Five word meme

This is the Five Word Meme. Quilly has given me five words so that I may share my thoughts on them. After you’ve read my meme, if you feel inclined to play along, please say so in the comments and I will send you five words of my choosing. (I will need your email address . . . ;-})

These are the five words Quilly gave me.
1.) Color
2.) Purse
3.) Pizza
4.) Exercise
5.) Irritation

1. Color: If people ask me what is my favourite colour my answer varies according to my mood, the season, even the time of day. On a cold, rainy, dull day the colours I favour will be warm, rich tones of crimson, apricot, chestnut, russet. When I’m feeling optimistic my colours of choice will be bright and clear – fresh apple green, lemon yellow, azure blue. In the morning, particularly if my slumber has been disturbed I will opt for hazy blue and dove grey, soft rosy pink until my brain and eyes have adjusted to a new day. Occasionally I am up in the wee small hours and then my delight is to watch the monochrome night gradually develop subtle colour as the new day dawns and reveals its palette.
2. Purse: I carry a small Fiorelli purse 4 1/2“ x 2 ½”given to me by my middle daughter, Susannah. It is light blue with an appliqué dog on wheels curving round one of the side seams. From the purse hangs a chain at the end of which is a bone. It is attached to my keyring and carries credit cards, some coins, a £20 note, a book of stamps and a spectacle repair kit. Thus, when I go shopping my keys, cards and money are easily found and carried and I don’t have to take a shoulder bag in which to place my purse.
3. Pizza: I like pizza! At home we use our breadmaker to produce pizza dough on which we can put a variety of delicious toppings. The first ingredient is always chopped, sieved tomatoes on top of which we may put courgettes, ham, cheese, olives, cucumber, green beans or anything else which attracts our attention. Occasionally, we have a ‘commercial’ pizza but we prefer our own because we know what has gone into its manufacture.
4. Exercise: I don’t do enough of this, unlike my husband who takes rigorous exercise every day. However, I swim most days since our Endless Pool was completed and I walk the dogs in the forest. I recently (last week) bought an electric bicycle. I like cycling but cannot hack hills – I end up with sore knees. The electric bike is amazing! It has transformed cycling for me and gives the dogs a really good work-out into the bargain. I sail up hills with minimal effort and feel I am cheating by calling it exercise. I still have to pedal, of course, so it’s not entirely a lazy person’s device.
5. Irritation: This can be mental or physical, given or received. As a form of annoyance it may be transient or long-lasting depending on the cause. To be the cause of someone else’s irritation can be upsetting or amusing. Many a teenager has relished the frustration caused by irritating behaviour an adult cannot regulate. Conversely someone who is putting a great deal of effort in trying to please can become distraught if the endeavour engenders more and greater exasperation. In its physical sense it may be intensely painful and enduring as in shingles, or mildly itchy or scratchy and more of a nuisance when brought about by a poorly placed clothing label or stiff cuffs and collar.