Tag: writing

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.

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!

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