Slice of Life Story Challenge March 19 - Swapping the Doona





This morning we changed the ‘doona’ on our bed. The thing that apparently distinguishes a doona from a duvee, a quilt, an eider down and other such bed coverings is that a doona has a removable, washable cover. The origin of the word doona is Swedish and came into use in the 1960’s as part of an advertising campaign instigated by Ikea in Australia. 

However, that’s incidental information. What I really wanted to share with my audience, was the process that takes place in our house in relation to the changing of the doona.

Doonas in our house are changed according to a theory loosely related to that which exists in Goldilocks. You see we have three doonas of different weights which are pressed into service according to the prevailing weather conditions. As seasonal changes begin to impact the likelihood of a doona changeover correspondingly increases.  The doona currently on our bed is, according to my dear wife, ‘Not quite right.’ It is summer weight and we must now change it to a slightly heavier doona to reflect the conditions that may occur in the coming days and weeks.

Let me say, I slept perfectly comfortably last night, but as we replaced sheets and pillowslip covers, I was asked to reach up into the wardrobe shelves and retrieve the middle weight doona, so it could be also changed over. Vicki had conducted due diligence on our upcoming weather and had reached the conclusion that our current 'light' doona no longer met expectations.

The process of making the bed often takes some considerable time in our house. Vicki is quite particular regarding the smoothness of sheets and the tucking process. Many times over the years, I have heard the words, ‘Do I need to come around to your side and check?’ I am seen as a bed making subversive. A rebel when it comes to creating hospital corners. I just want to get it done. I lack any sense of excitement when it comes to bed making processes. 

Changing the doona adds considerable time to the task and I struggle to smile. The doona cover must be lifted over the doona in such a way that the cover and its bulky contents are evenly spread within the cover. It's a challenge that requires much concentration. Getting this part wrong may result in a lumpy, dumpy doona and more lost time. Fortunately, it all works out the first time and the bed making is negotiated without lumps. 

The final act of this ritual sees the pillows and cushions repositioned on the bed. Cushions, -now that's a enduring mystery for most males. I might leave it there for now...


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not eve...
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers...
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intentio...
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to...
Read more

Exploring Themes in Poetry With Emerging Writers

Image
There is so much more to poetry than haiku and acrostics. Yet, so many young poets never get to experience the rich breadth of poetry beyond these highly structured forms. Why? Primarily, it’s about their teachers comfort levels with poetry. We often teach to what we know, meaning that being adventurous and taking young poets into new realms is not part of the poetic landscape for many. This sells young poets and poetry itself short. Last week I had the pleasure to again work with a group of young poets from Derrimut Primary School grade 5/6 in Melbourne’s west. We have been exploring patterns and repetition in poetry. We have explored personification as a literary device to develop the writing of poetry. We delved into the idea of writing through a mask to provide inanimate and animate entities with a voice. They told stories in words from their own perspective. On this occasion we again went to the edges and began to explore poetry through themes. We discussed a range ...
Read more