Tuesday 9 April 2013

Create, construct, destroy

Can I say, cautiously, that this seems to have been a good day?  I'm not at all sure why because it's not been that eventful, but I slept for hours at a time last night so that's probably it, because it's been a bit dull in many ways - paperwork related, darlings, need I say more?

As an example of dullness, I took a couple of photos of where the greenhouse no longer is and of what it's reduced to.

The snaky branch near the top of the first photo is a grape vine.  The chickens can eat the unripe grapes this autumn, I can't bring myself to destroy it yet.  I'm not good at the slashing and burning thing, I construct rather than destroy by preference ... ooh, at last an idea for a post, I knew one would happen if I waffled long enough.

I was having a conversation a few weeks ago with a couple of friends and, I'm afraid, we were rather pulling to pieces another person.  It was agreed that both of them are creative/artistic types, but that she is ultimately destructive.  She's one of those persons who, if she breaks a cup, she'll say to her (innocently on the other side of the room) husband, "Look what you made me do!"  Everything has to be someone's fault, yet it's never her own.  In the garden, which is large and would look lovely informal, everything is ruthlessly cropped into shape.  It's not that straight lines rule, she does have an eye for beauty, but that it all has to be relentlessly tidy - we concluded (oh dear, three women and a bottle of wine) that it's the cutting back and destruction of the clippings that attracts her most.

Me?  No, I'm not creative.  Not an artistic bone in my body.  It was agreed that I'm constructive and, as a practical Z, I was quite happy to go along with that.  But let's face it, you're nicer to the people you're with than those you're talking about, so I may have been unduly flattered.

9 comments:

Zig said...

ha ha ha ha 3 women and a bottle of wine, very Macbeth, but such fun :) x

Z said...

Are you home, Zigs? Hope you had a wonderful time.

Might have been two bottles, actually.

Friko said...

Better than my conversation with three other women today; we talked mainly about ill health and the nasty side effects of a hep B inoculation.

Talk about boring. I’d have liked a bit of flattery, genuine or not.

Do men do that, rip other men to shreds?

Z said...

I'm not surprised, there's so much ill health about. Friends have been under the weather for weeks, we so need some warmth as well as sunshine.

At the time, we felt that we were being quite objective - it made us examine our own behaviour, because it's so easy to blame someone else while finding excuses for oneself. But it did end up focussing on one person as an example of what was negative behaviour. I'm not sure that men discuss others in that way, no.

LẌ said...

"slept for hours at a time last night"

I find that eventful and value that when it happens.

Unknown said...

A conversation with three women? *Shudders* xx :-D

savannah said...

i do so love reading about your conversations, sugar! and take the compliment from your pals, forget flattery, they meant every word! ;~) xoxoxoxo

nick said...

Yes, those people who blame their crises on anyone and everything other than themselves are infuriating. You can't even gently suggest their own shortcomings or they'll turn on you. I guess deep-down they're afraid of people laughing at their weaknesses rather than sympathising.

Do men discuss others in that way? I couldn't tell you, I have very few discussions with men!!

Z said...

LX, what's happened to sleep? It seems to have perfected the escape clause.

I'm a humble woman, Sav, I take compliments whenever they arrive, with thanks.

I think you're perceptive there, Nick. I suspect that a lot of people who seem confident are anything but. Maybe it's a mark of self-acceptance to admit to insecurity and faults?