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08 April 2022

Busy (Gently) Doing

It has been a much busier month for me here, despite that the rhythms that I so love, as the foundation and shape of our lives, have now returned to us.  We have finally found our groove and have settled in to it with a loving sigh, after what has felt like the longest wait.  The long pause was, although hard to navigate, an absolute necessity as we took stock of things.  Cameron starting college last September, along with friends also changing course in their own lives, had a dramatic effect on myself and Alice.  We both needed time to work out where we fitted into all of that and, what Alice, in particular, wanted to do now that her circle of friends had diminished to the point where there was no circle any more.  Time is the greatest of healers.  It never feels like that when you are in it, but looking back it is so often the case.  Time has allowed us to work out what our new rhythm needs to be for us at this time of our lives.

My intention to get out and walk everyday is still very much with me as an intention but there have been many a day when this has not translated into an action.  I have really loved walking in the dark, of an evening and now that the clocks have changed, and the days are getting longer, to continue means going out much later, which is not happening right now.  I know that being busier means I simply forget some days!  I am keeping this intention in mind and hope that I can continue to fit in a walk even when I have busy times.   The signs of spring slowly emerging have been lovely to see on recent walks.

I have however continued to declutter a part of the house each week.  I have cleared out under our bed, which is a valuable storage area in our small house, it needed a good hoover to remove the dust, there was rather a lot of it so the whole process made me sneeze.  A lot.  Several items have made it to the ever growing pile to be rehomed, I really need to remember to take it all to the charity shop when I next visit the local town.  I have also been through my wardrobe and cleared out any clothes that I have not worn in the past year, sometimes longer.  I usually do this every year, but as I had no where to donate items during COVID it has been neglected.  I have not bought any clothes for a long time, even from a charity shop, despite this I had a small pile of bits that can go to new homes, including a couple of pieces that can go back to the company that I bought them from as they are buying back old clothes in good condition.

Alice and I had a lovely spring equinox celebration during the week it occurred.  It was not the equinox itself but we were glad we waited until a day that felt right as it was really warm and sunny on the day we chose.  After we had shared words, songs, and meditated we lay in the sun listening to the bird song.  They were so loud.  It was a lovely way to spend a few hours.

I arranged to have a chat with my oldest friend recently, oldest in the sense that we have know each other since she was four and I, five.  I love that our conversations always meander all over the place.  We have not spoken for a while, I think the last time was my for my birthday in 2020, by complete coincidence that was eighteen months ago, to the date this post was published.  We only stopped when our phone batteries were on 1%, it was two and half hours of loveliness.  A true friendship is, for me, one where the conversation picks up straight away regardless of the time that has passed since last connecting. We had to arrange it as she is so very busy and our previous attempts at hoping it would happen some time soon were just not working.  I remember my late Great Aunt telling me about her weekly calls to a friend she too had known since the same age, she was devastated when her friend died a couple of years ago, they both lived to be over 100.  I hope my friend and I grow old together doing the same for many a year to come.

The needle felting is still happening apace we have nearly 60 hearts now.  We have a few more days until we need to start stringing them up into garlands.  They are taking up most of my crafting time for now but they are for an important cause.  I spent a whole weekend at fundraising events.  A lunch for a biking group who were passing through a local town raised nearly £200, the following day we did bag packing at a supermarket and, along with a stall of craft goods and selling raffle tickets, we raised over £1000.  It was a long and tiring day but so worth it with the amount we raised.  I am organising an event outside a local shop that sells outdoor clothing and equipment, it is over the Easter bank holiday weekend which is their busiest of the year.  We are selling homemade craft items, hence the needle felted garland, baked goods, raffle tickets and offering car washing.  It is all coming together, I have never organised anything like this before so it good that we are doing this a group of parents all supporting each other, it feels a lot less daunting that way.

I have found the time to add more stitches to my embroidery, I have finished my primroses and am now working on some squares of foliage.  I am thinking that I will make this into a patchwork bag of embroidery squares and fabric.  I have knitted very little as my hands have been busy needle felting.  I am thinking that by the time I have finished my current jumper it will be too warm to wear it, although given the summers we have had here recently I am sure there will still be days when I will need it.

I finally finished reading a book, my first that I started reading this year.  This brings my total books read this year to a grand total of two, the other I started reading at some point last year.  I read at bedtime and often don't manage more than a few pages before my eyelids get too heavy, it doesn't matter what time I head to bed it is always the same. Entangled Life by Martin Sheldrake was a rather marvellous view on the world of fungi.  I had heard some of the content before but there was so much in this book that was new to me.  Fungi are truly amazing and so little is known of them, they have the potential to solve so many of the worlds environmental problems.  A fascinating read on so many levels.  I have neatly followed the thread of that book into my next one Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard.  I am only a few chapters in but it is already another completely fascinating read.  The frequent references to fungi and mycelium are comforting in their familiarity, helping with my understanding of a potentially complex subject.  I knew I would enjoy this book, it was recommended to me by a friend who has yet to fail in her recommendations of good books to read.  I have been waiting for it to come out in paperback as I find hardback books a little too heavy to read in bed.  Book recommendations by friends have long fascinated me, I have another friend who often recommends books to me but I have yet to finish one of her recommendations, yet she has read all that I have suggested to her and loved them.  I haven't worked that one out yet!

The past few weeks have also been filled with work, scout volunteering, meetings a plenty, home ed groups, and plenty of rest.  I have turned down many an offer of things to do because I am busy resting.  My quiet time is sacred to me now in ways that I have not allowed it to be in the past.  It is an important and integral part of my week, a balance to my busyness and doing.   The stillness is recharging.  I can manage the busy times when I know that there will be time for rest too.

