Our first quite damp day on the island for sometime and perhaps not the best day to take Scott and Molly to the castle. Sadly, not a day for photographs either so I will have to try again next week. On the shore the autumn winds are very noticeable now and the leaves are beginning to fall from the trees on our smallholding. We do need a last blast of summer sunshine to black up our green berries but I can see that the Hazel nuts are doing really well this year. My tomato plants have been put on their sides for the last few fruits to ripen and the grow bags are being cleared out of the way. I now need to make space for my bulbs that I plant in a whole range of containers. Some will be forced for Christmas and others will be left to over winter for flowering next spring. I have also begun harvesting sweet pea seeds despite some of the stems still flowering. I think the hedgerow harvesting will be underway earlier this year as I saw some early rosehips down by the shore yesterday. I use these on my Christmas wreaths along with hedgerow seed heads. I have written a piece about seasonal wreath making for a course I am on with Waverly Fitzgerald so I intend to publish it on my Seasonal Creativity page on One soul many hearts and will let you know when it is live.
Let us talk books. I have an inclination to include a book review page on One soul many hearts where we might share reviews of uplifting books both fiction and nonfiction. This came to me after an old school friend shared that she was about to start reading To Kill a Mockingbird. For me, this is the stand out book of that century and my favourite book of all time. It got me thinking that many of us will have read inspirational books and might like to share a quick review or at least comment on a review that someone else has written. A good book review never betrays the story but does highlight the things to look out for as well as stating their overall opinion on the read. I wonder if a page dedicated to sharing reviews of inspirational books might be a useful addition to the site? I am not interested in reading reviews of poor books and that would not be in keeping with the site. Do let me know your views on this possible addition to the site while I continue to mull it over. Meantime I am continuing to work my way through all the writings that have come in in time for the launch of One soul many hearts. In the vast majority of cases these writers have not written much, if anything, before and I can not tell you how impressed I am. People have really responded to the call for pieces that come from the heart and the stories are all the more enriched for this approach. There is a realism about the writings that allow you to connect with the writer on a level that is rewarding as well as asking for some personal reflection. Writing that stimulates thought is writing that has achieved something that makes it, somehow, worthy. This is memorable writing and that is what One soul many hearts is about and I could not be more thrilled.
I am about to expand the 'pool' of potential writers with call for submissions going out on various writing networks but I will always treasure these embryonic beginnings that have allowed new writers to start the journey of finding their voice. I remember when I wanted to write a dance degree where applicants did not have to have previous dance experience. Many people thought I was mad then so not much has changed. But I will always remember my very favourite final group dance that was made up of students who had never danced until they joined the course. The piece pushed the boundaries of the dance genre and at the same time created memorable dance language that will stay with me forever. I have a piece of writing going out for the launch of this new site that I will never forget and the writer has never written anything before.....here we go again.
Making space for writing from the heart will probably define my work going forward. The writing coming through from my very first meditation through writing course is testament to this. These students have spent the past few months digging deeply into their unconscious minds and the writing is getting better and better. For me, writing must be authentic and this is what is the aim of my online course. Students are not only discovering a writing voice but they are also finding things that they feel compelled to write about. One student described herself recently as a 'vessel' as the words flowed from her onto the page. That is so often the case in writing when you are in the zone and this is just the feedback I needed to extend my online portfolio of courses. 2014 will be a busy year and I hope it will include a month away to finish my novel. I am completely paranoid that someone else will stumble upon the idea before I have time to write it. I just need somewhere quiet by myself to get the job done. Must dash as Scott and Molly are joining us for supper. Those of you that know me well will be desperate to know what I think of Molly's boyfriend. She will quite literally kill me if I say too much so I will keep this short....adorable!
Until tomorrow xx
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