Seniors, and the Art of Sand-bagging.

He often thought about his painting days. There were hundreds of them. In the past they were stored in the dairy at the back of their farmhouse “Rivendell.” They lived on this farm for just over fourteen years. It all seems so long ago now. He remembers taking many of his canvasses from their stretchers and making a huge roll of them. It saved space. This roll of canvasses needed two people to lift, and it too ended up in the dairy. The best of his work, chosen by his wife, were hung around the walls of their farm-house. Many of the paintings were very large. This artist’s work was always well hung. The colour yellow seemed to be dominant in most of his work, with blue the second favoured of the primary colours.

When the farm was sold and a move contemplated into a much smaller town-house, the issue of downsizing had to include the paintings as well as too many books, chairs, tables, and the flotsam that inevitably gets collected through the years, especially living on more than one hundred acres. While many of the items of furniture and books were given to family or Vinnies, Red Cross and Father Riley, the paintings had already saturated the ability of friends and family to soak up even more. In fact he was often very please to rediscover a forgotten painting hanging somewhere. Like lost friends, he often surmised!

It was decided that the best of his work would be preserved. Each time when family or friends came over, they would leave with yet another painting, a chair or table, books or other accoutrements superfluous to their new and smaller home. It is something that people growing older tend to engage in anyway. A kind of clearing up before the inevitable? Tidying up loose ends. Who knows? The stairway to heaven clearly signposts; ‘no tables, chairs or paintings inside allowed.’  ‘Please,take care of your wings going through the gate!’

When they finally moved to their new but smaller premises, those paintings that were picked out to keep, are now stored in the garage. With the deluge and flooding of the garage a few weeks ago, it was noticed to his dismay that water had crept up the canvasses. With yet another monster storm forecast, he went to try and stop a future flooding by quickly building another levy in front of the garage door.

To his great excitement, the levy would soon be tested. He keenly watched on his computer screen the blue mass, indicating heavy rain, predicted by Bureau of Meteorology (B.O.M), slowly creeping south towards his town-house with the now two levies in place (One he built some years back, soon after moving in). To really make sure, he had the backing of an extra eight sandbags in case of the levy malfunctioning. His wife had advised this action while watching ‘Follow the Money,'(Betrag) another one of those Danish dramas, totally spine tingling but nothing too esoteric. I find the complexities of British dramas, such as Midsommer and Silent Witness far too taxing now. Soon, I’ll be watching re-runs of Rin Tin Tin.

The storm came and went. The levies were holding. It was easy, because the storm was a bit of a fizzer. The paintings inside the garage have dried and everything is in order.

Ah well. There is still time to buy a good read;http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0994581033

Tags: Betrag, Father Riley.Rivendell, Follow The Money, Midsommer, Red Cross, Silent Witness, St Vinnies