21 comments:

  1. You are managing to get a lot done - I hope you are enjoying that sense of achievement! I have a friend like that too - she lives in Canada, but when we meet or chat on the phone, it's like we have never been apart. They are very special people, aren't they? Good luck with the fundraising - I am sure you will do well.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Thank you Ellie, I am enjoying the sense of achievement. I do feel blessed by my friendship and am glad to hear that you too have one in your life too. The fundraising is taking over somewhat but I knew it would.

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  2. Oh, those little lambs, aren't they so cute. I've noticed the birdsong this past week or two, in fact I noticed it a little earlier than I would have liked but it's lovely to hear the birds singing at the crack of dawn again. It sounds like your fundraising is full on, it can take up a lot of time but definitely worth it in the end. It's good that you're getting plenty of rest to balance things out too.

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    1. The lambs are so gorgeous at this time of year. I love it when they are in the field opposite my house, I could watch them for hours when they start gamboling as a group together. I knew the fundraising would keep us all busy and it most definitely is!

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  3. It sounds like spring is happening all around you . . . and INSIDE you, too! Enjoy this time of "rebirth". XO

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    1. Thank you Kym, yes Spring is most definitely on its way.

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  4. It's hard to find a new rhythm after the past two years. I moved and I do have lots of family but so far have not made friends. In order to make friends I need to socialize and I'm not sure I ready to do that yet.. but I'm thinking about it! There is the library and our church where I could get involved when I am ready. I have been dedicated to my daily walk, weather permitting, and it makes for such a good day. I am lucky that the kids are grown and I have more wiggle room in my days. Enjoying the NOW is what is most important!!

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    1. Moving in lockdowns must have been hard Karen. I hear you now wanting to socialise just yet, that time will come at some point I am sure but not yet. I have been mixing with the same group for the last two years and am rather liking it but when you don't know folks in your area that makes things so much harder. Enjoying the now is really important I agree.

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  5. Busy times indeed. I was thinking about your comments about the rhythm of our lives. I have to admit ours were not affected too much except for not seeing friends and family. We didn't visit often anyway but I did miss the occasional get-togethers. As far as friends, most of our live so far away we are lucky to see them once a year. Our neighbors are nice but we have little in common with them as we share no common interests. So no visiting there. I love all your activities, though--so interesting. Do you read Gretel's blog? She is one wonderful needle felter. I'd never heard of it until I somehow stumbled on her blog about 13 years ago.

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    1. I am glad to hear that all the recent lockdowns did not have too much of an effect on you. I guess it depends how we live our lives and whether you mix with loads of folks or not. I think it has been hard for those who rely on this, we are kind of halfway in between I would say.

      Thank you for the heads up on the blog I had a look and it is a wonderful blog, thank you.

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  6. It is so helpful, as you note, to keep in mind that in the middle of busy seasons we can look ahead and know there will be time to rest and recharge.
    Feasting and fasting. Racing and resting. The natural cycles and rhythms are comforting, in a way.
    Always lovely to "hear" your voice in this space. <3

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    1. Thank you Elisabeth. The natural cycles are a comfort, they have been for me for many a year, I also love our lives to have a bit of rhythm to it even though I know that needs to change as the children get older and their needs change. It is like a safety net for me.

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  7. I am really pleased to read that you and Alice found your rhythm, one that works for you both. Change is not always easy to navigate and it takes time to adapt. You do sound awfully busy but I gather from your final section that you are taking time to rest, so all good. I need to learn to say no more, a tricky business.

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    1. Change does take time, you are so right, adapting can be hard particularly if the change is hard to navigate. Saying no is so hard, so hard but sometimes it is for the best for everyone involved. Better and honest yes than an insincere no is one of my favourite sayings.

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  8. I love the idea of being too busy resting! Too often we let the chores take precedence, forgetting that rest is an important part of life as well. Good to hear you are prioritizing it. I also have a friend I've known since age 6 and we sometimes can go years without speaking, but then pick right back up like no time has passed at all.

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    1. I so know about letting the chores take precedence, I know that I have pushed myself to do them even when I am exhausted. I would tell myself that I would rest when they were done and that never usually happened as then something else would come along and the rest time would be shelved. Prioritising rest is one of the best things I have done for self care and looking after myself.

      So lovely to hear that you have a friend you have know for years too.

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  9. I love your header collage. So nice to see all the bright Spring flowers and lambs. Hope you and your family are enjoying the Easter Holidays. X

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    1. Thank Shazza, I do love taking photos of the signs of spring as I see them.

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  10. What enchanting spring photos! Lovely to hear that you and Alice are gradually adjusting to all the recent changes, time certainly is a great healer. Goodness, the fund-raising is going well, long may that continue. Oh yes, I totally agree that fungi are amazingly mysterious, that book sounds fab. I'm glad you get and enjoy your quiet time, how we all need that.xxx

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    1. Thank you, I am glad you liked the photos. Time is a healer you are so right, the waiting can be hard but it can be what we need to help us adapt to change.

      The fund raising is going well but we need to do it all the time to keep the funds coming in. We have a payment to make at the end of May which we may hit but we could do with getting ahead of targets for those lean times when we might struggle to fundraise.

      The fungi book was a fascinating read, a little heavy at times but overall really good.

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  11. 'I am busy resting' - I love that! :) :) :) I may change my online status to that :) Good work on the de-cluttering - nice and easily does it - I should follow really. Great news on the ongoing fundraising too. I listened to extracts of Entangled Life - it was BBC Radio 4s Book Of The Week a couple of autumns ago. It was fascinating and the author's voice was very relaxing x

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