It is indeed the time of year when preparations for Christmas seem to explode and suddenly everywhere you look there are pointless stuffs and all types of frilly affairs you can buy and bring home to clutter up your personal space. Yes, I have developed a rather wry cynical stance on Christmas decorations over the last couple years and when I see all this rubbish everywhere I get to thinking what's it all really for and what's it all about, and what does it mean; the STUFF. For me, Christmas goes much deeper: it is a story of hope that continually fuels the spice in me to get out of bed every day, and keep on fighting.
But still, the prettiness of all the trees, lights, make-believe living-rooms with fireplaces, and the creatively thought out displays and conclutterance does still seem to have a certain awe-inspiring pull to it and appeals to the little girl inside me. Then I find myself despite of the wry cynical thoughts, gazing mouth open at the pretty pink lights and ending up coming home with a small set of simple funky pink flower shaped lights, a lantern-type thing and a small branch, to make myself some sort of funky tree-like deal with the pink flowers wrapped around the branch inside the lantern.
Now it's set before the mirror in the back of my living room and it's kind of cool. It's not Christmas, it's just pink flower lights on a branch. In a lantern. Well, I have small (what people call) Christmas lights on my balcony all through the dark months but to me they are just cosy lights. Anyhow, I am a regular visitor at the green place now - everyday I go on my two hour trek, peppering along at a hasty pace by the lake and onto the garden centre, have a nice sit down and some fresh juice, gawp at all the nice enticing plants, try not to buy any and head on home again.
Since seven weeks I've started a kind of new lifestyle of walking and cycling rather obsessively with a view to becoming - how shall I put it - more *minimal*. And thankfully, I am slowly but surely compacting into a smaller parcel of Honorness. Eating healthy and excercising and keeping those things up on a daily basis is a challenge but I already feel like a new person from making these changes. I've got more energy, life seems a titch less heavy-going and my clothes are getting bigger which is quite... interesting.
In my last post I said I'd be going away for a few days to the sea. Well, I went; there and back again - (just like Bilbo Baggins), and it was amazing. It was indeed a lovely blustery affair through and through; plenty of nice beach walks, moody clouds and burly windiness. A fair few nice hot cups of teas were had in cosy beach cafes (and the occasional delightful hot chocolate with whipped cream), and I did manage to accumulate a mountainess number of photos on my quest to find cool artistic shots.
Endless patience was required for the birds; waiting waiting for that great shot. My favourite cafe there - which I have re-named "The Cookie-bird Cafe", is on the beach, and if it was quiet the little mischievous and cheeky birds would come and eat my tea cookies on the table. The wind did indeed blow the cobwebs out of my head and the freshness of the whole being away affair was good for me; and I managed to work on my poetry.
The jazz is finally moving forward too - I've managed (mostly) to make peace and compromise with my neighbours and am working out on the piano much more. Endlessly working out chords in all keys and improvisings - discovering a myriad of great sounds, a realm of musics that makes me smile, gets my foot tapping and makes me feel all jiggly. Improvisation is an adventure I am enjoying more and more. I just wish I could get to writing down some of the stuff I've worked out and composed, all those spicy notes are knocking around in my head but I just don't have time to get them down on manuscript. As well as the jazz I'm working on Debussy's sarabande from 'Pour le piano'. It's beautiful - but some of the chords are too big for my little hands, so I'm having to cheat now and then.
My daily trek is a good time to air all this stuff, plus all the regular musings, some bothersome insecurities and numerous wonderings rattling around in my head. Walks in the autumn are great. The swallows are chattering in tree-tops and everyday when I walk I enjoy seeing the geese in flight, and those lovely white angels (the swans, in case you're wondering). Apart from that blasted little yappy dog I wanted to kick into the middle of next week that appraised me menacingly for a moment before - (then I knew it was coming) - sinking his chompers into my trousers when I was out walking; and the strange people that stare (yeah I know I look weird but please....) - I am enjoying my walkings immensely. Even when it's rainings.
On that point I'll close and walk on out of this blog and off to cop a few zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's since it's now the middle of the night after I spent ages trying to mess with my photos in this post to get them right.
Goodnight.