Author: Deborah Makarios

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The Joy of Eccentric Nightwear

It is a fact fairly widely acknowledged, that those who wear quite sober clothes (whether for professional reasons or otherwise) often make an exception for novelty socks. Others, even more covertly, wear brightly patterned underwear (generally a secret unless you get hit by a bus). I myself go in for lively nightwear.

“What could be more fun than a prim floor-length nightie covered in rocket-ships, say, or jelly-beans?” So I wrote back in 2018, and I have not had cause to revise my opinion, barring a minor alteration to ankle-length. It did, however, take some time for my psyche to recover from the epic battle which was the Stripy Nightie of 2018, but time is a great healer (and Covid a great eraser of memory) and here we are.

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Name the Mystery Beastie!

Behold, the Mystery Beastie!

A strange looking animal with its mouth open toward the viewer. Above its mouth is a short trunk ending in a piglike nose. One raggedy ear is visible on its black somewhat horselike head. The front half of the animal seems black and its back half white.

This particular species of Mystery Beastie already has at least nine names (seven English, two Latin, not counting subspecies names, or its many names in other languages), but frankly, none of them do the poor endangered freaky creature justice, in my opinion.

In order to give you a good all-round view of the subject to guide your naming efforts, I have gathered an assortment of images of the Mystery Beastie. (Note: clicking on an image will take you to the Wikimedia Commons page for that image, which may bestow upon you spoilers as to one or more existing names for the Mystery Beastie.)

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Delectable Stationery Alert!

Behold:

A small book covered in a red fabric with quantities of stylized floral ornamentation in gold and silver. Next to it, a fountain pen in brown wood.

This delectable morsel of stationeryhood is a silk sari journal made by Love Calcutta Arts, a business which exists to provide women with the option of employment that isn’t the sex trade. A lot of LCA’s products involve what is popularly known as upcycling: turning old saris into kitchen trivets, quilted coverlets, or book upholstery.

The sari-covered journals come in two sizes (small: 11cm x 13.5cm x 40 leaves; large: 15cm x 18.5cm x 60 leaves) and a range of colour groups: red, green, purple, orange, black, and pink. And because they aren’t mass-produced in a factory, but instead made by carefully trained craftswomen in a workshop, they are all different.

My one (let’s be honest: my first one) is Small and Red.

A small fabric-covered book sitting slightly open on its open edge. The near part of the spine appears red, but the further part and the covers appear to be a mix of green tones.

OR IS IT??

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