So little of my time over the last few months has involved moments of relaxation. However I have vowed to change this after fainting recently. I suspect one too many stressful, demanding days is the reason this happened. The challenge I now face is to factor in time for relaxation whilst continuing to enjoy my work.
I am definitely not a Victorian aristocrat wearing a tight corset; I fainted in a public space, wearing no corsetry, just clean, Marks and Spencer, cotton and lycra panties; just one percent of lycra I should add, so not too tight. I fainted, falling flat-out on the floor, no comfortable chaise longue to enable me to faint with any 'assured grace'; just cold hard concrete! Ouch! I actually can't remember feeling anything until the next day, then I had to 'nurse' my bruised 'derrière' ... I have to at least attempt to apply a refined term to my dilemma.
The name 'chaise longue' is given to an upholstered seat and literally translates as ‘long couch’ in French. The chaise longue has a long history in Europe and was a standard feature in the manor houses of the aristocracy.
In Victorian England, a chaise longue was known as a 'fainting couch'. They were often installed in the houses for wealthy, aristocratic women. Sometimes they were placed in rooms set aside for the sole purpose of facilitating these fainting females and were actually referred to as 'fainting rooms'. It is understood that the women were prone to collapsing onto a chaise as a result of the stress put on their bodies by their too-tight corsets! Not I suspect as a result of trying to cram too much 'running around' into twenty-four hours.
However, despite the lack of fainting rooms in the supermarket, I was pleased to recover to find myself being attended to by a really lovely, handsome paramedic, even if I was still lying on the concrete floor!
Fainting couches are also known historically as a Recamier couch; named after Mme. Jeanne Francoise Julie Adelaide Recamier. They are a type of reclining couch which has one end that is a bit higher than the other. Originally they were the shape and style of a chaise longue, although some featured a non-upholstered foot section which made them more similar to daybeds.
Over time, the phrase ‘fainting couch’ expanded to encompass a variety of chaise longue and beds with raised head-space.
The term chaise longue is a more colloquial term now as very few chaise longue manufacturers include “great for collapsing unconscious upon” in their promotional material. There are so many different variations on these original styles. I would have been happy to have fainted on any of them. Not that I'm planning to experience that particular drama again.
Interesting links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch
http://pinterest.com/aniekeanieke/seating/
The name 'chaise longue' is given to an upholstered seat and literally translates as ‘long couch’ in French. The chaise longue has a long history in Europe and was a standard feature in the manor houses of the aristocracy.
In Victorian England, a chaise longue was known as a 'fainting couch'. They were often installed in the houses for wealthy, aristocratic women. Sometimes they were placed in rooms set aside for the sole purpose of facilitating these fainting females and were actually referred to as 'fainting rooms'. It is understood that the women were prone to collapsing onto a chaise as a result of the stress put on their bodies by their too-tight corsets! Not I suspect as a result of trying to cram too much 'running around' into twenty-four hours.
However, despite the lack of fainting rooms in the supermarket, I was pleased to recover to find myself being attended to by a really lovely, handsome paramedic, even if I was still lying on the concrete floor!
Fainting couches are also known historically as a Recamier couch; named after Mme. Jeanne Francoise Julie Adelaide Recamier. They are a type of reclining couch which has one end that is a bit higher than the other. Originally they were the shape and style of a chaise longue, although some featured a non-upholstered foot section which made them more similar to daybeds.
Over time, the phrase ‘fainting couch’ expanded to encompass a variety of chaise longue and beds with raised head-space.
The term chaise longue is a more colloquial term now as very few chaise longue manufacturers include “great for collapsing unconscious upon” in their promotional material. There are so many different variations on these original styles. I would have been happy to have fainted on any of them. Not that I'm planning to experience that particular drama again.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch
http://pinterest.com/aniekeanieke/seating/
