Snow in Canberra; cold winds down here! There's only one thing to do: batten down the hatches, refill my empty glass, grap another pack of 'Snow Drops' - which are marshmallows coated in milk choc and coconut flakes - and move my chair closer to the fireplace and the pile of as yet unread books.
I made some progress on my "Red Box" by giving the side walls a second coat of paint and installing the huge sliding door in front before running out of time and material. Once I've got the interior fully fitted out with a floating floor, shelves on the wall, a pelmet and curtains across the front to block out the strong westerly sun, a cosy armchair, maybe even an inviting daybed, I may rename it "Casa Rossa" after Hermann Hesse's "Red House", or "Casa Rossa", where he developed his love for solitude.
But all that is for another day. Right now it's both feet up against the blazing fireplace, a full glass of 'Chateau Cardboard' and a bag of 'Snow Drops' to my left, and that pile of books to my right. Even though I've read Hermann Hesse's "Wandering: Notes and Sketches" many times before, I may pick it up once again as it keeps striking a chord:
Many of my desires in life have been fulfilled. And every fulfillment quickly became
satiety. But to be satisfied was the very thing I could not bear. No goal that I reached
was a goal, every path was a detour, every rest gave birth to new longing. Many detours
I will still follow, many fulfillments will still disillusion me. One day, everything
will reveal its meaning.
|
