Keep on Writing

 

It is essential to write at least 6 pages every single day. Well, perhaps not on the Sabbath, but that is up to you! Work is work and without it one cannot get very far. If writing is your craft, it is a way to use your imagination to the fullest. It is amazing to see what pops into one's mind.  I have often thought "Now where did that come from?" And where did it? Was it something I had read somewhere or heard on the radio? Was it a totally new and fresh idea?  I would hope so, because I want to claim it as my own, to be used in a book, a story or an article.

I find writing so exciting, that I usually cannot wait to begin each day. I discipline myself to have breakfast, shower and dress before I do, then I know that I have a good stretch of time ahead of me to work uninterrupted.  Sometimes in mid winter, I remain warmly wrapped in my pyjamas, dressing gown and comfortable slippers. It's a comfort thing, I guess! Because of this, should anyone come to my door, I pretend that I am not at home! I don't want anyone to think that I am ill or  just plain lazy! I actually enjoy this little deception and of course it would have been easier if the friend or neighbour had telephoned first. That way I would have had time to swap my sleepwear for a tracksuit and a dash of lipstick.

Occasionally I wake early, at dawn or even before and knowing full well that further sleep is unlikely, I make myself a cup of tea, grab a few rusks and write in bed until I consider it time to rise and get on with the day.  The peace and quiet in the very early morning is conducive to a rapid flow of ideas.  Before I know it, I have written many more than just 6 pages.  If I am on a roll, I will simply continue uninterrupted, until the ideas slow down or stop altogether.  I write long hand in bed, and not on my laptop. I have a special writing "table" which sits comfortably, if I stretch my legs out under the covers.  I love writing in this way. Do I give away my  age?  I really don't care if I do!  That is one of the joys of getting older - little things like age are not that important anymore. In fact, time doesn't matter to me either. So what if I am still in bed at ten or eleven o'clock?  If I have had a productive morning, that is all that counts and after all, no one is judging or timing me, at least I hope not.   I know that in due course, I will shower, dress and get on with things but right now, I am happily writing in bed!  This is how I choose to live my life  and I hope it encourages others to do the same. To many, having a dedicated space in which to write is important. I am lucky enough to have a study but I enjoy writing at the kitchen table or on my bed, just as much! 

Get comfortable, relax and enjoy your daily writing session. It is so much fun and it really is good for you!

Rosemary Kahn

Hats

I think I have always been interested in hats of all shapes and sizes.  Sun hats; school hats; beach hats; party hats and even the Queen's hats.  I have written three "hat" books and I have even made hats myself, including a white satin top hat for a bridegroom.

Once on a trip to Paris, my mother (the Grandma of "Grandma's Hat" fame), went into the well known "Christian Dior" shop and came out having purchased a beautiful green straw hat, which she wore with pride, for many years. That one certainly suited her auburn hair! Her only regret was that the label was on the inside! How we used to tease her.

My Grandmother owned a fashionable boutique which catered to the rich and famous, as well as a few "royals", during World War 2. As a young child, I spent many happy hours playing in that shop, with buttons, baubles, bows and wonderful silk flowers, which were kept in cardboard boxes. I also spent time in the back of the shop, behind a heavy velvet curtain, with the ladies at their sewing machines. They were in charge of alterations and I was in charge of picking up pins as they fell to the floor. For this task, I was given a magnet and a special pin tin. A real job for a six year old.

But my best time of all was when Granny closed the doors at the end of the day. Then I would carefully wash my hands and sit on the pink satin stool in front of the dressing table with its triple mirrors and try on some hats! Oh, how the staff laughed at my poses and of course, I played up to my audience. Some hats were obviously far too big for me but many were not. The cocktail hats were often quite ridiculously silly confections of ribbon, lace and feathers, much like the "fascinators" of today. Sometimes bewitching, I suppose, and fun to try on but they don't seem to serve any real purpose.  I wonder if men find them attractive?

"A Hollywood actress, trying on a hat in a shop in Beverly  Hills, asked the price.  Upon hearing it, she exclaimed,

"Why, that's ridiculous!"

"Madam," replied the saleslady, "So is the hat!" "

                                                                   - Hedda Hopper.

Rosemary Kahn