Setting up a caravan with Mum and a loopy Labrador has been great fun. We've forgotten lots of things, especially the warm layers of clothing required for chilly mornings! My excuse is lack of space in the car and over-stretched brain cells. We are lucky to have central heating and we soon get warm. Has no-one invented a solar panel for caravans yet??
We lost the chocolate dog for a while yesterday morning. Picture me running around the grass in pyjamas looking for the missing hound. She was found a few rows back, looking bewildered by the sameness of all the green holiday homes. Relief all round.
The people are so lovely here. A friend popped in with a caravan-warming present (a freshly painted watercolour) and as Mum and I sat outside in the sun sharing one chair between two, the site manager drove up in a truck and unloaded a beautiful padded sun lounger for our use until we get some of our own!
We are making the most of our last day. My early morning walk on the beach was filled with ringed plovers scuttling in the edge of the high tide, a chatty young fisherman casting for sea bass and the knowledge I can visit anytime I want to enjoy this magical place.
Wishing you sunshine and sea breezes,
Ellie x
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Garden of my mind
The garden of my mind is a rich, fertile place, reaching out far beyond me and touching places I can only begin to imagine. Right now it requires sustenance, food of a physical and not just a creative kind. I find myself woken up at 6am by the characters in my new story shouting for attention. Like the persistant ringing of an alarm bell, they wish to speak. Their words and wishes take precedence and scenes form and fade, tumbling one over the other.
Eventually they calm down and let me have a cup of tea. I wander in the garden, cool and cloudy now, admiring the pots and trembling violas. I notice a snail has already nibbled the brand new alstromeria, leaving a silvery trail on the leaves - make a mental note to put gravel on top of the compost (I knew I ought to do it yesterday and was distracted!).
Last night's barbecue lies cold and blackened. Memories of the Easter Egg hunt my lovely son organised. We were frantic, racing across the gravel in search of sweet chocolate surprises. He's carrying on a tradition lasting years. I always organised an egg hunt for family and friends. Now he's taken on the mantle and I'm moved by the fun and dedication he shows. Photographs are posted on Facebook. We are tagged and people smile at our antics.
It's good for the garden to be a happy place. I take so much pleasure in it, becoming an accidental gravel gardener - such a surprising medium for plants to seed themselves down in. The tomatoes are sprouting at last and my addiction for filling every pot in sight with flowers or food is fully indulged.
Getting back to watering the words of a new story and watching it grow now. Even the weeds are allowed to seed themselves in case they reveal a new nugget or direction. All creative worms are welcome here.
Eventually they calm down and let me have a cup of tea. I wander in the garden, cool and cloudy now, admiring the pots and trembling violas. I notice a snail has already nibbled the brand new alstromeria, leaving a silvery trail on the leaves - make a mental note to put gravel on top of the compost (I knew I ought to do it yesterday and was distracted!).
Last night's barbecue lies cold and blackened. Memories of the Easter Egg hunt my lovely son organised. We were frantic, racing across the gravel in search of sweet chocolate surprises. He's carrying on a tradition lasting years. I always organised an egg hunt for family and friends. Now he's taken on the mantle and I'm moved by the fun and dedication he shows. Photographs are posted on Facebook. We are tagged and people smile at our antics.
It's good for the garden to be a happy place. I take so much pleasure in it, becoming an accidental gravel gardener - such a surprising medium for plants to seed themselves down in. The tomatoes are sprouting at last and my addiction for filling every pot in sight with flowers or food is fully indulged.
Getting back to watering the words of a new story and watching it grow now. Even the weeds are allowed to seed themselves in case they reveal a new nugget or direction. All creative worms are welcome here.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Gardening by the light of the moon...
