In praise of... hurkle-durkling

One of the many little joys of Twitter is the endless possibilities it offers for learning new things. And yesterday it didn't disappoint, with a tweet introducing me to a new word - to hurkle-durkle. It sounded too amusingly, wonderfully weird to be true, but a quick double-check proved that it is indeed an old Scottish word which means to lie in bed, or lounge around, long after it's time to get up.

It's a delicious word, though to me it sounds a bit too active and un-relaxed for what it describes - a bit too like hustle-bustle or helter-skelter, or even harum-scarum. It doesn't suggest the exquisite languor of lazily stretching out like a cat in a sunny spot, or a small child, contentedly drowsy after an exciting day... or a snoozy swan, floating on a sun-warmed pond. Neither does it suggest the luxury of being able to spend extra time, on holiday or a Saturday morning, sleepily supine instead of bolt upright; and, regardless of its etymology, it doesn't suggest being cosily, warmly curled up under one's duvet on a dark midwinter morning.

But today is Saturday, and, after a busy week, the morning stretches gloriously empty before me. Yes, I have things I need to do, but none of them are urgent, so they can wait for a bit. For now, for a while, I can enjoy the opportunity to lie back, burrow into my pillows and enjoy a good bit of hurkle-durkling...