Eccentrics, Lunatics, and Maniacs : Part 1
March 8th 2008 12:12
Today I added a new eccentric to my collection. He had a gallery in his home, which was large, "20 rooms, too big for me!", and on exhibition were shawls he had woven, on a hand loom, which sat against one wall. His customers were rather grand, at present he was creating for the Prime Minister of Canada, only that is currently Stephen Harper, a man I believe!
However, at the time I took his word for it, and then he regaled us, my mother and pugsy were also in attendance, with a long tiresome list of personages, Royal and powerful, for whom he had weaved his magic.
I must say, he was brilliant at it. He also spoke five languages, had lived in 26 countries and held several degrees. Of all the great and mighty he had known, he felt the most civilised were Amazonian tribesmen.
Well, eccentrics are not devoid of taste or sense, they just live and behave in a manner that the ordinary citizen considers, well, odd, sometimes frightening!
His huge house was entered through the rear garden, which was both gigantic and fantastic, with huge trees creating a canopy over many small dry stone walls, creating pockets of shrubs and flowers with delicate lawn patches made of clover and moss. It was beautiful to behold.
A strained British voice from a tall external staircase saw us directed around the side of the house to another staircase, which had one banister rail hanging by a single wobbly nail, a harbinger of things to come!
As you entered the building, the landing area was black and white tiles, and a few other colours, which quickly became apparent as to the source, his dog! The stench was almost over powering!
His studio/gallery had a twenty five foot ceiling, and a gigantic glass pane at one end, looking out at the tree tops in the garden, it was breathtakingly picturesque, and when I asked what it was like when it snowed, which it does on occasion in winter, he gave a charming description of the towering conifers being covered with snow, their verdigris coloured tips poking out with cones, all sparkling in golden afternoon sunlight, with its branches suddenly becoming festooned with brightly coloured parrots, fossicking for pine nuts.
Not long after he said this, indeed, parrots arrived and rummaged through its branches.
After about ten minutes he finally asked if we would like to sit down, we nearly fell! While clearing away some displayed shawls draped on the chairs, he exposed yet more dog filth, which I politely ignored, and very carefully nestled my posterior upon a lesser stained patch, the odour almost stunning me to stupor.
His richly swirled and honeycomb coloured grand piano sat silently at the side of the room, he was a classical pianist till 30, then had to give it away, and took up creating woollen things on a loom, his love of the loom started in his spare time when touring third world countries, playing Chopin, Schubert etc. Often, when he was to play, he would enter the small auditorium, or whatever they had, to prepare for the evening performance, only to find the piano un-tuned.
I didn't ask how he then arranged for it to be tuned, in a matter of hours, in the middle of the jungle, or for that matter, why anyone living in the jungle would have a concert grand piano in the first place! Was this one of the reasons he felt the Amazonians were civilised, I pondered, as only a witless dullard would?
However, these small details were whisked to the side, as I just managed to stop 'pugface' from making a nest in the very expensive alpaca wool piled at the loom. Yes there was a female PM of Canada, in 1993, yes it could have been her he was creating the shawl for.
It was odd however, that he charged only $300- to $350- for a shawl. A British Princess had just ordered two more, and that attracted the nose of the David Jones buyer, whose snooty snout must have all but caved in when she smelt the interior of his studio. Apparently she stormed out after he objected to her offer of only $300-, after admitting they would sell the same shawl for $3,000- to $4,000- in the store, all on the back of a Princess, a Duchess, a Baroness and an ex-PM.
My ears were hurting after awhile, as was my nose, and 'the baby', our 'pug-face', was ready to go, her supper time approached.
Before I could mutter the required social egress etiquette, he interrupted me with, "You will have to excuse me, I have guests coming for afternoon tea."
Of course, I couldn't have run out fast enough, in case he decided to invite us, and mother accepted!
I shuddered to think what state his kitchen and tea service was in! However, he had some charm, albeit in tiny doses between clumsy clumps of name dropping and cutting you off mid sentence, but interesting all the same.
He is one of those patches of human cloth that maketh our life-tapestry, all the richer.
However, at the time I took his word for it, and then he regaled us, my mother and pugsy were also in attendance, with a long tiresome list of personages, Royal and powerful, for whom he had weaved his magic.
I must say, he was brilliant at it. He also spoke five languages, had lived in 26 countries and held several degrees. Of all the great and mighty he had known, he felt the most civilised were Amazonian tribesmen.
Well, eccentrics are not devoid of taste or sense, they just live and behave in a manner that the ordinary citizen considers, well, odd, sometimes frightening!
His huge house was entered through the rear garden, which was both gigantic and fantastic, with huge trees creating a canopy over many small dry stone walls, creating pockets of shrubs and flowers with delicate lawn patches made of clover and moss. It was beautiful to behold.
A strained British voice from a tall external staircase saw us directed around the side of the house to another staircase, which had one banister rail hanging by a single wobbly nail, a harbinger of things to come!
As you entered the building, the landing area was black and white tiles, and a few other colours, which quickly became apparent as to the source, his dog! The stench was almost over powering!
His studio/gallery had a twenty five foot ceiling, and a gigantic glass pane at one end, looking out at the tree tops in the garden, it was breathtakingly picturesque, and when I asked what it was like when it snowed, which it does on occasion in winter, he gave a charming description of the towering conifers being covered with snow, their verdigris coloured tips poking out with cones, all sparkling in golden afternoon sunlight, with its branches suddenly becoming festooned with brightly coloured parrots, fossicking for pine nuts.
