My Scottish Umbrella...

[fajrdrako]

Have I talked about my Scottish umbrella here? Possibly... probably... I love it as a precious artifact and have talked about it in various venues far more than it warrants. And will probably do so again.

I lost it yesterday. It was raining intermittently, so I decided to take the bus home rather than to walk. I settled down with the umbrella in my lap while I read Chaucer, and I was soon engrossed, and suddenly there I was, approaching Third Avenue, where I get off. So I did. And realized just as the bus pulled away that I no longer had the umbrella.

I bought that umbrella on a sunny day in April, 1994, in Boots on Princes St., Edinburgh. It was the first day of a two-week visit to Scotland, which included a large gathering of Dorthy Dunnett fans. I realized on arrival that I didn't have an umbrella with me, and I was sure that in two weeks in Scotland there would be plenty of rain. After Beulah and Lyn and I settled into our rooms at Pollock Halls of Residence, they decided to nap to get over jet-lag, and I decided to go on an expedition to buy an umbrella.

And yes, I love wandering around strange cities. Old cities. Different cities.

The umbrella is black, collapsible, and has a wooden handle. It wasn't very expensive - I don't remember how much. It looks like a thousand other umbrellas, quite ordinary, but I can't help loving it whenever I look at it, because of the happy memory of that day. That week. Those two weeks. During which, I might add, it didn't rain until the last day we were there. I only had the umbrella up for about fifteen minutes all told, but I felt that justified its purchase.

Today I telephoned the lost & found department of the bus company, OC Transpo. I described my umbrella, last seen on the #7. The woman said they had it, explained the hours during which I could pick it up, and took my name. I had to repeat it slowly and spell it (even more slowly) for her four times - is "Elizabeth" so difficult? No matter. She was friendly and good-natured (if slow), and after work I went down to their office - conveniently only three blocks from where I work - and picked it up. I am now happily reunited with my Scottish umbrella, and feeling lucky to have it in my possession again.

Comments

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Yay! You *are* lucky, and now the umbrella is even COOLER.

[katesutton.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's a nice story. I know exactly how you feel; I have this scarf that I got in Edinburgh. It sheds on every black coat I own. It has a few moth-holes in it. I have a million scarves! Yet, I can't throw it away. I loved that city and that was one of the last vacations I took with my dad.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad they found it for you!

Things like that are important.

[omnivorously.livejournal.com]

I'm genuinely glad that you got your umbrella back. I was all like, 'what, she lost an umbrella that she's had for over a decade! And umbrella that she bought when I was like eight years old and hadn't even heard of the internet!?' But the story had a happy ending : )

I'm amazed you kept an umbrella that long. I don't things often, but I very reliably lose umbrellas. I'm also amazed that the umbrella is still in good condition. Maybe I'm just very careless with umbrellas? Maybe I vent all my repressed homicidal rage on umbrellas? Who knows?

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Yay to the love of inanimate objects :) and their safe return home.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I have a magic brolly, too. I found it abandoned by a rubbish bin on Queen Margaret Drive, because it had got damaged slightly. I took it home and fixed it. It's a full-length walking brolly, with one of Monet's Waterlily paintings on the fabric. These are horribly expensive normally, but I got this free!

Pollock Halls? I stayed there for a night or 2 at a conference on mediæval architecture when I was in JH year. Our whole seminar group (about 4 of us) and Lorna Walker, our wonderful tutor, went. It was great fun, and Lorna took us out for dinner at an Italian restaurant, and for coffee/drink at the very posh Caledonian Hotel (not usually on my radar!). I remember having a small glass of Chartreuse.

I'm hoping to see Lorna this weekend, too!

[wanderinunicorn.livejournal.com]

I lost it yesterday

I've lost a tooth yesterday (on Wednesday), I'll never get it back. And I have a feeling as if I've lost my head (because it still hurts so much). On Wednesday was the anisversary of the battle of Hattin (4th July 1187) - so I've had my own feast.

I'm so glad, that you've find your umbrella,I know such things could be very important, although not for me, because I once lost my roots and now it's all another.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I love wandering around strange cities. Old cities. Different cities.

Oh, so do I! It's the most wonderful thing to do, just wander and look!

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

I had my umbrella out the last few days. When I went to Toronto it was pouring down, so used it to get into the hospital - of course I had to wait for xray, change for xray, get xray, dress again. wait for doctor, visit with doctor, Too many opportunities to lose umbrella. I left the exam room and made it to the elevator, then remembered and scurreyed back-thanks to your post for putting the fear of losing umbrellas in my head.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So your umbrella is safe and sound and still in your possession? Yay! Way to go!

All those tests are (in my experience) so necessary and so annoying - just the wrong balance of boring and stressful at the same time, in a "hurry up and wait" sort of way, all the worse since if you are feeling unwell enough to be undergoing it all in the first place, you are probably worrying about the results at the same time.

