Three Beautiful Things

Three Beautiful Things

I found this blog the other day - there was a link to it on Bekki Hill's Write Coach website. Bekki Hill writes a column for Mslexia.

The 'Three Beautiful Things' is such a brilliant idea for a blog and yet so simple. I used to do this to ward off - or get out from under the weight of - depression. I would write my three positive or 'Good and New' things either at the end of each day, or first thing in the morning whilst doing my early morning writing workout.

It was back in about the 1930s that Dorothea Brande came up with the idea of doing daily timed pieces of stream-of-consciousness or freewriting first thing in the morning. In the 1990s Julia Cameron adopted this idea and marketed it as 'morning pages'.

Meditative

I have had a wonderfully relaxed and meditative day today. This comes after a week of closeting myself away in the house (no Pilates classes, no cycle rides) with the intention of writing a piece for Mslexia on the theme of 'travel'. Typically I left it until the last minute, having known about the 30 June deadline for two months. Why do I put myself through it like this? In the end I wouldn't have got it in but for Paul's encouragement. He came home early yesterday with a headache and found that now he had two headaches - me being one. I was getting a little overwrought and distraught by 3.00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. After frantically typing a few lines to join the various bits of my random narrative together and then printing it out ( (having to replace the print cartridge in the middle of this) I got to the Post Office in the nick of time, just as the mail van arrived to take the mail, and I paid for special, next day guaranteed, delivery. In the end the piece went in more-or-less unedited so I don't expect publication, but Mslexia do promise to give feedback.

I have spent the day relaxing and doing some meditative journal writing. I have been giving myself a hard time lately about not doing enough work on my business plans, not setting goals, etc. Why? Anyone would think I had a work ethic! I'll do everything that needs to be done, all in good time.

Today, I have resolved to devote time to writing daily. I had resolved to do this when I got back from my travels - even if was only the daily 'morning pages'. I haven't done it. Yesterday I was vowing never to write again: 'it's soooo painful!' I wailed at Paul, in anguish. I really was in anguish. But that was then.

Postcrossing

I have just discovered Postcrossing. I have registered and have now received the address to which to send my first postcard - to a woman in Berlin. Why didn't I know about this site before? I've been collecting postcards all my life - or at least since I was about 2 years old and a friend of my mother's sent me a postcard. I am also intending to register with Bookcrossing. I have been aware of this for some time. I have never come across a Bookcrossing book myself, but someone I worked with came across one last year; it had been left in the cafe area on the landing outside our office.

Another website of interest is that of the Cloud Appreciation Society. This I came across at the weekend, when briefly visiting my cousin, Jane, on the way back from Tony and Jo's wedding in Somerset. Jane proudly showed us her recently acquired copy of The Cloudspotter's Guide which refers to the website.

Catching up

I'm in a rush now as I have to be down at the Cattle market in Otley very soon to help prepare the Clifton Drummers' float for Otley Carnival. After the carnival procession I have to dash back here, finish packing, load up the car and set off for Laurieston Hall in Dumfries and Galloway (see link in 'McCoco' post, below).

Just found a new link for Otley by the way, whilst looking for one on the carnival.

Last Saturday was our wedding celebration party. Gris, Peter and Becki came up for the weekend. It was so good to see them and I wished they could have stayed longer. Rob and Suzy came up from Essex too. About 40-50 people came to the party. Some of them seemed reluctant to leave when Rob, Suzy and I were clearing up at 12.30 a.m. Of course it was the teachers who didn't want to leave - I wonder if they would have responded to a bell? :-)

No time to write more, so I'll cut and paste part of an email I just sent to Mark in Oz.

I've been pottering around, keeping fit (or getting fitter anyway). Got in a panic a couple of weeksago realising that the BIG BIKE RIDE isn't far off (we leave on 26^th July) so have given up using the gym equipment and am instead cycling to the gym 3 times a week (4.5 miles, mostly uphill), doing a Pilates class, having a swim and back home again (mostly downhill). Last Monday, after taking Gris, Peter and Becki to the station in Leeds, I went on a 17 mile bike ride, negotiating some very steep hills without getting off the bike. I did have to get off a couple of times, but that was due to traffic conditions. You should see my calf muscles! Still not lost any weight though!

Off on a co-counselling residential in Scotland (Laurieston Hall -– my favourite place) today, after the annual event of drumming on a float in Otley Carnival procession. Paul is playing a folk festival in Masham (Dales) and a gig with Small World Band at Bradford University. He went to Masham yesterday afternoon, came back this morning for the Bradford gig and is off again later.

Greenham Common

I came home from Wiston on the Monday. On the Wednesday (bank holiday week - Paul's half-term holiday) Paul and I drove down to Berkshire to see my Mum. We stayed with friends in Newbury and visited an old school friend in Abingdon.

Whilst in Newbury, we drove up to Greenham Common, which I had been meaning to do for years. It was heartening to see the common returning to the wild. We walked on the runway, now almost covered in a mat of grass and wild flowers. There are cattle grazing on the common again and an abundance of plants and flowers. It reminded me of Thomas Hardy's Wessex - it's the kind of landscape he writes about. Paul said he found it eerie walking on the runway and looking at the weapon silos (now also covered in grass). He'd never been there before. I'd not been there myself since the '80s, though I remember driving past and stopping for a look when I was on my way down to the south coast in '92.

I remember making the trip down from Bradford in December '82 (the year that we had moved north) for the Embrace the Base demo. It's difficult to believe that it was all so long ago. I remember joining the Women for Life on Earth march back in '81 (the march that culminated in the occupation of the common and the setting up of the Peace Camp) several miles outside of Newbury on the A4 Hungerford Road. As we walked into Newbury, some lads on the edge of the Speen estate spat at us and threw stones. There were men on the original march too of course and men at the Peace Camp in the first weeks. Coincidentally, when I was a volunteer at Bradford CAB in 1985-6 I met Steve, one of the original Peace Campers, who had actually been to my house in Newbury for a bath on a couple of occasions whilst living at the Peace Camp. He was also a CAB volunteer at that time. Later on in the '80s we both worked for the Benefits Shops run by Bradford Council. Another coincidence: one of the original Life on Earth women, who also came to my house in Newbury for a bath several times now lives here in Otley. At one time I remember passing on some of my son's outgrown clothes to her for her son. Sadly, she told me when I saw her a year or so ago, that her son died in a car crash a few years back.

McCoco

It's been weeks since I last posted. So, what has happened in the intervening time?

On the weekend of Spring Bank Holiday I went up to Wiston Lodge in Scotland for a co-counselling residential workshop organised by the Scottish co-counselling community (the workshop is dubbed 'McCoco'). Wiston Lodge is beautiful (though not as nice a setting and ambiance as Laurieston Hall) and I had a great time, seeing people I'd not seen for ages. Everyone remarked on how relaxed and well I was looking (having escaped the clutches of Bradford Council!). I did a lot of drumming in spare moments and realised how little I play at home - because of the noise and potential neighbour nuisance. I was really getting into improvising and did some great pieces - none of which I can recall of course.

Unfortunately, I came down with a bug on the last evening of McCoco - feeling sick and dizzy. This made the drive back very unpleasant and protracted and I felt below par for the rest of the week.