I said I’d not update the blog until returning from Redmire……..but
today I have found inspiration so will pen a few words….
Today it is summer; I’ve just been outside, felt the sun on
my face, warm breeze on my skin and smiled. After what seemed like endless
weeks of rain, strong gales and unseasonal conditions which I thought would
never end it is nice, pleasant and welcome. It may be short lived, but we live
in hope. Suddenly everything is much clearer, trees, hedgerows, flower beds,
things that were overlooked due to shielding from the elements, elements that
go some way to mask our vision.
I have recently discovered an interest in trees, they are
lovely grand things, most have been here much longer than any of us and I’ll
bet they have a few stories to tell too. Whenever I fish, actually all the
time, I have trees around me and wonder what they are, what species. I shall
purchase a book, a guide to help me in my quest to understand them. I feel it
will help with my writings to inform the reader of what tree I was leant
against, slept against or sat under whilst writing in my diary.
As the tools of my trade change, my outlook on the world
around me will follow suit, I can feel it happening already. Gone are the days
when I care about nothing more than to catch as many fish as possible. Yes, I
still yearn to be successful, but success comes in many forms. To capture a kingfisher
on my camera would be seen as a great success, to witness a rainbow over my
favourite pool would be seen as success and to bump into a friend on the bank
and share a few stories and a pot of tea would also be seen as success.
I think I will be more content with watching, observing,
taking it all in. I will make that cast but in my own time, there will be no
rush to do so, I’ll get around to it when I’m good and ready. A friend once
mentioned the phrase “Stop and smell the roses”. Before now it was a case of “What
roses, I didn’t see any roses”. All the time I was too busy hurrying to the
water, and once there scanning the water for fish. Trying to work out where
they’d be, how I’d catch them and all the time ignoring the important things. Instead
of thinking “I wonder if there are carp under that overhanging tree” perhaps I should have been thinking more along the
lines of “I wonder what type it is, what colour the blossom will be, how long
it has provided shelter to the water beneath it”. Thoughts that would enable me
to unite with my surroundings and, in turn, discover more about what’s above
and below the surface. It may sound a bit cliché and worn out now but to get
closer to your surroundings has to get you closer to your quarry, I strongly
believe that, even more so these days.
Since recently discovering Fennel’s Journals I have
discovered a writer who had already been to and documented where I am going. With
a stunning website (www.fennelspriory.com)
and a series of Journals, some released, other in the wings, it is quite
possible to explore how it should be done. He takes the reader to a special
place, a promised land he has imagined a long time but which has become
reality, and his passion for wanting to share it and take you there is deserved
of the praise his writing receives. If you haven’t already discovered The Priory
I suggest you do. I was caught in the middle of a transition between two places
I had strong feelings for; The priory has helped me decide which path to take
and has lit up a runway which has enabled me to do so smoothly and in the
knowledge that I embark on this journey in good company.
Swan at Redmire April 2011 |