Editor's blog: Things I have in common with storks
Wednesday, 1 June 2011 4:23 PM
I had never thought of myself as having much in common with storks before – but when I was in Morocco last week I realised we’re a lot more similar than I’d thought.
Most people who’ve visited Marrakech will have seen the vast birds inhabiting the city ramparts. Their nests protrude over the edges of the ancient walls, unapologetically enormous, as the storks swoop in clutching yet more twigs with which to furnish their homes.
I, too, have a deep-rooted nesting instinct, which has been there for as long as I can remember. Even at the age of 15, when other girls were buying lipstick and trouser-skirts (remember those?), I was spending all my pocket money on quirky glassware and herb racks – despite the fact that my mum would have rather died than let me inflict my interior design tastes on her pristine kitchen.
Now, ten years on and living in a shared rented flat, nothing’s changed. I still spend a fortune on things for a home I don’t own or even live in. In Marrakech, I bought a rug that’s too big for my bedroom, a sugar pot that simply doesn’t go with our kitchen, a lamp though the flat has recessed halogen lighting throughout, and, la pièce de résistance, a door knocker.
Given that I will be grey-haired before I can actually attach it to a front door without breaking the terms of a tenancy agreement, this constitutes the most ridiculous purchase I’ve ever made (although to be fair, had I followed the crowd and splashed out on a trouser-skirt, that may have been on a par).
I simply can’t help it. My nesting instinct is as ingrained as that of a stork, and there’s very little I can do about it. But I should count myself lucky really: at least my faddy purchases can remain hidden in a cupboard, unlike the glittery lipsticks, short-dungarees and, yes, trouser-skirts so many of my gang now desperately try to deny ever happened.
Ele Cooper
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Tags:
- home accessories ,
- homeware
