is still a place whose charms I wish to experience one day. In the meantime, another way I get my Moroccan fix is by lingering over Maryam Montague's beautiful book Marrakesh By Design. The book was first published in 2012 and I am sure that most of you have seen it but I love to look at the vibrant colours of Moroccan houses and gardens. There is something about the combination of colours used in Moroccan textiles and design that makes my heart beat ever so slightly faster because I'm definitely not someone who can live with neutrals only.
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  Image via Amazon

Now that summer is at our door here in the northern hemisphere I hope that we all get the time we need to linger and to just take the time to simply BE. I hope you're all having a wonderful week.