A 'To-do' list for October

Listening to the rain against the window and the wind howling around the house has made me retreat to something 'safe and familiar' so I am hunkering down in the attic, with mug of coffee, cat, dog and music. I feel at a bit of a loss at what to do - oh there is plenty that I could do, but I wanted .... I wanted something - something different. I did a bit of blog hopping as I sipped my brew and came across a spot of inspiration. To give myself a gentle to do list - so I thought I would share it with you and hope that you find inspiration too.

Sewing

Continue experimenting with thread - I am finding sewing a strange release from this mojo-lockdown I am experiencing. I am not quite sure what was the final straw but I suspect a combination of burnout post art festival, pandemic lockdown and loss of inspiration have all conspired to stifle my ability to draw or paint. It is a strange grief I feel when I think about the lack of art in my life at the moment. I keep thinking that (and several folk have said to me) I will eventually return to pen and paper.... that remains to be seen. Slow-sew seems to be filling that void and it has given me the ability to make and gift things to those folk I love. I am not particularly good at it but hopefully with practice I will improve.

Gardening

Despite my knee and my back arguing for a less physical activity, I love gardening and yoga soon quietens down the dissenters.  Besides I need that physical contact with the soil, to feel the air around me and hear bird song. It frees me, gives me space to think - or not to if I choose,  and it gives me a place to create and at the end of the working day - I can return home, tired, invariably dirty but mostly happy. Now that can't be bad.

I have been working on turning my own garden into a sanctuary for wildlife, I already have a 'no spray/no poisons' policy and have done since moving here in 2001. However, I still have a 'garden', now it is gradually becoming a wildfriendly space with a bit of coaxing and selective weeding and plant positioning.

LINK

Cooking

Now that most of our meals are just the two of us, it is easier to experiment with new recipes - a few years ago I took part in the New52 - trying 52 new recipes over the year and it turned out to be rather successful. Ok - so there isn't that many weeks left of 2020 but I think I will try something different each week until the end of the year.  Something you could try too :D

Write

At the beginning of the year I started researching my topic and although there is still a lot to learn about and to try out, I am now laying down the foundations of a story set during 1910. Admittedly during most of the lockdown I never typed a word until yesterday, when I cracked open the file and re-read what I had written to refresh my memory and reintroduce myself to the characters. Three hours later I was typing almost faster than I could think - I am sure my fingers know the plot before my head does! 

Döstädning

Translated means .... Swedish Death Clearing - despite the rather morbid title, there is a really positive ethos behind it - I have already started with my clearing, and will continue to do so - the gist is.... you spend the first half of your life collecting things and now it is time to get rid of them - leaving your home and your life simpler and easier. For a more glossy version - LINK

Reading

Self explanatory really except I mean more book reading less screen reading. Over the summer I have devoured more books than I have for a while and I have been reminded how much I relish a good page turner.  I favour factual rather than fiction and most of my books either have an outdoor theme or one of otherworldly.

Walking

This. 

Lots and lots of this. 

(Moss told me I had to type this bit!) But she is correct, walking is the best way to keep my head straight and deal with her fizzy feet!!

As far as lists go, it may seem mundane and normal but with the second wave of the pandemic and our area having been on tighter restrictions that other parts of the country and now having to lock down tighter - we all need something to focus on.

So, as I type this, sitting cross-legged on the settee, Moss is asleep next to me..... I think about everyone who is/has/will be somehow affected by the pandemic as it rears it's head once more. I don't have an answer and those that are in power certainly don't have a clue either, meanwhile in all of the confusion and misinformation (deliberate or otherwise) the environment continues to suffer, underhand dealings and shifty politicians continue to thrive and lets face it .... it appears that money makes the world go round (even if it is at the detriment of that same world......)

This is why I need my list.