I hope it all goes well!

Love your icon - that's the way I feel! No spoilers, no way, no how. I'm in a quandary: I can't afford to run out and buy the new book, which means waiting till Beulah has read it and will lend it to me (not long, she's quick), or until the public library hands it over to me - I'm #201 on their list, and that probably won't be long either, though it's always a gamble at the library. (And who knows how long they'll take to process it?)

Bottom line: it will be days at least till I get my hands on the book, and half my LJ flist will be talking about it. Can I keep myself spoiler-free? With this book above all the series, I'd rather not know how it will end till I read it myself.

Que sera sera.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's such fun. Every city has its own character that you really don't get to see unless you just walk and wander. I remember Valletta, Malta, at about 7 a.m., everything bathed in a sort of golden sunlight, and the produce coming in at the shops, and fishermen going out in their boats - not too many wandering tourists then.

I find it easier to get lost in unfamiliar North American cities than in European ones, I'm not sure why. European cities are the best to walk in.

Sometimes I get really tired of my regular walking routes in Ottawa. Some day I should take a bus out to some suburb I seldom go to, and just explore new territory.

[tudorpot.livejournal.com]

If ever there was a setting to lose something it was yesterday, putting things down, then being moved again and again. It was quite wearying but well worth it to have my situation fully investigated and all the diagnostic test results reviewed and explained. The doctor took me to the monitor and went over each x ray, and CAT scan showing me everything. All will be well in the long haul, I need to balance rest and activity.


The HP books, since OOP are some of the very few books that I have purchased in Hardcover at release. I pre-ordered it and will pick it up at Chapters, I saved some money this way, $34.34. I bought the first three books used over the internet after I read my niece's copies. If I was unable to read it right away, I'd set a filter, reviewing my flist's spoiler policy. I will read it in the first 24 hours and will then be keen to discuss, so leave me off your filter.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Some day I should take a bus out to some suburb I seldom go to, and just explore new territory

I've started thinking of random walks and rides like that as "TARDIS trips." You don't know where you are or what you're going to get when you get there. I had a lovely time in New York City last Christmas just following my nose.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've lost a tooth yesterday (on Wednesday), I'll never get it back.

Oh, no! It's not as if you can just go to a lost and found and retreive it. How did it happen?

I hope it's hurting less now. Tooth pain is the worst.

Yes. The anniversary of Hattin. I was thinking about that horrendous ordeal of King Guy and his knights. Remembering the death of Reynald de Chatillon - trying to remember exactly which day that happened on. I see that Wikipedia puts it also at July 4, so presumably his execution was immediate.

What a turning point that was, in the lives of so many people.

I tell myself that a sentimental attachment to an umbrella is silly: that the good memories remain whether it's still in my possession or not. And truly, I try not to be too attached to material goods. No point. I could lose the umbrella and carry on with life and nothing would be changed.

But nevertheless - I'm glad I got it back!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It is! It has had adventures!

Come to think of it, I've taken the umbrella on all my travels since 1994. Not that much, but still - !

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can't help thinking we should introduce my Edinburgh umbrella to your Edinburgh scarf and see if they magically ignite.

Edinburgh is a lovely city to visit. It's not my favourite UK city, but it's wonderful.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes - it certainly wasn't a consequential loss, but it mattered to me.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Absolutely!

I should put it on a leash.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's a full-length walking brolly, with one of Monet's Waterlily paintings on the fabric.

Oh, I love those! They always look so substantial and classy. And I mostly only see them for sale in museums and art galleries - though that may be because I don't usually browse umbrella stores. And as artists go, Monet is such a perfect choice for an umbrella.

Have a nice visit with Lorna!

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Or write your name and email on it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

TARDIS trips! What a wonderful name for them. I must remember that.

Yes, New York is great for that kind of wandering. So is any interesting, old city. Suburbs aren't so good because a lot of the streets don't lead anywhere, but they can still be fun.

I can't think of many cities that aren't good to walk in, one way or another, though I do recall being frustrated in Charlotte NC because people kept telling me it was unsafe to walk anywhere. Was it really? I'll never know.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

When I was looking up the phone number of the OC Transpo Lost & Found, I saw that they have a neat offer: for $10 you can get a lunch of stickers or tags, registered with the bus company, so if you lose an item it's easily trackable. Might be worth it, for my precious umbrella.

Usually I just lose sunglasses and gloves.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

European cities are the best to walk in because they've grown so organically. Too many of our cities are planned, and that takes a little bit of fun out of it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, and the fact that North American cities are on a much larger scale makes it more difficult. European cities are more dense and compact, which makes for good and interesting walking. North American cities - well, they're designed to be explored by cars, not on foot, so have have to walk past miles of car dealerships, box stores, and empty space to get from one sight to the next.