Not long after he said this, indeed, parrots arrived and rummaged through its branches.
After about ten minutes he finally asked if we would like to sit down, we nearly fell! While clearing away some displayed shawls draped on the chairs, he exposed yet more dog filth, which I politely ignored, and very carefully nestled my posterior upon a lesser stained patch, the odour almost stunning me to stupor.
His richly swirled and honeycomb coloured grand piano sat silently at the side of the room, he was a classical pianist till 30, then had to give it away, and took up creating woollen things on a loom, his love of the loom started in his spare time when touring third world countries, playing Chopin, Schubert etc. Often, when he was to play, he would enter the small auditorium, or whatever they had, to prepare for the evening performance, only to find the piano un-tuned.
I didn't ask how he then arranged for it to be tuned, in a matter of hours, in the middle of the jungle, or for that matter, why anyone living in the jungle would have a concert grand piano in the first place! Was this one of the reasons he felt the Amazonians were civilised, I pondered, as only a witless dullard would?
However, these small details were whisked to the side, as I just managed to stop 'pugface' from making a nest in the very expensive alpaca wool piled at the loom. Yes there was a female PM of Canada, in 1993, yes it could have been her he was creating the shawl for.
It was odd however, that he charged only $300- to $350- for a shawl. A British Princess had just ordered two more, and that attracted the nose of the David Jones buyer, whose snooty snout must have all but caved in when she smelt the interior of his studio. Apparently she stormed out after he objected to her offer of only $300-, after admitting they would sell the same shawl for $3,000- to $4,000- in the store, all on the back of a Princess, a Duchess, a Baroness and an ex-PM.
My ears were hurting after awhile, as was my nose, and 'the baby', our 'pug-face', was ready to go, her supper time approached.
Before I could mutter the required social egress etiquette, he interrupted me with, "You will have to excuse me, I have guests coming for afternoon tea."
Of course, I couldn't have run out fast enough, in case he decided to invite us, and mother accepted!
I shuddered to think what state his kitchen and tea service was in! However, he had some charm, albeit in tiny doses between clumsy clumps of name dropping and cutting you off mid sentence, but interesting all the same.
He is one of those patches of human cloth that maketh our life-tapestry, all the richer.
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Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
I really enjoyed this one and loved your tolerance of the stench, I would and could not have been so brave, and under the circumstances I'm surprised he sells anything to anyone, love the sound of his house though, too large could never be large enough for me but given all the circumstances which you described so brilliantly I think I'll give his a miss.
Amazing man, amazing mind and so many skills.
Obviously he failed cleanliness. Poor little pugsy and mum's sense of smell sounds seriously deficient. Imagine afternoon tea? I think he was probably a good story teller too.
I love it when you're not blasting off about things and here your true talent shows, you are all too modest, unlike myself.
Comment by tlcorbin
Coffee Quip
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
You could make paint drying into a thrilling read.
Gotta love the people who make the world go round 'eh???
Looking forward to Part 2
Ash
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Oh it's been to long since you put fingertip to keys ... this is beautifully written and priceless, just like those shawls … what joy after such a dry patch (pun intended) in good orbliterature.
I have to agree with him about the Amazonians .. *chuckle*
Oh my, this was a bit spooky to read, because it describes this place I saw in a dream recently *cue twilight zone music*
((laughs)) ...as only a witless dullard would *LOL*
So true and I am genuinely inspired to continue being who I am… albeit, I wouldn’t last a second as I cannot hack the smell of dog!
Delightful Fog, what a wonderfully enlightening afternoon, thanks for sharing.
Lilla …
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks,
and maybe I could try writing for the movie channel, but really do not feel I had a good enough journalistic grasp to do so, however, I do like constructive criticism, so thanks for that, which words would you change?
For my part, my humble excuse for whatever literary faux pas I may have made,was due to the fact that I wrote it in haste, as I had to finish it quickly in order to take care of other nonsense in my life, so it is not surprising that I have made msitakes...must re-read it I guess..
By the way, I checked my 'earnings' at Adsense for the first time yesterday, I have made $4-25 odd I think, in total!!
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for the comp, I really feel I do not deserve such high praise, but, I will certainly take on board your advice about kitchens and dogs!!
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
tanx, and yes indeed, without our marvellous eccentrics and madmen, life would turn a dish water grey!
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for the comps!
Oh my, this was a bit spooky to read, because it describes this place I saw in a dream recently *cue twilight zone music*
And really, you just dreamed of a place like this one? That is a little creepy, but, depends how you felt about the place, was it a good or bad dream...bit nervous asking actually!!
orbliterature hehe! I love it Lilla!!! That is brilliant!! You are a true wordsmith...the High Priestess of word play, the Devine Dusk would be jealous of you!!
and Lilla, I am glad you are happy with who you are, that is lovely.
cheers
fog
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
It was a pleasant dream Fog, although I was searching for something... perhaps someone with something to give me? Yes I think I was supposed to meet someone there... I remember the light the most, it was motled afternoon sunlight, warm, with a faint breeze that made those fur trees rustle and sway ... luckily (unlike you) when I entered the house, there was no smell *chuckle* or I would have run for the hills... you were so 'brave.'
I ended up stuck behind a big sheet of glass, similar to your description and never got to meet that person (who didn;t show) .... (just searching my journal to see what else happened next) ... I ran away from this place - HA! maybe I could smell it after all.
Oh that is so spooky, isn't it?
Lilla ...