Day 190 - Secrets and plants. xx

Tuesday 9th July

I am quite sure you could all hear the echoes of concentration radiating from Hazelbank this morning.  The boys were deep in 'mathsland' with Pete and I was finishes my pdf for month two of my meditation through writing course.  There were the odd bubbles of frustrations but on the whole we seem to have survived the experience.  After a suitable break to do domestic jobs I was then back into the concentration zone, this time with Harry, studying the cardiovascular system.  My head hurts!  Home school continues to stretch us and Pete and I are constantly having to 'hit the books' to keep a pace with the boys.  It does make for lively minds some of the time but other times are more of a fog.  The fogs descend when we have reached saturation point and this happens on a regular basis.  I like nothing better than watching one of my children soaring beyond me as that is the natural order of things. 

George, Max and I are currently into wading birds as we try and assist with Molly's dissertation studies.  We are collecting data on Arran while she is doing the same on the Isle of Eigg.  She has then established a comparative analysis which, I feel, will be fascinating.  July is such an important month in the breeding season are young birds are putting their first footprints on the earth.  But on Arran July is tourist season and so today, for example, the beach was full of swimmers and sun seekers.  I can not think that is compatible with wading birds and their young.  The Isle of Eigg is, altogether, a different experience for the waders.  There they have more control of the shore and so the results of the data will be fascinating.  It is not possible to change the cycle of the breeding season so what do the waders on Arran do about this massive influx of the human species?  A real case of 'watch this space'.

The slight anxiety relates to my limited knowledge of wading birds so I am hitting the bird books.  It would not do to let ones daughter down in her dissertation.....I would never hear the end of it. 

I am pleased to say that my morning concentrations were not wasted as I did complete my pdf and I am delighted with it.  It is not until I sit down to write these that I realise just how well read I am in this field and it is a joy to put it all in one place.  I might be delivering this course but I am, myself, studying my own online courses and getting continual feedback on my writing.  The latest feedback is that my writing is in the 'contemplative genre'.  You just know I had to go off and look up what that meant!  I understand it to mean that there is a first reading and then there is a deeper reading where the reader draws on their own life experiences to reflect on the deeper messages.  Now I know what it is I can look for it in my own work but I am pleased that others are seeing it in the pieces I am writing.  I need to spend time updating my personal blog, Fiona Doubleday, as that is where I share my original writing.  I have added that to my 'to do' list. 

I do know that I do contemplate and I do reflect so I am not surprised it is appearing in my writing.  I am currently studying contemplative photography which is a real fascination for me.  I have hundreds and hundreds of photos on my hard drive that are of nothing or no one in particular.  I never know why I take the shot but I just see something that I want to capture.  I have shown a small selection to a contemplative photographer and he has confirmed that I am inhabiting that space.  How interesting that I am doing with my photography what I am also doing with my writing.  I am thinking this is an age thing.  Perhaps the late 40s are a time for contemplation and if so I certainly qualify.  I am also thinking it might be something to do with my relationship with the natural world.  I take so much inspiration from it and weave it into so much that I do.  The natural world is an ever-changing, timeless beauty that forces us to stop and stare and in there I sense exists contemplation.

Talking about stop and stare you will laugh!  I ventured into Brodick today with Pete and the boys to do the odd domestic job like library, bank and supermarket and I thought I must have forgotten to put a key item of clothing on because people kept staring at me.  It wasn't until I was in the bank queue and someone did a double take that I realised what was going on.  They were all recognising me from the article in last weeks Sunday Post.  There was a bit of finger pointing and tongue wagging and as I left Brodick I gave a lovely royal wave and the boys fell about in the back of the car.  Mind you Pete did say that the photo of me was so big that you could probably see it from space.  I let that one go...

So I am taking my tired brain off for some R&R in the tunnel for the daily watering and harvesting.  I know that I contemplate in there but I can't ever really tell you what about.  It is between me and my plants. 

Until tomorrow.  xx