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| Gate at the Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh |
I can be accused to going into my head a bit too much and I think this is where I am today. I think the lack of sleep is rather getting to me and I have lost connection with people around me. Of course it might be my age and something most women of a certain age suffer from. Thankfully family life is such that I can't stay in my head for too long. I wish I could report that wonderful things are going on in my head but, sadly, no! I just feel detached slightly but I have turned this into something more positive by having a massive clear out. I have filled 5 dustbin bags with clothes I no longer wear and my bedroom feels a little clearer. I am at a stage in my life when I don't want so many things around me and that includes my beloved books. I have collected books my whole life but every time we move we almost need a separate van just for those. A boyfriend at university got me reading classical literature and I have not stopped since. Rarely do I re-read a classic though so they just sit around gathering dust. I have kept back three books - War and Peace (my first ever classics read and a present from said boyfriend), Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.
I will re-read War and Peace because I haven't read it since I was 19 and I am not sure I understood it well enough back then. Huckleberry Finn teaches us about communication and I use it in school with the boys from time to time so that has been left on the shelf. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favourite all time contemporary classic as it teaches us about bravery and empathy. I feel I will be betraying these traits if I give the book away. There are times when we all need to be brave and if there was more empathy in the world it would be a much better place. If I am truly honest I am constantly surprised how many people struggle with empathy. It is something I encouraged in my children from when they turned around 8 years and all four of them have mastered the skill and carry it with them always. I consider it my greatest lesson.
The books I use for work are still in tact but in time they will pay visits to the charity shop as well. I did come across a book that I read several years ago by Jeanne Preston called 'The Diary of a Farmer's Wife 1796-1797'. Nothing will make me part with this. I have a 1964 version which happens to be my birth year. I have given you a link to the latest version available on Amazon at a shockingly low price.
This is a diary of her great grandmother's (Anne) life as a farmer's wife back in the 18th century. It is completely fascinating and teaches us so much about human nature. It taught me a great deal about being a modern woman as I tried so hard to make sense of her life. Modern woman should stop and have a conversation with women from centuries ago and this book provides that context. The husband John is an interesting character and the whole of Anne's life is devoted to making him happy and keeping him away from bad moods. It is a million miles away from the way most women live their lives today and is easily dismissed as a result. But I read it from cover to cover and Anne was the first person to put me on the road towards a simpler life. A life where you make the most of each and every moment and your focus moves as Anne teaches you how the smallest every day task can bring joy and a degree of peace. When she wrote her diary she could have had no idea that it would be published or that it would have such a profound impact on readers that really engage with it.
You absolutely feel like you know Anne by the end of the book and you even start chatting to her about your every day tasks. So, the book has a magic about it that we can never fully understand. I found this book in a second hand book shop and when I went to pay for it the owner said he didn't even have it catalogued so it didn't exist to him. I got the impression his catalogue was very important to him. He wouldn't accept any money for it because his system couldn't cope with that. it does make you wonder how long the book had been on that shelf?
None of todays activities have brought me closer to the plant sale at the weekend but the tunnel was far too hot to work in and I think I am almost ready anyway. Everything will get moved into situ tomorrow morning while George bakes lots and lots of cakes. Once this weekend is out of the way I can continue planting out with stock that is left. I am taking this as a bit of a sign. If I have a lot left over I will simply shift the emphasis into cut flowers and dried herbs and see where that takes me. This is rather an organic approach to business planning but it has always worked in the past. We shall see......
I was impressed reading Molly's first blog post on her new blog Conservation Stories. Her blog is much harder than mine as she needs to strike a balance between accessible writing and writing that informs and educates. This is not easy but I think she has started well. In my experience you find your blog voice over time so I look forward to the direction Molly will be leading us in. I do hope that you can find some time to read it and I am now off to put it in as a link on my favourite sites in the sidebar.
I do hope Thursday has been good to you and that your evening will be lovely in this sunshine.
Until tomorrow. xx
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