Saturday 11 December 2010

Weekword

I have been on a blogging hiatus, and missed all my regular blogging slots, and haven't even finished the post I am making about Malaysia (which was supposed to be this week's Tuesday Ten). I must beg your indulgence for a few days longer, since the last week of term is upon me and I am out every night at either a lovely party or a miserable work meeting, and I have to write Christmas cards and put together the gifts for my tutor group, and finish knitting my Santa hat. And today, when I'd normally catch up on things I prefer to do, such as blogging and knitting, I have to run off to Portsmouth with a very ill and grouchy Mr Z for Mother Hand's 60th birthday party.

Which brings me, in a very roundabout way, to my weekword post. This week's word, SYNESTHESIA, was chosen by Joye and I must say, I found it a very hard one. I don't have synesthesia and to my knowledge I've never met anybody with it (thought undoubtedly some pupils at school over the years must have had it, the odds would tell me) so I have been stumperoonied about what to write.

Then, this morning, I went and fetched Mother Hand's birthday cake from the bakery. This is a bad phone shot of it in the boot of my filthy car, where it will stay until I deliver it to the venue in a few hours, but when I saw it, I felt it was an instant reminder of the 60s.



My sense association is far stronger with scent: one whiff can transport me instantly to a memory and sometimes it's such a strong association it can make me tearful, or laughing. I used a different face cream this morning, for example, which I always use on the ski trip because it's heavier and more nourishing: and I flushed with excitement, at the thought of flying down the slopes and having an espresso with my ski trip buddies.

That said, certain colours will always suggest certain things to me, and these colours just make me think of the 60s. I was so pleased, because I stumbled into this bakery in October and spent an hour describing what I wanted to the lady, and she totally got my vision, in spite of me having no pictures to help her, and created this marvellous thing which she plucked directly from my imagination.

So there we go: it's not quite synesthesia, but it's sort of in the ballpark. Thank you Joye, for getting me to use my brain! And for the beautiful pictures on your blog - they are very uplifting.

Next week's weekword is going to be picked by Allie so head on over on Monday to comment if you want to take part.

5 comments:

Christine E-E said...

Oh - I've missed you!
and love the cake - I'm turning 61 this week so I agree that the colors are indeed those worthy of a 60+ female.
Everyone will still be here when you return! I will wait for the pics - after ... all those details of the holiday are taken care of.
Don't get sick!

Joye Schwartz said...

Thanks for the great post and the yummy looking cake!! Colors do seem to stimulate lots of different reactions in people. I think we all had to think a little harder for this word :)
Joye

=Z= said...

When I recover I'll transfer and process the piccies. Sniff/cough/bletch.

cath c said...

oh good, i'd nearly given up and wondered about your trip...that is a beautiful cake!

Sally said...

Thanks for the concern! I have two weeks off work now :) loads of time for blogging!