Groggy thoughts at 5:37 AM
As one might expect on a brown sauce site, I do generally try to keep on topic - however there are times like today when I simply need a venue for a brain dump. Fear not, there is a HP Sauce mention in this post, but its significance is to say the least, somewhat down played. What follows instead of my regular HP Sauce centric postings is a dream I had this morning between the hours of 5:37 AM (when I awoke to snowplows banging away on my street) and 6:55 AM when I awoke suddenly to the realization that I was late for work. I was so groggy from my dream I literally had a hard time stepping out of it - nearly falling down the stairs as I went to shower!
Groggy thoughts
It began in a large courtyard situated in a large European city on a bright summers day. The courtyard was situated high up on a hill with narrow winding streets below, filled with traffic. There were people all around me, all busily readying the courtyard for some sort of elaborate family reunion. I looked around but didn’t recognize any family members, but I got the distinct impression that these were pretentious people and eager to show off their wealth and status to all invited. My task was to prepare food for the event by cooking up several dishes at the open summer kitchen in the corner of the courtyard. I gathered my ingredients (including HP Sauce!) together and started to cook. As I cooked I observed people coming and going in the courtyard, many sipping cocktails and gossipping amongst each other. When the food I had prepared was ready, I was told that not enough guests had arrived yet. I had been too hasty! Pfth! All that work for nothing, and I was out of ingredients as well! Suddenly, I was riding on a bicycle, peddling through the streets and alleys of this unnamed European city looking for a farmers market where I could buy more ingredients. I soon got terribly lost and very frustrated. Not only could I not find the market, but I was exhausted from peddling up and down the hills. To make matters worse, a man - also on a bicycle, kept whizzing by me, easily weaving in and out of traffic as though it were some sort of game he was playing with me. I was in a right huff by this point.
Suddenly, I’m back at my food station in the courtyard with fresh ingredients all around me. “How did I get back here? If the ingredients were here all along, then why send me out for more??” I thought. I looked around. It was apparent that more guests had arrived and I was sure that the time had come to cook the food that I had been tasked with preparing. I immediately started to cook the same dishes as I had earlier but this time keeping an eye out so as my efforts would not again go wasted. When I finished, I informed a family member whom I still didn’t recognize that the meal was ready to be served. This person abruptly snubbed me and walked away to chat with someone far more important than I. “So” I thought. “I had missed my chance and they were no longer interested in what I had prepared. Ungrateful so & so’s!”. I suddenly thought to look look behind me and sure enough, the man who so gracefully navigated the streets below on his bicycle was now sitting there amongst a group of people with an arrogant grin on his face. “Anyone for more naan bread!?!” he asked as his friends eagerly took fresh bread out of a wicker basket he held out in front of him. “PFTH!” I’d had enough of this and I threw down my pinny in disgust.
If it wasn’t already obvious that I didn’t fit in with this crowd before, it certainly was now! I took a moment to collect myself and decided to meander about the courtyard and make another attempt at fitting in. I then saw some relatives of mine that I finally did recognize sitting at a table under a shady tree. These were cousins of mine who I knew, but who very rarely spent any time with. I sat down next to them and observed as they entertained the hosts’ 3 year old daughter. What a bright and cheery little girl she was! Only 3 years old and reading fluently and filling my cousins’ heads with all sorts of knowledgeable advice which was well beyond her years. “Naturally” I thought. “She’s the daughter of the snobs running the party isn’t she?”. I listened in to their conversation but after sitting there for a half hour or so,I decided that again that I’d had enough. No one there really noticed me anyway, so I made my excuses and left.
Fred Elliot
Image from www.itv.com
I took a last look at all the people mulling about the courtyard and wondered to myself why I was involved at all with this group of people? I found the stone path which lead down to the street below and came to a small landing half way down where I paused to look out at the street below. Suddenly I felt a tapping on my shoulder. I spun around only to see Fred Elliot of Coronation Street standing there in front of me! He had a huge, jolly grin on his face as his character so often does. “Ahh. There ye are! You know, I’ve been looking all over for you!” he said in his booming voice “All over!” Although I was puzzled to see a friendly Coronation Street character now standing in front of me with a silly grin on his face, I couldn’t help but wonder WHY? I tried to get out a “hello” but before I could say anything he continued “Where have you been anyroad? I’ve been worried sick! I say worried sick!” his face suddenly looking concerned. Again, I tried to explain but once again he cut me off as he leaned in as if to tell me something important. “Now. I want you
This dream was both quite frustrating and quite a lot of fun. Who was it that was hosting the party? What was up with the bicycle/naan bread guy? Did he have it in for me? Who was I supposed to be? Was I myself? Who was I to Fred Elliot? Did he see me as Ashley’s wife Claire? Why else would he refer to him as “our Ashley” to me? Regardless of what it all means, I absolutely love dreams like this, so vivid and so real. If you’ve taken the time to read through all of this, thank you for indulging me. Back to regular postings next week!
