Gone In Search of Inspiration...

Well, not exactly, but I thought it was a good title for today's blog! 

I know I can't search for inspiration. It's like the elusive phoenix and unicorn. You can't find them. You have to wait for them to find you. (The unicorn used to visit me under the spreading chestnut tree. But now the chestnut tree has died, will the unicorn return?)

Am I mad? Possibly! I hear voices in my head. That's a sign of madness, isn't it? Or is it inspiration?

What I'm trying to say in a not very succinct way (that was really bad English!) is that I'm taking time out once again to make myself available for inspiration to come to me. 

I've really struggled to write this month; my Nan's death affected me in ways I hadn't considered. So it's time to pause and be and hopefully come back bursting with ideas next month. 

So please forgive me if I don't answer your email, tweet, facebook message, phonecall, letter, text... I will get back to you eventually. 

May you find your inspiration in unlikely places. 

Freya

Emotion - 31

Happiness; a fleeting moment of pure joy, not to be hung onto but remembered with pleasure.

Emotion - 30

Tiredness; trying to relax. Too tense. Too tired. Too weary to even think...

Emotion - 29

Harmony; teasing, laughing, joking, serious, loving... We merge and swirl together, comfortable with each other.

Emotion - 28

Friction; an imbalance of emotion. We both think we're right. We disagree. Knife-sharp edge between us. Turmoil inside. Not too proud to say sorry.

Emotion -27

Languorous; heat, sun, pebbles and sea, gently walking, resting....

Emotion - 26

Remote; feeling out of it still, disconnected, hanging free. Floating. Can't focus. Trying to rest. Stop the thoughts congregating in my brain.

Emotion - 25

Stupor; relief from stress and ongoing routine, feeling out of sync, out of touch, numb with realisation - I haven't GOT to do anything!

Dragonscale Clippings: EOTE - August 2011 - Editor's Reasons

Dragonscale Clippings: EOTE - August 2011 - Editor's Reasons

EOTE - August 2011 - Editor's Reasons

This is an interesting posting at EOTE

Emotion - 24

Weariness; on the edge of collapse, functioning as an automaton, trying to get to the point of holiday starting and then...

Emotion - 23

Exhaustion; brain numb, thoughts jumping up and down, so much not yet done, muscles ache, just want to sleep...

Emotion - 22

Excitement; barely contained speech, a need to get the words out so quickly I don't make sense. Positive, warm feelings.

Emotion - 21

Delight; a poem published, beautifully presented in a professional magazine!

Emotion - 20

Tranquillity; composure and assurance in the face of adversity and challenging, changing circumstances.

Emotion - 19

Tired; drawing heaviness dragging me down. Eyes closing, brain a blur. All I want to do is sleep...

Ends of the Earth August 2011 - Now Available!

The August issue of Ends of the Earth is now available online! 

In this issue the photographer Jonathon B Hoyt is featured along with other photographers such as Anne Baksteen and Mick Turner. Anna Brock introduces us to artist and poet, Heather Connelly and there is also a beautiful poem by Claudia Messelodi. And yes, there is a small item from yours truly!

You can access the link here

In order to receive your own personalised link whenever EOTE is published, please send an email to H2M with EOTE in the subject line. 

Read and enjoy!

Emotion - 18

Relief; feeling drained and washed out but positive now.

Emotion - 17

Annoyance; why won't people buy my book? What is wrong with them? Feeling hot and spiky but not quite cross.

Emotion - 16

Nervous tension; too long a time feeling stressed. Relaxing and now feeling terrible; aches, pressure. Coping with a stressful lifestyle.

Emotion - 15

Boredom; apathetic disposure, can't be bothered, can't engage, nothing quickens my interest.

Emotion - 14

Placidity; transplanting marigolds and beans, tending tomato plants, sowing herbs while thunder builds.

Emotion - 13

Concern; feeling unsettled over their news, wanting to help, to make things better for them.

Emotion - 12

Uninspired; flat and grey kind of feeling. Have energy but no ideas, no flow.

Emotion - 11

Laughter; bubbling up and overflowing, genuine amusement in everyday activity.

Emotion - 10

Peace; something that comes from within despite adverse circumstances. Ask for it. It is a gift.

Ken Rockwell has been Paying Attention for Decades

For those of us who enjoy Paying Attention this posting is a must. 

Although it's written from a photographer's point of view, what he says, also applies to serious writers. Don't be put off by his initial discussion of cameras. Keeping reading and about halfway down the page you'll reach the bit about paying attention; keep on reading, it's interesting!


Read and enjoy!

 Ken Rockwell

Review of Dragonscale Leggings by Linda Turner

I have rarely bought a book that entertained me so much as did this one. The characters are delightful, and even the villains are funny. Not so much amusing as laugh-aloud, tummy-hurting hilarious. 

But the humour is merely the icing on a superb Fantasy story cupcake that the reader regrets having to finish. 

Freya Pickard is an adept of the genre and whilst her writing is richly vibrant, her plots intricately woven, her narratives are always immediately accessible to any kind of reader. Easy to get into, hard to put down. A most enjoyable read.

Emotion - 9

On the edge; slipping between peacefulness and anxiety. Wanting to be peaceful, erring towards worry.

Emotion - 8

Happiness; not something that can be held onto, but something that arrives at unexpected moments such as planting out young lettuces.

Emotion - 7

Unwinding; releasing tension I didn't know I had. Tiredness hampers me as I let go and release chattering thoughts, feeling my muscles relax.

