Just a Simple Soul Enjoying Simple Things



I am a simple soul; I don't need much to make me happy.  A new pair of comfortable sandals that don't rub and enflame my poor old tender feet; a pre-loved dress that fits perfectly in a colour the depth of the ocean with an outrageous pattern of exotic birds - which is so not 'me' yet somehow is. Three books purchased from the second-hand bookshop.  At last some new reading material.  That's all it takes - oh and a goats cheese and onion marmalade tart for lunch at the pub - simple needs for a simple soul.

Books are like the windows of a great tower.  They let light in.  ~ Wm. Leroy Stidger

  I seem to be turning into an eccentric at this stage in my life.  Revelling in out-of-the-ordinary books by Jonathan Carroll which are totally weird and wonderful  see Neil Gaiman's essay on the author here if you are interested, certainly not to everyone's taste, but I love the strangeness of his tales. Trying different fiction that I wouldn't have thought I'd enjoy including those about magical worlds.  Discovering a passion for apocalyptic 'zombie' movies. Developing a penchant for impractical coloured shoes. (For those of you who haven't heard of the poem 'Warning' by Jenny Joseph I have put it at the end of the post).

Real happiness lies in the little things, in a bit of gardening work, in the rattle of the teacups in the next room,
in the last chapter of a book. ~ W.N.P.Barbellion

I feel less need for conversation and more need for quiet; solitude is welcomed and the urge to write everything down before it is forgotten.

I shall probably end up an old 'bag' lady, wandering the streets muttering obscenities to myself, but doing something completely out of character is kind of liberating, and I am enjoying finding a side to myself that I didn't realise existed.

Meanwhile, back to relative normality, and a stroll we took the other day.

It was a gentle, whispering breeze kind of morning filled with sunlight.  We strolled the lanes around our local lake armed with  cameras in the hopes of catching the special feel of the day.  We were not disappointed.  Just a couple of miles down the hill from our home; turn sharp right at the bottom - past fields of corn and swaying grasses, grazing sheep and cattle and you come to the water.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks ~ John Muir

A high hedged lane creates a tunnel;  you emerge into the open where the Sailing Club HQ sits,  although I have never actually seen a boat on the water.  A couple of fishermen sit on the far bank;  there is no one else about - to be honest, we hardly ever see anyone else.  The Lake was constructed in 1802 as a feed for the Grand Union Canal.  I have been visiting here since the 80's in all kinds of weather in every season - so it comes as no surprise that I think I know it like the back of my hand - but every time I visit there is always something new to see.

The earth has music for those who listen ~ George Santayana

The water level is way down at this time of year, revealing a beach of sorts, flower strewn with Silverweed and exposed Willow roots.  We see Geese settled and sleeping in the distance and Mallard on the water's edge. 

I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people.  I thought "This is what is means to be happy." ~ Sylvia Plath

Thistles dominate the roadside now, interspersed with beautiful Bullrush towering elegantly above.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts ~ Rachel Carson

We amble along the lane, stopping every now and then to take pictures of the Cornfield and the Butterflies on the wild Buddleia - settling, then fluttering off after warming their wings in the sun.

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth ~ Henry David Thoreau

We were only out for an hour - but in that time so many things caught our eye.  The Sloes and Blackberries forming  - slowly turning from green to purple.

Such a pleasant way to spend a morning - just ambling and taking everything in - soaking it up and storing it in our memory to bring out in the depths of winter when we need it most.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where non intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar,
I love Man non the less,
But Nature more.
~ George Gordon Byron

The rest of the day was spent pleasantly in the garden pottering from one job to another before sitting down to a Roast Chicken dinner followed by Cherry Pie and Ice Cream.  A perfect end to the day when the evening sky was streaked with lavender and pink as the sun slipped down the horizon and out of sight.

Warning by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple

That's it for another week - 'til next time.

Elaine