Tag: writing

blog, monthly update

February Update

beatricemorgan

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these! I’ve been in a season of refilling my creative well, mostly with a lot of TV and films. This was a bit of a novelty for me, because I don’t usually like to spend more time in front of a screen than I have to, but it felt really good to give my brain something different to chew on. My taste has been all over the place – some favourites have been The Pitt, Heated Rivalry, SAS Rogue Heros, and Abbott Elementary. They’re all a different kind of story and have different approaches to their storytelling, but I thought they all did a good job with what they were trying to do.

From the Bookshelf

One of my favourite reads of the month was WHEN WE WERE BIRDS, the story of a Rastaman forced to break religious taboo by taking a job at a cemetery and a woman who’s maternal line has the ability to deal with – see, hear, speak to – the dead. It occupies one of those speculative genres that’s a bit tricky to pin down: you might call it a grounded ghost story, or literary fantasy, or magical realism. The complicated family dynamics throughout really scratched an itch for me.

I also thoroughly enjoyed SORCERY AND SMALL MAGICS by Maiga Doocy. The magic system is really cool, I fell in love with Leo and Grimm from the first page, and I was utterly bereft to realise book two hasn’t been published yet.

From the Garden

The delights of early spring are starting to emerge. I’ve spent a while trying to cultivate some brightness for this dreary time of year, but my efforts have been hit and miss. Crocuses simply refuse to grow in my terribly soil, and nothing came of planting wood anemones or alliums, but daffodils seem to thrive, so I planted several more varieties last autumn.

dangling white snowdrop flowers against a backdrop of new green growth

Snowdrops, snowflakes and wild primroses all contribute to the distinctive colour pallet of February: white, yellow and a bright, fresh green. I’ve also added primrose cultivars that mix it up a bit with jewel tones, although the month of heavy rain has left them a bit raggedy.

Creamy primrose flowers with egg yolk-yellow centres
Deep red flowers with yellow centres

We’re also starting to get enough sun that indoor seed planting can start. So far the sweet peas have been germinated on damp kitchen roll, and I’m eyeing my windowsill space to work out who can go next.

blog, monthly update

August Update

beatricemorgan

From the Bookshelf

Reading has been a slog this month. It started with a book I thought I should enjoy it couldn’t find enthusiasm for, continued with one I abandoned at 20% because I was utterly bored, and culminated in book that I had to finish so I could lead a book club discussion but it was just. so. bad. Totally killed any desire to read.

Thankfully things are looking up! I started We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees, and it seems to be just the right combination of creepy woods and complicated families for my tastes. And a few of my holds at the library will come in soon, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that I can fall in love with some new books.

From the Garden

On the collapsed bank that I’m slowly levelling and reseeding (half a metre at a slow, slow time), the perennial wildflower and grass seeds were taking a while to establish. To cover the patches of bare earth in the mean time, I threw a mix of cornfield annuals at it – poppies, corn chamomile, cornflowers, corn marigolds and others – and they’ve sprouted wonderfully.

A broad, red poppy, surrounded by other poppies and cheerful white flowers with yellow centres

From the Yoga Mat

Yoga philosophy and ethics are not just for the mat – we practice them there so we can take them into the rest of our lives. Lately, my guiding principle has been brahmacharya, the conservation of vital energy. Thoughtful allocation of energy is an incredibly usefully tool in managing chronic illness, and while I recover from a recent crash I’ve been thinking about the ways that brahmacharya threads through my daily life.

One of my teachers describes brahmacharya as an instruction to honour all life energy. It is knowing that our energy is sacred, therefore we respect and cherish it. It is even more precious for those of us with energy-limiting illnesses; the instruction to honour and cherish it is even more urgent. Make no mistake, it sucks not to have enough energy to do everything you want to do, but I know that it’s taught me to be deliberate with what and who gets my attention, and I’m grateful for that. I can choose to move to my yoga mat, or look after the garden, or edit my current work-in-progress story, rather than wasting that energy on something that will matter less and bring me less fulfilment (doomscrolling, I’m looking at you). Sometimes, when I’m really not feeling well, it’s about trying to take care of myself as best as I can, in choosing between activities of daily living.

Of course, sometimes the time-wasting activities suck me in anyway, but it’s a useful check-in: am I cherishing my energy? Do my actions reflect the belief that my life energy should be honoured? When the answer is no, that’s a signal I need to redirect my attention something more worthwhile and ultimately more satisfying.

Thanks for reading!

blog, monthly update

July Update

beatricemorgan

I’m once again writing a monthly update during a heatwave. Climate change sure is doing its thing this summer. My writing is still in a slump too – I was just starting to get into the editing swing again when my beloved puppy caused so much chaos in the space of a week that my body said Sit Your Butt Down Or Else. I’m not a fan of the else, so I’ve been dutifully sitting around doing very little at all. On the bright side, I’ve finally had time to watch Abbott Elementary, which has been on my to watch list since the first season came out, and has been as delightful as promised. Highly recommend.

From the Bookshelf

My library hold on We Can Do Better Than This came in, and I guzzled it at lightspeed. A collection of essays by queer writers, entertainers and activists, edited by Amelia Abraham, it was predictably angering and saddening, but also energising – there’s so much we still need to do for LGBTQIA+ equality, in the UK and around the globe. I was especially glad to see the inclusion of ace and intersex contributors, as people who are often left out of these kinds of conversations.

My favourite bit of fiction for the month was The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison. I loved Addison’s The Goblin Emperor, and while this book didn’t have the same heft, in terms of world building or sheer size of the volume, it was still a great read. A supernatural Sherlock Holmes retelling, it was faithful in tone and character to ACD’s works, while still bringing a wholly original spin. Angels, hellhounds and spirit-wounds abound.

From the Garden

Though they’re a little late in gaining height, the sweat peas continue to trundle upwards. The ox-eyes daisies and mallows have reached the end of their time, and the annuals have taken centre stage. Each year I like to try out new bedding plants, and this year I got my hands on a mix of dahlia ‘Figaro’ plants in a wonderful variety of colours and configurations.

Efforts to transform much of the garden into a wildlife haven continue, and we’re finally in the part of the year when I can start letting the plants take care of themselves. Previous years of infrequent mowing allowed an interesting variety of species to establish in the lawn (doing it this way means I don’t have to research and test to find species that will tolerate dry, alkaline conditions; the plants that like this specific habitat are ready and waiting to grow), and now we reap the benefits. The clumps of wild marjoram that have sprung up are much visited by pollinators.

From the Yoga Mat

Meditation has been the main focus of my practice while I dial back my energy expenditure to recover from doing too much. I’ve never been a natural meditator: my brain is a very noisy place, not easily convinced to shut up and focus on the breath. In fact, I first learned to meditate by simply tiring myself out during asana practice; lying, exhausted, in Savasana taught me (slowly, incrementally) to hang out in stillness and silence. It’s an old friend now, albeit one I still get irritated with when our plans don’t align. The noise is no less noisy just because I’ve learned to ignore it sometimes.

As I’ve been relishing my meditation practice so much, I finally did what I’ve wanted to for months and applied to be a teacher on Insight Timer, my favourite meditation app. I was accepted, and my first guided meditation, “Gentle Curiosity,” is available to practice with! It’s been a bit of a learning curve, working out how to record and edit audio, and I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’m happy with how this turned out. You can find the track here (you don’t need to download the app or make an account to listen).

Thanks for reading!