Seems Like Summer

Dear Diary,

Be the change you want to see in the world

Mahatma Ghandi

After an early night I wake with a headache so I get up and make myself a cup of honeyed tea, gather up two of my super strong painkillers, feed Molly her breakfast and return to bed. Before I do I open the front and back doors of the cottage as it is seems like summer; warm, fresh and dry air blows in, how strange it seems, but pleasantly so.

Back in bed I practice some self-Reiki and open the bedroom window wide to let in some more of that pure, unpolluted, head-clearing Welsh air, it’s the first morning I’ve been able to do that for ages and is a real treat. The wildlife are busy too, many, many birds flitting about and the house martins’ second brood who live an arm lengths from the bed, under the eaves of the cottage, are chattering away merrily while their parents fly to and fro bringing tasty, juicy insects, caught on the wing. M and I marvel at these birds, and also our swallows who nest in the forge across the road, how they travel all the way from Africa every summer, return to the same place and make nests out of mud, then the females lay four or five eggs, hatch them out and then feed the young ones and teaches them to fly. And all the while they are forever in flight, only landing in the nest. They swoop down in the river to drink and we see the babies only sitting on the fence when they are learning to fly.

M tells me of his schooldays when they had a swift’s nest under the eaves of their school’s clock tower. Swifts never land either but sometimes the children would find one that had inadvertently landed on the ground and they always took it to the headmaster who would throw it up in the air and it flew away, of course. I wonder why the children never threw the birds up to the air themselves, perhaps there is a moral in there somewhere. I am reminded of that poem ‘Come to the Edge’ which I love.


Come to the Edge


Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
Come to the edge.
And they came,
and we pushed,
And they flew.


Christopher Logue


Sammy Squirrel is on a fir tree branch and this is a first, he is sitting there gazing in at me as I am staring out at him. Our eyes are locked and I am loth to break the fix for I know when I do he will move. The owls do this sometimes from about the same spot which I have mentioned in earlier blogs. Very Harry Potteresque. I always wonder what animals and birds think as they look on at we human beings.

I have to finish ‘The Expected One’ by Kathleen McGowan (bet she is knows as Cathy McGowan, remember her? I had a fringe just like her). Our book group meets tomorrow night and I am looking forward to a deeply ‘theological’ and controversial discussion. If I read the books too far ahead I forget the main points I want to talk about.

I didn’t get to blog a second blog yesterday as after work I had to look after the two youngest granddaughters, S and E. Always a joy, we had a lovely time together. We got the deckchairs out, they were new this year but haven’t had much use so far. We enjoyed ice lollies, smoothies and Soleros. It actually felt like summer. The garden may be a jungle but I tried to avert my eyes from all the work that needs doing.

We spent some of the time in the garden in between watching our favourite artists who were playing at the Earth Concert (see previous blog for my thoughts about this). The concert was fantastic. My favourites? Genesis, (nice to see dear old Phil again), David Gray, Damien Rice, James Blunt, Keane, Snow Patrol and Madonna, (well she was just amazing). I loved the song she sang at the beginning of her set, not sure of the title - Hey You? I will post the video as soon as I can, she wrote it especially for yesterday’s concert and she sang it with a group of children

I hope the message gets across to those people who have not yet got started on being ‘green’. I remember when eating healthy foods and wholemeal bread was considered weird and cranky. And now the government, health services are pushing it like mad. Remember the chain of health food shops ‘Cranks? Trouble is time is short in this case and we have to act now if we want to save the planet for our grandchildren. Humans always believe want they want to believe. Some folk are like sheep and will follow a leader. The best way to lead is by example and I admire all those who have hopefully started the ball rolling; after all climate change is as much as a threat, if not more really, than terrorist acts of violence, legalised or otherwise.








Instead of Blessings.

I have been tagged and have to give five mood-lifters so here goes.

Well music of course, you won’t be surprised that I have put that first.

Distraction. Many things you can do here. Work is one and if you are lucky like me it is easy as I love my job and all the borrowers at the library. Other things you can do are housework, a good clean and tidy-up or a good de-clutter. Phone or email a friend or loved one.

Laughter/humour. Watch a funny DVD or TV programme. Try and see the funny side of life, don’t take yourself or anything else too seriously. Try and be around happy, positive people and try and cultivate optimism yourself. Laughter is ‘internal jogging’ for the soul.

Talking of jogging: daily exercise is essential as it releases those mood-enhancing endorphins.

Time alone is essential to me but I know not every one needs that.

Read uplifting, inspiring books and funny ones too.

Always have something, however ‘small’ to look forward to: in the next hour, day, week, month. I have mentioned this before.

There are Thoughts, Beliefs and Actions. Change any one of those and you will change another.

Remember ‘a hug a day keeps depression away‘.

And be like me and count those blessings every day.

Live in the Moment and Seize the Day.

Carpe Diem and all that.

Bye for now,
Caitx