In a short while, I will wander down to my local post office, where I will turn a key in the lock of my post box to find a card notifying me of a parcel. I will go inside, and collect my parcel, a board game I have had on order for the last five months or so. I wonder how big it will be? How heavy? Some board games I have had delivered have been surprisingly small and lightweight.
When I get it home, I will cut open the seals on the box it was posted in with my grape knife (a wicked looking curved blade that is extraordinarily handy to have around the place), and wade through the packing foam peanuts to find the a box wrapped in vacuum-sealed plastic.
I will carefully cut open one side of this plastic, and I will be immediately rewarded with a hint of the scent to come. I will slide the remaining plastic off of the box, and set it to one side, before reverently removing the lid of the box.
A small vacuum will be created as I do this, as air tries to get in the sides of the box trying to fill the expanding space between the two halves, prolonging the process and the anticipation of what I will find inside: Will there be lots of die-cut cardboard pieces to carefully punch out? What sort of interesting player pieces will there be? What will the art look like? Will the dice have a satisfying heft and clatter when rolled?
After a second the box will be opened, and I will breathe in that rich, heady smell of ink printed on cardboard and paper. I will take a moment to spread the contents out before me to have a good look at them, then I will variously unwrap, sort, punch out, and assemble.
I will read through the rulebook just enough so that I can explain them to others, but I will avoid the scenario booklets so that surprise is maintained.
I will then lovingly place everything back in the box, with any extraneous cardboard shells tucked under the moulded plastic insert to keep the game components flush with the lid and thus contained when the box is tilted sideways.
With the game pieces safely stowed I will collect the box, some other games, my wallet, keys, and other necessaries, hop in my car and drive to where my friends are. I will then place the box on the table, take everything out once more, and annoy them until they play with me.
The game is Betrayal at House on the Hill. I have been waiting for this for MONTHS.
It will be glorious.
-----
Anticipation can be a wonderful thing; it is a good motivator and it can be pleasurable in its own right. But anticipation can turn into expectation, and that can backfire on you when things don't go as you have planned.
I had it all worked out. I had a wife I loved, a great job, a plan for the future I was working toward. Anticipation had turned to expectation regarding that plan though, and when it turned out that I wasn't going to get what I'd been working towards for years it was a real blow. I'd rolled a one and landed on a snake that took me back six years, ouch man!
To be fair there was a hell of a lot of good to come out of those six years for me. A hell of a lot. They have been valuable in terms of personal development and rich in experiences. I don't know if I'd do things differently if I had my time again or not. But the backfire of anticipation and expectation still stings, and I find myself anxious; Will I get to have what I want? A house in a quiet place with a bit of land to grow food, some to garden, and some to revegetate with endemic species. Chickens burbling happily while lying in the sunshine. The companionship of a big ol' licky hound. Having children and grandchildren, teaching them, sharing experiences with them, watching them grow up, and finally living on through them.
Thursday 31 July 2014
Blaugust 1, 2014 - Winter Colour
Looking for a splash of Winter colour for your South Australian garden? Well look no further, friend! Here are three suggestions that go together well, from tall to small, just for you!
(Please forgive the lack of pictures. I'm not planning these out in advance, and I don't feel like using other people's photographs)
Acacia pycnantha, the Golden Wattle, is the Australian floral emblem. The immediately recognisable stunning yellow flowers start to appear in July, and really bring the bush to life. It grows to around 4 metres tall generally in the form of a small tree.This Acacia has a reputation for being short-lived, with a lifespan ranging from 6 years at the low end in the wild to a possible 14 years with careful care in a garden. However it makes up for this through rapid growth and ready seeding; it isn't hard to have a couple on the go at different stages of their life-cycle to always have this extremely rewarding plant in your garden.
Hardenbergia violacea occurs naturally in the Adelaide/Mount Lofty Ranges region. The local form tends to be a roughly one metre shrub with dark green leathery leaves and bright purple flowers on a long raceme. Climbing, prostrate, pink and white forms also exist in cultivation.
