TAKE OUT ANOTHER NOTEBOOK, PICK UP ANOTHER PEN AND JUST WRITE, JUST WRITE, JUST WRITE. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD MAKE ONE POSITIVE STEP. IN THE CENTRE OF CHAOS, MAKE ONE DEFINITIVE ACT. JUST WRITE. SAY YES, STAY ALIVE, BE AWAKE. JUST WRITE. JUST WRITE. JUST WRITE. NATALIE GOLDBERG
It’s the first day of the new school-term. Although I’m pleased to have my writing time back to myself in the shed I miss my Daisy. Courtesy of The Writer’s Almanac, here’s a poem that probably sums up my girl’s feelings this morning.
I love to rise in a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
Oh, what sweet company!
But to go to school in a summer morn, —
O it drives all joy away;
Under a cruel eye outworn,
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.
Ah then at times I drooping sit,
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning’s bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?
O father and mother, if buds are nipped,
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care’s dismay, —
How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?
“The Schoolboy” by William Blake, from Songs of Experience,
This week I am aiming to stay awake. To be present and to write, write, write as in the quote above.
bunny yeager image source
deer image source
helena as enid blyton source
Hi Josephine, I hope that Daisy’s day at school went well. Always harder to go back at school after a long break! Miss P only has 2 more days left then she breaks up for the summer holidays. In September it will be a brand new start…big school. She doesn’t want to leave her school, she knows it will be a big change. Luckily she will have some of her friends going there too, that will help. More time for you to get on with wrting etc..but understandably the house must feel quieter without Daisy playing, chating and laughing.
Lovely poem, how many school children must feel that way…
I love your new look blog, very romantic! The side borders would make a lovely wallpaper.
Thank you for your link on my blog about Mimi Kirk, I have quite a few books on raw food since attending a raw food course in Glastonbury almost 3 years ago. I do not have that one though and have just ordered it! I agree with you, she looks amazing! So many do though when on a raw food diet. I couldn’t go 100% raw though, I still like the other foods too much 🙂 Being 50% raw makes a big difference as it is. I went to Chalice Well years ago and really want to go back again. What type of yoga do you do? I am looking around locally and I thing that the yoga most suited to my needs will be the hatha yoga. I look forward to getting started.
It looks like you had a wonderful time in Tasmania but that it is always hard for you to leave…
Take care of yourself
Isabelle xxx
oh you sound so melancholy … hope you get back into a satisfactory routine with the writing and school stuff. i feel really happy about rex’s school, he seems to be blooming there, so luckily i have no qualms about him going. i just find the homework (in prep!) and lunches a bit of a chore. take care, jxxx