Painting and Poltergeists
This wintry spell has given me a bit more time for reflection. Travel is not easy around or out of Salisbury, and several appointments have been cancelled. Anita and I decided to tackle the redecoration of our hall stairs and landing. As stipendiary clergy, we are obliged to decorate at least one room each year, and we’ve managed to do that, which leaves the hall stairs and landing!
You’ll know how tough that area can be – it has inaccessible areas above the stair well, and you need to have arms like an orang-utan to get to the far corners. Rigging a scaffold plank and a ladder can work, but you still need a lot of common sense. One of the best wedding presents we received was tuition from Anita’s father, a painter and decorator, in the art of hanging paper, and the proper way to paint rooms. It was a good investment. Remember the adage? – give a man a fish, and he’ll feed his family for a day: teach a man to fish, and he’ll feed his family for life! Good advice, and good team work saw Anita and I dividing the work to ensure we managed to get the whole project completed in three days. Preparation, painting, patience, and then pride. All made for a satisfactory finish.
The poltergeist? A few days ago I walked around our garden, and admired the winter effects, and a couple of days ago, I found a bench, which resides some 30 feet away from the river, actually in the water. It could not have been blown there by the wind, and it is far enough above the water level not to have been caught by floodwater. It was before the snow came down, so I could not see any footsteps – but how did it get in the water? I don’t believe the ghost of George Herbert is telling us not to sit in that part of the garden – but I can’t actually believe either, that someone could be bothered to climb over two garden fences, and pick up and carry the bench in order to drop it in the river. In summer, sometimes people wade up the river and get into the garden, but surely not in this weather?
Other thoughts?