I find myself gardening enthusiastically hoeing, mulching sewing seeds. The weather is perfect for this activity, although the ground is very dry and I find myself wishing for rain overnight to save me (and the water meter) having to do it and for the farmers who must be complaining by now. Rain tonight would mean obscuring the moon, which is full at 03.44 on Monday morning. I'm not very good at planting seeds by the moon cycle, they're probably a bit late going in and will need all the magic of those silver rays to get them started (plus the aforementioned water!). Gardening is more by luck than good judgement in these parts with seedlings and plants often left to fend for themselves for long, dry periods before I make a mad dash out there to save a wilting specimen. I'm in training to walk around the garden at least twice a day, noticing the plight of any brown and curling leaves in needs of attention, plus showing kindness to sundry wildlife that chooses to fly into the conservatory and become trapped behind the double glazing. A well-used bug jar and a postcard of Barmouth comes in very handy at these times. I never thought I had so much to say about gardening! It's blissful to look out over the cherry blossom and early clematis and think that no matter how neglectful I appear to be, it all keeps coming back for more. The scent of laurel flowers - so potent this year - is overpowering and an orange-tip butterfly dances over the border in need of a coat of mulch and water. I return to the seeds of new life, in the hope of eating freshly picked salad leaves very soon and sharing the fat worm I found at the bottom of a pot with the very friendly robin. Happy Full Moon Gardening!
Thursday, 3 February 2011
A Large Field to Wander In
I have borrowed the title of one of Natalie Goldberg's chapters from her book Writing Down the Bones, on this windy Friday morning in February. She encapsulates the need to go to the edge, from a writer's point of view, to have the courage to open ourselves up to writing with passion, depth, in our bravest voice.
I realise, as I have lived on this planet for fifty years, that this is where I find myself on many levels. Not wanting the safe, comfortable, tidy route I did my best to follow for so many years. There was always a part of me ready to break out, to explode across the page of life with noise, colour and exuberance! For the rest of my days, I want to not only smell the roses, but to lie down with them, touch them, taste them and know their inner workings.
I choose not the path of most comfort (though there are days when I crave it and hide wrapped up in the duvet) but of adventure, challenging myself to grow and go deeper through relationships and experiences.
I could take the view that the second chapter is about to begin, the one where most people contemplate a comfortable retirement and an easier way of life. There's nothing wrong with wishing for that. My wishes for the next fifty years reach out like a baby's arms, with a mixture of curiosity, zest and fearlessness, in some kind of upside-down reality kind of path, presenting itself to me through everyday experiences and extraordinary ones that come begging, every now and then, to be followed and allowed space and time for exploration, plus the courage to express all that I discover.
It is with a brave heart I accept and invite increasing amounts of joy, love and connection in and the real hope these transfer to my writing and working life. Watch out for Ellie as she spreads her wings wider!
Wishing you an adventurous Friday,
with love, Ellie xx
I realise, as I have lived on this planet for fifty years, that this is where I find myself on many levels. Not wanting the safe, comfortable, tidy route I did my best to follow for so many years. There was always a part of me ready to break out, to explode across the page of life with noise, colour and exuberance! For the rest of my days, I want to not only smell the roses, but to lie down with them, touch them, taste them and know their inner workings.
I choose not the path of most comfort (though there are days when I crave it and hide wrapped up in the duvet) but of adventure, challenging myself to grow and go deeper through relationships and experiences.
I could take the view that the second chapter is about to begin, the one where most people contemplate a comfortable retirement and an easier way of life. There's nothing wrong with wishing for that. My wishes for the next fifty years reach out like a baby's arms, with a mixture of curiosity, zest and fearlessness, in some kind of upside-down reality kind of path, presenting itself to me through everyday experiences and extraordinary ones that come begging, every now and then, to be followed and allowed space and time for exploration, plus the courage to express all that I discover.
It is with a brave heart I accept and invite increasing amounts of joy, love and connection in and the real hope these transfer to my writing and working life. Watch out for Ellie as she spreads her wings wider!
Wishing you an adventurous Friday,
with love, Ellie xx
Friday, 28 January 2011
It's all about vibration...