Correa pulchella 'Autumn Blaze' is a form of Correa pulchella found originally on Kangaroo Island and introduced to cultivation via cuttings. It has a ground cover habit, growing no more than about 30cm tall but spreading to about 1.2 metres. From Autumn it puts on a fantastic display of pink-orange flowers shaped like bells. It is an excellent plant for attracting native nectar feeding birds, such as New Holland Honeyeaters and Eastern Spinebills. It works extremely well in a pot.
Enough of the salesman. Obviously I'm spending too much time at work.
I've been having garden designs on the brain lately, and I keep coming up with interesting planting combinations for all sorts of environments and styles that I inevitably forget to write down. I'm looking forward to having a garden of my own to have free-reign in some day, something I have wanted for many years. Starting from scratch. I hope to have one big enough that I can create several sections with very different styles, but to satisfy all of my cravings I'd have to have gardens in five or so different parts of the state. For now I'll keep dreaming.
(Please forgive the lack of pictures. I'm not planning these out in advance, and I don't feel like using other people's photographs)
Acacia pycnantha, the Golden Wattle, is the Australian floral emblem. The immediately recognisable stunning yellow flowers start to appear in July, and really bring the bush to life. It grows to around 4 metres tall generally in the form of a small tree.This Acacia has a reputation for being short-lived, with a lifespan ranging from 6 years at the low end in the wild to a possible 14 years with careful care in a garden. However it makes up for this through rapid growth and ready seeding; it isn't hard to have a couple on the go at different stages of their life-cycle to always have this extremely rewarding plant in your garden.
Hardenbergia violacea occurs naturally in the Adelaide/Mount Lofty Ranges region. The local form tends to be a roughly one metre shrub with dark green leathery leaves and bright purple flowers on a long raceme. Climbing, prostrate, pink and white forms also exist in cultivation.
Correa pulchella 'Autumn Blaze' is a form of Correa pulchella found originally on Kangaroo Island and introduced to cultivation via cuttings. It has a ground cover habit, growing no more than about 30cm tall but spreading to about 1.2 metres. From Autumn it puts on a fantastic display of pink-orange flowers shaped like bells. It is an excellent plant for attracting native nectar feeding birds, such as New Holland Honeyeaters and Eastern Spinebills. It works extremely well in a pot.
Enough of the salesman. Obviously I'm spending too much time at work.
I've been having garden designs on the brain lately, and I keep coming up with interesting planting combinations for all sorts of environments and styles that I inevitably forget to write down. I'm looking forward to having a garden of my own to have free-reign in some day, something I have wanted for many years. Starting from scratch. I hope to have one big enough that I can create several sections with very different styles, but to satisfy all of my cravings I'd have to have gardens in five or so different parts of the state. For now I'll keep dreaming.
Blaugust 0, 2014 - Goals and Aspirations, A Short Statement Thereon
Inspired by the sterling examples of such luminaries as Alethea, John, and Thomas, I have decided to participate in this year's 'Blaugust'. I do so in the hope that committing to and seeing through a project, no matter how minor, will contribute to improving my sorely lacking self-discipline.
Improving my self-discipline over the long term is a big thing I need to achieve. It will in turn assist with improving my health, my wealth, and my self-esteem/confidence.
I intend to make no less than 31 posts for the month of August, not including this one, and write no less than 31,000 words.
I hope that my readers, however few, will forgive me if I wax maudlin on occasion or give in to a little bitterness here and there, as I intend to write whatever I feel most like writing. I hope they will also forgive me if I choose to yell at clouds.
I will probably talk about such diverse subjects as plants, tea, fantasy RPG dungeons/campaigns, chickens, politics, and what I am having for dinner.
Improving my self-discipline over the long term is a big thing I need to achieve. It will in turn assist with improving my health, my wealth, and my self-esteem/confidence.
I intend to make no less than 31 posts for the month of August, not including this one, and write no less than 31,000 words.
I hope that my readers, however few, will forgive me if I wax maudlin on occasion or give in to a little bitterness here and there, as I intend to write whatever I feel most like writing. I hope they will also forgive me if I choose to yell at clouds.
I will probably talk about such diverse subjects as plants, tea, fantasy RPG dungeons/campaigns, chickens, politics, and what I am having for dinner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)