Emotion - 6

Feeling free; not without responsibility but free to choose.

Taking a break...

For the next couple of weeks I will be taking a break from regular blogging. I will blog as and when I can. I am working full time for a bit to cover a colleague's holiday and also, my Nan has died so things are in suspense until the funeral is arranged. 

I have written a memorium to my Nan which you can find here

Don't forget that I now have 2 blogsites. If you haven't already, please check out my new site at PureHaiku

I will hopefully be back in circulation by the end of the month and will reply to comments and messages then. 

Thank you for all your comments and encouragement.

Emotion - 5

Contentment; being at peace and enjoying the tasks I do. Not being ruffled, but coping well.

Emotion - 4

Exhaustion; so much for so long. Now lifted and I can feel the toll it's taken; weary, drained, shattered, low in energy. Just want to curl up and sleep.

Emotion - 3

Relief; makes limbs weak, stomach goes light and I feel heady. Need to sit down and absorb the truth.

In Memory of Jean Pickard 18th April 1918 to 1st August 2011

Memories I have of you…

          I remember at Nutfield, how I slipped over on the gravel on the drive and scraped my right knee. You patched me up and although the “wounds” stung, I don’t think I cried.

          You were the first person to introduce me to cold baked beans! I had supper one night by myself at Nutfield and you gave me salad which I wasn’t keen on. But what made the meal for me was that you gave me a generous helping of cold baked beans. I’d never tasted anything so wonderful before!

          I remember what seemed to be long, long walks with you and Sam through St Helen’s Woods. Though really the walks couldn’t have been that long because I was quite little when I first came to stay with you and Grandpa by myself. But to me they seemed wonderfully endless. I must have stayed with you in the summertime for my memories are crowded with leafy trees and the scent of leaf mould. I’m sure it probably  rained but I just remember the sunlight through the trees and Sam trying to chase rabbits. There was a stone building somewhere in St Helen’s Woods and we used to play hide and seek there. For some reason I thought the building was a temple to pagan gods!

          I recall sitting in Blacklands Church with you and Grandpa one Sunday morning and watching the choir walk in wearing white robes. I remember feeling quite awed and then, when they started singing I was convinced they were angels. I even asked you where the angels had gone when the service was over and they had processed out. You had to explain to me that they weren’t angels, just the choir. I wasn’t convinced though.

          I can remember helping you to feed the chickens. I didn’t mind the chickens because they didn’t peck me and they weren’t scary like the geese. I was terrified of the way the geese hissed and pecked and flapped their wings. I felt quite scared watching you go into the bird pens and fearlessly feed the geese. I thought something dreadful would happen, but you always came out unscathed!

          I loved staying with you and Grandpa when you lived at Ranscombe Cottages. The idea of waking up and seeing Mount Caburn out of the window was one thing that kept me going at school for weeks! Then there would be breakfast—the muesli or porridge that you’d make followed by toast from homemade bread. The slices were small but I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted!

          You let me hold the lead, first of Sam and then of Lassie when we went for walks on the hills in the morning. That made me feel very grown up and responsible! I used get the dog to help me up the steep parts of the hill!

          We used to go walking with your neighbour Beryl and her golden retriever. There were always lots of rabbits around but I don’t really remember the dogs chasing them. The dogs preferred to find the rabbit droppings and eat as many as they could before us humans realised what they were doing! Beryl used to say they were after chocolate drops!

          The routine I had when I stayed with you was wonderful. Two walks a day, lots of homemade food and lots of games too! Do you remember that we used to play Chinese Chequers or that other board game that I’ve forgotten the name of? (Sorry?) We’d play these games when we returned from the morning walk and had a cup of cocoa and a biscuit. Then you’d get on with housework or whatever needed doing and I would maybe do homework (if I felt like it) or read. You had a huge hardback book for children with stories, puzzles and games in it. I never tired of it, no matter how many times I read it. The puzzle I will never forget was: - YY U R, YY U B, I C U R YY 4 ME! Took me ages to get it until either you or Grandpa read it out loud to me!

          You also let me feed all the animals which was a big responsibility for me. Though the smell of the tinned meat for the dog and the cats was revolting. And you let me feed the chickens. At one time you and Grandpa only had 3 chickens and 2 kept picking on the other one so you had to separate them. I called the lonely one Grace and the other two were Flat and Sharp! 

Thank you for everything. I will never forget you. 

Emotion - 2

Depression; cyclical, feeding on itself, dark vision, apathy, inability to come out of it. Heavy, oppressive, weighted down. No hope. No end in sight.

Emotion - 1

Frustration; inability to resolve the situation. Too angry to accept it. Too wound up to even see a solution. Problems, not challenges.

Ends of the Earth August 2011 - Coming Soon!

This issue of Ends of the Earth is spectacular. I have a short piece of writing printed in it that links with several amazing photographs. 

In fact, this issue is really about photography, featuring a beautiful collection of photos by Jonathon B Hoyt as well as showing off photos from Mick Turner and Anne Baksteen. There is also an incredible oil painting by Heather Connelly of Lavender at  Bridestone, Tasmania.

The poetry is exquisite also and reflects the creativity of both Claudia Messelodi and Heather Connelly. 

If you would like to read it (it's only 8 A5 pages long and most of it is pictures!) please email H2M for the link. 


This issue will be available to read at some point in August 2011.