Wouldn't it be good to know what we're attracting into our lives before it actually arrives? The gift of recognising what we're asking for can be both a blessing and a bit of a burden sometimes. I'm sitting here snuggled up in bed, wondering if a chill or the beginning of flu has taken hold (totally my own fault for not dressing properly when out and about yesterday) and also feeling the weight of worry about something that is definitely not mine. Is that a woman thing to do? Trying to take on the problems of family members/friends/the economy/the world without need or invitation to do so?
My wish now is always to maintain the happiness, health and sanity of my particular bit of life, on the basis that it's more helpful to be spreading out the normal vivacity and joy I feel than to try and tackle anything not created by or benefiting from my sticking my oar in where it's not wanted. It's hard to explain and may sound like I'm absolving myself from any responsbility for the inner workings of this great world of ours. That's not true. My beliefs have changed so much. I used to think that all the larger organisations were responsible for the general health and happiness of us all (the government, schools, councils etc.) but through the last few years have come to believe that personal responsibility is the real point of power, both for ourselves and the wider world. It's a subject I could probably talk about all day, debate with you long and hard and you'd probably disagree with lots I had to say. (Now scoop out that negative thought Ellie, and flick it right away!)
The truth is I take full responsibility for what I'm thinking, feeling and doing about it. This way I get to offer my best, both in the world of my home and relationships and to the joining in of the greater good. As the ripples of loving and positive beliefs spread outwards, they then attract more of the same and the creative forces join together in a dance of progress leading to more connections between us and wonderful events happening. A simple cup of coffee with a friend can lead to ideas and help flowing, as was demonstrated to me so clearly in a cafe in Worcester yesterday.
The clues are all there for us, spread out like a carpet of leaves, each offering a deepening of experience and the resulting satisfaction when we're brave enough to find out what's waiting beneath each one. So go on, take courage today, turn over one of those leaves, see what you find and attract a new, exciting thread into your life, let it hum with anticipation, expectancy, willingness and follow the warm feeling of the journey it takes you on.
From the quiet of a warm room looking out into the crispness of Friday morning,
Love Ellie xx
My wish now is always to maintain the happiness, health and sanity of my particular bit of life, on the basis that it's more helpful to be spreading out the normal vivacity and joy I feel than to try and tackle anything not created by or benefiting from my sticking my oar in where it's not wanted. It's hard to explain and may sound like I'm absolving myself from any responsbility for the inner workings of this great world of ours. That's not true. My beliefs have changed so much. I used to think that all the larger organisations were responsible for the general health and happiness of us all (the government, schools, councils etc.) but through the last few years have come to believe that personal responsibility is the real point of power, both for ourselves and the wider world. It's a subject I could probably talk about all day, debate with you long and hard and you'd probably disagree with lots I had to say. (Now scoop out that negative thought Ellie, and flick it right away!)
The truth is I take full responsibility for what I'm thinking, feeling and doing about it. This way I get to offer my best, both in the world of my home and relationships and to the joining in of the greater good. As the ripples of loving and positive beliefs spread outwards, they then attract more of the same and the creative forces join together in a dance of progress leading to more connections between us and wonderful events happening. A simple cup of coffee with a friend can lead to ideas and help flowing, as was demonstrated to me so clearly in a cafe in Worcester yesterday.
The clues are all there for us, spread out like a carpet of leaves, each offering a deepening of experience and the resulting satisfaction when we're brave enough to find out what's waiting beneath each one. So go on, take courage today, turn over one of those leaves, see what you find and attract a new, exciting thread into your life, let it hum with anticipation, expectancy, willingness and follow the warm feeling of the journey it takes you on.
From the quiet of a warm room looking out into the crispness of Friday morning,
Love Ellie xx
Sunday, 23 January 2011
A Life of Love....
I love to write in silver and add a touch of glitter to give life a sparkle when at all possible. I like to do this in every setting, whever I find myself, it's good to exude the aura of sparkliness. This always brings love into the mix. Watch the beginning of the film Love Actually, and you will hear the words love is everywhere. In my observation this is so true and the more we focus upon it, the more love comes into our lives. It's a magnet of the most wonderful force, turning the apparently mundane into a series of special moments as we notice the nuances of love.
