DB Lenck's Mutinous Musings: Alternative use for a Clothes Horse

Visions of Hillegom!

Today I experienced the joyous realisation that I am indeed a genius. This is not a common occurrence for me, so I spent the rest of the day savouring the experience.

So why am I a genius? Did I re-invent calculus, or launch an innovative new web-browser, or genetically engineer hamsters to collect seeds in the countryside for humans to solve the world's famine issues? No none of that small stuff! I sorted out one of my household dilemmas, and as everyone who occasionally has a stroke of genius knows well, there is nothing more satisfying tham to solve life's little problems by sheer innate ability.

Here it goes. Ever since I spent time in Holland in my youth I fondly remembered the windows of a bed & breakfast in Hillegom near the Keukenhof. It was an old house, and had huge window sills. There were no curtains, instead the window sills were filled with blooming bulbs, and there were even hanging baskets suspended from the top of the window, also filled with blooming potted plants. The result was enchanting, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, and any other flower that could be forced from a bulb in mid-winter, all jostled for space on those huge magic window sills.

Since then I dreamt of having window sills. I never had any, and the Little House I currently inhabit, while admirable and adequate in most respects, only has pathetic little narrow sills of about two inches depth. For years I have thus had to do without flowering potted plants. The only house plants that survive the distance away from the windows that my sill-less existence necessitates are sturdy ones, like Mother-in-Law-Tongue, Aspidistra, and Clivias - those latter seem to thrive in my house, and I have to divide and re-pot them every year.

This morning I was mooching about, bemoaning once again my lack of indoor blooms, when it occurred to me that I could buy a Sutherland Table - you know the sort, they fold up and have a very narrow surface - and shove it under a window, to use as a sill. The trouble is, they are expensive, and delivery is such an issue. Then I had my stroke of genius!

I am the happy owner of not one, but two clothes horses. I just need one, really, though the second one can come in handy when guests are around. Still, I could spare one, if needs be. I also own an impossibly long, narrow, hitherto unused old oak serving tray. So I thought, if I put the tray on top of the clothes horse, it could be used as a ledge, and if the be-trayed clothes horse was positioned under the window, bulbs could be accommodated.

You are getting my drift? Let the photos speak for themselves. And if there are any of you people out there who own a clothes horse they don't need, but long for a window sill, I trust you will gratefully adopt my innovation. No need to thank me, us geniuses labour for free to improve the human condition!

I note that one could probably use a simple wooden umbrella stand for the same purpose - it is another pretty (now) useless piece of antique furniture, since nowadays most people use small umbrellas which are not long enough to fit into the old umbrella stands.