Purple

Purple is a colour I have mixed feelings about.

When I was eight years' old I got very excited about my new school
uniform. I moved from green to purple. By the time I reached the sixth
form I was sick to death of it. Purple jumper, purple tights, purple
beret, purple scarf, purple and white summer dresses. No purple
knickers thank god, they were navy blue, don't ask me why.

Purple is the colour of my mug at work. It's bright and vibrant.
Positive.

Purple is the unsightly colour of bruises, of child abuse and domestic
violence. Fortunately I have never seen those shades of purple.

Purple can be royal and regal and splendid, full of pomp and
circumstance. Or it can be a pretty and flowery, pale mauve.

I have a purple dress now. Nothing like my old school uniform of
course. I call it my "hippy" dress. It's airy and floppy and
comfortable, and pretty in a hippy kind of way. I wore it to WOMAD last
year. I always feel chilled out when I wear that dress.

You have a purple long-sleeved casual shirt. I remember. It looks nice
on you. A good, solid, dependable block of colour.

I used to have a purple swimsuit bought for ?9.99 in a sale. A man in
Kensington swimming pool commented once "nice costume" in a lecherous
sort of way, not sure I ever wore it again.

When we went to Snowdonia the mountains were beautiful in their purpley
colours. Purples and oranges and greys in different lights. It's
amazing how many different colours vegetation can turn into.

Purple is the middle section of my office carpet. Strange that they did
the middle different from the edges. I guess they ran out, but did they
run out of the middle or the edges colour? one will never know.

If purple was a day of the week, I reckon it might be Sunday. A solid,
upright, family day. It could be subtle mauve on Tuesday though.

I can smell the scent of purple freesias, and sweet peas from my
grandfather's garden, just thinking about them. Mmmm, what a delicious
smell.

Purple can be grapes and plums and damson jam. Yum yum. And red wine is
often nice and purpley you know.