Not that that doesn't have its own charm, but it isn't the same.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Once again, the truism that Americans think 100 years is a long time and Europeans think 100 miles is a long distance is illustrated.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So true!

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Value is not always monetary [g]. Even for "just objects." Thank goodness.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Yes, I had a super time! Got back about an hour ago. Lorna was on good form: I had an aperitif round at her house before heading for lunch with the usual gang.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

That's one reason why I have no intention of ever going back to the US. Everything is designed for cars, not people. Plus I don't see the point of being anywhere that doesn't have real Gothic architecture outside museums.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I tell myself that a sentimental attachment to an umbrella is silly: that the good memories remain whether it's still in my possession or not. And truly, I try not to be too attached to material goods. No point. I could lose the umbrella and carry on with life and nothing would be changed.

I mourn losing material things, unless I've actively decided to give them away. Never having had a home of my own – always having lived with other people's taste in furniture and decor (parents' homes, halls of residence, rented furnished flats) – my movable possessions are my home. They're what I take with me, wherever I live, to make it home.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

100 miles is a long distance wherever you are if you're not a car-owner.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Depends on the perspective. My point is that, whether a person owns a car or not, a person who grew up in North America has a totally difference assessment of geographical space than a person who grew up in Europea. It may be just as easy or difficult to cover that 100 miles, but the sense of 'near' and 'far' is just ... different. This is true even of people who've travelled a lot in each hemisphere. It isn't so much an assessment of accessibility as of scope. Thinking in a certain kind of unit.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My living quarters tend to be furnished in ways I can afford - furniture that was either acquired cheaply, or given to me. Over the decades I've managed to keep what I most like and discard what I don't, so it's pretty much to my taste. There are some objects I particularly love - my harp, for example - that aren't particularly useful. I try the be realistic in my assessment of what things are worth to me. And it changes, of course, with time and interests.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Which is why I'd like to live in the UK!

But though we only have neo-Gothic, its better than nothing.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sounds like fun. So glad you enjoyed it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, value is whatever we give anything - objects, people, ideas. A matter not so much of choice as inclination.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The doctor took me to the monitor and went over each x ray, and CAT scan showing me everything.

It sounds so very thorough - and that's good!

All will be well in the long haul, I need to balance rest and activity.

That would be good advice for all of us.

I hope Beulah will read the book quickly - then pass it on.

[msilverstar]

What a lovely ending -- I assumed it was long gone but no!

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

The lost & found department of the local bus company is normally so inefficient that I am surprised and delighted they actually retrieved your umbrella. (They once even confirmed they had a bus pass holder and then said they didn't have it when I went to collect it. I was firm and made them confirm it was on their found list, and it was found after 45 minutes in an odd place -- I suspect someone wanted it for him- or herself.)

Yay!

As for stickers -- you could attach the War Amps key tags, or simply print out contact info on computer mailing labels and paste those onto likely objects. Does anyone still sell laundry tags -- maybe senior's homes would know?

I think the problem with umbrellas in particular is that they're wet and so you put them down where you don't see them. That's what the wrapper they come with is actually for -- to cover the umbrella so you can put it into a bag without getting everything else wet. Trouble is -- the wrappers are usually too tight. I've only found one really good holder (plastic, wide enough to easily hold the umbrella without jamming but narrow enough not to fall off easily. And it was square and had its own internal structure so it was easy to put something in. My SO finally ruined that umbrella (he's very hard on them), and I've never found a similar one.)

[filkferengi]

Woot!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The umbrella gods were with me.

Lucky thing, because it's been a rainy week.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The lost & found department of the local bus company is normally so inefficient that I am surprised and delighted they actually retrieved your umbrella.

I was not impressed by their general manner and intelligence, though in this case they came through.

They once even confirmed they had a bus pass holder and then said they didn't have it when I went to collect it. I was firm and made them confirm it was on their found list, and it was found after 45 minutes in an odd place

Oh, dear! And that costs more than an umbrella, too.

I think the problem with umbrellas in particular is that they're wet and so you put them down where you don't see them.

That's part of it. They are generally awkward. This particular one doesn't have a holder - and even if it did, I find that I tend to lose the covers even more than the umbrellas themselves. And you're right, they usually don't fit right, especially when the umbrella is wet, which is when you most need them.

This was a rare happy ending to a usually unfortunate situation!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sometimes we get lucky.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, the story had a happy ending, which is pretty rare by any measurement!

I often lose umbrellas too, which is why this one's longevity is remarkable. Becuase I care about it more that most, I probably keep a close eye on it. And in more recent years I haven't carried or used an umbrella a lot - I'm more likely to depend on my gore-tex jacket, except, sadly, last year I lose my gore-tex jacket, so it's back to umbrella dependency until I can afford a new jacket.

I still lose sunglasses far more often than I want to.