It may take a little practise. The obvious loving acts are easier to spot. What of the more subtle moments? The simple touch of a hand on a back that may go unnoticed, but says 'I support you'. The twinkle in an eye that says 'you look good today'. The quiet acceptance of a mood that won't quite go away, a cup of tea appearing without asking and the gentle bending of a tree to say we are connected.
As I step outside my door today, with a list of life's more practical necessities to achieve, I look, I touch, taste and hear all the love filling every second of the day. Because everything created and being brought into the range of our attention, had a caring thought behind it, an idea to make our lives easier or more fulfilled.
Embrace everyone and everything you come across today and I will open my heart more into the possibility of knowing more and living more from love.
With loving waves coming your way today,
Ellie xx
It may take a little practise. The obvious loving acts are easier to spot. What of the more subtle moments? The simple touch of a hand on a back that may go unnoticed, but says 'I support you'. The twinkle in an eye that says 'you look good today'. The quiet acceptance of a mood that won't quite go away, a cup of tea appearing without asking and the gentle bending of a tree to say we are connected.
As I step outside my door today, with a list of life's more practical necessities to achieve, I look, I touch, taste and hear all the love filling every second of the day. Because everything created and being brought into the range of our attention, had a caring thought behind it, an idea to make our lives easier or more fulfilled.
Embrace everyone and everything you come across today and I will open my heart more into the possibility of knowing more and living more from love.
With loving waves coming your way today,
Ellie xx
Monday, 10 January 2011
The ups and downs of Monday morning...
I really wasn't sure what was going on this morning, there had been the scent of disappointment in the air last night, when a friend who promised to call, somehow couldn't do it, though I do understand, I've been in that space myself. The ups and downs of a dating life, a creative life and all the other threads I do my best to balance and lovingly stay aware of every day.
Sometimes I get it right and sometimes spectacularly wrong. It is easier to get things wrong these days, the beating up doesn't last for very long and I find myself acknowledging the lesson and laughing about the event rather than crying or hiding! Being ourselves is vital and it appears to be part of a woman's role to keep a weather eye out all around her for the needs and nuances of others as we juggle all that is asked of us every day.
The housework becomes a metaphor for the larger expectations of family life, yes, everyone else is all right as long as you are doing what is expected, the washing,the ironing, the cooking, the dusting, but they find it challenging when you step outside this role and explore a part of you that has been waiting for a long time to be expressed.
I juggle with this every day, as do millions of wonderful women (keeping this country and their menfolk going!) and confess to giving in to the creative, growing opportunities that wait outside the door or in a different place inside, crying out for attention. Step forward the poet, the song writer, the business woman, the philosopher and all the hidden threads of me longing for expression from behind the ironing board and duster.
Don't give up, today could be the day when we shine a wonderful beam of light into the deepest recesses of our creative souls.
May everything you do today go one step further than you thought possible,
With love,
Ellie xx
Sometimes I get it right and sometimes spectacularly wrong. It is easier to get things wrong these days, the beating up doesn't last for very long and I find myself acknowledging the lesson and laughing about the event rather than crying or hiding! Being ourselves is vital and it appears to be part of a woman's role to keep a weather eye out all around her for the needs and nuances of others as we juggle all that is asked of us every day.
The housework becomes a metaphor for the larger expectations of family life, yes, everyone else is all right as long as you are doing what is expected, the washing,the ironing, the cooking, the dusting, but they find it challenging when you step outside this role and explore a part of you that has been waiting for a long time to be expressed.
I juggle with this every day, as do millions of wonderful women (keeping this country and their menfolk going!) and confess to giving in to the creative, growing opportunities that wait outside the door or in a different place inside, crying out for attention. Step forward the poet, the song writer, the business woman, the philosopher and all the hidden threads of me longing for expression from behind the ironing board and duster.
Don't give up, today could be the day when we shine a wonderful beam of light into the deepest recesses of our creative souls.
May everything you do today go one step further than you thought possible,
With love,
Ellie xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)